diff --git a/direct/src/plugin/p3dInstance.cxx b/direct/src/plugin/p3dInstance.cxx
index cb802e9c96..08a4b37c32 100644
--- a/direct/src/plugin/p3dInstance.cxx
+++ b/direct/src/plugin/p3dInstance.cxx
@@ -1495,8 +1495,17 @@ auth_finished_main_thread() {
 //               normally called by JavaScript, via
 //               P3DMainObject::call_uninstall().
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-void P3DInstance::
+bool P3DInstance::
 uninstall_packages() {
+  if (_packages.empty()) {
+    // If we have no packages (for instance, because we're untrusted),
+    // we can't uninstall anything.
+    nout << "Uninstall failed: no packages.\n";
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  nout << "Uninstalling " << _packages.size() << " packages\n";
+
   Packages::const_iterator pi;
   for (pi = _packages.begin(); pi != _packages.end(); ++pi) {
     P3DPackage *package = (*pi);
@@ -1514,6 +1523,8 @@ uninstall_packages() {
     nout << "Cleaning up start directory " << start_dir << "\n";
     inst_mgr->delete_directory_recursively(start_dir);
   }
+
+  return true;
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -1526,8 +1537,15 @@ uninstall_packages() {
 //               is normally called by JavaScript, via
 //               P3DMainObject::call_uninstall().
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-void P3DInstance::
+bool P3DInstance::
 uninstall_host() {
+  if (_packages.empty()) {
+    // If we have no packages (for instance, because we're untrusted),
+    // we can't uninstall anything.
+    nout << "Uninstall failed: no packages.\n";
+    return false;
+  }
+
   uninstall_packages();
 
   // Collect the set of hosts referenced by this instance.
@@ -1540,6 +1558,7 @@ uninstall_host() {
       hosts.insert(package->get_host());
     }
   }
+  nout << "Uninstalling " << hosts.size() << " hosts\n";
 
   // Uninstall all of them.
   set<P3DHost *>::iterator hi;
@@ -1547,6 +1566,8 @@ uninstall_host() {
     P3DHost *host = (*hi);
     host->uninstall();
   }
+
+  return true;
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/direct/src/plugin/p3dInstance.h b/direct/src/plugin/p3dInstance.h
index 26bd28c777..c8239e47f6 100644
--- a/direct/src/plugin/p3dInstance.h
+++ b/direct/src/plugin/p3dInstance.h
@@ -119,8 +119,8 @@ public:
   void auth_finished_sub_thread();
   void auth_finished_main_thread();
 
-  void uninstall_packages();
-  void uninstall_host();
+  bool uninstall_packages();
+  bool uninstall_host();
 
 private:
   class ImageDownload : public P3DFileDownload {
diff --git a/direct/src/plugin/p3dMainObject.cxx b/direct/src/plugin/p3dMainObject.cxx
index b10375809a..6cd4a7fd9e 100644
--- a/direct/src/plugin/p3dMainObject.cxx
+++ b/direct/src/plugin/p3dMainObject.cxx
@@ -709,12 +709,13 @@ call_uninstall(P3D_object *params[], int num_params) {
 
   if (_inst != NULL) {
     nout << "uninstall " << mode << " for " << _inst << "\n";
+    bool success = false;
     if (mode == "host") {
-      _inst->uninstall_host();
+      success = _inst->uninstall_host();
     } else {
-      _inst->uninstall_packages();
+      success = _inst->uninstall_packages();
     }
-    return inst_mgr->new_bool_object(true);
+    return inst_mgr->new_bool_object(success);
   }
 
   nout << "couldn't uninstall; no instance.\n";