diff --git a/packages/squiggle-lang/src/rescript/Distributions/DistributionTypes.res b/packages/squiggle-lang/src/rescript/Distributions/DistributionTypes.res
index c16ea1b2..e27a138d 100644
--- a/packages/squiggle-lang/src/rescript/Distributions/DistributionTypes.res
+++ b/packages/squiggle-lang/src/rescript/Distributions/DistributionTypes.res
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ type error =
   | OperationError(Operation.Error.t)
   | PointSetConversionError(SampleSetDist.pointsetConversionError)
   | SparklineError(PointSetTypes.sparklineError) // This type of error is for when we find a sparkline of a discrete distribution. This should probably at some point be actually implemented
-  | RequestedStrategyInvalidError
+  | RequestedStrategyInvalidError(string)
   | LogarithmOfDistributionError(string)
   | OtherError(string)
 
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ module Error = {
     | OperationError(err) => Operation.Error.toString(err)
     | PointSetConversionError(err) => SampleSetDist.pointsetConversionErrorToString(err)
     | SparklineError(err) => PointSetTypes.sparklineErrorToString(err)
-    | RequestedStrategyInvalidError => `Requested strategy invalid`
+    | RequestedStrategyInvalidError(err) => `Requested strategy invalid: ${err}`
     | OtherError(s) => s
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/squiggle-lang/src/rescript/Distributions/GenericDist/GenericDist.res b/packages/squiggle-lang/src/rescript/Distributions/GenericDist/GenericDist.res
index 25169b2f..a83bc8c2 100644
--- a/packages/squiggle-lang/src/rescript/Distributions/GenericDist/GenericDist.res
+++ b/packages/squiggle-lang/src/rescript/Distributions/GenericDist/GenericDist.res
@@ -225,55 +225,22 @@ module AlgebraicCombination = {
     | _ => 1000
     }
 
-  type calculationMethod = MonteCarlo | Convolution(Operation.convolutionOperation)
+  type calculationStrategy = MonteCarloStrat | ConvolutionStrat(Operation.convolutionOperation)
 
   let chooseConvolutionOrMonteCarloDefault = (
     op: Operation.algebraicOperation,
     t2: t,
     t1: t,
-  ): calculationMethod =>
+  ): calculationStrategy =>
     switch op {
     | #Divide
     | #Power
     | #Logarithm =>
-      MonteCarlo
+      MonteCarloStrat
     | (#Add | #Subtract | #Multiply) as convOp =>
       expectedConvolutionCost(t1) * expectedConvolutionCost(t2) > 10000
-        ? MonteCarlo
-        : Convolution(convOp)
-    }
-
-  let chooseConvolutionOrMonteCarlo = (
-    ~strat: DistributionTypes.asAlgebraicCombinationStrategy,
-    op: Operation.algebraicOperation,
-    t2: t,
-    t1: t,
-  ): result<calculationMethod, error> => {
-    switch strat {
-    | AsDefault => Ok(chooseConvolutionOrMonteCarloDefault(op, t2, t1))
-    | AsConvolution =>
-      switch op {
-      | #Divide | #Power | #Logarithm => Error(RequestedStrategyInvalidError)
-      | (#Add | #Subtract | #Multiply) as convOp => Ok(Convolution(convOp))
-      }
-    | AsMonteCarlo => Ok(MonteCarlo)
-    | AsSymbolic => Error(RequestedStrategyInvalidError)
-    }
-  }
-
-  let tryAnalyticalSimplificationDefault = (
-    arithmeticOperation: Operation.algebraicOperation,
-    t1: t,
-    t2: t,
-  ): option<result<SymbolicDistTypes.symbolicDist, Operation.Error.t>> =>
-    switch (t1, t2) {
-    | (Symbolic(d1), Symbolic(d2)) =>
-      switch SymbolicDist.T.tryAnalyticalSimplification(d1, d2, arithmeticOperation) {
-      | #AnalyticalSolution(symbolicDist) => Some(Ok(symbolicDist))
-      | #Error(er) => Some(Error(er))
-      | #NoSolution => None
-      }
-    | _ => None
+        ? MonteCarloStrat
+        : ConvolutionStrat(convOp)
     }
 
