diff --git a/conf.c b/conf.c
index f175405..675d961 100644
--- a/conf.c
+++ b/conf.c
@@ -179,9 +179,9 @@ static void conf_ports(const struct ctx *c, char optname, const char *optarg,
 {
 	char addr_buf[sizeof(struct in6_addr)] = { 0 }, *addr = addr_buf;
 	char buf[BUFSIZ], *spec, *ifname = NULL, *p;
+	bool exclude_only = true, bound_one = false;
 	uint8_t exclude[PORT_BITMAP_SIZE] = { 0 };
 	sa_family_t af = AF_UNSPEC;
-	bool exclude_only = true;
 
 	if (!strcmp(optarg, "none")) {
 		if (fwd->mode)
@@ -215,12 +215,19 @@ static void conf_ports(const struct ctx *c, char optname, const char *optarg,
 		memset(fwd->map, 0xff, PORT_EPHEMERAL_MIN / 8);
 
 		for (i = 0; i < PORT_EPHEMERAL_MIN; i++) {
-			if (optname == 't')
-				tcp_sock_init(c, AF_UNSPEC, NULL, NULL, i);
-			else if (optname == 'u')
-				udp_sock_init(c, 0, AF_UNSPEC, NULL, NULL, i);
+			if (optname == 't') {
+				if (!tcp_sock_init(c, AF_UNSPEC, NULL, NULL, i))
+					bound_one = true;
+			} else if (optname == 'u') {
+				if (!udp_sock_init(c, 0, AF_UNSPEC, NULL, NULL,
+						   i))
+					bound_one = true;
+			}
 		}
 
+		if (!bound_one)
+			goto bind_fail;
+
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -293,12 +300,18 @@ static void conf_ports(const struct ctx *c, char optname, const char *optarg,
 
 			bitmap_set(fwd->map, i);
 
-			if (optname == 't')
-				tcp_sock_init(c, af, addr, ifname, i);
-			else if (optname == 'u')
-				udp_sock_init(c, 0, af, addr, ifname, i);
+			if (optname == 't') {
+				if (!tcp_sock_init(c, af, addr, ifname, i))
+					bound_one = true;
+			} else if (optname == 'u') {
+				if (!udp_sock_init(c, 0, af, addr, ifname, i))
+					bound_one = true;
+			}
 		}
 
+		if (!bound_one)
+			goto bind_fail;
+
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -339,13 +352,19 @@ static void conf_ports(const struct ctx *c, char optname, const char *optarg,
 
 			fwd->delta[i] = mapped_range.first - orig_range.first;
 
-			if (optname == 't')
-				tcp_sock_init(c, af, addr, ifname, i);
-			else if (optname == 'u')
-				udp_sock_init(c, 0, af, addr, ifname, i);
+			if (optname == 't') {
+				if (!tcp_sock_init(c, af, addr, ifname, i))
+					bound_one = true;
+			} else if (optname == 'u') {
+				if (udp_sock_init(c, 0, af, addr, ifname, i))
+					bound_one = true;
+			}
 		}
 	} while ((p = next_chunk(p, ',')));
 
+	if (!bound_one)
+		goto bind_fail;
+
 	return;
 bad:
 	die("Invalid port specifier %s", optarg);
@@ -353,6 +372,8 @@ overlap:
 	die("Overlapping port specifier %s", optarg);
 mode_conflict:
 	die("Port forwarding mode '%s' conflicts with previous mode", optarg);
+bind_fail:
+	die("Failed to bind any port for '-%c %s', exiting", optname, optarg);
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/tcp.c b/tcp.c
index f028e01..32ce1e9 100644
--- a/tcp.c
+++ b/tcp.c
@@ -2916,20 +2916,31 @@ static int tcp_sock_init_af(const struct ctx *c, int af, in_port_t port,
  * @addr:	Pointer to address for binding, NULL if not configured
  * @ifname:	Name of interface to bind to, NULL if not configured
  * @port:	Port, host order
+ *
+ * Return: 0 on (partial) success, -1 on (complete) failure
  */
-void tcp_sock_init(const struct ctx *c, sa_family_t af, const void *addr,
-		   const char *ifname, in_port_t port)
+int tcp_sock_init(const struct ctx *c, sa_family_t af, const void *addr,
+		  const char *ifname, in_port_t port)
 {
+	int ret = 0;
+
 	if (af == AF_UNSPEC && c->ifi4 && c->ifi6)
 		/* Attempt to get a dual stack socket */
 		if (tcp_sock_init_af(c, AF_UNSPEC, port, addr, ifname) >= 0)
-			return;
+			return 0;
 
