diff --git a/lib/synvert/command.rb b/lib/synvert/command.rb
index fa9e8b8..d0f760b 100644
--- a/lib/synvert/command.rb
+++ b/lib/synvert/command.rb
@@ -179,10 +179,10 @@ def run_snippet(rewriter, format)
         if ENV['DEBUG']
           puts e.backtrace.join("\n")
         end
-        if plain_output?
-          puts "Error: #{e.message}"
-        else
+        if format == 'json'
           puts({ error: e.message }.to_json)
+        else
+          puts "Error: #{e.message}"
         end
         raise
       end