diff --git a/client/main.go b/client/main.go
index efe09518e..9e71da925 100644
--- a/client/main.go
+++ b/client/main.go
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ var (
 	EventsClient   events.EventsServiceClient
 )
 
-// FullClient aggregates all the grpc clients available from Tinkerbell Server
+// FullClient aggregates all the gRPC clients available from Tinkerbell Server
 type FullClient struct {
 	TemplateClient template.TemplateServiceClient
 	WorkflowClient workflow.WorkflowServiceClient
@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@ type FullClient struct {
 
 // NewFullClientFromGlobal is a dirty hack that returns a FullClient using the
 // global variables exposed by the client package. Globals should be avoided
-// and we will deprecated them at some point replacing this function with
-// NewFullClient. If you are strating a new project please use the last one
+// and we will deprecate them at some point replacing this function with
+// NewFullClient. If you are starting a new project please use NewFullClient instead.
 func NewFullClientFromGlobal() (*FullClient, error) {
 	// This is required because we use init() too often, even more in the
 	// CLI and based on where you are sometime the clients are not initialised
diff --git a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/delete/delete.go b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/delete/delete.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a053a795e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/delete/delete.go
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+package delete
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+
+	"github.com/pkg/errors"
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/client"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/status"
+)
+
+type Options struct {
+	// DeleteByID is used to delete a resource
+	DeleteByID func(context.Context, *client.FullClient, string) (interface{}, error)
+
+	clientConnOpt *client.ConnOptions
+	fullClient    *client.FullClient
+}
+
+func (o *Options) SetClientConnOpt(co *client.ConnOptions) {
+	o.clientConnOpt = co
+}
+
+func (o *Options) SetFullClient(cl *client.FullClient) {
+	o.fullClient = cl
+}
+
+const shortDescr = "delete one or more resources"
+
+const longDescr = `Deletes one or more resources and prints the status of
+the deleted resource.
+
+# Delete template resource (success)
+tink template delete 8ae1cc24-6a9c-11eb-a0fc-0242ac120005
+Deleted	8ae1cc24-6a9c-11eb-a0fc-0242ac120005
+
+# Delete template resource (not found)
+tink template delete 8ae1cc24-6a9c-11eb-a0fc-0242ac120005
+Error	8ae1cc24-6a9c-11eb-a0fc-0242ac120005	not found
+
+# Delete template resources (one not found)
+tink template delete 8ae1cc24-6a9c-11eb-a0fc-0242ac120005 e4115856-4358-429d-a8f6-9e1b7d794b72
+Deleted	8ae1cc24-6a9c-11eb-a0fc-0242ac120005
+Error	e4115856-4358-429d-a8f6-9e1b7d794b72	not found
+
+# Delete resources and extract resource ID with awk
+tink template delete 8ae1cc24-6a9c-11eb-a0fc-0242ac120005 e4115856-4358-429d-a8f6-9e1b7d794b72 | awk {print $2} > result
+cat result
+8ae1cc24-6a9c-11eb-a0fc-0242ac120005
+e4115856-4358-429d-a8f6-9e1b7d794b72
+`
+
+const exampleDescr = `# Delete template resource
+tink template delete [id]
+
+# Delete hardware resource
+tink hardware delete [id]
+
+# Delete workflow resource
+tink workflow delete [id]
+
+# Delete multiple workflow resources
+tink workflow delete [id_1] [id_2] [id_3]
+`
+
+func NewDeleteCommand(opt Options) *cobra.Command {
+	cmd := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:                   "delete",
+		Short:                 shortDescr,
+		Long:                  longDescr,
+		Example:               exampleDescr,
+		DisableFlagsInUseLine: true,
+		PersistentPreRunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			if opt.fullClient != nil {
+				return nil
+			}
+			if opt.clientConnOpt == nil {
+				opt.SetClientConnOpt(&client.ConnOptions{})
+			}
+			opt.clientConnOpt.SetFlags(cmd.PersistentFlags())
+			return nil
+		},
+		PreRunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			if opt.fullClient == nil {
+				var err error
+				var conn *grpc.ClientConn
+				conn, err = client.NewClientConn(opt.clientConnOpt)
+				if err != nil {
+					println("Flag based client configuration failed with err: %s. Trying with env var legacy method...", err)
+					// Fallback to legacy Setup via env var
+					conn, err = client.GetConnection()
+					if err != nil {
+						return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to setup connection to tink-server")
+					}
+				}
+				opt.SetFullClient(client.NewFullClient(conn))
+			}
+			return nil
+		},
+		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			if opt.DeleteByID == nil {
+				return errors.New("DeleteByID is not implemented for this resource yet. Please have a look at the issue in GitHub or open a new one.")
+			}
+			for _, requestedID := range args {
+				_, err := opt.DeleteByID(cmd.Context(), opt.fullClient, requestedID)
+				if err != nil {
+					if s, ok := status.FromError(err); ok && s.Code() == codes.NotFound {
+						fmt.Fprintf(cmd.ErrOrStderr(), "Error\t%s\tnot found\n", requestedID)
+						continue
+					} else {
+						return err
+					}
+				}
+				fmt.Fprintf(cmd.OutOrStdout(), "Deleted\t%s\n", requestedID)
