diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 175eed4..e2b7d82 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -6,8 +6,6 @@
 
 Gestalt is an opinionated, strongly typed, configuration library for Python 3.6+. Gestalt aims to simplify configuration loading, getting/setting, and management by letting the user focus on writing programs, and letting Gestalt check configuration types, location, and environment variable overrides.
 
-
-
 ## Install
 
 ```python
@@ -191,11 +189,13 @@ To set a default configuration value programmatically:
 ```python
 g.set_defualt_string('some.default.k', 'default value')
 ```
+
 Defined by the function signature
 
 ```python
 set_default_string(key: str, value: str) -> None
 ```
+
 The same applies to the remaining types that Gestalt supports:
 
 ```python
@@ -244,8 +244,16 @@ g.add_vault_config_provider(vault_config, authentication_config)
 1. The `vault_config` is a dictionary requiring url, and token
 2. The `authentication_config` is a dictionary with Kubernetes `role` and `jwt`
 
-Next, add a path to the secret for Vault to access the cluster which loads it into the running
-internal data structure configuration
+Raises RuntimeError if the VAULT_ADDR is not set or set incorrectly, or TypeError when client_config is empty.
+
+Second, add a path to the secret for Vault to access the cluster which loads it into the running
+internal data structure configuration. The function `add_vault_secret_path` can consume a
+mount point which, if not provided is set to defualt value.
 
 ```python
-g.add_vault_secret_path('path')
\ No newline at end of file
+g.add_vault_secret_path(path="your-secret-pat", mount_path="mount-point")
+```
+
+Lastly, use the `fetch_vault_secret` function to fetch the secrets from your vault cluster.
+
+Raises a RuntimeError, if the path provided in `add_vault_secret_path` is invalid or the mount is invalid
diff --git a/gestalt/__init__.py b/gestalt/__init__.py
index 569a7cc..a52b838 100644
--- a/gestalt/__init__.py
+++ b/gestalt/__init__.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import glob
 import sys
 import json
+import requests
 import hvac  # type: ignore
 import collections.abc as collections
 from typing import Dict, List, Tuple, Type, Union, Optional, MutableMapping, Text, Any, NamedTuple
@@ -18,7 +19,7 @@ class CACertClient(NamedTuple):
 
 
 class HVAC_ClientConfig(TypedDict):
-    url: str
+    url: Optional[str]
     token: str
     cert: Union[None, CACertClient]
     verify: Union[None, bool]
@@ -94,19 +95,6 @@ def add_config_path(self, path: str) -> None:
                 f'Given directory path of {tmp} is not a directory')
         self.__conf_file_paths.append(tmp)
 
-    def __init_vault_client(self, url: str, token: str,
-                            cert: Union[Tuple[str, str], None],
-                            verify: Union[bool, str]) -> None:
-        self.vault_client: hvac.Client = hvac.Client(
-            url=url,
-            token=token,
-            cert=cert,
-            verify=verify,
-        )
-
-    def __authenticate_vault_client(self, role: str, jwt: str) -> None:
-        self.vault_client.auth_kubernetes(role=role, jwt=jwt)
-
     def add_config_file(self, path: str) -> None:
         """Adds a path to a single file to read configs from
 
@@ -568,22 +556,34 @@ def add_vault_config_provider(
             auth_config (HVAC_ClientAuthentication): authenticates the initialized vault client
                 with role and jwt string from kubernetes
         """
-        if client_config['url'] == "":
-            client_config['url'] = os.environ["VAULT_ADDR"]
+        if bool(client_config) == False:
+            raise TypeError("Gestalt Error: client config is empty for Vault")
+        client_config['url'] = os.environ.get("VAULT_ADDR")
+        print(client_config)
+        if not client_config['url']:
+            raise RuntimeError('Gestalt Error: VAULT_ADDR is missing')
         if client_config['token'] == "":
             client_config['token'] == os.environ.get("VAULT_TOKEN", "")
         if client_config['verify']:
             verify = True
         else:
             verify = False
-        self.__init_vault_client(client_config['url'],
-                                 client_config['token'],
-                                 client_config['cert'],
-                                 verify=verify)
+
+        self.vault_client: hvac.Client = hvac.Client(client_config['url'],
+                                                     client_config['token'],
+                                                     client_config['cert'],
+                                                     verify=verify)
 
         if auth_config:
-            self.__authenticate_vault_client(auth_config['role'],
-                                             auth_config['jwt'])
+            try:
+                self.vault_client.auth_kubernetes(\
