diff --git a/app/auth/oauth.js b/app/auth/oauth.js
index 8f7959f7..298ef3c9 100644
--- a/app/auth/oauth.js
+++ b/app/auth/oauth.js
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 var _ = require('underscore');
 var OAuthUtil = require('oauth-client');
 var step = require('step');
-var assert = require('assert');
 var CdbRequest = require('../models/cartodb_request');
 var cdbReq = new CdbRequest();
 
@@ -90,7 +89,9 @@ var oAuth = (function(){
         return oAuth.parseTokens(req);
       },
       function getOAuthHash(err, _requestTokens) {
-        assert.ifError(err);
+        if (err) {
+          throw err;
+        }
 
         // this is oauth request only if oauth headers are present
         this.is_oauth_request = !_.isEmpty(_requestTokens);
@@ -103,7 +104,9 @@ var oAuth = (function(){
         }
       },
       function regenerateSignature(err, oAuthHash){
-        assert.ifError(err);
+        if (err) {
+          throw err;
+        }
         if (!this.is_oauth_request) {
             return null;
         }
diff --git a/app/controllers/query_controller.js b/app/controllers/query_controller.js
index 3c959264..f800a6e1 100644
--- a/app/controllers/query_controller.js
+++ b/app/controllers/query_controller.js
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 var _ = require('underscore');
 var step = require('step');
-var assert = require('assert');
 var PSQL = require('cartodb-psql');
 var CachedQueryTables = require('../services/cached-query-tables');
 const pgEntitiesAccessValidator = require('../services/pg-entities-access-validator');
@@ -158,7 +157,9 @@ QueryController.prototype.handleQuery = function (req, res, next) {
                 });
             },
             function setHeaders(err, affectedTables) {
-                assert.ifError(err);
+                if (err) {
+                    throw err;
+                }
 
                 var mayWrite = queryMayWrite(sql);
                 if ( req.profiler ) {
@@ -206,7 +207,9 @@ QueryController.prototype.handleQuery = function (req, res, next) {
                 return null;
             },
             function generateFormat(err){
-                assert.ifError(err);
+                if (err) {
+                    throw err;
+                }
                 checkAborted('generateFormat');
 
                 // TODO: drop this, fix UI!
diff --git a/app/models/formats/ogr.js b/app/models/formats/ogr.js
index f13b31d4..c2c44992 100644
--- a/app/models/formats/ogr.js
+++ b/app/models/formats/ogr.js
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ var fs = require('fs');
 var _ = require('underscore');
 var PSQL = require('cartodb-psql');
 var spawn = require('child_process').spawn;
-var assert = require('assert');
 
 // Keeps track of what's waiting baking for export
 var bakingExports = {};
@@ -95,7 +94,9 @@ OgrFormat.prototype.toOGR = function(options, out_format, out_filename, callback
       pg.query(colsql, this);
     },
     function findSRS(err, result) {
-      assert.ifError(err);
+      if (err) {
+        throw err;
+      }
 
       var needSRS = that._needSRS;
 
@@ -139,7 +140,9 @@ OgrFormat.prototype.toOGR = function(options, out_format, out_filename, callback
       });
     },
     function spawnDumper(err, srid, type) {
-      assert.ifError(err);
+      if (err) {
+        throw err;
+      }
 
       var next = this;
 
diff --git a/app/models/formats/ogr/shp.js b/app/models/formats/ogr/shp.js
index e16c3931..64e5b622 100644
--- a/app/models/formats/ogr/shp.js
+++ b/app/models/formats/ogr/shp.js
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 var step = require('step');
 var fs = require('fs');
 var spawn = require('child_process').spawn;
-var assert = require('assert');
 
 var ogr = require('./../ogr');
 
@@ -51,12 +50,16 @@ ShpFormat.prototype.toSHP = function (options, callback) {
       fs.mkdir(outdirpath, 0o777, this);
     },
     function spawnDumper(err) {
-      assert.ifError(err);
+      if (err) {
+        throw err;
+      }
 
       fmtObj.toOGR(options, 'ESRI Shapefile', shapefile, this);
     },
     function doZip(err) {
-      assert.ifError(err);
+      if (err) {
+        throw err;
+      }
 
       var next = this;
 
diff --git a/app/models/formats/pg.js b/app/models/formats/pg.js
index 3a98bd59..22198e84 100644
--- a/app/models/formats/pg.js
+++ b/app/models/formats/pg.js
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 var step = require('step');
 var PSQL = require('cartodb-psql');
-var assert = require('assert');
 
 function PostgresFormat(id) {
     this.id = id;
@@ -82,8 +81,9 @@ PostgresFormat.prototype.handleQueryEnd = function(result) {
       that.transform(result, that.opts, this);
     },
     function sendResults(err, out){
-
-        assert.ifError(err);
+        if (err) {
+            throw err;
+        }
 
         // return to browser
         if ( out ) {