diff --git a/download/placeholder.js b/download/placeholder.js
deleted file mode 100755
index 893b004..0000000
--- a/download/placeholder.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-/* eslint-disable no-var */
-
-// Native
-var path = require('path')
-var fs = require('fs')
-
-var now = path.join(__dirname, 'dist', 'now')
-
-fs.writeFileSync(
-  now,
-  '#!/usr/bin/env node\n' +
-    'console.log("\'Now\' binary downloading was interrupted. Please reinstall!")\n'
-)
diff --git a/download/src/index.js b/download/src/index.js
index e9232b1..16a7fc3 100644
--- a/download/src/index.js
+++ b/download/src/index.js
@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
+/* eslint-disable unicorn/no-process-exit */
+
 // Native
 import fs from 'fs'
 import path from 'path'
 
 // Packages
+import onDeath from 'death'
 import fetch from 'node-fetch'
 
 // Utilities
@@ -24,6 +27,22 @@ const platformToName = {
 }
 
 async function main() {
+  fs.writeFileSync(
+    now,
+    '#!/usr/bin/env node\n' +
+      'console.log("Please wait until \'now\' installation completes!")\n'
+  )
+
+  onDeath(() => {
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      now,
+      '#!/usr/bin/env node\n' +
+        'console.log("The \'now\' installation did not complete successfully.")\n' +
+        'console.log("Please run \'npm i -g now\' to reinstall!")\n'
+    )
+    process.exit();
+  })
+
   info('Retrieving the latest CLI version...')
 
   const downloadURL = `https://api.github.com/repos/zeit/now-cli/releases/tags/${packageJSON.version}`
@@ -94,7 +113,5 @@ async function main() {
 
 main().catch(err => {
   console.error(err)
-
-  // eslint-disable-next-line unicorn/no-process-exit
   process.exit(2)
 })
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 407aa8e..48958f7 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
   "scripts": {
     "postinstall": "node download/postinstall.js",
     "precommit": "xo --quiet && lint-staged",
-    "prepublish": "in-install || (npm run webpack && node download/placeholder.js)",
+    "prepublish": "in-install || (npm run webpack && cp /dev/null download/dist/now)",
     "lint": "xo --quiet",
     "test": "npm run lint && ava",
     "pack": "pkg bin/now.js -c package.json -o packed/now",
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@
     "credit-card": "3.0.1",
     "cross-spawn": "5.1.0",
     "dateformat": "2.0.0",
+    "death": "1.1.0",
     "docker-file-parser": "1.0.2",
     "dotenv": "4.0.0",
     "download": "6.1.0",