diff --git a/pkg/api/cloudwatch/cloudwatch.go b/pkg/api/cloudwatch/cloudwatch.go
index 0fb7b09f3cb..1b796be874e 100644
--- a/pkg/api/cloudwatch/cloudwatch.go
+++ b/pkg/api/cloudwatch/cloudwatch.go
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/service/cloudwatch"
 	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/service/ec2"
 	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/service/sts"
-	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/log"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/metrics"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/middleware"
 	m "github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/models"
@@ -90,7 +89,7 @@ type cache struct {
 var awsCredentialCache map[string]cache = make(map[string]cache)
 var credentialCacheLock sync.RWMutex
 
-func getCredentials(dsInfo *datasourceInfo) *credentials.Credentials {
+func getCredentials(dsInfo *datasourceInfo) (*credentials.Credentials, error) {
 	cacheKey := dsInfo.Profile + ":" + dsInfo.AssumeRoleArn
 	credentialCacheLock.RLock()
 	if _, ok := awsCredentialCache[cacheKey]; ok {
@@ -98,7 +97,7 @@ func getCredentials(dsInfo *datasourceInfo) *credentials.Credentials {
 			(*awsCredentialCache[cacheKey].expiration).After(time.Now().UTC()) {
 			result := awsCredentialCache[cacheKey].credential
 			credentialCacheLock.RUnlock()
-			return result
+			return result, nil
 		}
 	}
 	credentialCacheLock.RUnlock()
@@ -130,8 +129,7 @@ func getCredentials(dsInfo *datasourceInfo) *credentials.Credentials {
 		svc := sts.New(session.New(stsConfig), stsConfig)
 		resp, err := svc.AssumeRole(params)
 		if err != nil {
-			// ignore
-			log.Error(3, "CloudWatch: Failed to assume role", err)
+			return nil, err
 		}
 		if resp.Credentials != nil {
 			accessKeyId = *resp.Credentials.AccessKeyId
@@ -165,19 +163,28 @@ func getCredentials(dsInfo *datasourceInfo) *credentials.Credentials {
 	}
 	credentialCacheLock.Unlock()
 
-	return creds
+	return creds, nil
 }
 
-func getAwsConfig(req *cwRequest) *aws.Config {
+func getAwsConfig(req *cwRequest) (*aws.Config, error) {
+	creds, err := getCredentials(req.GetDatasourceInfo())
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
 	cfg := &aws.Config{
 		Region:      aws.String(req.Region),
-		Credentials: getCredentials(req.GetDatasourceInfo()),
+		Credentials: creds,
 	}
-	return cfg
+	return cfg, nil
 }
 
 func handleGetMetricStatistics(req *cwRequest, c *middleware.Context) {
-	cfg := getAwsConfig(req)
+	cfg, err := getAwsConfig(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		c.JsonApiErr(500, "Unable to call AWS API", err)
+		return
+	}
 	svc := cloudwatch.New(session.New(cfg), cfg)
 
 	reqParam := &struct {
@@ -220,7 +227,11 @@ func handleGetMetricStatistics(req *cwRequest, c *middleware.Context) {
 }
 
 func handleListMetrics(req *cwRequest, c *middleware.Context) {
-	cfg := getAwsConfig(req)
+	cfg, err := getAwsConfig(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		c.JsonApiErr(500, "Unable to call AWS API", err)
+		return
+	}
 	svc := cloudwatch.New(session.New(cfg), cfg)
 
 	reqParam := &struct {
@@ -239,7 +250,7 @@ func handleListMetrics(req *cwRequest, c *middleware.Context) {
 	}
 
 	var resp cloudwatch.ListMetricsOutput
-	err := svc.ListMetricsPages(params,
+	err = svc.ListMetricsPages(params,
 		func(page *cloudwatch.ListMetricsOutput, lastPage bool) bool {
 			metrics.M_Aws_CloudWatch_ListMetrics.Inc(1)
 			metrics, _ := awsutil.ValuesAtPath(page, "Metrics")
@@ -257,7 +268,11 @@ func handleListMetrics(req *cwRequest, c *middleware.Context) {
 }
 
