diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx
index 014d422f..b24e15e7 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { useModel } from './components/settings/models/ModelContext';
 import { useRecentModels } from './components/settings/models/RecentModels';
 import { createSelectedModel } from './components/settings/models/utils';
 import { getDefaultModel } from './components/settings/models/hardcoded_stuff';
-import ErrorScreen from './components/ErrorScreen';
+import { ErrorUI } from './components/ErrorBoundary';
 import { ConfirmationModal } from './components/ui/ConfirmationModal';
 import { ToastContainer } from 'react-toastify';
 import { toastService } from './toasts';
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ import ProviderSettings from './components/settings_v2/providers/ProviderSetting
 import { useChat } from './hooks/useChat';
 
 import 'react-toastify/dist/ReactToastify.css';
-import { useConfig } from './components/ConfigContext';
+import { useConfig, MalformedConfigError } from './components/ConfigContext';
 import { addExtensionFromDeepLink as addExtensionFromDeepLinkV2 } from './components/settings_v2/extensions';
 
 // Views and their options
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ export default function App() {
     view: 'welcome',
     viewOptions: {},
   });
-  const { getExtensions, addExtension, read, upsert } = useConfig();
+  const { getExtensions, addExtension, read } = useConfig();
   const initAttemptedRef = useRef(false);
 
   // Utility function to extract the command from the link
@@ -97,7 +97,6 @@ export default function App() {
         const model = config.GOOSE_MODEL ?? (await read('GOOSE_MODEL', false));
 
         if (provider && model) {
-          console.log(`Using provider: ${provider}, model: ${model}`);
           setView('chat');
 
           try {
@@ -106,8 +105,14 @@ export default function App() {
               addExtension,
             });
           } catch (error) {
-            console.error('Error in alpha initialization:', error);
-            setFatalError(`System initialization error: ${error.message || 'Unknown error'}`);
+            console.error('Error in initialization:', error);
+
+            // propagate the error upward so the global ErrorUI shows in cases
+            // where going through welcome/onboarding wouldn't address the issue
+            if (error instanceof MalformedConfigError) {
+              throw error;
+            }
+
             setView('welcome');
           }
         } else {
@@ -115,8 +120,7 @@ export default function App() {
           setView('welcome');
         }
       } catch (error) {
-        console.error('Error in alpha config check:', error);
-        setFatalError(`Configuration error: ${error.message || 'Unknown error'}`);
+        setFatalError(`${error.message || 'Unknown error'}`);
         setView('welcome');
       }
 
@@ -126,7 +130,7 @@ export default function App() {
 
     initializeApp().catch((error) => {
       console.error('Unhandled error in initialization:', error);
-      setFatalError(`Initialization error: ${error.message || 'Unknown error'}`);
+      setFatalError(`${error.message || 'Unknown error'}`);
     });
   }, []);
 
@@ -364,9 +368,8 @@ export default function App() {
     });
   }, []);
 
-  // keep
   if (fatalError) {
-    return <ErrorScreen error={fatalError} onReload={() => window.electron.reloadApp()} />;
+    return <ErrorUI error={new Error(fatalError)} />;
   }
 
   if (isLoadingSession)
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/ConfigContext.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/components/ConfigContext.tsx
index 81b8a0d6..9d81c5e2 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/components/ConfigContext.tsx
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/components/ConfigContext.tsx
@@ -55,6 +55,14 @@ interface ConfigProviderProps {
   children: React.ReactNode;
 }
 
+export class MalformedConfigError extends Error {
+  constructor() {
+    super('Check contents of ~/.config/goose/config.yaml');
+    this.name = 'MalformedConfigError';
+    Object.setPrototypeOf(this, MalformedConfigError.prototype);
+  }
+}
+
 const ConfigContext = createContext<ConfigContextType | undefined>(undefined);
 
 export const ConfigProvider: React.FC<ConfigProviderProps> = ({ children }) => {
@@ -160,10 +168,20 @@ export const ConfigProvider: React.FC<ConfigProviderProps> = ({ children }) => {
   };
 
   const getExtensions = async (forceRefresh = false): Promise<FixedExtensionEntry[]> => {
+    // If a refresh is forced, or we don't have providers yet
     if (forceRefresh || extensionsList.length === 0) {
-      // If a refresh is forced, or we don't have providers yet
-      const response = await apiGetExtensions();
-      const extensionResponse: ExtensionResponse = response.data;
+      const result = await apiGetExtensions();
+
+      if (result.response.status === 422) {
+        throw new MalformedConfigError();
+      }
+
+      if (result.error && !result.data) {
+        console.log(result.error);
+        return;
+      }
+
+      const extensionResponse: ExtensionResponse = result.data;
       setExtensionsList(extensionResponse.extensions);
       return extensionResponse.extensions;
     }
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/ErrorBoundary.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/components/ErrorBoundary.tsx
index 9ec1df1b..9d5c4827 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/components/ErrorBoundary.tsx
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/components/ErrorBoundary.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 import React from 'react';
+import { Button } from './ui/button';
+import { AlertTriangle } from 'lucide-react';
 
