diff --git a/src/components/import/ImportWalletPage.tsx b/src/components/import/ImportWalletPage.tsx
index 7e46f7b4..da5304ab 100644
--- a/src/components/import/ImportWalletPage.tsx
+++ b/src/components/import/ImportWalletPage.tsx
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import { MAX_WALLET_NAME_LENGTH } from '@/constants/jam'
 import { JM_DEFAULT_WALLET_TYPE, JM_WALLET_FILE_EXTENSION } from '@/constants/jm'
 import { routes } from '@/constants/routes'
 import { useApiClient } from '@/hooks/useApiClient'
+import { getErrorReason } from '@/lib/errorReason'
 import { hashPassword } from '@/lib/hash'
 import { withQueryDelay } from '@/lib/queryClient'
 import { walletDisplayNameToFileName } from '@/lib/utils'
@@ -38,28 +39,6 @@ interface ImportWalletFormValues {
   seedPhrase: string
 }
 
-const getImportErrorReason = (error: unknown, fallback: string) => {
-  if (error instanceof Error && error.message) return error.message
-  if (typeof error === 'string' && error.trim()) return error
-  if (error && typeof error === 'object') {
-    const maybeError = error as {
-      message?: unknown
-      error_description?: unknown
-      detail?: unknown
-    }
-    if (typeof maybeError.error_description === 'string' && maybeError.error_description.trim()) {
-      return maybeError.error_description
-    }
-    if (typeof maybeError.message === 'string' && maybeError.message.trim()) {
-      return maybeError.message
-    }
-    if (typeof maybeError.detail === 'string' && maybeError.detail.trim()) {
-      return maybeError.detail
-    }
-  }
-  return fallback
-}
-
 const normalizeSeedPhrase = (value?: string) =>
   (value ?? '')
     .toLowerCase()
@@ -174,7 +153,7 @@ const ImportWalletPage = () => {
       toast.success(t('import_wallet.success.title'))
       await navigate(routes.home)
     } catch (error: unknown) {
-      const reason = getImportErrorReason(error, t('global.errors.reason_unknown'))
+      const reason = getErrorReason(error, t('global.errors.reason_unknown'))
       toast.error(t('import_wallet.error_importing_failed', { reason }))
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/lib/config.ts b/src/lib/config.ts
index ee0b65b6..1e186e03 100644
--- a/src/lib/config.ts
+++ b/src/lib/config.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { createClient } from '@joinmarket-webui/joinmarket-api-ts'
 import type { Client } from '@joinmarket-webui/joinmarket-api-ts/client'
 import type { ClientOptions, UnlockWalletResponse } from '@joinmarket-webui/joinmarket-api-ts/jm'
 import { isDevMode } from '@/constants/debugFeatures'
+import { normalizeAppError } from '@/lib/errorReason'
 import { authStore } from '@/store/authStore'
 
 type ApiToken = UnlockWalletResponse['token']
@@ -19,6 +20,10 @@ function loggingResponseInterceptor(response: Response) {
   return response
 }
 
+function normalizeErrorInterceptor(error: unknown) {
+  return normalizeAppError(error)
+}
+
 const createJamAuthenticationMiddleware = () => {
   // eslint-disable-next-line unicorn/consistent-function-scoping -- false positive
   return (request: Request) => {
@@ -40,6 +45,7 @@ export const createApiClient = (): Client => {
 
   const jamAuthMiddleware = createJamAuthenticationMiddleware()
   client.interceptors.request.use(jamAuthMiddleware)
+  client.interceptors.error.use(normalizeErrorInterceptor)
 
   if (isDevMode()) {
     client.interceptors.request.use(loggingRequestInterceptor)
diff --git a/src/lib/errorReason.test.ts b/src/lib/errorReason.test.ts
index d046e5c7..9711018f 100644
--- a/src/lib/errorReason.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/errorReason.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,36 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest'
-import { getErrorReason } from './errorReason'
+import { getErrorReason, normalizeAppError } from './errorReason'
+
+describe('normalizeAppError', () => {
+  it('normalizes direct string errors', () => {
+    expect(normalizeAppError('backend exploded')).toEqual({ message: 'backend exploded' })
+  })
+
+  it('normalizes Error instances', () => {
+    expect(normalizeAppError(new Error('request failed'))).toEqual({ message: 'request failed' })
+  })
+
+  it('keeps message and error_description when present', () => {
+    const error = {
+      message: 'Request failed with status 400',
+      error_description: 'Wallet is already unlocked',
+    }
+    expect(normalizeAppError(error)).toEqual({
+      message: 'Request failed with status 400',
+      error_description: 'Wallet is already unlocked',
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('uses error_description as message when message is missing', () => {
+    const error = {
+      error_description: 'Invalid wallet password',
+    }
+    expect(normalizeAppError(error)).toEqual({
+      message: 'Invalid wallet password',
+      error_description: 'Invalid wallet password',
+    })
+  })
+})
 
 describe('getErrorReason', () => {
   it('returns fallback when nothing usable is present', () => {
@@ -20,15 +51,14 @@ describe('getErrorReason', () => {
     expect(getErrorReason(error, 'fallback')).toBe('Wallet is already unlocked')
   })
 
