diff --git a/genomicsdb/scripts/genomicsdb_query.py b/genomicsdb/scripts/genomicsdb_query.py
index e12988d..788d543 100644
--- a/genomicsdb/scripts/genomicsdb_query.py
+++ b/genomicsdb/scripts/genomicsdb_query.py
@@ -540,7 +540,7 @@ def __str__(self):
         else:
             filter_str = ""
         bypass_str = f" bypass_intersecting_intervals_phase={self.bypass_intersecting_intervals_phase}"
-        return f"workspace={self.workspace} attributes={self.attributes}{filter_str}{bypass_str}"
+        return f"workspace={self.workspace} vidmap={self.vidmap_file} callset={self.callset_file} attributes={self.attributes}{filter_str}{bypass_str}"  # noqa
 
 
 class GenomicsDBQueryConfig(NamedTuple):
@@ -607,6 +607,13 @@ def configure_query(config: GenomicsDBQueryConfig):
     return query_config
 
 
+def instantiate_genomicsdb(pb_config, msg):
+    logging.info("Instantiating genomicsdb to process " + msg + "...")
+    gdb = genomicsdb.connect_with_protobuf(pb_config)
+    logging.info("Instantiating genomicsdb to process " + msg + " DONE")
+    return gdb
+
+
 def process(config):
     export_config = config.export_config
     query_config = config.query_config
@@ -618,52 +625,90 @@ def process(config):
         logging.error(msg + f" not imported into workspace({export_config.workspace})")
         return -1
     global gdb
-    try:
-        if gdb:
-            logging.info("Found gdb to process " + msg)
+    # Allow one retry to account for expired access tokens for azure URLs
+    if export_config.workspace.startswith("az://"):
+        allow_retry = True
+    else:
+        allow_retry = False
+    while True:
+        try:
+            if gdb:
+                logging.info("Found gdb to process " + msg)
+            else:
+                logging.info("Starting new gdb to process " + msg)
+                gdb = instantiate_genomicsdb(configure_export(export_config), msg)
+        except NameError:
+            gdb = instantiate_genomicsdb(configure_export(export_config), msg)
+
+        query_protobuf = configure_query(query_config)
+
+        try:
+            if output_config.type == "csv":
+                df = gdb.query_variant_calls(query_protobuf=query_protobuf, flatten_intervals=True)
+                df.to_csv(output_config.filename, index=False)
+            elif output_config.type == "json":
+                json_output = gdb.query_variant_calls(
+                    query_protobuf=query_protobuf, json_output=output_config.json_type
+                )
+                with open(output_config.filename, "wb") as f:
+                    f.write(json_output)
+            elif output_config.type == "arrow":
+                nbytes = 0
+                writer = None
+                i = 0
+                for out in gdb.query_variant_calls(query_protobuf=query_protobuf, arrow_output=True, batching=True):
+                    reader = pa.ipc.open_stream(out)
+                    for batch in reader:
+                        if nbytes > output_config.max_arrow_bytes:
+                            i += 1
+                            nbytes = 0
+                            if writer:
+                                writer.close()
+                                writer = None
+                        if not writer:
+                            writer = pq.ParquetWriter(f"{output_config.filename}__{i}.parquet", batch.schema)
+                        nbytes += batch.nbytes
+                        writer.write_batch(batch)
+                    if writer:
+                        writer.close()
+                        writer = None
+            logging.info(f"Processed {msg}")
+            # exit out of the loop as the query has completed
+            return 0
+        except Exception as e:
+            # Try handle read errors from TileDB storage for azure urls
+            # e.g. GenomicsDBIteratorException exception : Error while reading from TileDB array
+            if allow_retry and "GenomicsDB" in str(type(e)) and "TileDB" in str(e):
+                # Check for the possibility of an expired access token
+                allow_retry = False
+                try:
+                    # If the check for workspace under consideration succeeds and the workspace exists as it should,
+                    # genomicsdb instance is functional! Probably not an expired token, so re-raise outer exception
+                    if not gdb.workspace_exists(export_config.workspace):
+                        logging.info(f"Retrying query with a new instance of gdb for {msg}...")
+                        gdb = None
+                        continue
+                except Exception as ex:
+                    logging.info(f"Exception({ex}) encountered. Retrying query with a new instance of gdb for {msg}...")
+                    gdb = None
+                    continue
+            logging.critical(f"Unexpected exception while processing {msg} : {e}")
+            raise e
+
+
+def check_output(output):
+    parent_dir = os.path.dirname(output)
+    if parent_dir and not os.path.isdir(parent_dir):
+        if os.path.isfile(os.path.dirname(output)):
+            raise RuntimeError(f"Cannot proceed as output's parent directory({parent_dir}) is a file")
         else:
-            logging.error("Something wrong, gdb seems to be None")
-            return -1
-    except NameError:
-        logging.info("Instantiating genomicsdb to process " + msg + "...")
-        gdb = genomicsdb.connect_with_protobuf(configure_export(export_config))
-        logging.info("Instantiating genomicsdb to process " + msg + " DONE")
-    query_protobuf = configure_query(query_config)
-    try:
-        if output_config.type == "csv":
-            df = gdb.query_variant_calls(query_protobuf=query_protobuf, flatten_intervals=True)
-            df.to_csv(output_config.filename, index=False)
-        elif output_config.type == "json":
-            json_output = gdb.query_variant_calls(query_protobuf=query_protobuf, json_output=output_config.json_type)
-            with open(output_config.filename, "wb") as f:
-                f.write(json_output)
-        elif output_config.type == "arrow":
-            nbytes = 0
-            writer = None
-            i = 0
-            for out in gdb.query_variant_calls(query_protobuf=query_protobuf, arrow_output=True, batching=True):
-                reader = pa.ipc.open_stream(out)
-                for batch in reader:
-                    if nbytes > output_config.max_arrow_bytes:
-                        i += 1
-                        nbytes = 0
-                        if writer:
-                            writer.close()
-                            writer = None
-                    if not writer:
-                        writer = pq.ParquetWriter(f"{output_config.filename}__{i}.parquet", batch.schema)
-                    nbytes += batch.nbytes
-                    writer.write_batch(batch)
-                if writer:
-                    writer.close()
-                    writer = None
-    except Exception as e:
-        logging.critical(f"Unexpected exception : {e}")
-        gdb = None
-        return -1
-
-    logging.info(f"Processed {msg}")
-    return 0
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                f"Cannot proceed as output's parent directory({parent_dir}) does not exist. Create dir({parent_dir}) before restarting query"  # noqa
+            )
+    if output.endswith("/") or os.path.isdir(output):
+        return genomicsdb_common.join_paths(output, "query_output")
+    else:
+        return output
 
