diff --git a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/core_extensions.rb b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/core_extensions.rb
index 34f1cde3..45471877 100644
--- a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/core_extensions.rb
+++ b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/core_extensions.rb
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ require 'middleman-more/core_extensions/i18n'
 begin
   require 'middleman-more/core_extensions/compass'
 rescue LoadError
-  $stderr.puts "Compass not installed: #{$!}"
 end
 
 ###
diff --git a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/extension.rb b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/extension.rb
index 0ad3b6ca..25a8a22c 100644
--- a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/extension.rb
+++ b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/extension.rb
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
-require 'active_support/core_ext/class/attribute'
 require 'active_support/core_ext/module/delegation'
+require 'active_support/core_ext/class/attribute'
 
 module Middleman
+
   class Extension
     class_attribute :supports_multiple_instances, :instance_reader => false, :instance_writer => false
     class_attribute :defined_helpers, :instance_reader => false, :instance_writer => false
diff --git a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/renderers/markdown.rb b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/renderers/markdown.rb
index 00fdd8bb..57272896 100644
--- a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/renderers/markdown.rb
+++ b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/renderers/markdown.rb
@@ -47,7 +47,11 @@ module Middleman
                 ::Tilt.prefer(markdown_engine_klass, *markdown_exts)
               end
             rescue LoadError
-              logger.warn "Requested Markdown engine (#{config[:markdown_engine]}) not found. Maybe the gem needs to be installed and required?"
+              # If they just left it at the default engine and don't happen to have it,
+              # then they're using middleman-core bare and we shouldn't bother them.
+              if config.setting(:markdown_engine).value_set?
+                logger.warn "Requested Markdown engine (#{config[:markdown_engine]}) not found. Maybe the gem needs to be installed and required?"
+              end
             end
           end
         end