+                    role=auth_config['role'],
+                    jwt=auth_config['jwt']
+                )
+            except requests.exceptions.ConnectionError as err:
+                print(
+                    "Gestalt Error: Couldn't connect to Vault. Maybe missing VAULT_ADDR?"
+                )
 
     def add_vault_secret_path(self,
                               path: str,
@@ -608,6 +608,14 @@ def fetch_vault_secrets(self) -> None:
         for vault_path in self.__vault_paths:
             mount_path = str(vault_path[0])
             secret_path = vault_path[1]
-            secret_token = self.vault_client.secrets.kv.v2.read_secret_version(
-                mount_point=str(mount_path), path=secret_path)
-            self.__conf_data.update(secret_token['data']['data'])
+            try:
+                secret_token = self.vault_client.secrets.kv.v2.read_secret_version(
+                    mount_point=str(mount_path), path=secret_path)
+                self.__conf_data.update(secret_token['data']['data'])
+            except hvac.exceptions.InvalidPath as err:
+                raise RuntimeError(
+                    "Gestalt Error: The secret path or mount is set incorrectly"
+                )
+            except requests.exceptions.ConnectionError as err:
+                raise RuntimeError(
+                    "Gestalt Error: Gestalt couldn't connect to Vault")
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 1f0ce4f..288887b 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ def readme():
 
 
 setup(name='gestalt-cfg',
-      version='1.0.8',
+      version='1.0.9',
       description='A sensible configuration library for Python',
       long_description=readme(),
       long_description_content_type="text/markdown",
diff --git a/tests/test_gestalt.py b/tests/test_gestalt.py
index 987408e..11fbe93 100644
--- a/tests/test_gestalt.py
+++ b/tests/test_gestalt.py
@@ -423,7 +423,13 @@ def test_set_default_bad_type_set_config():
         assert 'Set config has' in terr
 
 
-def test_vault_setup():
+## Vault testing
+@pytest.fixture
+def user_setup():
+    os.environ['VAULT_ADDR'] = "http://localhost:8200"
+
+
+def test_vault_setup(user_setup):
     g = gestalt.Gestalt()
     client_config = gestalt.HVAC_ClientConfig()
     client_config['url'] = ""
@@ -442,8 +448,15 @@ def test_vault_fail_setup():
     client_config['cert'] = None
     client_config['verify'] = True
     g.add_vault_config_provider(client_config, auth_config=None)
-    with pytest.raises(requests.exceptions.MissingSchema):
-        g.vault_client.is_authenticated()
+    assert g.vault_client.is_authenticated() == False
+
+
+def test_vault_connection_error():
+    g = gestalt.Gestalt()
+    client_config = gestalt.HVAC_ClientConfig()
+    with pytest.raises(TypeError):
+        g.add_vault_config_provider(client_config=client_config,
+                                    auth_config=None)
 
 
 def test_vault_fail_kubernetes_auth():
@@ -461,6 +474,7 @@ def test_vault_fail_kubernetes_auth():
 
 
 def test_vault_get():
+    print("If this test fails, please makes sure Vault is running locally")
     g = gestalt.Gestalt()
     g.build_config()
     client_config = gestalt.HVAC_ClientConfig()
@@ -478,6 +492,23 @@ def test_vault_get():
     assert secret == client_password
 
 
+def test_vault_incorrect_path():
+    g = gestalt.Gestalt()
+    g.build_config()
+    client_config = gestalt.HVAC_ClientConfig()
+    client_config['url'] = ""
+    client_config['token'] = "myroot"
+    client_config['cert'] = None
+    client_config['verify'] = True
+    g.add_vault_config_provider(client_config, auth_config=None)
+    print("Requires the user to set a token in the client")
+    client_id = "random_client"
+    client_password = "random_password"
+    g.add_vault_secret_path(path="random_path")
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError):
+        g.fetch_vault_secrets()
+
+
 def test_vault_mount_path():
     g = gestalt.Gestalt()
     g.build_config()
@@ -494,3 +525,20 @@ def test_vault_mount_path():
     g.fetch_vault_secrets()
     secret = g.get_string(client_id_mount_path)
     assert secret == client_password_mount_path
+
+
+def test_vault_incorrect_mount_path():
+    g = gestalt.Gestalt()
+    g.build_config()
+    client_config = gestalt.HVAC_ClientConfig()
+    client_config['url'] = ""
+    client_config['token'] = "myroot"
+    client_config['cert'] = None
+    client_config['verify'] = True
+    g.add_vault_config_provider(client_config, auth_config=None)
+    print("Requires the user to set a token in the client")
+    client_id_mount_path = "random_test_mount"
+    client_password_mount_path = "random_test_mount_password"
+    g.add_vault_secret_path("test", mount_path="incorrect-mount-point")
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError):
+        g.fetch_vault_secrets()
\ No newline at end of file