diff --git a/scripts/common.dart b/scripts/common.dart
index 2dbcf8d..c718091 100644
--- a/scripts/common.dart
+++ b/scripts/common.dart
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ void confirm(String message) {
   }
 }
 
-void printError(String message, {bool shouldExit = true}) {
+Never printError(String message) {
   stderr.writeln('\x1B[31m$message\x1B[0m');
 
-  if (shouldExit) exit(1);
+  exit(1);
 }
diff --git a/scripts/gen_l10n_from_string.dart b/scripts/gen_l10n_from_string.dart
index c3f95b3..3b116b4 100644
--- a/scripts/gen_l10n_from_string.dart
+++ b/scripts/gen_l10n_from_string.dart
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Future<void> main(List<String> args) async {
   final keys = strings.keys.where((key) => !key.startsWith('@')).toSet();
   final keysWithoutVariables = keys.where((key) {
     final metadata = strings['@$key'] as Map<String, dynamic>;
-    final placeholders = metadata['placeholders'] as Map<String, dynamic>;
+    final placeholders = metadata['placeholders'] as Map<String, dynamic>?;
 
     return placeholders?.isEmpty ?? true;
   }).toSet();
diff --git a/scripts/migrate_lemmy_l10n.dart b/scripts/migrate_lemmy_l10n.dart
index fbc3ca4..8fd8f7e 100644
--- a/scripts/migrate_lemmy_l10n.dart
+++ b/scripts/migrate_lemmy_l10n.dart
@@ -10,17 +10,17 @@ import 'gen_l10n_from_string.dart' as gen;
 // ignore: camel_case_types
 class _ {
   final String key;
-  final String rename;
+  final String? rename;
 
   /// make all letters except the first one lower case
   final bool decapitalize;
   final bool toLowerCase;
 
   /// arb format for the placeholder
-  final String format;
+  final String? format;
 
   /// arb type for the placeholder
-  final String type;
+  final String? type;
 
   const _(
     this.key, {
@@ -281,18 +281,20 @@ void portStrings(
     }
   }
 
+  final baseTranslations = lemmyTranslations[baseLanguage]!;
+
   for (final migrate in toMigrate) {
-    if (!lemmyTranslations[baseLanguage].containsKey(migrate.key)) {
+    if (!baseTranslations.containsKey(migrate.key)) {
       printError('"${migrate.key}" does not exist in $repoName');
     }
 
-    if (lemmurTranslations[baseLanguage].containsKey(migrate.renamedKey) &&
+    if (lemmurTranslations[baseLanguage]!.containsKey(migrate.renamedKey) &&
         !force) {
       confirm('"${migrate.key}" already exists in lemmur, overwrite?');
     }
 
     final variableName = RegExp(r'{{([\w_]+)}|')
-        .firstMatch(lemmyTranslations[baseLanguage][migrate.key])
+        .firstMatch(baseTranslations[migrate.key]!)
         ?.group(1);
 
     final metadata = <String, dynamic>{
@@ -306,19 +308,17 @@ void portStrings(
     };
     // ignore: omit_local_variable_types
     String Function(Map<String, String> translations) transformer =
-        (translations) => translations[migrate.key];
+        (translations) => translations[migrate.key]!;
 
     // check if it has a plural form
-    if (lemmyTranslations[baseLanguage].containsKey('${migrate.key}_plural')) {
+    if (baseTranslations.containsKey('${migrate.key}_plural')) {
       transformer = (translations) {
-        if (translations[migrate.key] == null) return null;
-
-        final fixedVariables = translations[migrate.key]
+        final fixedVariables = translations[migrate.key]!
             .replaceAll('{{$variableName}}', '{$variableName}');
 
         final pluralForm = () {
           if (translations.containsKey('${migrate.key}_plural')) {
-            return translations['${migrate.key}_plural']
+            return translations['${migrate.key}_plural']!
                 .replaceAll('{{$variableName}}', '{$variableName}');
           }
 
@@ -337,11 +337,11 @@ void portStrings(
       final language = trans.key;
       final strings = trans.value;
 
-      lemmurTranslations[language][migrate.renamedKey] = transformer(strings);
+      lemmurTranslations[language]![migrate.renamedKey] = transformer(strings);
     }
-    lemmurTranslations[baseLanguage][migrate.renamedKey] =
-        migrate.transform(transformer(lemmyTranslations[baseLanguage]));
-    lemmurTranslations[baseLanguage]['@${migrate.renamedKey}'] = metadata;
+    lemmurTranslations[baseLanguage]![migrate.renamedKey] =
+        migrate.transform(transformer(baseTranslations));
+    lemmurTranslations[baseLanguage]!['@${migrate.renamedKey}'] = metadata;
   }
 }
 
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ Future<void> save(Map<String, Map<String, dynamic>> lemmurTranslations) async {
     }
   }
   for (final rem in toRemove) {
-    lemmurTranslations[rem[0]].remove(rem[1]);
+    lemmurTranslations[rem[0]]?.remove(rem[1]);
   }
 
   for (final language in lemmurTranslations.keys) {
diff --git a/scripts/release.dart b/scripts/release.dart
index d521190..aa5d393 100755
--- a/scripts/release.dart
+++ b/scripts/release.dart
@@ -32,7 +32,8 @@ Future<void> assertNoStagedGit() async {
 }
 
 class Version {
-  int major, minor, patch, code;
+  final int major, minor, patch, code;
+  Version(this.major, this.minor, this.patch, this.code);
   String toString() => '$major.$minor.$patch+$code';
   String toStringNoCode() => '$major.$minor.$patch';
 }
@@ -44,10 +45,14 @@ Future<Version> bumpedVersion(String versionBumpType) async {
   final versionMatch = RegExp(r'version: (\d+)\.(\d+)\.(\d+)\+(\d+)')
       .firstMatch(pubspecContents);
 
-  var major = int.parse(versionMatch.group(1));
-  var minor = int.parse(versionMatch.group(2));
-  var patch = int.parse(versionMatch.group(3));
-  var code = int.parse(versionMatch.group(4));
+  if (versionMatch == null) {
+    printError('Failed to find version in pubspec.yaml');
+  }
+
+  var major = int.parse(versionMatch.group(1)!);
+  var minor = int.parse(versionMatch.group(2)!);
+  var patch = int.parse(versionMatch.group(3)!);
+  var code = int.parse(versionMatch.group(4)!);
 
   switch (versionBumpType) {
     case 'patch':
@@ -65,11 +70,7 @@ Future<Version> bumpedVersion(String versionBumpType) async {
   }
   code++;
 
-  return Version()
-    ..major = major
-    ..minor = minor
-    ..patch = patch
-    ..code = code;
+  return Version(major, minor, patch, code);
 }
 
 Future<void> updatePubspec(Version version) async {
@@ -90,6 +91,11 @@ Future<void> updateChangelog(Version version) async {
   var currentChangelog =
       RegExp(r'^## Unreleased$.+?^##[^#]', multiLine: true, dotAll: true)
           .stringMatch(changelogContents);
+
+  if (currentChangelog == null) {
+    printError('No changelog found');
+  }
+
   currentChangelog = currentChangelog.substring(0, currentChangelog.length - 4);
 
   final date = DateTime.now();