diff --git a/src/clib/Makefile.am b/src/clib/Makefile.am
index eba8240a83e..f753409e210 100644
--- a/src/clib/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/clib/Makefile.am
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ lib_LTLIBRARIES = libpio.la
 # for information regarding incrementing `-version-info`.
 libpio_la_LDFLAGS = -version-info 2:0:1
 
-# The header file.
+# The library header file will be installed in include dir.
 include_HEADERS = pio.h
 
 # The library soure files.
@@ -17,6 +17,6 @@ libpio_la_SOURCES = bget.c pioc_sc.c pio_darray.c pio_file.c		\
 pio_getput_int.c pio_msg.c pio_nc.c pio_rearrange.c pioc.c		\
 pioc_support.c pio_darray_int.c pio_get_nc.c pio_lists.c pio_nc4.c	\
 pio_put_nc.c pio_spmd.c pio_get_vard.c pio_put_vard.c pio_internal.h	\
-bget.h uthash.h
+bget.h uthash.h pio_error.h
 
 EXTRA_DIST = CMakeLists.txt
diff --git a/src/clib/pio_error.h b/src/clib/pio_error.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..af4b0ed04e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/clib/pio_error.h
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+/**
+ * @file
+ * Macros to handle errors in tests or libray code.
+ * @author Ed Hartnett
+ * @date 2019
+ *
+ * @see https://github.com/NCAR/ParallelIO
+ */
+
+#ifndef __PIO_ERROR__
+#define __PIO_ERROR__
+
+#include <config.h>
+#include <pio.h>
+
+/** Handle non-MPI errors by finalizing the MPI library and goto
+ * exit. Finalize and goto exit. */
+#define BAIL(e) do {                                                    \
+        fprintf(stderr, "%d Error %d in %s, line %d\n", my_rank, e, __FILE__, __LINE__); \
+        goto exit;                                                      \
+    } while (0)
+
+/** Handle non-MPI errors by finalizing the MPI library and exiting
+ * with an exit code. Finalize and return. */
+#define ERR(e) do {                                                     \
+        fprintf(stderr, "%d Error %d in %s, line %d\n", my_rank, e, __FILE__, __LINE__); \
+        MPI_Finalize();                                                 \
+        return e;                                                       \
+    } while (0)
+
+#endif /* __PIO_ERROR__ */
diff --git a/src/clib/pio_internal.h b/src/clib/pio_internal.h
index 2f8ccf4c09c..4f3a3aebcbc 100644
--- a/src/clib/pio_internal.h
+++ b/src/clib/pio_internal.h
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 
 #include <config.h>
 #include <pio.h>
+#include <pio_error.h>
 #include <bget.h>
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <math.h>
diff --git a/tests/cunit/pio_tests.h b/tests/cunit/pio_tests.h
index aa7d15e5e0e..9348254cb45 100644
--- a/tests/cunit/pio_tests.h
+++ b/tests/cunit/pio_tests.h
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 #ifndef _PIO_TESTS_H
 #define _PIO_TESTS_H
-
+#include <pio_error.h>
 #include <unistd.h> /* Include this for the sleep function. */
 #include <assert.h>
 
@@ -99,21 +99,6 @@ void test_stop_mpe_log(int state, const char *msg);
         goto exit;                                                      \
     } while (0)
 
-/** Handle non-MPI errors by finalizing the MPI library and exiting
- * with an exit code. Finalize and return. */
-#define ERR(e) do {                                                     \
-        fprintf(stderr, "%d Error %d in %s, line %d\n", my_rank, e, __FILE__, __LINE__); \
-        MPI_Finalize();                                                 \
-        return e;                                                       \
-    } while (0)
-
-/** Handle non-MPI errors by finalizing the MPI library and goto
- * exit. Finalize and goto exit. */
-#define BAIL(e) do {                                                    \
-        fprintf(stderr, "%d Error %d in %s, line %d\n", my_rank, e, __FILE__, __LINE__); \
-        goto exit;                                                      \
-    } while (0)
-
 /** Global err buffer for MPI. When there is an MPI error, this buffer
  * is used to store the error message that is associated with the MPI
  * error. */