diff --git a/src/background/actions/index.js b/src/background/actions/index.js
deleted file mode 100644
index e69de29..0000000
diff --git a/src/background/components/background.js b/src/background/components/background.js
index bfe1b3f..0570a5a 100644
--- a/src/background/components/background.js
+++ b/src/background/components/background.js
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ export default class BackgroundComponent {
         tabActions.openToTab(message.url, sender.tab), sender);
     case messages.CONSOLE_BLURRED:
       return browser.tabs.sendMessage(sender.tab.id, {
-        type: messages.CONSOLE_HIDE,
+        type: messages.CONSOLE_HIDE_COMMAND,
       });
     case messages.CONSOLE_ENTERED:
       return commands.exec(message.text, this.settings).catch((e) => {
diff --git a/src/console/actions/console.js b/src/console/actions/console.js
index 01d9a9b..aacc21a 100644
--- a/src/console/actions/console.js
+++ b/src/console/actions/console.js
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ const showError = (text) => {
   };
 };
 
-const hide = () => {
+const hideCommand = () => {
   return {
-    type: actions.CONSOLE_HIDE
+    type: actions.CONSOLE_HIDE_COMMAND,
   };
 };
 
@@ -40,5 +40,6 @@ const completionPrev = () => {
 };
 
 export {
-  showCommand, showError, hide, setCompletions, completionNext, completionPrev
+  showCommand, showError, hideCommand,
+  setCompletions, completionNext, completionPrev
 };
diff --git a/src/console/actions/index.js b/src/console/actions/index.js
index a5d03bc..3a6cf07 100644
--- a/src/console/actions/index.js
+++ b/src/console/actions/index.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ export default {
   CONSOLE_SHOW_COMMAND: 'console.show.command',
   CONSOLE_SET_COMPLETIONS: 'console.set.completions',
   CONSOLE_SHOW_ERROR: 'console.show.error',
-  CONSOLE_HIDE: 'console.hide',
+  CONSOLE_HIDE_COMMAND: 'console.hide.command',
   CONSOLE_COMPLETION_NEXT: 'console.completion.next',
   CONSOLE_COMPLETION_PREV: 'console.completion.prev',
 };
diff --git a/src/console/components/console.js b/src/console/components/console.js
index 9023d91..b8431ce 100644
--- a/src/console/components/console.js
+++ b/src/console/components/console.js
@@ -72,14 +72,14 @@ export default class ConsoleComponent {
 
   update() {
     let state = this.store.getState();
-    if (!this.prevState.commandShown && state.commandShown) {
+    if (this.prevState.mode !== 'command' && state.mode === 'command') {
       this.showCommand(state.commandText);
-    } else if (!state.commandShown) {
+    } else if (state.mode !== 'command') {
       this.hideCommand();
     }
 
-    if (state.errorShown) {
-      this.setErrorText(state.errorText);
+    if (state.mode === 'error') {
+      this.setErrorText(state.messageText);
       this.showError();
     } else {
       this.hideError();
diff --git a/src/console/index.js b/src/console/index.js
index 7396a96..b07d8e7 100644
--- a/src/console/index.js
+++ b/src/console/index.js
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ browser.runtime.onMessage.addListener((action) => {
     return store.dispatch(consoleActions.showCommand(action.command));
   case messages.CONSOLE_SHOW_ERROR:
     return store.dispatch(consoleActions.showError(action.text));
-  case messages.CONSOLE_HIDE:
-    return store.dispatch(consoleActions.hide(action.command));
+  case messages.CONSOLE_HIDE_COMMAND:
+    return store.dispatch(consoleActions.hideCommand());
   }
 });
diff --git a/src/console/reducers/index.js b/src/console/reducers/index.js
index ee9c691..78b73b0 100644
--- a/src/console/reducers/index.js
+++ b/src/console/reducers/index.js
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 import actions from 'console/actions';
 
 const defaultState = {
-  errorShown: false,
-  errorText: '',
-  commandShown: false,
+  mode: '',
+  messageText: '',
   commandText: '',
   completions: [],
   groupSelection: -1,
@@ -48,25 +47,19 @@ export default function reducer(state = defaultState, action = {}) {
   switch (action.type) {
   case actions.CONSOLE_SHOW_COMMAND:
     return Object.assign({}, state, {
-      commandShown: true,
+      mode: 'command',
       commandText: action.text,
       errorShown: false,
       completions: []
     });
   case actions.CONSOLE_SHOW_ERROR:
     return Object.assign({}, state, {
-      errorText: action.text,
-      errorShown: true,
-      commandShown: false,
+      mode: 'error',
+      messageText: action.text,
     });
-  case actions.CONSOLE_HIDE:
-    if (state.errorShown) {
-      // keep error message if shown
-      return state;
-    }
+  case actions.CONSOLE_HIDE_COMMAND:
     return Object.assign({}, state, {
-      errorShown: false,
-      commandShown: false
+      mode: state.mode === 'command' ? '' : state.mode,
     });
   case actions.CONSOLE_SET_COMPLETIONS:
     return Object.assign({}, state, {
diff --git a/src/content/index.js b/src/content/index.js
index adea871..63bbf77 100644
--- a/src/content/index.js
+++ b/src/content/index.js
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ const reloadSettings = () => {
 