+			}
+			return nil
+		},
+	}
+	return cmd
+}
diff --git a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/delete/delete_test.go b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/delete/delete_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0b99f057e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/delete/delete_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+package delete
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
+	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/client"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/status"
+)
+
+func TestNewDeleteCommand(t *testing.T) {
+	table := []struct {
+		name           string
+		expectedOutput string
+		args           []string
+		opt            Options
+	}{
+		{
+			name:           "happy-path",
+			expectedOutput: "Deleted\tbeeb5c79\n",
+			args:           []string{"beeb5c79"},
+			opt: Options{
+				DeleteByID: func(c context.Context, fc *client.FullClient, s string) (interface{}, error) {
+					return struct{}{}, nil
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:           "happy-path-multiple-resources",
+			expectedOutput: "Deleted\tbeeb5c79\nDeleted\t14810952\nDeleted\te7a91fe9\n",
+			args:           []string{"beeb5c79", "14810952", "e7a91fe9"},
+			opt: Options{
+				DeleteByID: func(c context.Context, fc *client.FullClient, s string) (interface{}, error) {
+					return struct{}{}, nil
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:           "resource-not-found",
+			expectedOutput: "Error\tbeeb5c79\tnot found\n",
+			args:           []string{"beeb5c79"},
+			opt: Options{
+				DeleteByID: func(c context.Context, fc *client.FullClient, s string) (interface{}, error) {
+					return struct{}{}, status.Error(codes.NotFound, "")
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:           "multiple-resources-not-found",
+			expectedOutput: "Error\tbeeb5c79\tnot found\nError\t14810952\tnot found\n",
+			args:           []string{"beeb5c79", "14810952"},
+			opt: Options{
+				DeleteByID: func(c context.Context, fc *client.FullClient, s string) (interface{}, error) {
+					return struct{}{}, status.Error(codes.NotFound, "")
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:           "only-one-resource-of-two-was-deleted",
+			expectedOutput: "Deleted\tbeeb5c79\nError\t14810952\tnot found\n",
+			args:           []string{"beeb5c79", "14810952"},
+			opt: Options{
+				DeleteByID: func(c context.Context, fc *client.FullClient, s string) (interface{}, error) {
+					if s == "beeb5c79" {
+						return struct{}{}, nil
+					}
+					return struct{}{}, status.Error(codes.NotFound, "")
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, test := range table {
+		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			stdout := bytes.NewBufferString("")
+			test.opt.SetFullClient(&client.FullClient{})
+			cmd := NewDeleteCommand(test.opt)
+			cmd.SetOut(stdout)
+			cmd.SetErr(stdout)
+			cmd.SetArgs(test.args)
+			err := cmd.Execute()
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Error(err)
+			}
+			out, err := ioutil.ReadAll(stdout)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Error(err)
+			}
+			if diff := cmp.Diff(string(out), test.expectedOutput); diff != "" {
+				t.Fatal(diff)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/delete/doc.go b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/delete/doc.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d50da3537
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/delete/doc.go
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+// Package delete provides a reusable implementation of the Delete command
+// for the tink cli. The Delete command deletes resources. It is designed
+// to be extendible and usable across resources.
+package delete
diff --git a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/get/get_test.go b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/get/get_test.go
index fe248db3d..e6632a685 100644
--- a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/get/get_test.go
+++ b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/get/get_test.go
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ func TestNewGetCommand(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			Name: "happy-path-json-no-headers",
-			Skip: "The JSON format is rusty and custom because we table library we use do not support JSON right now. This feature is not implemented",
+			Skip: "The JSON format is rusty and custom because the table library we use does not support JSON right now. This feature is not implemented.",
 		},
 		{
 			Name: "happy-path-csv-no-headers",
@@ -198,5 +198,4 @@ func TestNewGetCommand(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 		})
 	}
-
 }
diff --git a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/hardware.go b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/hardware.go
index ac6403806..17fa38c72 100644
--- a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/hardware.go
+++ b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/hardware.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/delete"
 	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/get"
 	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/hardware"
 )
@@ -22,7 +23,7 @@ func NewHardwareCommand() *cobra.Command {
 	}
 
 	cmd.AddCommand(get.NewGetCommand(hardware.NewGetOptions()))
-	cmd.AddCommand(hardware.NewDeleteCmd())
+	cmd.AddCommand(delete.NewDeleteCommand(hardware.NewDeleteOptions()))
 	cmd.AddCommand(hardware.NewGetByIDCmd())
 	cmd.AddCommand(hardware.NewGetByIPCmd())
 	cmd.AddCommand(hardware.NewListCmd())
diff --git a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/hardware/delete.go b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/hardware/delete.go
index 97709d70d..3376bb5aa 100644
--- a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/hardware/delete.go
+++ b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/hardware/delete.go
@@ -4,30 +4,23 @@ package hardware
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"log"
 
-	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/client"
+	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/delete"
 	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/protos/hardware"
 )
 
-func NewDeleteCmd() *cobra.Command {
-	return &cobra.Command{
-		Use:     "delete",
-		Short:   "delete hardware by id",
-		Example: "tink hardware delete 224ee6ab-ad62-4070-a900-ed816444cec0 cb76ae54-93e9-401c-a5b2-d455bb3800b1",
-		Args: func(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return verifyUUIDs(args)
-		},
-		Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
-			for _, id := range args {
-				_, err := client.HardwareClient.Delete(context.Background(), &hardware.DeleteRequest{Id: id})
-				if err != nil {
-					log.Fatal(err)
-				}
-				log.Println("Hardware data with id", id, "deleted successfully")
-			}
-		},
-	}
+type deleteHardware struct {
+	delete.Options
+}
 
+func (h *deleteHardware) DeleteByID(ctx context.Context, cl *client.FullClient, requestedID string) (interface{}, error) {
+	return cl.HardwareClient.Delete(ctx, &hardware.DeleteRequest{Id: requestedID})
+}
+
+func NewDeleteOptions() delete.Options {
+	h := deleteHardware{}
+	return delete.Options{
+		DeleteByID: h.DeleteByID,
+	}
 }
diff --git a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/hardware_test.go b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/hardware_test.go
index 51c9e7d64..45d5bb863 100644
--- a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/hardware_test.go
+++ b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/hardware_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package cmd
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -112,8 +113,9 @@ func Test_NewHardwareCommand(t *testing.T) {
 				if err := root.Execute(); err != nil {
 					t.Error(err)
 				}
-				if !strings.Contains(out.String(), "delete hardware by id") {
-					t.Error("expected output should include delete hardware by id")
+				want := "Deletes one or more resources"
+				if !strings.Contains(out.String(), want) {
+					t.Error(fmt.Errorf("unexpected output, looking for %q as a substring in %q", want, out.String()))
 				}
 			},
 		},
diff --git a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/template.go b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/template.go
index f78fb2310..7f1a0f934 100644
--- a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/template.go
+++ b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/template.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/delete"
 	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/get"
 	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/template"
 )
@@ -23,12 +24,12 @@ func NewTemplateCommand() *cobra.Command {
 	}
 
 	cmd.AddCommand(template.NewCreateCommand())
-	cmd.AddCommand(template.NewDeleteCommand())
+	cmd.AddCommand(delete.NewDeleteCommand(template.NewDeleteOptions()))
 	cmd.AddCommand(template.NewListCommand())
 	cmd.AddCommand(template.NewUpdateCommand())
 
-	// If the variable TINK_CLI_VERSION is not set to 0.0.0 use the old get
-	// command. This is a way to keep retro-compatibility with the old get command.
+	// If the variable TINK_CLI_VERSION is set to 0.0.0 use the old get command.
+	// This is a way to keep retro-compatibility with the old get command.
 	getCmd := template.GetCmd
 	if v := os.Getenv("TINK_CLI_VERSION"); v != "0.0.0" {
 		getCmd = get.NewGetCommand(template.NewGetOptions())
diff --git a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/template/delete.go b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/template/delete.go
index bb2a719c8..d63820c78 100644
--- a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/template/delete.go
+++ b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/template/delete.go
@@ -2,45 +2,27 @@ package template
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"fmt"
-	"log"
 
-	"github.com/google/uuid"
-	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/client"
+	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/delete"
 	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/protos/template"
 )
 
-// deleteCmd represents the delete subcommand for template command
-func NewDeleteCommand() *cobra.Command {
-	cmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:                   "delete [id]",
-		Short:                 "delete a template",
-		Example:               "tink template delete [id]",
-		DisableFlagsInUseLine: true,
-		Args: func(c *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			if len(args) == 0 {
-				return fmt.Errorf("%v requires an argument", c.UseLine())
-			}
-			for _, arg := range args {
-				if _, err := uuid.Parse(arg); err != nil {
-					return fmt.Errorf("invalid uuid: %s", arg)
-				}
-			}
-			return nil
-		},
-		Run: func(c *cobra.Command, args []string) {
-			for _, arg := range args {
-				req := template.GetRequest{
-					GetBy: &template.GetRequest_Id{
-						Id: arg,
-					},
-				}
-				if _, err := client.TemplateClient.DeleteTemplate(context.Background(), &req); err != nil {
-					log.Fatal(err)
-				}
-			}
+type deleteTemplate struct {
+	delete.Options
+}
+
+func (d *deleteTemplate) DeleteByID(ctx context.Context, cl *client.FullClient, requestedID string) (interface{}, error) {
+	return cl.TemplateClient.DeleteTemplate(ctx, &template.GetRequest{
+		GetBy: &template.GetRequest_Id{
+			Id: requestedID,
 		},
+	})
+}
+
+func NewDeleteOptions() delete.Options {
+	t := deleteTemplate{}
+	return delete.Options{
+		DeleteByID: t.DeleteByID,
 	}
-	return cmd
 }
diff --git a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/template/get.go b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/template/get.go
index dbe4879c9..1d438eb32 100644
--- a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/template/get.go
+++ b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/template/get.go
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ func (h *getTemplate) RetrieveByID(ctx context.Context, cl *client.FullClient, r
 }
 
 func (h *getTemplate) RetrieveData(ctx context.Context, cl *client.FullClient) ([]interface{}, error) {
-	list, err := cl.TemplateClient.ListTemplates(context.Background(), &template.ListRequest{
+	list, err := cl.TemplateClient.ListTemplates(ctx, &template.ListRequest{
 		FilterBy: &template.ListRequest_Name{
 			Name: "*",
 		},
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ func (h *getTemplate) PopulateTable(data []interface{}, t table.Writer) error {
 	}
 	return nil
 }
+
 func NewGetOptions() get.Options {
 	h := getTemplate{}
 	return get.Options{
diff --git a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/workflow.go b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/workflow.go
index 4e667a834..d2e2ba0e9 100644
--- a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/workflow.go
+++ b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/workflow.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/delete"
 	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/get"
 	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/workflow"
 )
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@ func NewWorkflowCommand() *cobra.Command {
 
 	cmd.AddCommand(workflow.NewCreateCommand())
 	cmd.AddCommand(workflow.NewDataCommand())
-	cmd.AddCommand(workflow.NewDeleteCommand())
+	cmd.AddCommand(delete.NewDeleteCommand(workflow.NewDeleteOptions()))
 	cmd.AddCommand(workflow.NewShowCommand())
 	cmd.AddCommand(workflow.NewListCommand())
 	cmd.AddCommand(workflow.NewStateCommand())
diff --git a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/workflow/delete.go b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/workflow/delete.go
index 5dd3dc2d1..20eb33430 100644
--- a/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/workflow/delete.go
+++ b/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/workflow/delete.go
@@ -2,40 +2,23 @@ package workflow
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"fmt"
-	"log"
 
-	"github.com/google/uuid"
-	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/client"
+	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/cmd/tink-cli/cmd/delete"
 	"github.com/tinkerbell/tink/protos/workflow"
 )
 
-func NewDeleteCommand() *cobra.Command {
-	cmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:                   "delete [id]",
-		Short:                 "delete a workflow",
-		Example:               "tink workflow delete [id]",
-		DisableFlagsInUseLine: true,
-		Args: func(c *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			if len(args) == 0 {
-				return fmt.Errorf("%v requires an argument", c.UseLine())
-			}
-			for _, arg := range args {
-				if _, err := uuid.Parse(arg); err != nil {
-					return fmt.Errorf("invalid uuid: %s", arg)
-				}
-			}
-			return nil
-		},
-		Run: func(c *cobra.Command, args []string) {
-			for _, arg := range args {
-				req := workflow.GetRequest{Id: arg}
-				if _, err := client.WorkflowClient.DeleteWorkflow(context.Background(), &req); err != nil {
-					log.Fatal(err)
-				}
-			}
-		},
+type deleteWorkflow struct {
+	delete.Options
+}
+
+func (d *deleteWorkflow) DeleteByID(ctx context.Context, cl *client.FullClient, requestedID string) (interface{}, error) {
+	return cl.WorkflowClient.DeleteWorkflow(ctx, &workflow.GetRequest{Id: requestedID})
+}
+
+func NewDeleteOptions() delete.Options {
+	w := deleteWorkflow{}
+	return delete.Options{
+		DeleteByID: w.DeleteByID,
 	}
-	return cmd
 }
diff --git a/db/hardware.go b/db/hardware.go
index f378f7c82..19b49ab43 100644
--- a/db/hardware.go
+++ b/db/hardware.go
@@ -3,9 +3,12 @@ package db
 import (
 	"context"
 	"database/sql"
+	"fmt"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/status"
 )
 
 // DeleteFromDB : delete data from hardware table
@@ -15,7 +18,7 @@ func (d TinkDB) DeleteFromDB(ctx context.Context, id string) error {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "BEGIN transaction")
 	}
 
-	_, err = tx.Exec(`
+	res, err := tx.Exec(`
 	UPDATE hardware
 	SET
 		deleted_at = NOW()
@@ -27,6 +30,10 @@ func (d TinkDB) DeleteFromDB(ctx context.Context, id string) error {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "DELETE")
 	}
 
+	if count, _ := res.RowsAffected(); count == int64(0) {
+		return status.Error(codes.NotFound, fmt.Sprintf("not found, id:%s", id))
+	}
+
 	err = tx.Commit()
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "COMMIT")
diff --git a/db/template.go b/db/template.go
index c3b0fe27b..dccdc2a9b 100644
--- a/db/template.go
+++ b/db/template.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package db
 import (
 	"context"
 	"database/sql"
+	"fmt"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/golang/protobuf/ptypes"
@@ -10,6 +11,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/google/uuid"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	wflow "github.com/tinkerbell/tink/workflow"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/status"
 )
 
 // CreateTemplate creates a new workflow template
@@ -91,7 +94,7 @@ func (d TinkDB) DeleteTemplate(ctx context.Context, id string) error {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "BEGIN transaction")
 	}
 
-	_, err = tx.Exec(`
+	res, err := tx.Exec(`
 	UPDATE template
 	SET
 		deleted_at = NOW()
@@ -102,6 +105,10 @@ func (d TinkDB) DeleteTemplate(ctx context.Context, id string) error {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "UPDATE")
 	}
 
+	if count, _ := res.RowsAffected(); count == int64(0) {
+		return status.Error(codes.NotFound, fmt.Sprintf("not found, id:%s", id))
+	}
+
 	err = tx.Commit()
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "COMMIT")
diff --git a/db/workflow.go b/db/workflow.go
index 7db4d349e..9169ccbe2 100644
--- a/db/workflow.go
+++ b/db/workflow.go
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	pb "github.com/tinkerbell/tink/protos/workflow"
 	wflow "github.com/tinkerbell/tink/workflow"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/status"
 )
 
 // Workflow represents a workflow instance in database
@@ -381,7 +383,7 @@ func (d TinkDB) DeleteWorkflow(ctx context.Context, id string, state int32) erro
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "Delete Workflow Error")
 	}
 
-	_, err = tx.Exec(`
+	res, err := tx.Exec(`
 	UPDATE workflow
 	SET
 		deleted_at = NOW()
@@ -392,6 +394,10 @@ func (d TinkDB) DeleteWorkflow(ctx context.Context, id string, state int32) erro
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "UPDATE")
 	}
 
+	if count, _ := res.RowsAffected(); count == int64(0) {
+		return status.Error(codes.NotFound, fmt.Sprintf("not found, id:%s", id))
+	}
+
 	err = tx.Commit()
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "COMMIT")