diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index db212803590a..40abf6af5900 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1452,6 +1452,7 @@ version = "0.8.0"
 dependencies = [
  "hydro_deploy",
  "hydroflow_plus",
+ "nameof",
  "prettyplease",
  "serde",
  "sha2",
diff --git a/hydro_deploy/core/src/hydroflow_crate/mod.rs b/hydro_deploy/core/src/hydroflow_crate/mod.rs
index 5080f300ef17..adc0dc724708 100644
--- a/hydro_deploy/core/src/hydroflow_crate/mod.rs
+++ b/hydro_deploy/core/src/hydroflow_crate/mod.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
+use nameof::name_of;
 use tracing_options::TracingOptions;
 
 use super::Host;
@@ -63,7 +64,7 @@ impl HydroflowCrate {
     /// equivalent to `cargo run --bin <name>`.
     pub fn bin(mut self, bin: impl Into<String>) -> Self {
         if self.target != CrateTarget::Default {
-            panic!("target already set");
+            panic!("{} already set", name_of!(target in Self));
         }
 
         self.target = CrateTarget::Bin(bin.into());
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ impl HydroflowCrate {
     /// equivalent to `cargo run --example <name>`.
     pub fn example(mut self, example: impl Into<String>) -> Self {
         if self.target != CrateTarget::Default {
-            panic!("target already set");
+            panic!("{} already set", name_of!(target in Self));
         }
 
         self.target = CrateTarget::Example(example.into());
@@ -85,7 +86,7 @@ impl HydroflowCrate {
     /// Equivalent to `cargo run --profile <profile>`.
     pub fn profile(mut self, profile: impl Into<String>) -> Self {
         if self.profile.is_some() {
-            panic!("profile already set");
+            panic!("{} already set", name_of!(profile in Self));
         }
 
         self.profile = Some(profile.into());
@@ -94,7 +95,7 @@ impl HydroflowCrate {
 
     pub fn rustflags(mut self, rustflags: impl Into<String>) -> Self {
         if self.rustflags.is_some() {
-            panic!("rustflags already set");
+            panic!("{} already set", name_of!(rustflags in Self));
         }
 
         self.rustflags = Some(rustflags.into());
@@ -103,7 +104,7 @@ impl HydroflowCrate {
 
     pub fn target_dir(mut self, target_dir: impl Into<PathBuf>) -> Self {
         if self.target_dir.is_some() {
-            panic!("target_dir already set");
+            panic!("{} already set", name_of!(target_dir in Self));
         }
 
         self.target_dir = Some(target_dir.into());
@@ -117,7 +118,7 @@ impl HydroflowCrate {
 
     pub fn features(mut self, features: impl IntoIterator<Item = impl Into<String>>) -> Self {
         if self.features.is_some() {
-            panic!("features already set");
+            panic!("{} already set", name_of!(features in Self));
         }
 
         self.features = Some(features.into_iter().map(|s| s.into()).collect());
@@ -126,7 +127,7 @@ impl HydroflowCrate {
 
     pub fn tracing(mut self, perf: impl Into<TracingOptions>) -> Self {
         if self.tracing.is_some() {
-            panic!("tracing options are already set");
+            panic!("{} already set", name_of!(tracing in Self));
         }
 
         self.tracing = Some(perf.into());
@@ -142,7 +143,7 @@ impl HydroflowCrate {
     /// Sets the display name for this service, which will be used in logging.
     pub fn display_name(mut self, display_name: impl Into<String>) -> Self {
         if self.display_name.is_some() {
-            panic!("display_name already set");
+            panic!("{} already set", name_of!(display_name in Self));
         }
 
         self.display_name = Some(display_name.into());
diff --git a/hydro_deploy/hydroflow_plus_deploy/Cargo.toml b/hydro_deploy/hydroflow_plus_deploy/Cargo.toml
index 3eeaf9c7ea9f..6154debccaa1 100644
--- a/hydro_deploy/hydroflow_plus_deploy/Cargo.toml
+++ b/hydro_deploy/hydroflow_plus_deploy/Cargo.toml
@@ -12,20 +12,21 @@ deploy = [ "hydro_deploy", "trybuild-internals-api", "toml", "prettyplease" ]
 stageleft_devel = []
 
 [dependencies]
-stageleft = { path = "../../stageleft", version = "^0.3.0" }
 hydroflow_plus = { path = "../../hydroflow_plus", version = "^0.8.0", features = [ "deploy_integration" ] }
+nameof = "1.0.0"
+serde = { version = "1.0.197", features = [ "derive" ] }
+sha2 = "0.10.0"
+stageleft = { path = "../../stageleft", version = "^0.3.0" }
 syn = { version = "2.0.46", features = [ "parsing", "extra-traits" ] }
 tokio = { version = "1.29.0", features = [ "full" ] }
-serde = { version = "1.0.197", features = [ "derive" ] }
 
 hydro_deploy = { path = "../core", version = "^0.8.0", optional = true }
-trybuild-internals-api = { version = "1.0.99", optional = true }
-toml = { version = "0.8.0", optional = true }
 prettyplease = { version = "0.2.0", features = [ "verbatim" ], optional = true }
+toml = { version = "0.8.0", optional = true }
+trybuild-internals-api = { version = "1.0.99", optional = true }
 
 # added to workaround `cargo smart-release` https://github.com/Byron/cargo-smart-release/issues/16
 stageleft_tool = { path = "../../stageleft_tool", version = "^0.2.0", optional = true }
-sha2 = "0.10.0"
 
 [build-dependencies]
 stageleft_tool = { path = "../../stageleft_tool", version = "^0.2.0" }
diff --git a/hydro_deploy/hydroflow_plus_deploy/src/deploy.rs b/hydro_deploy/hydroflow_plus_deploy/src/deploy.rs
index 1b9f8229e0b2..cad8a79249a2 100644
--- a/hydro_deploy/hydroflow_plus_deploy/src/deploy.rs
+++ b/hydro_deploy/hydroflow_plus_deploy/src/deploy.rs
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ use hydro_deploy::hydroflow_crate::HydroflowCrateService;
 use hydro_deploy::{Deployment, Host, HydroflowCrate};
 use hydroflow_plus::deploy::{ClusterSpec, Deploy, Node, ProcessSpec};
 use hydroflow_plus::lang::graph::HydroflowGraph;
+use nameof::name_of;
 use sha2::{Digest, Sha256};
 use stageleft::Quoted;
 use tokio::sync::RwLock;
@@ -278,20 +279,20 @@ impl TrybuildHost {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn display_name(self, name: impl Into<String>) -> Self {
+    pub fn display_name(self, display_name: impl Into<String>) -> Self {
         if self.display_name.is_some() {
-            panic!("display_name already set");
+            panic!("{} already set", name_of!(display_name in Self));
         }
 
         Self {
-            display_name: Some(name.into()),
+            display_name: Some(display_name.into()),
             ..self
         }
     }
 
     pub fn rustflags(self, rustflags: impl Into<String>) -> Self {
         if self.rustflags.is_some() {
-            panic!("rustflags already set");
+            panic!("{} already set", name_of!(rustflags in Self));
         }
 
         Self {
@@ -302,7 +303,7 @@ impl TrybuildHost {
 
     pub fn tracing(self, tracing: TracingOptions) -> Self {
         if self.tracing.is_some() {
-            panic!("tracing already set");
+            panic!("{} already set", name_of!(tracing in Self));
         }
 
         Self {