diff --git a/lib/serve.js b/lib/serve.js
index d40b9e0e..b39413e3 100644
--- a/lib/serve.js
+++ b/lib/serve.js
@@ -1,16 +1,16 @@
-var express = require('express');
-var bodyParser = require('body-parser');
-var expressLogging = require('express-logging');
-var queryString = require('querystring');
-var path = require('path');
-var conf = require('./config');
-var jwtDecode = require('jwt-decode');
+var express = require("express");
+var bodyParser = require("body-parser");
+var expressLogging = require("express-logging");
+var queryString = require("querystring");
+var path = require("path");
+var conf = require("./config");
+var jwtDecode = require("jwt-decode");
 
 function handleErr(err, response) {
   response.statusCode = 500;
-  response.write('Function invocation failed: ' + err.toString());
+  response.write("Function invocation failed: " + err.toString());
   response.end();
-  console.log('Error during invocation: ', err);
+  console.log("Error during invocation: ", err);
   return;
 }
 
@@ -40,12 +40,12 @@ function createCallback(response) {
     if (lambdaResponse.body) {
       response.write(
         lambdaResponse.isBase64Encoded
-          ? Buffer.from(lambdaResponse.body, 'base64')
+          ? Buffer.from(lambdaResponse.body, "base64")
           : lambdaResponse.body
       );
     } else {
       if (
-        process.env.CONTEXT !== 'production' ||
+        process.env.CONTEXT !== "production" ||
         !process.env.SILENCE_EMPTY_LAMBDA_WARNING
       )
         console.log(
@@ -59,8 +59,8 @@ function createCallback(response) {
 
 function promiseCallback(promise, callback) {
   if (!promise) return;
-  if (typeof promise.then !== 'function') return;
-  if (typeof callback !== 'function') return;
+  if (typeof promise.then !== "function") return;
+  if (typeof callback !== "function") return;
 
   return promise.then(
     function(data) {
@@ -74,16 +74,16 @@ function promiseCallback(promise, callback) {
 
 function buildClientContext(headers) {
   // inject a client context based on auth header https://github.com/netlify/netlify-lambda/pull/57
-  if (!headers['authorization']) return;
+  if (!headers["authorization"]) return;
 
-  const parts = headers['authorization'].split(' ');
-  if (parts.length !== 2 || parts[0] !== 'Bearer') return;
+  const parts = headers["authorization"].split(" ");
+  if (parts.length !== 2 || parts[0] !== "Bearer") return;
 
   try {
     return {
       identity: {
-        url: 'NETLIFY_LAMBDA_LOCALLY_EMULATED_IDENTITY_URL',
-        token: 'NETLIFY_LAMBDA_LOCALLY_EMULATED_IDENTITY_TOKEN'
+        url: "NETLIFY_LAMBDA_LOCALLY_EMULATED_IDENTITY_URL",
+        token: "NETLIFY_LAMBDA_LOCALLY_EMULATED_IDENTITY_TOKEN"
       },
       user: jwtDecode(parts[1])
     };
@@ -95,11 +95,21 @@ function buildClientContext(headers) {
 function createHandler(dir, static, timeout) {
   return function(request, response) {
     // handle proxies without path re-writes (http-servr)
-    var cleanPath = request.path.replace(/^\/.netlify\/functions/, '');
-
-    var func = cleanPath.split('/').filter(function(e) {
-      return e;
-    })[0];
+    var cleanPath = request.path.replace(/^\/.netlify\/functions/, "");
+
+    var func = cleanPath.split("/").filter(e => !!e)[0];
+    if (typeof func === "undefined") {
+      console.error(
+        `Something went wrong and the function path derived from ${cleanPath} (raw form: ${
+          request.path
+        }) was undefined. Please doublecheck your function naming and toml configuration.`
+      );
+    }
+    if (typeof dir === "undefined") {
+      console.error(
+        `Something went wrong and the function directory ${dir} was undefined. Please doublecheck your toml configuration.`
+      );
+    }
     var module = path.join(process.cwd(), dir, func);
     if (static) {
       delete require.cache[require.resolve(module)];
@@ -114,7 +124,7 @@ function createHandler(dir, static, timeout) {
 
     var isBase64 =
       request.body &&
-      !(request.headers['content-type'] || '').match(
+      !(request.headers["content-type"] || "").match(
         /text|application|multipart\/form-data/
       );
     var lambdaRequest = {
@@ -123,7 +133,7 @@ function createHandler(dir, static, timeout) {
       queryStringParameters: queryString.parse(request.url.split(/\?(.+)/)[1]),
       headers: request.headers,
       body: isBase64
-        ? Buffer.from(request.body.toString(), 'utf8').toString('base64')
+        ? Buffer.from(request.body.toString(), "utf8").toString("base64")
         : request.body,
       isBase64Encoded: isBase64
     };
@@ -163,22 +173,29 @@ exports.listen = function(port, static, timeout) {
   var config = conf.load();
   var app = express();
   var dir = config.build.functions || config.build.Functions;
-  app.use(bodyParser.raw({ limit: '6mb' }));
-  app.use(bodyParser.text({ limit: '6mb', type: '*/*' }));
+  app.use(bodyParser.raw({ limit: "6mb" }));
+  app.use(bodyParser.text({ limit: "6mb", type: "*/*" }));
   app.use(
     expressLogging(console, {
-      blacklist: ['/favicon.ico']
+      blacklist: ["/favicon.ico"]
     })
   );
 
-  app.get('/favicon.ico', function(req, res) {
+  app.get("/favicon.ico", function(req, res) {
     res.status(204).end();
   });
-  app.all('*', createHandler(dir, static, timeout));
+  app.get("/", function(req, res) {
+    res
+      .status(404)
+      .send(
+        `You have requested the root of http://localhost:${port}. This is likely a mistake. netlify-lambda serves functions at htttp://localhost:${port}/.netlify/functions/your-function-name, please fix your code.`
+      );
+  });
+  app.all("*", createHandler(dir, static, timeout));
 
   app.listen(port, function(err) {
     if (err) {
-      console.error('Unable to start lambda server: ', err);
+      console.error("Unable to start lambda server: ", err);
       process.exit(1);
     }