diff --git a/lib/awful/menu.lua b/lib/awful/menu.lua
index 2e29179d..8fdd51cb 100644
--- a/lib/awful/menu.lua
+++ b/lib/awful/menu.lua
@@ -20,13 +20,13 @@ local beautiful = require("beautiful")
 local dpi = require("beautiful").xresources.apply_dpi
 local object = require("gears.object")
 local surface = require("gears.surface")
+local protected_call = require("gears.protected_call")
 local cairo = require("lgi").cairo
 local setmetatable = setmetatable
 local tonumber = tonumber
 local string = string
 local ipairs = ipairs
 local pairs = pairs
-local pcall = pcall
 local print = print
 local table = table
 local type = type
@@ -374,12 +374,8 @@ function menu:add(args, index)
     local theme = load_theme(args.theme or {}, self.theme)
     args.theme = theme
     args.new = args.new or menu.entry
-    local success, item = pcall(args.new, self, args)
-    if not success then
-        print("Error while creating menu entry: " .. item)
-        return
-    end
-    if not item.widget then
+    local item = protected_call(args.new, self, args)
+    if (not item) or (not item.widget) then
         print("Error while checking menu entry: no property widget found.")
         return
     end
diff --git a/lib/awful/spawn.lua b/lib/awful/spawn.lua
index 395f666a..b25ca803 100644
--- a/lib/awful/spawn.lua
+++ b/lib/awful/spawn.lua
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ local lgi = require("lgi")
 local Gio = lgi.Gio
 local GLib = lgi.GLib
 local util   = require("awful.util")
+local protected_call = require("gears.protected_call")
 
 local spawn = {}
 
@@ -205,10 +206,7 @@ function spawn.read_lines(input_stream, line_callback, done_callback, close)
             stream:close()
         end
         if done_callback then
-            xpcall(done_callback, function(err)
-                print(debug.traceback("Error while calling done_callback:"
-                    ..  tostring(err), 2))
-            end)
+            protected_call(done_callback)
         end
     end
     local start_read, finish_read
@@ -226,14 +224,9 @@ function spawn.read_lines(input_stream, line_callback, done_callback, close)
             done()
         else
             -- Read a line
-            xpcall(function()
-                -- This needs tostring() for older lgi versions which returned
-                -- "GLib.Bytes" instead of Lua strings (I guess)
-                line_callback(tostring(line))
-            end, function(err)
-                print(debug.traceback("Error while calling line_callback: "
-                    .. tostring(err), 2))
-            end)
+            -- This needs tostring() for older lgi versions which returned
+            -- "GLib.Bytes" instead of Lua strings (I guess)
+            protected_call(line_callback, tostring(line))
 
             -- Read the next line
             start_read()
diff --git a/lib/beautiful/init.lua b/lib/beautiful/init.lua
index 7725f310..d7f95f2f 100644
--- a/lib/beautiful/init.lua
+++ b/lib/beautiful/init.lua
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ local lgi = require("lgi")
 local Pango = lgi.Pango
 local PangoCairo = lgi.PangoCairo
 local gears_debug = require("gears.debug")
+local protected_call = require("gears.protected_call")
 
 local xresources = require("beautiful.xresources")
 
@@ -109,7 +110,6 @@ end
 --   containing all the theme values.
 function beautiful.init(config)
     if config then
-        local success
         local homedir = os.getenv("HOME")
 
         -- If config is the path to the theme file,
@@ -118,16 +118,12 @@ function beautiful.init(config)
         if type(config) == 'string' then
             -- Expand the '~' $HOME shortcut
             config = config:gsub("^~/", homedir .. "/")
-            success, theme = xpcall(function() return dofile(config) end,
-                                    debug.traceback)
+            theme = protected_call(dofile, config)
         elseif type(config) == 'table' then
-            success = true
             theme = config
         end
 
-        if not success then
-            return gears_debug.print_error("beautiful: error loading theme file " .. theme)
-        elseif theme then
+        if theme then
             -- expand '~'
             if homedir then
                 for k, v in pairs(theme) do
diff --git a/lib/gears/timer.lua b/lib/gears/timer.lua
index 1c50cefe..7c320ef2 100644
--- a/lib/gears/timer.lua
+++ b/lib/gears/timer.lua
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ local traceback = debug.traceback
 local unpack = unpack or table.unpack -- luacheck: globals unpack (compatibility with Lua 5.1)
 local glib = require("lgi").GLib
 local object = require("gears.object")
+local protected_call = require("gears.protected_call")
 
 --- Timer objects. This type of object is useful when triggering events repeatedly.
 -- The timer will emit the "timeout" signal every N seconds, N being the timeout
@@ -43,11 +44,7 @@ function timer:start()
         return
     end
     self.data.source_id = glib.timeout_add(glib.PRIORITY_DEFAULT, self.data.timeout * 1000, function()
-        xpcall(function()
-                self:emit_signal("timeout")
-            end, function(err)
-                print(debug.traceback("Error during executing timeout handler: "..tostring(err)))
-            end)
+        protected_call(self.emit_signal, self, "timeout")
         return true
     end)
     self:emit_signal("start")
@@ -126,10 +123,8 @@ end
 function timer.start_new(timeout, callback)
     local t = timer.new({ timeout = timeout })
     t:connect_signal("timeout", function()
-        local success, cont = xpcall(callback, function(err)
-            print(debug.traceback("Error during executing timeout handler: "..tostring(err), 2))
-        end)
-        if not success or not cont then
+        local cont = protected_call(callback)
+        if not cont then
             t:stop()
         end
     end)
@@ -160,11 +155,7 @@ end
 local delayed_calls = {}
 capi.awesome.connect_signal("refresh", function()
     for _, callback in ipairs(delayed_calls) do
-        xpcall(function()
-                callback[1](unpack(callback, 2))
-            end, function(err)
-                print(debug.traceback("Error during delayed call: "..tostring(err), 2))
-            end)
+        protected_call(unpack(callback))
     end
     delayed_calls = {}
 end)
diff --git a/lib/wibox/hierarchy.lua b/lib/wibox/hierarchy.lua
index 502d912f..5e6abc47 100644
--- a/lib/wibox/hierarchy.lua
+++ b/lib/wibox/hierarchy.lua
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 local matrix = require("gears.matrix")
+local protected_call = require("gears.protected_call")
 local cairo = require("lgi").cairo
 local base = require("wibox.widget.base")
 local no_parent = base.no_parent_I_know_what_I_am_doing
@@ -274,17 +275,10 @@ function hierarchy:draw(context, cr)
         local opacity = widget.opacity
         local function call(func, extra_arg1, extra_arg2)
             if not func then return end
-            local function error_function(err)
-                print(debug.traceback("Error while drawing widget: " .. tostring(err), 2))
-            end
             if not extra_arg2 then
-                xpcall(function()
-                    func(widget, context, cr, self:get_size())
-                end, error_function)
+                protected_call(func, widget, context, cr, self:get_size())
             else
-                xpcall(function()
-                    func(widget, context, extra_arg1, extra_arg2, cr, self:get_size())
-                end, error_function)
+                protected_call(func, widget, context, extra_arg1, extra_arg2, cr, self:get_size())
             end
         end