diff --git a/plugins/alignments/src/LinearPileupDisplay/SharedLinearPileupDisplayMixin.ts b/plugins/alignments/src/LinearPileupDisplay/SharedLinearPileupDisplayMixin.ts
index a86f18bf126..1fe0b669a8c 100644
--- a/plugins/alignments/src/LinearPileupDisplay/SharedLinearPileupDisplayMixin.ts
+++ b/plugins/alignments/src/LinearPileupDisplay/SharedLinearPileupDisplayMixin.ts
@@ -595,7 +595,7 @@ export function SharedLinearPileupDisplayMixin(
               }
             } catch (e) {
               console.error(e)
-              session.notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+              session.notifyError(`${e}`, e)
             }
           }),
         )
diff --git a/plugins/breakpoint-split-view/src/BreakpointSplitView/model.ts b/plugins/breakpoint-split-view/src/BreakpointSplitView/model.ts
index b31d4029595..dae654075b7 100644
--- a/plugins/breakpoint-split-view/src/BreakpointSplitView/model.ts
+++ b/plugins/breakpoint-split-view/src/BreakpointSplitView/model.ts
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ export default function stateModelFactory(pluginManager: PluginManager) {
               )
             } catch (e) {
               console.error(e)
-              getSession(self).notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+              getSession(self).notifyError(`${e}`, e)
             }
           }),
         )
diff --git a/plugins/data-management/src/ucsc-trackhub/doConnect.ts b/plugins/data-management/src/ucsc-trackhub/doConnect.ts
index 3f73f302fc8..4eb1b02c247 100644
--- a/plugins/data-management/src/ucsc-trackhub/doConnect.ts
+++ b/plugins/data-management/src/ucsc-trackhub/doConnect.ts
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ export async function doConnect(self: any) {
     }
   } catch (e) {
     console.error(e)
-    session.notify(`${getConf(self, 'name')}: "${e}"`, 'error')
+    session.notifyError(`${getConf(self, 'name')}: "${e}"`, e)
     session.breakConnection?.(self.configuration)
   }
 }
diff --git a/plugins/dotplot-view/src/LaunchDotplotView.ts b/plugins/dotplot-view/src/LaunchDotplotView.ts
index 99781be0ad4..ba97799d0ff 100644
--- a/plugins/dotplot-view/src/LaunchDotplotView.ts
+++ b/plugins/dotplot-view/src/LaunchDotplotView.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ export default function LaunchDotplotView(pluginManager: PluginManager) {
           )
         }
       } catch (e) {
-        session.notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+        session.notifyError(`${e}`, e)
         throw e
       }
     },
diff --git a/plugins/legacy-jbrowse/src/JBrowse1Connection/model.ts b/plugins/legacy-jbrowse/src/JBrowse1Connection/model.ts
index 3c5e147bf04..ee86b264815 100644
--- a/plugins/legacy-jbrowse/src/JBrowse1Connection/model.ts
+++ b/plugins/legacy-jbrowse/src/JBrowse1Connection/model.ts
@@ -55,9 +55,9 @@ export default function (pluginManager: PluginManager) {
           self.setTrackConfs(jb2Tracks)
         } catch (error) {
           console.error(error)
-          session.notify(
+          session.notifyError(
             `There was a problem connecting to the JBrowse 1 data directory "${self.name}". Please make sure you have entered a valid location. The error that was thrown is: "${error}"`,
-            'error',
+            error,
           )
           session.breakConnection?.(self.configuration)
         }
diff --git a/plugins/linear-comparative-view/src/LGVSyntenyDisplay/components/LaunchSyntenyViewDialog.tsx b/plugins/linear-comparative-view/src/LGVSyntenyDisplay/components/LaunchSyntenyViewDialog.tsx
index 94c77ee68e4..aae9026be43 100644
--- a/plugins/linear-comparative-view/src/LGVSyntenyDisplay/components/LaunchSyntenyViewDialog.tsx
+++ b/plugins/linear-comparative-view/src/LGVSyntenyDisplay/components/LaunchSyntenyViewDialog.tsx
@@ -69,7 +69,8 @@ export default function LaunchSyntenyViewDialog({
                   model,
                 })
               } catch (e) {
-                getSession(model).notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+                console.error(e)
+                getSession(model).notifyError(`${e}`, e)
               }
             })()
             handleClose()
diff --git a/plugins/linear-comparative-view/src/LaunchLinearSyntenyView.ts b/plugins/linear-comparative-view/src/LaunchLinearSyntenyView.ts
index f86cbca3458..4e7d11302f0 100644
