diff --git a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/builders.go b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/builders.go
index 9a7e53e4c28..b7e40eb39f1 100644
--- a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/builders.go
+++ b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/builders.go
@@ -63,11 +63,21 @@ type GeneratedBuilderImagePair struct {
 }
 
 type Initializer interface {
+	// ProcessImages is the entrypoint call, and handles the pairing of all builders
+	// contained in the initializer with the provided images from the deploy initializer
 	ProcessImages([]string) error
+	// BuildConfig returns the processed build config to be written to the skaffold.yaml
 	BuildConfig() latest.BuildConfig
+	// BuilderImagePairs returns all of the processed builder/image pairs. for use in testing.
 	BuilderImagePairs() []BuilderImagePair
+	// PrintAnalysis writes the project analysis to the provided out stream
 	PrintAnalysis(io.Writer) error
-	UnresolvedPairs() []GeneratedBuilderImagePair
+	// GeneratedPairs returns all builder/image pairs with images generated by skaffold.
+	// Each of these pairs contains a path at which a k8s manifest should be generated.
+	GeneratedPairs() []GeneratedBuilderImagePair
+	// Resolve should be called by the init controller once all generated pairs have
+	// been handled, to signal to the build initializer that all
+	// builder/image pairs have been resolved.
 	Resolve()
 }
 
@@ -90,7 +100,7 @@ func (e *emptyBuildInitializer) PrintAnalysis(io.Writer) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (e *emptyBuildInitializer) UnresolvedPairs() []GeneratedBuilderImagePair {
+func (e *emptyBuildInitializer) GeneratedPairs() []GeneratedBuilderImagePair {
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/builders_test.go b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/builders_test.go
index e0f537cf7a5..984bf2c65a9 100644
--- a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/builders_test.go
+++ b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/builders_test.go
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ func TestResolveBuilderImages(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 			err := initializer.resolveBuilderImages()
 			t.CheckErrorAndDeepEqual(test.shouldErr, err, test.expectedPairs, initializer.BuilderImagePairs())
-			t.CheckDeepEqual(test.expectedGeneratedPairs, initializer.UnresolvedPairs())
+			t.CheckDeepEqual(test.expectedGeneratedPairs, initializer.GeneratedPairs())
 		})
 	}
 }
diff --git a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/cli.go b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/cli.go
index 0a83e73dc27..098abacd2e8 100644
--- a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/cli.go
+++ b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/cli.go
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ func (c *cliBuildInitializer) PrintAnalysis(out io.Writer) error {
 	return printAnalysis(out, c.enableNewFormat, c.skipBuild, c.builderImagePairs, c.builders, nil)
 }
 
-func (c *cliBuildInitializer) UnresolvedPairs() []GeneratedBuilderImagePair {
+func (c *cliBuildInitializer) GeneratedPairs() []GeneratedBuilderImagePair {
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/init.go b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/init.go
index 6aea8585e4f..5dc559e2382 100644
--- a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/init.go
+++ b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/init.go
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ func (d *defaultBuildInitializer) PrintAnalysis(out io.Writer) error {
 	return printAnalysis(out, d.enableNewFormat, d.skipBuild, d.builderImagePairs, d.builders, d.unresolvedImages)
 }
 
-func (d *defaultBuildInitializer) UnresolvedPairs() []GeneratedBuilderImagePair {
+func (d *defaultBuildInitializer) GeneratedPairs() []GeneratedBuilderImagePair {
 	return d.generatedBuilderImagePairs
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/config_test.go b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/config_test.go
index 9f8245770c5..bd614e760c0 100644
--- a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/config_test.go
+++ b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/config_test.go
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ func (s stubBuildInitializer) BuildConfig() latest.BuildConfig {
 	}
 }
 
-func (s stubBuildInitializer) UnresolvedPairs() []build.GeneratedBuilderImagePair {
+func (s stubBuildInitializer) GeneratedPairs() []build.GeneratedBuilderImagePair {
 	panic("do not call me")
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/init.go b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/init.go
index 2e5da979498..493b7b57c10 100644
--- a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/init.go
+++ b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/init.go
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ func DoInit(ctx context.Context, out io.Writer, c config.Config) error {
 
 	a := analyze.NewAnalyzer(c)
 
-	if err := a.Analyze(rootDir); err != nil {
+	if err = a.Analyze(rootDir); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -63,14 +63,14 @@ func DoInit(ctx context.Context, out io.Writer, c config.Config) error {
 
 	var generatedManifests map[string][]byte
 	if c.EnableManifestGeneration {
-		generatedManifests, err = deployInitializer.GenerateManifests(buildInitializer.UnresolvedPairs())
+		generatedManifests, err = deployInitializer.GenerateManifests(buildInitializer.GeneratedPairs())
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 		buildInitializer.Resolve()
 	}
 
-	if err := deployInitializer.Validate(); err != nil {
+	if err = deployInitializer.Validate(); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -90,12 +90,13 @@ func DoInit(ctx context.Context, out io.Writer, c config.Config) error {
 	}
 
 	for path, manifest := range generatedManifests {
-		if err := ioutil.WriteFile(path, manifest, 0644); err != nil {
+		if err = ioutil.WriteFile(path, manifest, 0644); err != nil {
 			return errors.Wrap(err, "writing k8s manifest to file")
 		}
+		fmt.Fprintf(out, "Generated manifest %s was written\n", path)
 	}
 
-	if err := ioutil.WriteFile(c.Opts.ConfigurationFile, pipeline, 0644); err != nil {
+	if err = ioutil.WriteFile(c.Opts.ConfigurationFile, pipeline, 0644); err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "writing config to file")
 	}