diff --git a/lib/datastore-backup.js b/lib/datastore-backup.js
index 9876a77..d5f0a46 100644
--- a/lib/datastore-backup.js
+++ b/lib/datastore-backup.js
@@ -7,6 +7,63 @@ require('colors');
 // @see https://googleapis.dev/nodejs/datastore/latest/
 const {Datastore} = require('@google-cloud/datastore');
 
+/**
+ * Execute a gcloud command safely without invoking a shell.
+ *
+ * @param {string[]} args
+ * @returns {string} stdout as UTF-8 string
+ */
+const execGcloud = (args) => {
+  const result = child_process.spawnSync('gcloud', args, { encoding: 'utf8' });
+  if (result.error) {
+    throw result.error;
+  }
+  if (result.status !== 0) {
+    const stderr = result.stderr || '';
+    const stdout = result.stdout || '';
+    throw new Error(`gcloud ${args.join(' ')} failed with code ${result.status}: ${stderr || stdout}`);
+  }
+  return result.stdout || '';
+};
+
+/**
+ * Build argument list for gcloud datastore import.
+ *
+ * @param {string[]} kinds
+ * @param {string} project
+ * @param {string} bucket
+ * @param {string} timestamp
+ * @param {object} options
+ * @returns {string[]}
+ */
+const buildDatastoreRestoreArgs = (kinds, project, bucket, timestamp, options) => {
+  const args = ['datastore', 'import', '--project', project];
+  if (options && !_.isUndefined(options.account)) {
+    args.push('--account', options.account);
+  }
+  const kindsValue = kinds.join(',');
+  args.push('--kinds', kindsValue);
+  args.push('--async');
+  const backupMetadataFile = 'gs://' + bucket + '/' + timestamp + '/' + timestamp + '.overall_export_metadata';
+  args.push(backupMetadataFile);
+  return args;
+};
+
+/**
+ * Build argument list for gcloud datastore operations list.
+ *
+ * @param {string} project
+ * @param {object} options
+ * @returns {string[]}
+ */
+const buildDatastoreStatusArgs = (project, options) => {
+  const args = ['datastore', 'operations', 'list', '--project', project];
+  if (options && options.account) {
+    args.push('--account', options.account);
+  }
+  return args;
+};
+
 /**
  * create a backup of kinds from project into bucket; depends only on Datastore API client, rather
  * than calling anything on cmd line - so could be run in NodeJS env that can't call out to OS
@@ -45,27 +102,44 @@ const backup = async (kinds, project, bucket, options) => {
  * @returns {string} output from the commands
  */
 const testRestoreFromBackup = (kind, project, bucket, timestamp, options) => {
-  let restore = child_process.execSync(datastoreRestoreCommand([kind], project, bucket, timestamp, options)).toString('utf8');
-  let status = child_process.execSync(datastoreStatusCommand(project, options));
+  const restoreArgs = buildDatastoreRestoreArgs([kind], project, bucket, timestamp, options || {});
+  const restore = execGcloud(restoreArgs);
+  const statusArgs = buildDatastoreStatusArgs(project, options || {});
+  const status = execGcloud(statusArgs);
   return restore + "\n" + status;
 };
 
+/**
+ * Build a printable gcloud datastore import command string.
+ *
+ * This is intended for display to the user (for example, in index.js),
+ * not for execution via a shell.
+ *
+ * @param {string[]} kinds
+ * @param {string} project
+ * @param {string} bucket
+ * @param {string} timestamp
+ * @param {object} options
+ * @returns {string}
+ */
 const datastoreRestoreCommand = (kinds, project, bucket, timestamp, options) => {
-  let authOptions = ' --project ' + project;
-  if (!_.isUndefined(options.account)) {
-    authOptions += '--account ' + options.account;
-  }
-  let backupMetadataFile = 'gs://' + bucket + '/' + timestamp + '/' + timestamp + '.overall_export_metadata'
-  return 'gcloud datastore import ' + authOptions + ' --kinds="' + kinds.join(',') + '" --async ' + backupMetadataFile ;
+  const args = buildDatastoreRestoreArgs(kinds, project, bucket, timestamp, options || {});
+  return 'gcloud ' + args.map(String).join(' ');
 };
 
+/**
+ * Build a printable gcloud datastore operations list command string.
+ *
+ * This is intended for display to the user (for example, in index.js),
+ * not for execution via a shell.
+ *
+ * @param {string} project
+ * @param {object} options
+ * @returns {string}
+ */
 const datastoreStatusCommand = (project, options) => {
-  let authOptions = '';
-  if (options.account) {
-    authOptions += ' --account \' + options.account';
-  }
-  authOptions += ' --project ' + project;
-  return 'gcloud datastore operations' + authOptions + ' list';
+  const args = buildDatastoreStatusArgs(project, options || {});
+  return 'gcloud ' + args.map(String).join(' ');
 };
 
 module.exports.backup = backup;