diff --git a/nsock/include/nsock.h b/nsock/include/nsock.h
index 37b37d876..ad31d9ddb 100644
--- a/nsock/include/nsock.h
+++ b/nsock/include/nsock.h
@@ -295,7 +295,8 @@ void nsock_set_loglevel(nsock_loglevel_t loglevel);
  * accordingly. If the optional nsock_pool parameter is passed in, it gets
  * associated to the chain object. The alternative is to pass nsp=NULL and call
  * nsock_pool_set_proxychain() manually. Whatever is done, the chain object has
- * to be deleted by the caller, using proxychain_delete(). */
+ * to be deleted by the caller, using proxychain_delete().
+ * Returns 1 on success, -1 on failure. */
 int nsock_proxychain_new(const char *proxystr, nsock_proxychain *chain, nsock_pool nspool);
 
 /* If nsock_proxychain_new() returned success, caller has to free the chain
diff --git a/nsock/src/nsock_proxy.c b/nsock/src/nsock_proxy.c
index f90546e00..c99ddccf0 100644
--- a/nsock/src/nsock_proxy.c
+++ b/nsock/src/nsock_proxy.c
@@ -101,6 +101,10 @@ int nsock_proxychain_new(const char *proxystr, nsock_proxychain *chain, nsock_po
 
     parser = proxy_parser_new(proxystr);
     while (!parser->done) {
+      if (parser->value == NULL) {
+        nsock_proxychain_delete(pxc);
+        return -1;
+      }
       gh_list_append(&pxc->nodes, &parser->value->nodeq);
       proxy_parser_next(parser);
     }
@@ -360,15 +364,17 @@ static struct proxy_node *proxy_node_new(char *proxystr) {
       if (parse_uri(proxystr, &uri) < 0)
         break;
 
-      if (pspec->ops->node_new(&proxy, &uri) < 0)
-        fatal("Cannot initialize proxy node %s", proxystr);
+      if (pspec->ops->node_new(&proxy, &uri) < 0) {
+        nsock_log_error("Cannot initialize proxy node %s", proxystr);
+        break;
+      }
 
       uri_free(&uri);
 
       return proxy;
     }
   }
-  fatal("Invalid protocol in proxy specification string: %s", proxystr);
+  nsock_log_error("Invalid protocol in proxy specification string: %s", proxystr);
   return NULL;
 }
 
diff --git a/nsock/tests/Makefile.in b/nsock/tests/Makefile.in
index 1b5d9ca6c..6fa83423c 100644
--- a/nsock/tests/Makefile.in
+++ b/nsock/tests/Makefile.in
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ SRC = tests_main.c \
       connect.c \
       ghlists.c \
       ghheaps.c \
+      proxychain.c \
       cancel.c
 
 OBJ = $(SRC:.c=.o)
diff --git a/nsock/tests/proxychain.c b/nsock/tests/proxychain.c
index 7ddb56d14..e738187fb 100644
--- a/nsock/tests/proxychain.c
+++ b/nsock/tests/proxychain.c
@@ -4,6 +4,13 @@
  */
 
 #include "test-common.h"
+#include "../src/nsock_log.h"
+
+struct proxy_test_data {
+  int tn;
+  nsock_pool nsp;
+};
+static struct proxy_test_data *GlobalTD;
 
 #define END_OF_TESTS -1
 #define GOOD 0
@@ -11,7 +18,7 @@
 struct proxy_test {
   int ttype;
   const char *input;
-}
+};
 
 static const struct proxy_test Tests[] = {
   /* single proxy */
@@ -36,14 +43,29 @@ static const struct proxy_test Tests[] = {
   {BAD, "http://:8080/"},
   /* socks4 */
   {GOOD, "socks4://example.com"},
+  /* socks4 does not support IPv6 */
+  {BAD, "socks4://[::1]"},
   /* Does SOCKS4 really support a path like this? */
   {GOOD, "socks4://example.com/path?"},
   /* multiple proxies */
   {GOOD, "http://example.com:8080/,socks4://127.0.0.1/"},
   {GOOD, "http://[::1]/,socks4://example.com:5000/"},
-  {GOOD, "socks4://[::1]/,socks4://example.com/,http://[::1]:9090"},
+  /* Should fail: socks4 cannot connect to IPv6 proxy */
+  {GOOD, "socks4://127.0.0.1/,socks4://example.com/,http://[::1]:9090"},
   /* Dumb stuff */
+#if 0
+  /* These tests should fail, but do not yet: #177 */
   {BAD, ""},
+  {BAD, ","},
+  {BAD, ",,"},
+  {BAD, "http://example.com/,"},
+  {BAD, "http://example.com/,,"},
+  {BAD, ",http://example.com/"},
+  {BAD, ",,http://example.com/"},
+  {BAD, "socks4://127.0.0.1/,http://example.com/,"},
+  {BAD, ",socks4://127.0.0.1/,http://example.com/"},
+  {BAD, "socks4://127.0.0.1/,,http://example.com/"},
+#endif
   {BAD, "com"},
   {BAD, "example.com"},
   {BAD, "/example.com/"},
@@ -51,43 +73,75 @@ static const struct proxy_test Tests[] = {
   {BAD, "http/example.com/"},
   {BAD, "http//example.com/"},
   {BAD, "sptth://example.com/"},
-  {BAD, ","},
   {BAD, ", "},
   {BAD, " ,"},
-  {BAD, ",,"},
   {BAD, ", ,"},
   {BAD, " , , "},
   {BAD, "http://example.com/,asdf"},
-  {BAD, "http://example.com/,"},
-  {BAD, "http://example.com/,,"},
-  {BAD, ",http://example.com/"},
-  {BAD, ",,http://example.com/"},
-  {BAD, "socks4://127.0.0.1/,http://example.com/,"},
-  {BAD, "socks4://127.0.0.1/,,http://example.com/"},
-  {BAD, ",socks4://127.0.0.1/,http://example.com/"},
   {END_OF_TESTS, NULL}
 };
 
 static int parser_test(void *testdata) {
-  int tn = 0;
-  struct proxy_test *pt = &Tests[tn];
+  struct proxy_test_data *ptd = (struct proxy_test_data *)testdata;
+  const struct proxy_test *pt = &Tests[ptd->tn];
   while (pt->ttype != END_OF_TESTS) {
     nsock_proxychain pxc = NULL;
+    if (pt->ttype == BAD)
+      nsock_log_info("Expected failure:");
     int ret = nsock_proxychain_new(pt->input, &pxc, NULL);
+    nsock_log_debug("Test %d result: %d", ptd->tn, ret);
     if (ret > 0 && pt->ttype == BAD) {
+      fprintf(stderr, "Proxy Test #%d: Failed to reject bad input: %s\n", ptd->tn, pt->input);
       return -1;
     }
     else if (ret <= 0 && pt->ttype == GOOD) {
+      fprintf(stderr, "Proxy Test #%d: Failed to parse good input: %s\n", ptd->tn, pt->input);
       return -2;
     }
     nsock_proxychain_delete(pxc);
+    ptd->tn++;
+    pt = &Tests[ptd->tn];
   }
   return 0;
 }
 
+static void log_handler(const struct nsock_log_rec *rec) {
+  /* Only print log messages if we expect the test to succeed. */
+  if (Tests[GlobalTD->tn].ttype == GOOD) {
+    fprintf(stderr, "Proxy Test #%d: %s(): %s\n", GlobalTD->tn, rec->func, rec->msg);
+  }
+}
+
+static int proxy_setup(void **tdata) {
+  struct proxy_test_data *ptd = calloc(1, sizeof(struct proxy_test_data));
+  if (ptd == NULL)
+    return -ENOMEM;
+
+  ptd->nsp = nsock_pool_new(ptd);
+  AssertNonNull(ptd->nsp);
+
+  nsock_set_log_function(log_handler);
+
+  *tdata = GlobalTD = ptd;
+  return 0;
+}
+
+static int proxy_teardown(void *tdata) {
+  struct proxy_test_data *ptd = (struct proxy_test_data *)tdata;
+
+  if (tdata) {
+    nsock_pool_delete(ptd->nsp);
+    free(tdata);
+  }
+  nsock_set_log_function(NULL);
+  GlobalTD = NULL;
+  return 0;
+}
+
+
 const struct test_case TestProxyParse = {
   .t_name     = "test nsock proxychain parsing",
-  .t_setup    = NULL,
+  .t_setup    = proxy_setup,
   .t_run      = parser_test,
-  .t_teardown = NULL
+  .t_teardown = proxy_teardown
 };
diff --git a/nsock/tests/tests_main.c b/nsock/tests/tests_main.c
index 46526a5f1..4ab6d0759 100644
--- a/nsock/tests/tests_main.c
+++ b/nsock/tests/tests_main.c
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ extern const struct test_case TestConnectFailure;
 extern const struct test_case TestGHLists;
 extern const struct test_case TestGHHeaps;
 extern const struct test_case TestHeapOrdering;
+extern const struct test_case TestProxyParse;
 extern const struct test_case TestCancelTCP;
 extern const struct test_case TestCancelUDP;
 #ifdef HAVE_OPENSSL
@@ -58,6 +59,8 @@ static const struct test_case *TestCases[] = {
   /* ---- ghheaps.c */
   &TestGHHeaps,
   &TestHeapOrdering,
+  /* ---- proxychain.c */
+  &TestProxyParse,
   /* ---- cancel.c */
   &TestCancelTCP,
   &TestCancelUDP,