diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index de61419cbf..830e814810 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -609,6 +609,8 @@ name = "kernel_cmdline"
 version = "0.1.0"
 dependencies = [
  "libc",
+ "remain",
+ "thiserror",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
diff --git a/kernel_cmdline/Cargo.toml b/kernel_cmdline/Cargo.toml
index 0000610e36..bf2a5d6ef9 100644
--- a/kernel_cmdline/Cargo.toml
+++ b/kernel_cmdline/Cargo.toml
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ edition = "2018"
 
 [dependencies]
 libc = "*"
+remain = "*"
+thiserror = "*"
 
 [lib]
 path = "src/kernel_cmdline.rs"
diff --git a/kernel_cmdline/src/kernel_cmdline.rs b/kernel_cmdline/src/kernel_cmdline.rs
index ad040ecdda..589fccf4f5 100644
--- a/kernel_cmdline/src/kernel_cmdline.rs
+++ b/kernel_cmdline/src/kernel_cmdline.rs
@@ -4,37 +4,29 @@
 
 //! Helper for creating valid kernel command line strings.
 
-use std::fmt::{self, Display};
 use std::result;
 
+use remain::sorted;
+use thiserror::Error;
+
 /// The error type for command line building operations.
-#[derive(PartialEq, Debug)]
+#[sorted]
+#[derive(Error, PartialEq, Debug)]
 pub enum Error {
-    /// Operation would have resulted in a non-printable ASCII character.
-    InvalidAscii,
-    /// Key/Value Operation would have had a space in it.
-    HasSpace,
     /// Key/Value Operation would have had an equals sign in it.
+    #[error("string contains an equals sign")]
     HasEquals,
+    /// Key/Value Operation would have had a space in it.
+    #[error("string contains a space")]
+    HasSpace,
+    /// Operation would have resulted in a non-printable ASCII character.
+    #[error("string contains non-printable ASCII character")]
+    InvalidAscii,
     /// Operation would have made the command line too large.
+    #[error("inserting string would make command line too long")]
     TooLarge,
 }
 
-impl Display for Error {
-    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
-        use self::Error::*;
-
-        let description = match self {
-            InvalidAscii => "string contains non-printable ASCII character",
-            HasSpace => "string contains a space",
-            HasEquals => "string contains an equals sign",
-            TooLarge => "inserting string would make command line too long",
-        };
-
-        write!(f, "{}", description)
-    }
-}
-
 /// Specialized Result type for command line operations.
 pub type Result<T> = result::Result<T, Error>;