diff --git a/lib/initend.c b/lib/initend.c
index 8ca2acdd..3ab31920 100644
--- a/lib/initend.c
+++ b/lib/initend.c
@@ -90,8 +90,8 @@ config_inject_vpkgs(struct xbps_handle *xh)
 		vpkgdir = strdup("/etc/xbps/virtualpkg.d");
 
 	if ((dirp = opendir(vpkgdir)) == NULL) {
-		xbps_dbg_printf(xh, "config: failed to open %s: %s\n",
-		    vpkgdir, strerror(errno));
+		fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: cannot access to "
+		    "etc/xbps/virtualpkg.d: %s\n", strerror(errno));
 		return;
 	}