diff --git a/tools/format.sh b/tools/format.sh
index adffb8c..dec8f1c 100755
--- a/tools/format.sh
+++ b/tools/format.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,29 @@
 #!/bin/bash
+
 cd $(dirname "$(readlink -f "$0")")
 
-autopep8 --exit-code --max-line-length=79 --experimental --in-place -r ../tempest ../setup.py && echo Formatting was not needed. >&2
+AUTOPEP8=`which autopep8 2>/dev/null`
 
+if [[ -z "$AUTOPEP8" ]]; then
+    AUTOPEP8=`which autopep8-3`
+fi
+
+if [[ -z "$AUTOPEP8" ]]; then
+    echo "Unable to locate autopep8" >&2
+    exit 2
+fi
+
+# isort is not compatible with the default flake8 (H306), maybe flake8-isort
+# isort -rc -sl -fss ../tempest ../setup.py
+$AUTOPEP8 --exit-code --max-line-length=79 --experimental --in-place -r ../tempest ../setup.py
+ERROR=$?
+
+if [[ $ERROR -eq 0 ]]; then
+    echo "Formatting was not needed." >&2
+    exit 0
+elif [[ $ERROR -eq 1 ]]; then
+    echo "Formatting failed.." >&2
+    exit 1
+else
+    echo "done" >&2
+fi