diff --git a/configure.py b/configure.py
index a3910dfe254b..0302f935dc91 100644
--- a/configure.py
+++ b/configure.py
@@ -34,6 +34,16 @@ from mozbuild.backend.configenvironment import PartialConfigEnvironment
 from mozbuild.configure import TRACE, ConfigureSandbox
 from mozbuild.pythonutil import iter_modules_in_path
 
+if "MOZ_CONFIGURE_BUILDSTATUS" in os.environ:
+
+    def buildstatus(message):
+        print("BUILDSTATUS", message)
+
+else:
+
+    def buildstatus(message):
+        return
+
 
 def main(argv):
     # Check for CRLF line endings.
@@ -111,7 +121,9 @@ def main(argv):
                 file=sys.stderr,
             )
             return 1
+        buildstatus("START_configure activate virtualenv")
         _activate_build_virtualenv()
+        buildstatus("END_configure activate virtualenv")
 
     clobber_file = "CLOBBER"
     if not os.path.exists(clobber_file):
@@ -122,37 +134,48 @@ def main(argv):
     if os.environ.get("MOZ_CONFIGURE_TRACE"):
         sandbox._logger.setLevel(TRACE)
 
-    sandbox.run(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "moz.configure"))
+    buildstatus("START_configure read moz.configure")
+    sandbox.include_file(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "moz.configure"))
+    buildstatus("END_configure read moz.configure")
+    buildstatus("START_configure run moz.configure")
+    sandbox.run()
+    buildstatus("END_configure run moz.configure")
 
     if sandbox._help:
         return 0
 
+    buildstatus("START_configure config.status")
     logging.getLogger("moz.configure").info("Creating config.status")
 
     old_js_configure_substs = config.pop("OLD_JS_CONFIGURE_SUBSTS", None)
     old_js_configure_defines = config.pop("OLD_JS_CONFIGURE_DEFINES", None)
-    if old_js_configure_substs or old_js_configure_defines:
-        js_config = config.copy()
-        pwd = os.getcwd()
-        try:
+    try:
+        if old_js_configure_substs or old_js_configure_defines:
+            js_config = config.copy()
+            pwd = os.getcwd()
             try:
-                os.makedirs("js/src")
-            except OSError as e:
-                if e.errno != errno.EEXIST:
-                    raise
+                try:
+                    os.makedirs("js/src")
+                except OSError as e:
+                    if e.errno != errno.EEXIST:
+                        raise
 
-            os.chdir("js/src")
-            js_config["OLD_CONFIGURE_SUBSTS"] = old_js_configure_substs
-            js_config["OLD_CONFIGURE_DEFINES"] = old_js_configure_defines
-            # The build system frontend expects $objdir/js/src/config.status
-            # to have $objdir/js/src as topobjdir.
-            # We want forward slashes on all platforms.
-            js_config["TOPOBJDIR"] += "/js/src"
-            config_status(js_config, execute=False)
-        finally:
-            os.chdir(pwd)
+                os.chdir("js/src")
+                js_config["OLD_CONFIGURE_SUBSTS"] = old_js_configure_substs
+                js_config["OLD_CONFIGURE_DEFINES"] = old_js_configure_defines
+                # The build system frontend expects $objdir/js/src/config.status
+                # to have $objdir/js/src as topobjdir.
+                # We want forward slashes on all platforms.
+                js_config["TOPOBJDIR"] += "/js/src"
+                ret = config_status(js_config, execute=False)
+                if ret:
+                    return ret
+            finally:
+                os.chdir(pwd)
 
-    return config_status(config)
+        return config_status(config)
+    finally:
+        buildstatus("END_configure config.status")
 
 
 def check_unicode(obj):
@@ -219,7 +242,7 @@ def config_status(config, execute=True):
     if not check_unicode(sanitized_config):
         print("Configuration should be all unicode.", file=sys.stderr)
         print("Please file a bug for the above.", file=sys.stderr)
-        sys.exit(1)
+        return 1
 
     # Create config.status. Eventually, we'll want to just do the work it does
     # here, when we're able to skip configure tests/use cached results/not rely
diff --git a/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/controller/building.py b/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/controller/building.py
index 4a1db1170b51..a5220ac569ca 100644
--- a/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/controller/building.py
+++ b/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/controller/building.py
@@ -1677,6 +1677,7 @@ class BuildDriver(MozbuildObject):
             command.extend(options)
 
         if buildstatus_messages:
+            append_env["MOZ_CONFIGURE_BUILDSTATUS"] = "1"
             line_handler("BUILDSTATUS TIERS configure")
             line_handler("BUILDSTATUS TIER_START configure")