diff --git a/src/allmydata/scripts/cli.py b/src/allmydata/scripts/cli.py
index 011dc3b21..41695aa47 100644
--- a/src/allmydata/scripts/cli.py
+++ b/src/allmydata/scripts/cli.py
@@ -1,6 +1,15 @@
+"""
+Ported to Python 3.
+"""
+from __future__ import unicode_literals
+from __future__ import absolute_import
+from __future__ import division
 from __future__ import print_function
 
-from past.builtins import unicode
+from future.utils import PY2
+if PY2:
+    from future.builtins import filter, map, zip, ascii, chr, hex, input, next, oct, open, pow, round, super, bytes, dict, list, object, range, str, max, min  # noqa: F401
+
 
 import os.path, re, fnmatch
 
@@ -38,7 +47,7 @@ class FileStoreOptions(BaseOptions):
 
         # compute a node-url from the existing options, put in self['node-url']
         if self['node-url']:
-            if (not isinstance(self['node-url'], (bytes, unicode))
+            if (not isinstance(self['node-url'], (bytes, str))
                 or not NODEURL_RE.match(self['node-url'])):
                 msg = ("--node-url is required to be a string and look like "
                        "\"http://HOSTNAMEORADDR:PORT\", not: %r" %
@@ -354,8 +363,9 @@ class BackupOptions(FileStoreOptions):
         abs_filepath = argv_to_abspath(filepath)
         try:
             exclude_file = open(abs_filepath)
-        except:
-            raise BackupConfigurationError('Error opening exclude file %s.' % quote_local_unicode_path(abs_filepath))
+        except Exception as e:
+            raise BackupConfigurationError('Error opening exclude file %s. (Error: %s)' % (
+                quote_local_unicode_path(abs_filepath), e))
         try:
             for line in exclude_file:
                 self.opt_exclude(line)
diff --git a/src/allmydata/test/cli/test_backup.py b/src/allmydata/test/cli/test_backup.py
index 4bd4b8bfa..4cc7e865f 100644
--- a/src/allmydata/test/cli/test_backup.py
+++ b/src/allmydata/test/cli/test_backup.py
@@ -9,9 +9,7 @@ from __future__ import unicode_literals
 from future.utils import PY2
 if PY2:
     from future.builtins import filter, map, zip, ascii, chr, hex, input, next, oct, open, pow, round, super, bytes, dict, list, object, range, str, max, min  # noqa: F401
-    import __builtin__ as builtins
-else:
-    import builtins
+
 
 import os.path
 from six.moves import cStringIO as StringIO
@@ -430,7 +428,11 @@ class Backup(GridTestMixin, CLITestMixin, StallMixin, unittest.TestCase):
             else:
                 return original_open(name, *args)
 
-        patcher = MonkeyPatcher((builtins, 'open', call_file))
+        if PY2:
+            from allmydata.scripts import cli as module_to_patch
+        else:
+            import builtins as module_to_patch
+        patcher = MonkeyPatcher((module_to_patch, 'open', call_file))
         patcher.runWithPatches(parse_options, basedir, "backup", ['--exclude-from', unicode_to_argv(exclude_file), 'from', 'to'])
         self.failUnless(ns.called)
 
diff --git a/src/allmydata/util/_python3.py b/src/allmydata/util/_python3.py
index 510e50d35..7767a52d8 100644
--- a/src/allmydata/util/_python3.py
+++ b/src/allmydata/util/_python3.py
@@ -89,7 +89,8 @@ PORTED_MODULES = [
     "allmydata.nodemaker",
     "allmydata.scripts",
     "allmydata.scripts.admin",
-    "allmydata.scripts.backupdb",
+    "allmydata.scripts.backupdb"
+    "allmydata.scripts.cli",
     "allmydata.scripts.create_node",
     "allmydata.scripts.runner",
     "allmydata.scripts.types_",