diff --git a/src/lib/chat/chatStream.svelte.test.ts b/src/lib/chat/chatStream.svelte.test.ts
index f05282c8..e57d1a4d 100644
--- a/src/lib/chat/chatStream.svelte.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/chat/chatStream.svelte.test.ts
@@ -59,9 +59,62 @@ describe('createChatStream', () => {
 		await chat.send('hi');
 		expect(chat.messages[1].status).toBe('error');
 		expect(chat.messages[1].error).toMatch(/timed out/);
+		expect(chat.messages[1].errorCode).toBe('gateway_timeout');
 		expect(chat.status).toBe('error');
 	});
 
+	it('captures code + message from a typed error frame', async () => {
+		vi.stubGlobal(
+			'fetch',
+			vi
+				.fn()
+				.mockResolvedValue(
+					streamResponse([
+						'data: {"type":"start","lq_ai_message_id":"a1","chat_id":"c1"}\n\n',
+						'data: {"type":"error","code":"upstream_error","message":"Provider rejected the request"}\n\n'
+					])
+				)
+		);
+		const chat = createChatStream('c1');
+		await chat.send('hi');
+		expect(chat.messages[1]).toMatchObject({
+			status: 'error',
+			error: 'Provider rejected the request',
+			errorCode: 'upstream_error'
+		});
+		expect(chat.status).toBe('error');
+	});
+
+	it('surfaces code + message from a non-2xx api error envelope (not only 400)', async () => {
+		vi.stubGlobal(
+			'fetch',
+			vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(
+				new Response(
+					JSON.stringify({
+						detail: { code: 'model_unavailable', message: 'Model smart is not available' }
+					}),
+					{ status: 503, headers: { 'content-type': 'application/json' } }
+				)
+			)
+		);
+		const chat = createChatStream('c1');
+		await chat.send('hi');
+		expect(chat.messages[1]).toMatchObject({
+			status: 'error',
+			error: 'Model smart is not available',
+			errorCode: 'model_unavailable'
+		});
+	});
+
+	it('keeps the generic message when the failure body carries no envelope', async () => {
+		vi.stubGlobal('fetch', vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(new Response('boom', { status: 500 })));
+		const chat = createChatStream('c1');
+		await chat.send('hi');
+		expect(chat.messages[1].status).toBe('error');
+		expect(chat.messages[1].error).toMatch(/could not reach the model/i);
+		expect(chat.messages[1].errorCode).toBeUndefined();
+	});
+
 	it('marks the assistant done (keeps partial text) when aborted', async () => {
 		vi.stubGlobal(
 			'fetch',
@@ -107,6 +160,9 @@ describe('createChatStream', () => {
 			content: 'ok now',
 			status: 'done'
 		});
+		// The previous failure's error + code are fully cleared by the retry.
+		expect(chat.messages[1].error).toBeUndefined();
+		expect(chat.messages[1].errorCode).toBeUndefined();
 		expect(chat.status).toBe('idle');
 	});
 
diff --git a/src/lib/chat/chatStream.svelte.ts b/src/lib/chat/chatStream.svelte.ts
index 1353f2e4..ffb20092 100644
--- a/src/lib/chat/chatStream.svelte.ts
+++ b/src/lib/chat/chatStream.svelte.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ export interface ChatMessage {
 	routed_inference_tier?: number | null;
 	status?: 'streaming' | 'done' | 'error' | 'awaiting_confirmation' | 'awaiting_auth';
 	error?: string;
+	/** Machine-readable code accompanying `error` when the backend supplied one
+	 *  (SSE error-frame `code` / api error-envelope `detail.code`). */
+	errorCode?: string;
 	citations?: Citation[];
 	/** External-source provenance (case law consulted), lazy-fetched post-stream (PR6c). */
 	sources?: ToolSource[];
@@ -54,9 +57,10 @@ export function createChatStream(chatId: string, initial: ChatMessage[] = []) {
 	let status = $state<'idle' | 'streaming' | 'error'>('idle');
 	let controller: AbortController | null = null;
 
-	function setError(idx: number, msg: string) {
+	function setError(idx: number, msg: string, code?: string) {
 		messages[idx].status = 'error';
 		messages[idx].error = msg;
+		messages[idx].errorCode = code;
 		status = 'error';
 	}
 
@@ -95,7 +99,7 @@ export function createChatStream(chatId: string, initial: ChatMessage[] = []) {
 			m.mcpAuth = { server: frame.server, authorize_url: frame.authorize_url };
 			m.status = 'awaiting_auth';
 		} else if (frame.type === 'error') {
-			setError(idx, frame.message);
+			setError(idx, frame.message, frame.code);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -274,16 +278,23 @@ export function createChatStream(chatId: string, initial: ChatMessage[] = []) {
 				signal: controller.signal
 			});
 			if (!res.ok || !res.body) {
+				// Surface the backend's own error envelope (FastAPI `detail` — a plain
+				// string or {code, message}) instead of a canned line when one is present.
 				let msg = 'Could not reach the model. Please try again.';
-				if (res.status === 400) {
-					try {
-						const env = (await res.json()) as { detail?: unknown };
-						if (typeof env.detail === 'string' && env.detail) msg = env.detail;
-					} catch {
-						/* keep the generic message */
+				let code: string | undefined;
+				try {
+					const env = (await res.json()) as { detail?: unknown };
+					if (typeof env.detail === 'string' && env.detail) {
+						msg = env.detail;
+					} else if (env.detail && typeof env.detail === 'object') {
+						const d = env.detail as { code?: unknown; message?: unknown };
+						if (typeof d.message === 'string' && d.message) msg = d.message;
+						if (typeof d.code === 'string' && d.code) code = d.code;
 					}
+				} catch {
+					/* keep the generic message */
 				}
-				setError(idx, msg);
+				setError(idx, msg, code);
 				return false;
 			}
 			accepted = true; // POST accepted — set_sticky (if any) reached the backend
@@ -294,7 +305,14 @@ export function createChatStream(chatId: string, initial: ChatMessage[] = []) {
 				messages[idx].status = 'done';
 				status = 'idle';
 			} else {
-				setError(idx, 'The connection was lost. Please try again.');
+				// Keep the underlying failure visible instead of hiding it behind a canned line.
+				const detail = (e as Error).message;
+				setError(
+					idx,
+					detail
+						? `The connection was lost (${detail}). Please try again.`
+						: 'The connection was lost. Please try again.'
+				);
 			}
 			return accepted; // an abort AFTER acceptance still dispatched set_sticky
 		} finally {
@@ -346,6 +364,7 @@ export function createChatStream(chatId: string, initial: ChatMessage[] = []) {
 		if (idx < 0 || messages[idx].role !== 'assistant') return;
 		messages[idx].content = '';
 		messages[idx].error = undefined;
+		messages[idx].errorCode = undefined;
 		messages[idx].routed_inference_tier = undefined;
 		messages[idx].citations = undefined;
 		messages[idx].sources = undefined;
@@ -369,6 +388,7 @@ export function createChatStream(chatId: string, initial: ChatMessage[] = []) {
 		if (!pendingId) return;
 		m.confirmation = undefined;
 		m.error = undefined;
+		m.errorCode = undefined;
 		m.status = 'streaming';
 		status = 'streaming';
 		controller = new AbortController();
diff --git a/src/lib/components/Message.svelte b/src/lib/components/Message.svelte
index 4b7cca20..05bf640b 100644
--- a/src/lib/components/Message.svelte
+++ b/src/lib/components/Message.svelte
@@ -97,9 +97,9 @@
 			</span>
 		{/if}
 
-		{#if message.status === 'error'}
+		{#if message.status === 'error' || (message.status === 'done' && message.error && message.content.trim() === '')}
 			<p class="text-mlq-error">
-				⚠ {message.error}
+				⚠ {message.errorCode ? `[${message.errorCode}] ` : ''}{message.error}
 				<button
 					type="button"
 					onclick={() => onretry?.()}
@@ -174,7 +174,9 @@
 					citations={message.citations as Citation[]}
 					onactivate={onactivatecitation}
 				/>
-			{:else if message.status === 'done' && message.content.trim() === '' && !(message.sources && message.sources.length > 0)}
+				<!-- Canned empty-response hint: only for a genuinely completed stream with no
+				     error and no content — an errored turn renders its real error above. -->
+			{:else if message.status === 'done' && message.content.trim() === '' && !message.error && !(message.sources && message.sources.length > 0)}
 				<p class="text-mlq-muted">
 					The model returned an empty response. This can happen with smaller local models on
 					requests that need tools. Try again, or switch to a more capable model.
diff --git a/src/lib/components/Message.svelte.test.ts b/src/lib/components/Message.svelte.test.ts
index 4f46c891..cfcf88db 100644
--- a/src/lib/components/Message.svelte.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/components/Message.svelte.test.ts
@@ -59,6 +59,42 @@ describe('Message', () => {
 		expect(retried).toBe(true);
 	});
 
+	it('renders the backend error code alongside its message when present', () => {
+		const { getByText } = render(Message, {
+			props: {
+				message: {
+					key: 'a1',
+					id: 'a1',
+					role: 'assistant',
+					content: '',
+					status: 'error',
+					error: 'Provider rejected the request',
+					errorCode: 'upstream_error'
+				}
+			}
+		});
+		expect(getByText(/\[upstream_error\] Provider rejected the request/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+	});
+
+	it('shows the real error, not the canned empty-response hint, when an errored turn ends empty', () => {
+		const { getByText, queryByText, getByRole } = render(Message, {
+			props: {
+				message: {
+					key: 'a1',
+					id: 'a1',
+					role: 'assistant',
+					content: '',
+					status: 'done',
+					error: 'timed out waiting for the model',
+					errorCode: 'gateway_timeout'
+				}
+			}
+		});
+		expect(queryByText(/empty response/i)).toBeNull();
+		expect(getByText(/\[gateway_timeout\] timed out waiting for the model/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+		expect(getByRole('button', { name: /retry/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
+	});
+
 	it('shows an empty-response fallback with Retry when a done turn has no content', () => {
 		let retried = false;
 		const { getByRole, getByText } = render(Message, {