 
 def main():
@@ -672,10 +717,8 @@ def main():
     if row_tuples is not None and len(row_tuples) == 0:
         return
 
-    print(f"Starting genomicsdb_query for workspace({workspace}) and intervals({intervals})")
-
     output_type = args.output_type
-    output = args.output
+    output = check_output(args.output)
     json_type = None
     if output_type == "json":
         json_type = parse_args_for_json_type(args.json_output_type)
@@ -686,6 +729,8 @@ def main():
         max_arrow_bytes = parse_args_for_max_bytes(args.max_arrow_byte_size)
         print(f"Using {args.max_arrow_byte_size} number of bytes as hint for writing out parquet files")
 
+    print(f"Starting genomicsdb_query for workspace({workspace}) and intervals({intervals})")
+
     export_config = GenomicsDBExportConfig(
         workspace, vidmap_file, callset_file, attributes, args.filter, args.bypass_intersecting_intervals_phase
     )
@@ -749,10 +794,18 @@ def main():
         sys.exit(0)
 
     if min(len(configs), args.nproc) == 1:
-        results = list(map(process, configs))
+        try:
+            results = list(map(process, configs))
+        except Exception as e:
+            raise RuntimeError(f"genomicsdb_query returned unexpectedly: {e}")
     else:
         with multiprocessing.Pool(processes=min(len(configs), args.nproc)) as pool:
-            results = list(pool.map(process, configs))
+            try:
+                results = list(pool.map(process, configs))
+            except Exception as e:
+                pool.terminate()
+                pool.join()
+                raise RuntimeError(f"Terminating as a query in the multiprocessing pool returned unexpectedly: {e}")
 
     msg = "successfully"
     for result in results:
diff --git a/test/scripts/test.sh b/test/scripts/test.sh
index f7fed15..dcd461c 100755
--- a/test/scripts/test.sh
+++ b/test/scripts/test.sh
@@ -183,7 +183,15 @@ run_command "genomicsdb_query -w $WORKSPACE -I $TEMP_DIR/contigs.list -S $TEMP_D
 run_command "genomicsdb_query -w $WORKSPACE $INTERVAL_ARGS -S $TEMP_DIR/samples.list -o $OUTPUT"
 run_command "genomicsdb_query -w $WORKSPACE $INTERVAL_ARGS -S $TEMP_DIR/samples.list -f $FILTER -o $OUTPUT"
 run_command "genomicsdb_query -w $WORKSPACE $INTERVAL_ARGS -a $FIELDS  -o $OUTPUT"
-run_command "genomicsdb_query -w $WORKSPACE $INTERVAL_ARGS -a NON_EXISTENT_FIELD,$FIELDS  -o $OUTPUT" 1
+run_command "genomicsdb_query -w $WORKSPACE $INTERVAL_ARGS -a NON_EXISTENT_FIELD,$FIELDS -o $OUTPUT" 1
+run_command "genomicsdb_query -w $WORKSPACE $INTERVAL_ARGS -o NON_EXISTENT_DIR/output" 1
+run_command "genomicsdb_query -w $WORKSPACE $INTERVAL_ARGS -o NON_EXISTENT_DIR/" 1
+touch $TEMP_DIR/just_a_file
+run_command "genomicsdb_query -w $WORKSPACE $INTERVAL_ARGS -o $TEMP_DIR/just_a_file/out" 1
+run_command "genomicsdb_query -w $WORKSPACE $INTERVAL_ARGS -o $TEMP_DIR/output_dir/" 1
+mkdir -p $TEMP_DIR/output_dir
+genomicsdb_query -w $WORKSPACE $INTERVAL_ARGS -o $TEMP_DIR/output_dir >& /dev/null || (echo "query output to $TEMP_DIR/output_dir not successful"; exit 1)
+genomicsdb_query -w $WORKSPACE $INTERVAL_ARGS -o $TEMP_DIR/output_dir/ >& /dev/null || (echo "query output to $TEMP_DIR/output_dir/ not successful"; exit 1)
 
 rm -f loader.json callset.json vidmap.json
 run_command "genomicsdb_cache -w $WORKSPACE $INTERVAL_ARGS"