diff --git a/src/bootstrap/src/core/config/config.rs b/src/bootstrap/src/core/config/config.rs
index 970a982dae42c..f9980ac5fe125 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/src/core/config/config.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/src/core/config/config.rs
@@ -1373,12 +1373,13 @@ impl Config {
         }
 
         println!("Updating submodule {relative_path}");
-        self.check_run(
-            helpers::git(Some(&self.src))
-                .run_always()
-                .args(["submodule", "-q", "sync"])
-                .arg(relative_path),
-        );
+
+        helpers::git(Some(&self.src))
+            .allow_failure()
+            .run_always()
+            .args(["submodule", "-q", "sync"])
+            .arg(relative_path)
+            .run(self);
 
         // Try passing `--progress` to start, then run git again without if that fails.
         let update = |progress: bool| {
@@ -1407,26 +1408,23 @@ impl Config {
             git.arg(relative_path);
             git
         };
-        if !self.check_run(&mut update(true)) {
-            self.check_run(&mut update(false));
+        if !update(true).allow_failure().run(self) {
+            update(false).allow_failure().run(self);
         }
 
         // Save any local changes, but avoid running `git stash pop` if there are none (since it will exit with an error).
         // diff-index reports the modifications through the exit status
-        let has_local_modifications = !self.check_run(submodule_git().allow_failure().args([
-            "diff-index",
-            "--quiet",
-            "HEAD",
-        ]));
+        let has_local_modifications =
+            !submodule_git().allow_failure().args(["diff-index", "--quiet", "HEAD"]).run(self);
         if has_local_modifications {
-            self.check_run(submodule_git().args(["stash", "push"]));
+            submodule_git().allow_failure().args(["stash", "push"]).run(self);
         }
 
-        self.check_run(submodule_git().args(["reset", "-q", "--hard"]));
-        self.check_run(submodule_git().args(["clean", "-qdfx"]));
+        submodule_git().allow_failure().args(["reset", "-q", "--hard"]).run(self);
+        submodule_git().allow_failure().args(["clean", "-qdfx"]).run(self);
 
         if has_local_modifications {
-            self.check_run(submodule_git().args(["stash", "pop"]));
+            submodule_git().allow_failure().args(["stash", "pop"]).run(self);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/src/core/download.rs b/src/bootstrap/src/core/download.rs
index 88a58e580e60f..d7c6d8dbcc3f9 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/src/core/download.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/src/core/download.rs
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ use xz2::bufread::XzDecoder;
 
 use crate::core::config::BUILDER_CONFIG_FILENAME;
 use crate::utils::build_stamp::BuildStamp;
-use crate::utils::exec::{BootstrapCommand, command};
-use crate::utils::helpers::{check_run, exe, hex_encode, move_file};
+use crate::utils::exec::command;
+use crate::utils::helpers::{exe, hex_encode, move_file};
 use crate::{Config, t};
 
 static SHOULD_FIX_BINS_AND_DYLIBS: OnceLock<bool> = OnceLock::new();
@@ -65,17 +65,6 @@ impl Config {
         tmp
     }
 
-    /// Runs a command, printing out nice contextual information if it fails.
-    /// Returns false if do not execute at all, otherwise returns its
-    /// `status.success()`.
-    pub(crate) fn check_run(&self, cmd: &mut BootstrapCommand) -> bool {
-        if self.dry_run() && !cmd.run_always {
-            return true;
-        }
-        self.verbose(|| println!("running: {cmd:?}"));
-        check_run(cmd, self.is_verbose())
-    }
-
     /// Whether or not `fix_bin_or_dylib` needs to be run; can only be true
     /// on NixOS
     fn should_fix_bins_and_dylibs(&self) -> bool {
@@ -214,7 +203,7 @@ impl Config {
         // options should be kept in sync with
         // src/bootstrap/src/core/download.rs
         // for consistency
-        let mut curl = command("curl");
+        let mut curl = command("curl").allow_failure();
         curl.args([
             // follow redirect
             "--location",
@@ -255,7 +244,7 @@ impl Config {
             curl.arg("--retry-all-errors");
         }
         curl.arg(url);
-        if !self.check_run(&mut curl) {
+        if !curl.run(self) {
             if self.host_target.contains("windows-msvc") {
                 eprintln!("Fallback to PowerShell");
                 for _ in 0..3 {
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/src/utils/helpers.rs b/src/bootstrap/src/utils/helpers.rs
index 3e04e04684466..8b2f2dd431e17 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/src/utils/helpers.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/src/utils/helpers.rs
@@ -270,24 +270,6 @@ pub fn is_valid_test_suite_arg<'a, P: AsRef<Path>>(
     }
 }
 
-// FIXME: get rid of this function
-pub fn check_run(cmd: &mut BootstrapCommand, print_cmd_on_fail: bool) -> bool {
-    let status = match cmd.as_command_mut().status() {
-        Ok(status) => status,
-        Err(e) => {
-            println!("failed to execute command: {cmd:?}\nERROR: {e}");
-            return false;
-        }
-    };
-    if !status.success() && print_cmd_on_fail {
-        println!(
-            "\n\ncommand did not execute successfully: {cmd:?}\n\
-             expected success, got: {status}\n\n"
-        );
-    }
-    status.success()
-}
-
 pub fn make(host: &str) -> PathBuf {
     if host.contains("dragonfly")
         || host.contains("freebsd")