 browser.runtime.onMessage.addListener((action) => {
   switch (action.type) {
-  case messages.CONSOLE_HIDE:
+  case messages.CONSOLE_HIDE_COMMAND:
     window.focus();
     consoleFrames.blur(window.document);
     return Promise.resolve();
diff --git a/src/shared/messages.js b/src/shared/messages.js
index 138f0e0..bba730e 100644
--- a/src/shared/messages.js
+++ b/src/shared/messages.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ export default {
   CONSOLE_QUERY_COMPLETIONS: 'console.query.completions',
   CONSOLE_SHOW_COMMAND: 'console.show.command',
   CONSOLE_SHOW_ERROR: 'console.show.error',
-  CONSOLE_HIDE: 'console.hide',
+  CONSOLE_HIDE_COMMAND: 'console.hide.command',
 
   OPEN_URL: 'open.url',
 
diff --git a/test/console/actions/console.test.js b/test/console/actions/console.test.js
index dd04c85..a2c906f 100644
--- a/test/console/actions/console.test.js
+++ b/test/console/actions/console.test.js
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@ describe("console actions", () => {
   });
 
   describe("hide", () => {
-    it('create CONSOLE_HIDE action', () => {
-      let action = consoleActions.hide();
-      expect(action.type).to.equal(actions.CONSOLE_HIDE);
+    it('create CONSOLE_HIDE_COMMAND action', () => {
+      let action = consoleActions.hideCommand();
+      expect(action.type).to.equal(actions.CONSOLE_HIDE_COMMAND);
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/test/console/reducers/console.test.js b/test/console/reducers/console.test.js
index 95ac993..497baf2 100644
--- a/test/console/reducers/console.test.js
+++ b/test/console/reducers/console.test.js
@@ -5,9 +5,8 @@ import reducer from 'console/reducers';
 describe("console reducer", () => {
   it('return the initial state', () => {
     let state = reducer(undefined, {});
-    expect(state).to.have.property('errorShown', false);
-    expect(state).to.have.property('errorText', '');
-    expect(state).to.have.property('commandShown', false);
+    expect(state).to.have.property('mode', '');
+    expect(state).to.have.property('messageText', '');
     expect(state).to.have.property('commandText', '');
     expect(state).to.have.deep.property('completions', []);
     expect(state).to.have.property('groupSelection', -1);
@@ -17,24 +16,24 @@ describe("console reducer", () => {
   it('return next state for CONSOLE_SHOW_COMMAND', () => {
     let action = { type: actions.CONSOLE_SHOW_COMMAND, text: 'open ' };
     let state = reducer({}, action);
-    expect(state).to.have.property('commandShown', true);
+    expect(state).to.have.property('mode', 'command');
     expect(state).to.have.property('commandText', 'open ');
-    expect(state).to.have.property('errorShown', false);
   });
 
   it('return next state for CONSOLE_SHOW_ERROR', () => {
     let action = { type: actions.CONSOLE_SHOW_ERROR, text: 'an error' };
     let state = reducer({}, action);
-    expect(state).to.have.property('errorShown', true);
-    expect(state).to.have.property('errorText', 'an error');
-    expect(state).to.have.property('commandShown', false);
+    expect(state).to.have.property('mode', 'error');
+    expect(state).to.have.property('messageText', 'an error');
   });
 
-  it('return next state for CONSOLE_HIDE', () => {
-    let action = { type: actions.CONSOLE_HIDE };
-    let state = reducer({}, action);
-    expect(state).to.have.property('errorShown', false);
-    expect(state).to.have.property('commandShown', false);
+  it('return next state for CONSOLE_HIDE_COMMAND', () => {
+    let action = { type: actions.CONSOLE_HIDE_COMMAND };
+    let state = reducer({ mode: 'command' }, action);
+    expect(state).to.have.property('mode', '');
+
+    state = reducer({ mode: 'error' }, action);
+    expect(state).to.have.property('mode', 'error');
   });
 
   it ('return next state for CONSOLE_SET_COMPLETIONS', () => {