diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 7b58f1e..20cf7d8 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -29,6 +29,11 @@ test:
 	${SISYPHUS_GO_EXECUTABLE} get -u github.com/onsi/gomega
 	${GOPATH}/bin/ginkgo -r --randomizeAllSpecs --randomizeSuites --failOnPending --progress
 
+static-test:
+	${SISYPHUS_GO_EXECUTABLE} get -u github.com/alecthomas/gometalinter
+	${GOPATH}/bin/gometalinter --install
+	${GOPATH}/bin/gometalinter --vendor --deadline=5m --disable-all --enable=gas --enable=goconst --enable=gocyclo --enable=unused --enable=interfacer --enable=lll --enable=misspell --enable=staticcheck --enable=aligncheck --enable=deadcode --enable=goimports --enable=ineffassign --enable=unconvert --enable=unparam --enable=varcheck --enable=dupl --enable=errcheck --enable=golint --enable=structcheck --enable=gosimple --enable=safesql --tests --json . > gometalinter.out
+
 integration-test:
 	${SISYPHUS_GO_EXECUTABLE} build
 	./sisyphus run
diff --git a/daemon.go b/daemon.go
index 100e0d1..746f3e2 100644
--- a/daemon.go
+++ b/daemon.go
@@ -30,9 +30,9 @@ func (p Pidfile) savePID(process int) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	file.Sync()
+	err = file.Sync()
 
-	return nil
+	return err
 }
 
 // DaemonStart starts sisyphus as a backgound process
@@ -43,10 +43,13 @@ func (p Pidfile) DaemonStart() error {
 	}
 
 	cmd := exec.Command(os.Args[0], "run")
-	cmd.Start()
+	err := cmd.Start()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 	log.Printf("starting sisyphus process ID [%v]\n", cmd.Process.Pid)
 	log.Println("sisyphus started")
-	err := (p).savePID(cmd.Process.Pid)
+	err = (p).savePID(cmd.Process.Pid)
 
 	return err
 }
@@ -77,7 +80,10 @@ func (p Pidfile) DaemonStop() error {
 	}
 
 	// remove PID file
-	os.Remove(string(p))
+	err = os.Remove(string(p))
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 
 	log.Printf("stopping sisyphus process ID [%v]\n", processID)
 	// kill process and exit immediately
diff --git a/database.go b/database.go
index d488378..b6226b4 100644
--- a/database.go
+++ b/database.go
@@ -20,10 +20,7 @@ func OpenDB(maildir string) (db *bolt.DB, err error) {
 	// Create DB bucket for the map of processed e-mail IDs
 	err = db.Update(func(tx *bolt.Tx) error {
 		_, err := tx.CreateBucketIfNotExists([]byte("Processed"))
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		return nil
+		return err
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		return db, err
@@ -33,10 +30,7 @@ func OpenDB(maildir string) (db *bolt.DB, err error) {
 	err = db.Update(func(tx *bolt.Tx) error {
 		b := tx.Bucket([]byte("Processed"))
 		_, err := b.CreateBucketIfNotExists([]byte("Mails"))
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		return nil
+		return err
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		return db, err
@@ -46,10 +40,7 @@ func OpenDB(maildir string) (db *bolt.DB, err error) {
 	err = db.Update(func(tx *bolt.Tx) error {
 		b := tx.Bucket([]byte("Processed"))
 		_, err := b.CreateBucketIfNotExists([]byte("Counters"))
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		return nil
+		return err
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		return db, err
@@ -58,10 +49,7 @@ func OpenDB(maildir string) (db *bolt.DB, err error) {
 	// Create DB bucket for word lists
 	err = db.Update(func(tx *bolt.Tx) error {
 		_, err := tx.CreateBucketIfNotExists([]byte("Wordlists"))
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		return nil
+		return err
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		return db, err
@@ -71,10 +59,7 @@ func OpenDB(maildir string) (db *bolt.DB, err error) {
 	err = db.Update(func(tx *bolt.Tx) error {
 		b := tx.Bucket([]byte("Wordlists"))
 		_, err := b.CreateBucketIfNotExists([]byte("Junk"))
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		return nil
+		return err
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		return db, err
@@ -84,10 +69,7 @@ func OpenDB(maildir string) (db *bolt.DB, err error) {
 	err = db.Update(func(tx *bolt.Tx) error {
 		b := tx.Bucket([]byte("Wordlists"))
 		_, err := b.CreateBucketIfNotExists([]byte("Good"))
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		return nil
+		return err
 	})
 
 	log.Println("database loaded")
diff --git a/mail.go b/mail.go
index 583a308..9238952 100644
--- a/mail.go
+++ b/mail.go
@@ -34,17 +34,23 @@ type Mail struct {
 }
 
 // CreateDirs creates all the required dirs -- if not already there.
-func (d Maildir) CreateDirs() {
+func (d Maildir) CreateDirs() error {
 
 	dir := string(d)
 
 	log.Println("create missing directories for Maildir " + dir)
 
-	os.MkdirAll(dir+"/.Junk/cur", 0700)
-	os.MkdirAll(dir+"/new", 0700)
-	os.MkdirAll(dir+"/cur", 0700)
+	err := os.MkdirAll(dir+"/.Junk/cur", 0700)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	err = os.MkdirAll(dir+"/new", 0700)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	err = os.MkdirAll(dir+"/cur", 0700)
 
-	return
+	return err
 }
 
 // Index loads all mail keys from the Maildir directory for processing.
@@ -167,6 +173,9 @@ func wordlist(s string) (l []string) {
 	raw := strings.Split(s, " ")
 	var clean []string
 
+	// use regexp compile for use in the loop that follows
+	regexMatcher, _ := regexp.Compile("(^[a-z]+$)")
+
 	for _, w := range raw {
 
 		// no long or too short words
@@ -176,7 +185,7 @@ func wordlist(s string) (l []string) {
 		}
 
 		// no numbers, special characters, etc. -- only words
-		match, _ := regexp.MatchString("(^[a-z]+$)", w)
+		match := regexMatcher.MatchString(w)
 		if !match {
 			continue
 		} else {