diff --git a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/inventory/__init__.py b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/inventory/__init__.py
index 7cb188c1c..64a791b6b 100644
--- a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/inventory/__init__.py
+++ b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/inventory/__init__.py
@@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ def delete_by_path(d: dict[str, Any], path: str) -> Any:
     """
     if not path:
         msg = "Cannot delete. Path is empty."
-        raise ClanError(msg)
+        raise KeyError(msg)
 
     keys = path.split(".")
     current = d
@@ -439,17 +439,17 @@ def delete_by_path(d: dict[str, Any], path: str) -> Any:
     # Navigate to the parent dictionary of the final key
     for key in keys[:-1]:
         if key not in current or not isinstance(current[key], dict):
-            msg = f"Cannot delete. Key '{path}' not found or not a dictionary '{d}'."
-            raise ClanError(msg)
+            msg = f"Cannot delete. Key '{path}' not found or not a dictionary '{d}'"
+            raise KeyError(msg)
         current = current[key]
 
     # Attempt to pop the final key
     last_key = keys[-1]
     try:
         value = current.pop(last_key)
-    except KeyError:
-        msg = f"Cannot delete. Path '{path}' not found in data '{d}'. "
-        raise ClanError(msg) from KeyError
+    except KeyError as exc:
+        msg = f"Cannot delete. Path '{path}' not found in data '{d}'"
+        raise KeyError(msg) from exc
     else:
         return {last_key: value}
 
diff --git a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/machines/delete.py b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/machines/delete.py
index b24de1392..1d973dd14 100644
--- a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/machines/delete.py
+++ b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/machines/delete.py
@@ -28,7 +28,16 @@ log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 @API.register
 def delete_machine(flake: Flake, name: str) -> None:
-    inventory.delete(str(flake.path), {f"machines.{name}"})
+    try:
+        inventory.delete(str(flake.path), {f"machines.{name}"})
+    except KeyError as exc:
+        # louis@(2025-03-09): test infrastructure does not seem to set the
+        # inventory properly, but more importantly only one machine in my
+        # personal clan ended up in the inventory for some reason, so I think
+        # it makes sense to eat the exception here.
+        log.warning(
+            f"{name} was missing or already deleted from the machines inventory: {exc}"
+        )
 
     changed_paths: list[Path] = []
 
diff --git a/pkgs/clan-cli/tests/test_patch_inventory.py b/pkgs/clan-cli/tests/test_patch_inventory.py
index 356e6cfcf..376c21dad 100644
--- a/pkgs/clan-cli/tests/test_patch_inventory.py
+++ b/pkgs/clan-cli/tests/test_patch_inventory.py
@@ -557,7 +557,7 @@ def test_delete_top_level() -> None:
 def test_delete_key_not_found() -> None:
     data = {"foo": {"bar": 1}}
     # Trying to delete a non-existing key "foo.baz"
-    with pytest.raises(ClanError) as excinfo:
+    with pytest.raises(KeyError) as excinfo:
         delete_by_path(data, "foo.baz")
     assert "Cannot delete. Path 'foo.baz'" in str(excinfo.value)
     # Data should remain unchanged
@@ -567,7 +567,7 @@ def test_delete_key_not_found() -> None:
 def test_delete_intermediate_not_dict() -> None:
     data = {"foo": "not a dict"}
     # Trying to go deeper into a non-dict value
-    with pytest.raises(ClanError) as excinfo:
+    with pytest.raises(KeyError) as excinfo:
         delete_by_path(data, "foo.bar")
     assert "not found or not a dictionary" in str(excinfo.value)
     # Data should remain unchanged
@@ -577,7 +577,7 @@ def test_delete_intermediate_not_dict() -> None:
 def test_delete_empty_path() -> None:
     data = {"foo": {"bar": 1}}
     # Attempting to delete with an empty path
-    with pytest.raises(ClanError) as excinfo:
+    with pytest.raises(KeyError) as excinfo:
         delete_by_path(data, "")
     # Depending on how you handle empty paths, you might raise an error or handle it differently.
     # If you do raise an error, check the message.
@@ -588,7 +588,7 @@ def test_delete_empty_path() -> None:
 def test_delete_non_existent_path_deep() -> None:
     data = {"foo": {"bar": {"baz": 123}}}
     # non-existent deep path
-    with pytest.raises(ClanError) as excinfo:
+    with pytest.raises(KeyError) as excinfo:
         delete_by_path(data, "foo.bar.qux")
     assert "not found" in str(excinfo.value)
     # Data remains unchanged