diff --git a/cmd/run/main.go b/cmd/run/main.go
index 92bf4620..ad8b3005 100644
--- a/cmd/run/main.go
+++ b/cmd/run/main.go
@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@ func Run(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) {
 				}
 				defaultRunNameBuilder.WriteString(st.Id)
 			}
+		} else {
+			log.Fatal().Str("path", path).Err(err).Msg("failed to process stage path")
 		}
 	}
 	if defaultRunNameBuilder != nil {
diff --git a/stage/map.go b/stage/map.go
index 60621e2e..62c85ba0 100644
--- a/stage/map.go
+++ b/stage/map.go
@@ -57,6 +57,15 @@ func ReadStageFromFile(filePath string) (*Stage, error) {
 	if err = json.Unmarshal(bytes, stage); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse json %s: %w", filePath, err)
 	}
+	for i, queryFile := range stage.QueryFiles {
+		if !filepath.IsAbs(queryFile) {
+			queryFile = filepath.Join(stage.BaseDir, queryFile)
+			stage.QueryFiles[i] = queryFile
+		}
+		if _, err = os.Stat(queryFile); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("%s links to an invalid query file %s: %w", stage.Id, queryFile, err)
+		}
+	}
 	log.Debug().Str("id", stage.Id).Str("path", filePath).Msg("read stage file")
 	return stage, nil
 }
@@ -80,14 +89,6 @@ func ParseStage(stage *Stage, stages Map) (*Stage, error) {
 		log.Debug().Msgf("%s already parsed, returned", stage.Id)
 		return stageFound, nil
 	}
-	for _, queryFile := range stage.QueryFiles {
-		if !filepath.IsAbs(queryFile) {
-			queryFile = filepath.Join(stage.BaseDir, queryFile)
-		}
-		if _, err := os.Stat(queryFile); err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("%s links to an invalid query file %s: %w", stage.Id, queryFile, err)
-		}
-	}
 	for i, nextStagePath := range stage.NextStagePaths {
 		if !filepath.IsAbs(nextStagePath) {
 			nextStagePath = filepath.Join(stage.BaseDir, nextStagePath)
diff --git a/stage/no_influx.go b/stage/no_influx.go
index f2d2cc58..8e56a47b 100644
--- a/stage/no_influx.go
+++ b/stage/no_influx.go
@@ -7,7 +7,10 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 )
 
-func NewInfluxRunRecorder(_ string) RunRecorder {
+func NewInfluxRunRecorder(cfgPath string) RunRecorder {
+	if cfgPath == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
 	return &NotSupportedRecorder{}
 }
 
diff --git a/stage/stage.go b/stage/stage.go
index 4bd22e29..bff37752 100644
--- a/stage/stage.go
+++ b/stage/stage.go
@@ -271,11 +271,15 @@ func (s *Stage) runSequentially(ctx context.Context) (returnErr error) {
 }
 
 func (s *Stage) runQueryFile(ctx context.Context, queryFile string, expectedRowCountStartIndex *int, fileAlias *string) error {
-	queryFileAbsPath := queryFile
-	if !filepath.IsAbs(queryFileAbsPath) {
-		queryFileAbsPath = filepath.Join(s.BaseDir, queryFileAbsPath)
+	file, err := os.Open(queryFile)
+	if fileAlias == nil {
+		if relPath, relErr := filepath.Rel(s.BaseDir, queryFile); relErr == nil {
+			fileAlias = &relPath
+		} else {
+			fileAlias = &queryFile
+		}
 	}
-	file, err := os.Open(queryFileAbsPath)
+
 	var queries []string
 	if err == nil {
 		queries, err = presto.SplitQueries(file)
@@ -292,9 +296,7 @@ func (s *Stage) runQueryFile(ctx context.Context, queryFile string, expectedRowC
 		}
 		return err
 	}
-	if fileAlias == nil {
-		fileAlias = &queryFile
-	}
+
 	if expectedRowCountStartIndex != nil {
 		err = s.runQueries(ctx, queries, fileAlias, *expectedRowCountStartIndex)
 		*expectedRowCountStartIndex += len(queries)
@@ -345,7 +347,11 @@ func (s *Stage) runRandomly(ctx context.Context) error {
 			}
 		} else {
 			queryFile := s.QueryFiles[idx-len(s.Queries)]
-			fileAlias := fmt.Sprintf("rand_%d/%s", i, queryFile)
+			fileAlias := queryFile
+			if relPath, relErr := filepath.Rel(s.BaseDir, queryFile); relErr == nil {
+				fileAlias = relPath
+			}
+			fileAlias = fmt.Sprintf("rand_%d_%s", i, fileAlias)
 			if err := s.runQueryFile(ctx, queryFile, nil, &fileAlias); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}