-  it('prefers detail over message when error_description is missing', () => {
+  it('returns message when error_description is missing', () => {
     const error = {
       message: 'Request failed with status 422',
-      detail: 'Seed phrase checksum failed',
     }
-    expect(getErrorReason(error, 'fallback')).toBe('Seed phrase checksum failed')
+    expect(getErrorReason(error, 'fallback')).toBe('Request failed with status 422')
   })
 
-  it('extracts nested backend reason from response.data', () => {
+  it('returns fallback for non-normalized nested objects', () => {
     const error = {
       response: {
         data: {
@@ -36,15 +66,6 @@ describe('getErrorReason', () => {
         },
       },
     }
-    expect(getErrorReason(error, 'fallback')).toBe('Invalid wallet password')
-  })
-
-  it('extracts nested backend reason from error payload', () => {
-    const error = {
-      error: {
-        detail: 'Coinjoin is currently in progress',
-      },
-    }
-    expect(getErrorReason(error, 'fallback')).toBe('Coinjoin is currently in progress')
+    expect(getErrorReason(error, 'fallback')).toBe('fallback')
   })
 })
diff --git a/src/lib/errorReason.ts b/src/lib/errorReason.ts
index 447341c2..7dbbabe8 100644
--- a/src/lib/errorReason.ts
+++ b/src/lib/errorReason.ts
@@ -2,71 +2,41 @@ const toNonEmptyString = (value: unknown): string | undefined => {
   return typeof value === 'string' && value.trim() ? value.trim() : undefined
 }
 
-const extractReason = (error: unknown, depth = 0): string | undefined => {
-  if (depth > 4 || error === null || error === undefined) {
-    return undefined
+export interface AppError {
+  message: string
+  error_description?: string
+}
+
+export const normalizeAppError = (error: unknown): AppError => {
+  const asString = toNonEmptyString(error)
+  if (asString) {
+    return { message: asString }
   }
 
-  const directString = toNonEmptyString(error)
-  if (directString) {
-    return directString
+  if (error instanceof Error) {
+    return { message: error.message.trim() }
   }
 
-  if (typeof error !== 'object') {
-    return undefined
-  }
+  if (typeof error === 'object' && error !== null) {
+    const maybeError = error as { message?: unknown; error_description?: unknown }
+    const message = toNonEmptyString(maybeError.message)
+    const errorDescription = toNonEmptyString(maybeError.error_description)
 
-  const maybeError = error as {
-    message?: unknown
-    error_description?: unknown
-    detail?: unknown
-    statusText?: unknown
-    title?: unknown
-    error?: unknown
-    response?: { data?: unknown } | unknown
-    data?: unknown
-    body?: unknown
-    cause?: unknown
-  }
-
-  const prioritizedReason = [
-    maybeError.error_description,
-    maybeError.detail,
-    maybeError.message,
-    maybeError.statusText,
-    maybeError.title,
-  ]
-    .map((value) => toNonEmptyString(value))
-    .find(Boolean)
-
-  if (prioritizedReason) {
-    return prioritizedReason
-  }
-
-  const responseData =
-    maybeError.response && typeof maybeError.response === 'object'
-      ? (maybeError.response as { data?: unknown }).data
-      : undefined
-
-  const nestedCandidates = [
-    maybeError.error,
-    maybeError.response,
-    responseData,
-    maybeError.data,
-    maybeError.body,
-    maybeError.cause,
-  ]
-
-  for (const candidate of nestedCandidates) {
-    const nestedReason = extractReason(candidate, depth + 1)
-    if (nestedReason) {
-      return nestedReason
+    if (message && errorDescription) {
+      return { message, error_description: errorDescription }
+    }
+    if (message) {
+      return { message }
+    }
+    if (errorDescription) {
+      return { message: errorDescription, error_description: errorDescription }
     }
   }
 
-  return undefined
+  return { message: '' }
 }
 
 export const getErrorReason = (error: unknown, fallback: string): string => {
-  return extractReason(error) ?? fallback
+  const normalized = normalizeAppError(error)
+  return toNonEmptyString(normalized.error_description) ?? toNonEmptyString(normalized.message) ?? fallback
 }