 func handleDescribeAlarms(req *cwRequest, c *middleware.Context) {
-	cfg := getAwsConfig(req)
+	cfg, err := getAwsConfig(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		c.JsonApiErr(500, "Unable to call AWS API", err)
+		return
+	}
 	svc := cloudwatch.New(session.New(cfg), cfg)
 
 	reqParam := &struct {
@@ -296,7 +311,11 @@ func handleDescribeAlarms(req *cwRequest, c *middleware.Context) {
 }
 
 func handleDescribeAlarmsForMetric(req *cwRequest, c *middleware.Context) {
-	cfg := getAwsConfig(req)
+	cfg, err := getAwsConfig(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		c.JsonApiErr(500, "Unable to call AWS API", err)
+		return
+	}
 	svc := cloudwatch.New(session.New(cfg), cfg)
 
 	reqParam := &struct {
@@ -336,7 +355,11 @@ func handleDescribeAlarmsForMetric(req *cwRequest, c *middleware.Context) {
 }
 
 func handleDescribeAlarmHistory(req *cwRequest, c *middleware.Context) {
-	cfg := getAwsConfig(req)
+	cfg, err := getAwsConfig(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		c.JsonApiErr(500, "Unable to call AWS API", err)
+		return
+	}
 	svc := cloudwatch.New(session.New(cfg), cfg)
 
 	reqParam := &struct {
@@ -368,7 +391,11 @@ func handleDescribeAlarmHistory(req *cwRequest, c *middleware.Context) {
 }
 
 func handleDescribeInstances(req *cwRequest, c *middleware.Context) {
-	cfg := getAwsConfig(req)
+	cfg, err := getAwsConfig(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		c.JsonApiErr(500, "Unable to call AWS API", err)
+		return
+	}
 	svc := ec2.New(session.New(cfg), cfg)
 
 	reqParam := &struct {
@@ -388,7 +415,7 @@ func handleDescribeInstances(req *cwRequest, c *middleware.Context) {
 	}
 
 	var resp ec2.DescribeInstancesOutput
-	err := svc.DescribeInstancesPages(params,
+	err = svc.DescribeInstancesPages(params,
 		func(page *ec2.DescribeInstancesOutput, lastPage bool) bool {
 			reservations, _ := awsutil.ValuesAtPath(page, "Reservations")
 			for _, reservation := range reservations {
diff --git a/pkg/api/cloudwatch/metrics.go b/pkg/api/cloudwatch/metrics.go
index 28fc9a11df6..6013e7f30c2 100644
--- a/pkg/api/cloudwatch/metrics.go
+++ b/pkg/api/cloudwatch/metrics.go
@@ -248,9 +248,13 @@ func handleGetDimensions(req *cwRequest, c *middleware.Context) {
 }
 
 func getAllMetrics(cwData *datasourceInfo) (cloudwatch.ListMetricsOutput, error) {
+	creds, err := getCredentials(cwData)
+	if err != nil {
+		return cloudwatch.ListMetricsOutput{}, err
+	}
 	cfg := &aws.Config{
 		Region:      aws.String(cwData.Region),
-		Credentials: getCredentials(cwData),
+		Credentials: creds,
 	}
 
 	svc := cloudwatch.New(session.New(cfg), cfg)
@@ -260,7 +264,7 @@ func getAllMetrics(cwData *datasourceInfo) (cloudwatch.ListMetricsOutput, error)
 	}
 
 	var resp cloudwatch.ListMetricsOutput
-	err := svc.ListMetricsPages(params,
+	err = svc.ListMetricsPages(params,
 		func(page *cloudwatch.ListMetricsOutput, lastPage bool) bool {
 			metrics.M_Aws_CloudWatch_ListMetrics.Inc(1)
 			metrics, _ := awsutil.ValuesAtPath(page, "Metrics")