diff --git a/doc/public/check-doc-coverage.sh b/doc/public/check-doc-coverage.sh
index 5257c7aca..2898fc582 100755
--- a/doc/public/check-doc-coverage.sh
+++ b/doc/public/check-doc-coverage.sh
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ if test -f "$DOC_MODULE-undeclared.txt"; then
 		cat "$DOC_MODULE-undeclared.txt" 1>&2
 		stat=1
 	fi
-fi
+fi >&2
 if test -f "$DOC_MODULE-unused.txt"; then
 	unused=`cat "$DOC_MODULE-unused.txt"`
 	if test -n "$unused"; then
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ if test -f "$DOC_MODULE-unused.txt"; then
 		cat "$DOC_MODULE-unused.txt" 1>&2
 		stat=1
 	fi
-fi
+fi >&2
 if test -f "$DOC_MODULE-undocumented.txt"; then
 	if grep '^0 symbols incomplete' "$DOC_MODULE-undocumented.txt" >/dev/null &&
 	   grep '^0 not documented'     "$DOC_MODULE-undocumented.txt" >/dev/null; then
@@ -43,6 +43,6 @@ if test -f "$DOC_MODULE-undocumented.txt"; then
 		cat "$DOC_MODULE-undocumented.txt" 1>&2
 		stat=1
 	fi
-fi
+fi >&2
 
 exit $stat
diff --git a/src/check-def.sh b/src/check-def.sh
index 9fd2bafba..96f343e0c 100755
--- a/src/check-def.sh
+++ b/src/check-def.sh
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ for def in $defs; do
 		eval $get_cairo_syms | grep -v '^_cairo_test_\|^_fini\|^_init\|^_save[fg]pr\|^_rest[fg]pr' | sort -u
 		# cheat: copy the last line from the def file!
 		tail -n1 "$def"
-	} | diff "$def" - || stat=1
+	} | diff "$def" - >&2 || stat=1
 done
 
 exit $stat
diff --git a/src/check-doc-syntax.sh b/src/check-doc-syntax.sh
index f2d4bf229..9079e4a34 100755
--- a/src/check-doc-syntax.sh
+++ b/src/check-doc-syntax.sh
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ if echo $FILES | xargs grep . /dev/null | sed -e '/<programlisting>/,/<\/program
 	echo Error: some macros in the docs are not prefixed by percent sign.
 	echo Fix this by searching for the following regexp in the above files:
 	echo "	'$enum_regexp'"
-fi
+fi >&2
 
 type_regexp='\( .*[^#]\| \|^\)\<cairo[0-9a-z_]*_t\>\($\|[^:]$\|[^:].\)'
 if test "x$SGML_DOCS" = x; then
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ if echo $FILES | xargs grep . /dev/null | sed -e '/<programlisting>/,/<\/program
 	echo neither are the only token in the doc line followed by colon.
 	echo Fix this by searching for the following regexp in the above files:
 	echo "	'$type_regexp'"
-fi
+fi >&2
 
 func_regexp='\([^#]\|^\)\<\(cairo_[][<>/0-9a-z_]*\>[^][<>(]\)'
 if test "x$SGML_DOCS" = x; then
@@ -62,13 +62,13 @@ if echo $FILES | xargs grep . /dev/null | sed -e '/<programlisting>/,/<\/program
 	echo Error: some function names in the docs are not followed by parentheses.
 	echo Fix this by searching for the following regexp in the above files:
 	echo "	'$func_regexp'"
-fi
+fi >&2
 
 note_regexp='NOTE'
 if echo $FILES | xargs grep "$note_regexp" /dev/null; then
 	stat=1
 	echo Error: some source files contain the string 'NOTE'.
 	echo Be civil and replace it by 'Note' please.
-fi
+fi >&2
 
 exit $stat
diff --git a/src/check-headers.sh b/src/check-headers.sh
index c1a1f5225..f01c24eb3 100755
--- a/src/check-headers.sh
+++ b/src/check-headers.sh
@@ -21,6 +21,6 @@ awk '
 { context=$0; }
 ' |
 sed 's/[.]h-/.h:/' |
-grep . && stat=1
+grep . >&2 && stat=1
 
 exit $stat
diff --git a/src/check-plt.sh b/src/check-plt.sh
index e09149955..c7a12d3b6 100755
--- a/src/check-plt.sh
+++ b/src/check-plt.sh
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ fi
 
 for so in .libs/lib*.so; do
 	echo Checking "$so" for local PLT entries
-	readelf -W -r "$so" | grep 'JU\?MP_SLO' | grep 'cairo' && stat=1
+	readelf -W -r "$so" | grep 'JU\?MP_SLO' | grep 'cairo' >&2 && stat=1
 done
 
 exit $stat
diff --git a/src/check-preprocessor-syntax.sh b/src/check-preprocessor-syntax.sh
index 188e264d8..d57354989 100755
--- a/src/check-preprocessor-syntax.sh
+++ b/src/check-preprocessor-syntax.sh
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ for x in $HEADERS; do
 done |
 grep -v '"cairo[.]h"' |
 grep -v 'cairo[.]h:' |
-grep . && stat=1
+grep . >&2 && stat=1
 
 
 echo 'Checking that private header files #include "some cairo header" first (or none)'
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ for x in $PRIVATE; do
 done |
 grep -v '"cairo.*[.]h"' |
 grep -v 'cairoint[.]h:' |
-grep . && stat=1
+grep . >&2 && stat=1
 
 
 echo 'Checking that source files #include "cairoint.h" first (or none)'
@@ -44,14 +44,14 @@ for x in $SOURCES; do
 	grep '#.*\<include\>' "$x" /dev/null | head -n 1
 done |
 grep -v '"cairoint[.]h"' |
-grep . && stat=1
+grep . >&2 && stat=1
 
 
 echo 'Checking that there is no #include <cairo.*.h>'
-grep '#.*\<include\>.*<.*cairo' $ALL && stat=1
+grep '#.*\<include\>.*<.*cairo' $ALL >&2 && stat=1
 
 
 echo 'Checking that feature conditionals are used with #if only (not #ifdef)'
-grep '#if.*CAIRO_HAS_' $ALL | grep def && stat=1
+grep '#if.*CAIRO_HAS_' $ALL | grep def >&2 && stat=1
 
 exit $stat