diff --git a/apis/nucleus/src/components/Cell.jsx b/apis/nucleus/src/components/Cell.jsx
index 496d41e47..4de3d878f 100644
--- a/apis/nucleus/src/components/Cell.jsx
+++ b/apis/nucleus/src/components/Cell.jsx
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import InstanceContext from '../contexts/InstanceContext';
 import useObjectSelections from '../hooks/useObjectSelections';
 import eventmixin from '../selections/event-mixin';
 import useStyling from '../hooks/useStyling';
+import RenderError from '../utils/render-error';
 
 /**
  * @interface
@@ -518,7 +519,10 @@ const Cell = forwardRef(
     if (state.loading && !state.longRunningQuery) {
       Content = <LoadingSn />;
     } else if (state.error) {
-      onError && onError(state.error.errorObject);
+      if (onError) {
+        const e = state.error.errorObject ? state.error.errorObject : new RenderError(state.error.title);
+        onError(e);
+      }
       Content = <CError {...state.error} />;
     } else if (state.loaded) {
       Content = (
diff --git a/apis/nucleus/src/object/create-session-object.js b/apis/nucleus/src/object/create-session-object.js
index 5239b258f..74c3d64c8 100644
--- a/apis/nucleus/src/object/create-session-object.js
+++ b/apis/nucleus/src/object/create-session-object.js
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import init from './initiate';
  * @property {HTMLElement} element Target html element to render in to
  * @property {object=} options Options passed into the visualisation
  * @property {function=} onRender Callback function called after rendering successfully
- * @property {function=} onError Callback function called if an error occurs
+ * @property {function(RenderError)=} onError Callback function called if an error occurs
  * @property {Plugin[]} [plugins] plugins passed into the visualisation
  * @property {string=} id For existing objects: Engine identifier of object to render
  * @property {string=} type For creating objects: Type of visualisation to render
diff --git a/apis/nucleus/src/sn/load.js b/apis/nucleus/src/sn/load.js
index d540993b7..a61279dfe 100644
--- a/apis/nucleus/src/sn/load.js
+++ b/apis/nucleus/src/sn/load.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import VisualizationError from '../utils/visualization-error';
+import RenderError from '../utils/render-error';
 
 const LOADED = {};
 
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ export async function load(name, version, { config }, loader) {
         if (__NEBULA_DEV__) {
           console.warn(e); // eslint-disable-line no-console
         }
-        throw new VisualizationError(`Failed to load visualization: '${sKey}'`, e);
+        throw new RenderError(`Failed to load visualization: '${sKey}'`, e);
       });
   }
 
diff --git a/apis/nucleus/src/utils/render-error.js b/apis/nucleus/src/utils/render-error.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3754a25e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apis/nucleus/src/utils/render-error.js
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+/**
+ * @class RenderError
+ * @extends Error
+ * @param {string} message
+ * @param {Error} originalError
+ * @property {Error} originalError
+ */
+
+export default class RenderError extends Error {
+  constructor(message, originalError) {
+    super(message);
+    this.originalError = originalError;
+    this.name = 'RenderError';
+  }
+}
diff --git a/apis/nucleus/src/utils/visualization-error.js b/apis/nucleus/src/utils/visualization-error.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 0886b427f..000000000
--- a/apis/nucleus/src/utils/visualization-error.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-export default class VisualizationError extends Error {
-  constructor(message, originalError) {
-    super(message);
-    this.originalError = originalError;
-    this.name = 'VisualizationError';
-  }
-}
diff --git a/apis/stardust/api-spec/spec.json b/apis/stardust/api-spec/spec.json
index fb8595e7a..495e0adc4 100644
--- a/apis/stardust/api-spec/spec.json
+++ b/apis/stardust/api-spec/spec.json
@@ -1767,7 +1767,11 @@
           "description": "Callback function called if an error occurs",
           "optional": true,
           "kind": "function",
-          "params": []
+          "params": [
+            {
+              "type": "#/definitions/RenderError"
+            }
+          ]
         },
         "plugins": {
           "description": "plugins passed into the visualisation",
@@ -1914,6 +1918,32 @@
         }
       }
     },
+    "RenderError": {
+      "extends": [
+        {
+          "type": "Error"
+        }
+      ],
+      "kind": "class",
+      "constructor": {
+        "kind": "function",
+        "params": [
+          {
+            "name": "message",
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "name": "originalError",
+            "type": "Error"
+          }
+        ]
+      },
+      "entries": {
+        "originalError": {
+          "type": "Error"
+        }
+      }
+    },
     "Navigation": {
       "stability": "experimental",
       "availability": {
diff --git a/apis/stardust/types/index.d.ts b/apis/stardust/types/index.d.ts
index 3601b82f8..1c115be3e 100644
--- a/apis/stardust/types/index.d.ts
+++ b/apis/stardust/types/index.d.ts
@@ -570,8 +570,9 @@ declare namespace stardust {
         onRender?(): void;
         /**
          * Callback function called if an error occurs
+         * @param $
          */
-        onError?(): void;
+        onError?($: stardust.RenderError): void;
         plugins?: stardust.Plugin[];
         id?: string;
         type?: string;
@@ -610,6 +611,13 @@ declare namespace stardust {
         meta?: object;
     }
 
+    class RenderError extends Error {
+        constructor(message: string, originalError: Error);
+
+        originalError: Error;
+
+    }
+
     class Navigation implements stardust.Emitter {
         constructor();
 
diff --git a/test/mashup/visualize/life.html b/test/mashup/visualize/life.html
index 1cdcdf62d..48d2957e0 100644
--- a/test/mashup/visualize/life.html
+++ b/test/mashup/visualize/life.html
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
     <div class="wrapper">
       <div class="viz"></div>
       <div class="actions"></div>
-      <div class="errors"></div>
+      <div class="errors" data-tid="error-external"></div>
     </div>
   </body>
 </html>
diff --git a/test/mashup/visualize/life.int.js b/test/mashup/visualize/life.int.js
index 56912b980..acc20e060 100644
--- a/test/mashup/visualize/life.int.js
+++ b/test/mashup/visualize/life.int.js
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@ describe('object lifecycle', () => {
       '[data-tid="error-title"]',
       "Could not find a version of 'voooz' that supports current object version. Did you forget to register voooz?"
     );
+    await waitForTextStatus(
+      '[data-tid="error-external"]',
+      "Could not find a version of 'voooz' that supports current object version. Did you forget to register voooz?"
+    );
   });
 
   it('should show spinner and requirements for known type', async () => {
diff --git a/test/mashup/visualize/scenarios.js b/test/mashup/visualize/scenarios.js
index 501758948..ae0195586 100644
--- a/test/mashup/visualize/scenarios.js
+++ b/test/mashup/visualize/scenarios.js
@@ -590,8 +590,10 @@ async function render() {
   const viz = await configuration(app).render({
     element,
     id: 'bb8',
-    onError: () => {
-      // const errorElement = document.querySelector('.errors');
+    onError: (e) => {
+      console.log(e);
+      const errorElement = document.querySelector('.errors');
+      errorElement.textContent = e.message;
     },
   });