diff --git a/certificates.js b/certificates.js
index 1c3da6c..573e67b 100644
--- a/certificates.js
+++ b/certificates.js
@@ -152,14 +152,8 @@ C._rawOrder = function(gnlck, mconf, db, acme, chs, acc, email, args) {
 					return Enc.bufToUrlBase64(csrDer);
 				})
 				.then(function(csr) {
-					function notify() {
-						gnlck._notify('challenge_status', {
-							options: args,
-							subject: args.subject,
-							altnames: args.altnames,
-							account: acc,
-							email: email
-						});
+					function notify(ev, opts) {
+						gnlck._notify(ev, opts);
 					}
 					var certReq = {
 						debug: args.debug || gnlck._defaults.debug,
diff --git a/greenlock.js b/greenlock.js
index bfb7ccc..78010e6 100644
--- a/greenlock.js
+++ b/greenlock.js
@@ -86,7 +86,6 @@ G.create = function(gconf) {
 		});
 		return p;
 	};
-	greenlock._init();
 
 	// The goal here is to reduce boilerplate, such as error checking
 	// and duration parsing, that a manager must implement
@@ -256,8 +255,16 @@ G.create = function(gconf) {
 						order.pems = pems;
 					})
 					.catch(function(err) {
-						order.error = err;
-						greenlock._notify('order_error', order);
+						// For greenlock express serialization
+						err.toJSON = errorToJSON;
+						err.subject = site.subject;
+						if (args.servername) {
+							err.servername = args.servername;
+						}
+						// for debugging, but not to be relied on
+						err._order = order;
+						// TODO err.context = err.context || 'renew_certificate'
+						greenlock._notify('error', err);
 					})
 					.then(function() {
 						return next();
@@ -395,6 +402,10 @@ G._defaults = function(opts) {
 		defaults[k] = opts[k];
 	});
 
+	if ('function' === typeof opts.notify) {
+		defaults.notify = opts.notify;
+	}
+
 	if (!defaults._maintainerPackage) {
 		defaults._maintainerPackage = pkg.name;
 		defaults._maintainerPackageVersion = pkg.version;
@@ -599,3 +610,11 @@ Greenlock._normalizeChallenge = function(name, ch) {
 
 	return ch;
 };
+
+function errorToJSON(e) {
+	var error = {};
+	Object.getOwnPropertyNames(e).forEach(function(k) {
+		error[k] = e[k];
+	});
+	return error;
+}