Writing Error Messages

Quick Start

Before writing, identify:

1. Audience: end user, admin, developer, support agent, or operator.
2. Failure: what action failed and what still happened successfully.
3. Cause: known, unknown, user-correctable, service-side, third-party, or security-sensitive.
4. Recovery: what the reader can do now, what the system will do next, and where they can get help.

Then write this shape:

[What happened]
[Reassurance if useful]. [Why it happened, if known and safe]. [Specific next action]. [Backup path if it keeps happening].

Example: