I just created a gcrypt special remote and got an error from (I think) git-annex-shell, though my local git-annex didn't complain and seemed to think the creation went okay.

annex $ ga initremote ma type=gcrypt encryption=hybrid gitrepo=ssh://ma/meta/s/spw/local/annex keyid=3B6D411B                                                  
(merging synced/git-annex into git-annex...)
(Recording state in git...)
initremote ma (encryption setup) (hybrid cipher with gpg key 0F56D0553B6D411B) gcrypt: Development version -- Repository format MAY CHANGE
gcrypt: Repository not found: ssh://ma/meta/s/spw/local/annex
gcrypt: Development version -- Repository format MAY CHANGE
gcrypt: Repository not found: ssh://ma/meta/s/spw/local/annex
gcrypt: Setting up new repository
gcrypt: Remote ID is :id:icUy+qU392R5L5H7g8Yk
Counting objects: 111456, done.
Compressing objects: 100% (74045/74045), done.
Total 111456 (delta 59312), reused 85857 (delta 33717)
gcrypt: Encrypting to:  -r 0F56D0553B6D411B
gcrypt: Requesting manifest signature
To gcrypt::ssh://ma/meta/s/spw/local/annex
 * [new branch]      git-annex -> git-annex
fatal: What do you think I am? A shell?
git-annex-shell: git-shell failed
ok
(Recording state in git...)

Further git annex sync ma runs go off without a hitch and the master branch gets pushed a synced/master, though it didn't get pushed on this initial creation as can be seen from the above output.

Is it a bug that my local git-annex said "ok" when there was an error, or is this just a case of my local git-annex falling back to rsync instead of git-annex-shell because I didn't set up my $PATH properly on the remote? Should I be worried that my gcrypt repo wasn't set up correctly and thus can't be trusted to hold my annexed data and metadata? Thanks.

Local git-annex: 5.20141125. Remote git-annex (standalone build): 5.20150113-gcf247cf.