   let tryAnalyticalSimplification = (
@@ -295,16 +262,17 @@ module AlgebraicCombination = {
     ~arithmeticOperation,
     ~t2: t,
   ): result<t, error> => {
-    switch tryAnalyticalSimplificationDefault(arithmeticOperation, t1, t2) {
-    | Some(Ok(symbolicDist)) => Ok(Symbolic(symbolicDist))
-    | Some(Error(e)) => Error(OperationError(e))
+    switch tryAnalyticalSimplification(arithmeticOperation, t1, t2) {
+    | Some(#AnalyticalSolution(symbolicDist)) => Ok(Symbolic(symbolicDist))
+    | Some(#Error(e)) => Error(OperationError(e))
+    | Some(#NoSolution)
     | None =>
       switch getInvalidOperationError(t1, t2, ~toPointSetFn, ~arithmeticOperation) {
       | Some(e) => Error(e)
       | None =>
         switch chooseConvolutionOrMonteCarloDefault(arithmeticOperation, t1, t2) {
-        | MonteCarlo => runMonteCarlo(toSampleSetFn, arithmeticOperation, t1, t2)
-        | Convolution(convOp) =>
+        | MonteCarloStrat => runMonteCarlo(toSampleSetFn, arithmeticOperation, t1, t2)
+        | ConvolutionStrat(convOp) =>
           runConvolution(toPointSetFn, convOp, t1, t2)->E.R2.fmap(r => DistributionTypes.PointSet(
             r,
           ))
@@ -318,7 +286,7 @@ module AlgebraicCombination = {
     t1: t,
     ~toPointSetFn: toPointSetFn,
     ~toSampleSetFn: toSampleSetFn,
-    ~arithmeticOperation,
+    ~arithmeticOperation: Operation.algebraicOperation,
     ~t2: t,
   ): result<t, error> => {
     switch strategy {
@@ -326,20 +294,23 @@ module AlgebraicCombination = {
     | AsSymbolic =>
       switch tryAnalyticalSimplification(arithmeticOperation, t1, t2) {
       | Some(#AnalyticalSolution(symbolicDist)) => Ok(Symbolic(symbolicDist))
-      | Some(#NoSolution)
-      | None =>
-        Error(RequestedStrategyInvalidError)
+      | Some(#NoSolution) => Error(RequestedStrategyInvalidError(`No analytical solution`))
+      | None => Error(RequestedStrategyInvalidError("Inputs were not even symbolic"))
       | Some(#Error(err)) => Error(OperationError(err))
       }
-    | AsConvolution
-    | AsMonteCarlo =>
-      switch chooseConvolutionOrMonteCarlo(~strat=strategy, arithmeticOperation, t1, t2) {
-      | Ok(MonteCarlo) => runMonteCarlo(toSampleSetFn, arithmeticOperation, t1, t2)
-      | Ok(Convolution(convOp)) =>
-        runConvolution(toPointSetFn, convOp, t1, t2)->E.R2.fmap(r => DistributionTypes.PointSet(r))
-      | Error(RequestedStrategyInvalidError) => Error(RequestedStrategyInvalidError)
-      | Error(err) => Error(err)
+    | AsConvolution => {
+        let errString = opString => `Can't convolve on ${opString}`
+        switch arithmeticOperation {
+        | (#Add | #Subtract | #Multiply) as convOp =>
+          runConvolution(toPointSetFn, convOp, t1, t2)->E.R2.fmap(r => DistributionTypes.PointSet(
+            r,
+          ))
+        | #Divide => "divide"->errString->RequestedStrategyInvalidError->Error
+        | #Power => "power"->errString->RequestedStrategyInvalidError->Error
+        | #Logarithm => "logarithm"->errString->RequestedStrategyInvalidError->Error
+        }
       }
+    | AsMonteCarlo => runMonteCarlo(toSampleSetFn, arithmeticOperation, t1, t2)
     }
   }
 }