I tried to create the same validation twice. The second time it fails displaying an error; but this error is shown after I entered my password. I think the error should be shown before signing the validation. $ snapcraft validate u1test20161026 ubuntu-core=3 Getting details for ubuntu-core Signing validation ubuntu-core=3 You need a passphrase to unlock the secret key for user: "default" 4096-bit RSA key, ID D017FEB3, created 2016-01-01 Received error 409: 'There is already a validation assertion stored for snap-id y8gqFXGKAfN5NoZtNRZHqWhB1C4jt3Gi in this context.' In addition to that, the error is not for humans. It shows the error code, the snap-id, and it's not nicely formatted.