 	/* Otherwise create a socket per IP version */
-	if ((af == AF_INET  || af == AF_UNSPEC) && c->ifi4)
-		tcp_sock_init_af(c, AF_INET, port, addr, ifname);
-	if ((af == AF_INET6 || af == AF_UNSPEC) && c->ifi6)
-		tcp_sock_init_af(c, AF_INET6, port, addr, ifname);
+	if ((af == AF_INET  || af == AF_UNSPEC) && c->ifi4) {
+		if (tcp_sock_init_af(c, AF_INET, port, addr, ifname) < 0)
+			ret = -1;
+	}
+
+	if ((af == AF_INET6 || af == AF_UNSPEC) && c->ifi6) {
+		if (tcp_sock_init_af(c, AF_INET6, port, addr, ifname) < 0)
+			ret = -1;
+	}
+
+	return ret;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/tcp.h b/tcp.h
index 236038f..5527c5b 100644
--- a/tcp.h
+++ b/tcp.h
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ void tcp_sock_handler(struct ctx *c, union epoll_ref ref, uint32_t events,
 		      const struct timespec *now);
 int tcp_tap_handler(struct ctx *c, int af, const void *addr,
 		    const struct pool *p, const struct timespec *now);
-void tcp_sock_init(const struct ctx *c, sa_family_t af, const void *addr,
-		   const char *ifname, in_port_t port);
+int tcp_sock_init(const struct ctx *c, sa_family_t af, const void *addr,
+		  const char *ifname, in_port_t port);
 int tcp_init(struct ctx *c);
 void tcp_timer(struct ctx *c, const struct timespec *ts);
 void tcp_defer_handler(struct ctx *c);
diff --git a/udp.c b/udp.c
index 2e9b7e6..c913d27 100644
--- a/udp.c
+++ b/udp.c
@@ -955,12 +955,14 @@ int udp_tap_handler(struct ctx *c, int af, const void *addr,
  * @addr:	Pointer to address for binding, NULL if not configured
  * @ifname:	Name of interface to bind to, NULL if not configured
  * @port:	Port, host order
+ *
+ * Return: 0 on (partial) success, -1 on (complete) failure
  */
-void udp_sock_init(const struct ctx *c, int ns, sa_family_t af,
-		   const void *addr, const char *ifname, in_port_t port)
+int udp_sock_init(const struct ctx *c, int ns, sa_family_t af,
+		  const void *addr, const char *ifname, in_port_t port)
 {
 	union udp_epoll_ref uref = { .u32 = 0 };
-	int s;
+	int s, ret = 0;
 
 	if (ns) {
 		uref.udp.port = (in_port_t)(port +
@@ -989,6 +991,9 @@ void udp_sock_init(const struct ctx *c, int ns, sa_family_t af,
 				    ifname, port, uref.u32);
 			udp_splice_ns[V4][port].sock = s;
 		}
+
+		if (s < 0)
+			ret = -1;
 	}
 
 	if ((af == AF_INET6 || af == AF_UNSPEC) && c->ifi6) {
@@ -1009,7 +1014,12 @@ void udp_sock_init(const struct ctx *c, int ns, sa_family_t af,
 				    ifname, port, uref.u32);
 			udp_splice_ns[V6][port].sock = s;
 		}
+
+		if (s < 0)
+			ret = -1;
 	}
+
+	return ret;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/udp.h b/udp.h
index 68082ea..0e81be8 100644
--- a/udp.h
+++ b/udp.h
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ void udp_sock_handler(struct ctx *c, union epoll_ref ref, uint32_t events,
 		      const struct timespec *now);
 int udp_tap_handler(struct ctx *c, int af, const void *addr,
 		    const struct pool *p, const struct timespec *now);
-void udp_sock_init(const struct ctx *c, int ns, sa_family_t af,
-		   const void *addr, const char *ifname, in_port_t port);
+int udp_sock_init(const struct ctx *c, int ns, sa_family_t af,
+		  const void *addr, const char *ifname, in_port_t port);
 int udp_init(struct ctx *c);
 void udp_timer(struct ctx *c, const struct timespec *ts);
 void udp_update_l2_buf(const unsigned char *eth_d, const unsigned char *eth_s,