 // Capture unhandled promise rejections
 window.addEventListener('unhandledrejection', (event) => {
@@ -12,17 +14,48 @@ window.addEventListener('error', (event) => {
   );
 });
 
+export function ErrorUI({ error }) {
+  return (
+    <div className="fixed inset-0 w-full h-full flex flex-col items-center justify-center gap-6 bg-background">
+      <div className="flex flex-col items-center gap-4 max-w-[600px] text-center px-6">
+        <div className="w-16 h-16 rounded-full bg-destructive/10 flex items-center justify-center mb-2">
+          <AlertTriangle className="w-8 h-8 text-destructive" />
+        </div>
+
+        <h1 className="text-2xl font-semibold text-foreground">
+          Honk!
+        </h1>
+
+        <p className="text-base text-textSubtle mb-2">
+          An error occurred.
+        </p>
+
+        <pre className="text-destructive text-sm p-4 bg-muted rounded-lg w-full overflow-auto border border-border">
+          {error.message}
+        </pre>
+
+        <Button
+          className="flex items-center gap-2 flex-1 justify-center text-white dark:text-textSubtle bg-black dark:bg-white hover:bg-subtle"
+          onClick={() => window.electron.reloadApp()}
+        >
+          Reload
+        </Button>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
 export class ErrorBoundary extends React.Component<
   { children: React.ReactNode },
-  { hasError: boolean }
+  { error: Error, hasError: boolean }
 > {
   constructor(props: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
     super(props);
-    this.state = { hasError: false };
+    this.state = { hasError: false, error: null };
   }
 
-  static getDerivedStateFromError(_: Error) {
-    return { hasError: true };
+  static getDerivedStateFromError(error: Error) {
+    return { hasError: true, error };
   }
 
   componentDidCatch(error: Error, errorInfo: React.ErrorInfo) {
@@ -32,13 +65,8 @@ export class ErrorBoundary extends React.Component<
 
   render() {
     if (this.state.hasError) {
-      return (
-        <div className="fixed inset-0 w-full h-full flex items-center justify-center bg-background">
-          <h1 className="text-xl font-semibold text-foreground">Something went wrong.</h1>
-        </div>
-      );
+      return <ErrorUI error={this.state.error} />
     }
-
     return this.props.children;
   }
 }
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/ErrorScreen.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/components/ErrorScreen.tsx
deleted file mode 100644
index fba2e3ff..00000000
--- a/ui/desktop/src/components/ErrorScreen.tsx
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,31 +0,0 @@
-import React from 'react';
-import { Card } from './ui/card';
-
-interface ErrorScreenProps {
-  error: string;
-  onReload: () => void;
-}
-
-const ErrorScreen: React.FC<ErrorScreenProps> = ({ error, onReload }) => {
-  return (
-    <div className="chat-content flex flex-col w-screen h-screen bg-window-gradient dark:bg-dark-window-gradient  items-center justify-center p-[10px]">
-      <div className="titlebar-drag-region" />
-      <div className="relative block h-[20px] w-screen" />
-      <Card className="flex flex-col flex-1 h-[calc(100vh-95px)] w-full bg-card-gradient dark:bg-dark-card-gradient mt-0 border-none shadow-xl rounded-2xl relative">
-        <div className="flex flex-col items-center justify-center h-full p-4">
-          <div className="text-red-700 dark:text-red-300 bg-red-400/50 p-3 rounded-lg mb-2">
-            {'Honk! Goose experienced a fatal error'}
-          </div>
-          <div
-            className="p-4 text-center text-splash-pills-text whitespace-nowrap cursor-pointer bg-prev-goose-gradient dark:bg-dark-prev-goose-gradient text-prev-goose-text dark:text-prev-goose-text-dark rounded-[14px] inline-block hover:scale-[1.02] transition-all duration-150"
-            onClick={onReload}
-          >
-            Reload
-          </div>
-        </div>
-      </Card>
-    </div>
-  );
-};
-
-export default ErrorScreen;
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/main.ts b/ui/desktop/src/main.ts
index 4495e536..068352dc 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/main.ts
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/main.ts
@@ -627,9 +627,12 @@ app.whenReady().then(async () => {
     log.info('from renderer:', info);
   });
 
-  ipcMain.on('reload-app', () => {
-    app.relaunch();
-    app.exit(0);
+  ipcMain.on('reload-app', (event) => {
+    // Get the window that sent the event
+    const window = BrowserWindow.fromWebContents(event.sender);
+    if (window) {
+      window.reload();
+    }
   });
 
   let powerSaveBlockerId: number | null = null;