diff --git a/src/callbacks.py b/src/callbacks.py
index 38fba8e8a..a369257d3 100644
--- a/src/callbacks.py
+++ b/src/callbacks.py
@@ -124,13 +124,26 @@ def canonicalName(command):
     return command.translate(string.ascii, special).lower() + reAppend
 
 def reply(msg, s, prefixName=True, private=None,
-          notice=None, to=None, action=None):
+          notice=None, to=None, action=None, error=False):
     # Ok, let's make the target:
     target = ircutils.replyTo(msg)
+    def getConfig(wrapper):
+        if ircutils.isChannel(target):
+            return wrapper.get(target)()
+        else:
+            return wrapper()
+    if ircutils.isChannel(target):
+        channel = target
+    else:
+        channel = None
     if notice is None:
-        notice = conf.supybot.reply.withNotice()
+        notice = getConfig(conf.supybot.reply.withNotice)
     if private is None:
-        private = conf.supybot.reply.inPrivate()
+        private = getConfig(conf.supybot.reply.inPrivate)
+    if error:
+        notice = getConfig(conf.supybot.reply.errorWithNotice) or notice
+        private = getConfig(conf.supybot.reply.errorInPrivate) or private
+        s = 'Error: ' + s
     if private:
         prefixName = False
         if to is None:
@@ -158,13 +171,10 @@ def reply(msg, s, prefixName=True, private=None,
     # Finally, we'll return the actual message.
     return msgmaker(target, s)
 
-def error(msg, s, private=None, notice=None, **kwargs):
+def error(msg, s, **kwargs):
     """Makes an error reply to msg with the appropriate error payload."""
-    if notice is None:
-        notice = conf.supybot.reply.errorWithNotice()
-    if private is None:
-        private = conf.supybot.reply.errorInPrivate()
-    return reply(msg, 'Error: ' + s, private=private, notice=notice, **kwargs)
+    kwargs['error'] = True
+    return reply(msg, s, **kwargs)
 
 def getHelp(method, name=None):
     if name is None:
@@ -693,10 +703,11 @@ class IrcObjectProxy(RichReplyMethods):
             else:
                 self.irc.queueMsg(error(self.msg, s, **kwargs))
         else:
-            # No argument, let's raise ArgumentError.
             if self.commandMethod is not None:
                 # We can recurse here because it only gets called once.
                 self.error(formatArgumentError(self.commandMethod), **kwargs)
+            else:
+                raise ArgumentError # We shouldn't get here, but just in case.
         self.finished = True
 
     def getRealIrc(self):
diff --git a/src/conf.py b/src/conf.py
index 9163e934b..327fbcd3d 100644
--- a/src/conf.py
+++ b/src/conf.py
@@ -89,10 +89,12 @@ def registerGroup(Group, name, group=None):
     return Group.register(name, group)
 
 def registerGlobalValue(group, name, value):
+    value.channelValue = False
     return group.register(name, value)
 
 def registerChannelValue(group, name, value):
     value.supplyDefault = True
+    value.channelValue = True
     return group.register(name, value)
 
 def registerPlugin(name, currentValue=None, public=True):
@@ -246,7 +248,10 @@ registerChannelValue(supybot, 'prefixChars',
 
 class DefaultCapabilities(registry.SpaceSeparatedListOfStrings):
     List = ircutils.IrcSet
-    def setValue(self, v):
+    # We use a keyword argument trick here to prevent eval'ing of code that
+    # changes allowDefaultOwner from affecting this.  It's not perfect, but
+    # it's still an improvement, raising the bar for potential crackers.
+    def setValue(self, v, allowDefaultOwner=allowDefaultOwner):
         registry.SpaceSeparatedListOfStrings.setValue(self, v)
         if '-owner' not in self.value and not allowDefaultOwner:
             print '*** You must run supybot with the --allow-default-owner'
@@ -348,11 +353,14 @@ registerChannelValue(supybot.reply, 'noCapabilityError',
     users to understand the underlying security system preventing them from
     running certain commands."""))
 
-registerChannelValue(supybot.reply, 'withPrivateNotice',
+registerChannelValue(supybot.reply, 'inPrivate',
+    registry.Boolean(False, """Determines whether the bot will reply privately
+    when replying in a channel, rather than replying to the whole channel."""))
+
+registerChannelValue(supybot.reply, 'withNotice',
     registry.Boolean(False, """Determines whether the bot will reply with a
-    private notice to users rather than sending a message to a channel.
-    Private notices are particularly nice because they don't generally cause
-    IRC clients to open a new query window."""))
+    notice when replying in a channel, rather than replying with a privmsg as
+    normal."""))
 
 # XXX: User value.
 registerGlobalValue(supybot.reply, 'withNoticeWhenPrivate',
diff --git a/test/test_callbacks.py b/test/test_callbacks.py
index caa64a88b..391cd3df6 100644
--- a/test/test_callbacks.py
+++ b/test/test_callbacks.py
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ class PrivmsgTestCase(ChannelPluginTestCase):
     def testErrorPrivateKwarg(self):
         try:
             original = conf.supybot.reply.errorInPrivate()
-            conf.supybot.reply.errorInPrivate.set('False')
+            conf.supybot.reply.errorInPrivate.setValue(False)
             m = self.getMsg("eval irc.error('foo', private=True)")
             self.failIf(ircutils.isChannel(m.args[0]))
         finally: