# Error States

> Design error states that help users understand what went wrong and how to recover, while preserving trust. Use when specifying form errors, system failures, permission issues, or any failure UI.

- Skill: `itsual/error-states` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add itsual/error-states`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/itsual/error-states/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: itsual (https://skillmd.com/u/itsual)
- Updated: 2026-09-21
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/itsual/error-states

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# Error States

## Overview

Errors are emotional moments. Good error design reduces frustration, enables recovery, and protects trust. Bad error design blames the user or leaves them stuck.

## When to Use

- Form validation and input errors
- System/network/server failures
- Permission and authorization failures
- Not-found and expired-link states
- Destructive action confirmations gone wrong

## Core Practices

- Say what happened in plain language
- Say how to fix it or what to try next
- Preserve user input whenever possible
- Use appropriate severity (inline vs page-level vs blocking modal)
- Log and monitor errors that indicate product problems
- Design for both user mistakes and system failures

## Principles

- Never blame the user
- Be specific — “Something went wrong” is not enough when you can say more
- Offer a path forward (retry, contact support, go back, edit)
- Match tone to severity

## Verification

- [ ] User knows what failed and what to do next
- [ ] Recovery paths exist for common errors
- [ ] Input isn’t needlessly wiped