--- a/plugins/linear-comparative-view/src/LaunchLinearSyntenyView.ts
+++ b/plugins/linear-comparative-view/src/LaunchLinearSyntenyView.ts
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ export default function LaunchLinearSyntenyView(pluginManager: PluginManager) {
           )
         }
       } catch (e) {
-        session.notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+        session.notifyError(`${e}`, e)
         throw e
       }
     },
diff --git a/plugins/linear-comparative-view/src/LinearSyntenyDisplay/components/SyntenyContextMenu.tsx b/plugins/linear-comparative-view/src/LinearSyntenyDisplay/components/SyntenyContextMenu.tsx
index d1ada8428c4..2c3a0077fd5 100644
--- a/plugins/linear-comparative-view/src/LinearSyntenyDisplay/components/SyntenyContextMenu.tsx
+++ b/plugins/linear-comparative-view/src/LinearSyntenyDisplay/components/SyntenyContextMenu.tsx
@@ -62,13 +62,13 @@ export default function SyntenyContextMenu({
               .navToLocString(`${refName}:${start}-${end}`)
               .catch(e => {
                 console.error(e)
-                getSession(model).notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+                getSession(model).notifyError(`${e}`, e)
               })
             view.views[1]
               .navToLocString(`${mate.refName}:${mate.start}-${mate.end}`)
               .catch(e => {
                 console.error(e)
-                getSession(model).notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+                getSession(model).notifyError(`${e}`, e)
               })
           },
         },
diff --git a/plugins/spreadsheet-view/src/SpreadsheetView/models/ColumnDataTypes/LocString.tsx b/plugins/spreadsheet-view/src/SpreadsheetView/models/ColumnDataTypes/LocString.tsx
index 742c4231b50..77d4783ee38 100644
--- a/plugins/spreadsheet-view/src/SpreadsheetView/models/ColumnDataTypes/LocString.tsx
+++ b/plugins/spreadsheet-view/src/SpreadsheetView/models/ColumnDataTypes/LocString.tsx
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ const DataCellReactComponent = observer(function ({
           await locationLinkClick(spreadsheet, columnNumber, cell)
         } catch (e) {
           console.error(e)
-          session.notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+          session.notifyError(`${e}`, e)
         }
       }}
       title="open a new linear genome view here"
diff --git a/products/jbrowse-desktop/src/rootModel/Menus.ts b/products/jbrowse-desktop/src/rootModel/Menus.ts
index 0379ffe23b6..849c862862a 100644
--- a/products/jbrowse-desktop/src/rootModel/Menus.ts
+++ b/products/jbrowse-desktop/src/rootModel/Menus.ts
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ export function DesktopMenusMixin(_pluginManager: PluginManager) {
                   }
                 } catch (e) {
                   console.error(e)
-                  self.session?.notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+                  self.session?.notifyError(`${e}`, e)
                 }
               },
             },
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ export function DesktopMenusMixin(_pluginManager: PluginManager) {
                     await self.saveSession(getSaveSession(self))
                   } catch (e) {
                     console.error(e)
-                    self.session?.notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+                    self.session?.notifyError(`${e}`, e)
                   }
                 }
               },
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ export function DesktopMenusMixin(_pluginManager: PluginManager) {
                   await self.saveSession(getSaveSession(self))
                 } catch (e) {
                   console.error(e)
-                  self.session?.notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+                  self.session?.notifyError(`${e}`, e)
                 }
               },
             },
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ export function DesktopMenusMixin(_pluginManager: PluginManager) {
                         })
                       } catch (e) {
                         console.error(e)
-                        self.session?.notify(`${e}`)
+                        self.session?.notifyError(`${e}`, e)
                       }
                       doneCallback()
                     },