diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/theme/Navbar/Content/index.tsx b/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/theme/Navbar/Content/index.tsx
index e499198ecabf..ddc0972c67ff 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/theme/Navbar/Content/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/theme/Navbar/Content/index.tsx
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
  */
 
 import React, {type ReactNode} from 'react';
-import {useThemeConfig} from '@docusaurus/theme-common';
+import {useThemeConfig, ErrorCauseBoundary} from '@docusaurus/theme-common';
 import {
   splitNavbarItems,
   useNavbarMobileSidebar,
@@ -29,7 +29,18 @@ function NavbarItems({items}: {items: NavbarItemConfig[]}): JSX.Element {
   return (
     <>
       {items.map((item, i) => (
-        <NavbarItem {...item} key={i} />
+        <ErrorCauseBoundary
+          key={i}
+          onError={(error) =>
+            new Error(
+              `A theme navbar item failed to render.
+Please double-check the following navbar item (themeConfig.navbar.items) of your Docusaurus config:
+${JSON.stringify(item, null, 2)}`,
+              {cause: error},
+            )
+          }>
+          <NavbarItem {...item} />
+        </ErrorCauseBoundary>
       ))}
     </>
   );
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/package.json b/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/package.json
index 228b473d2435..61ab747f4774 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/package.json
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/package.json
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
     "@docusaurus/plugin-content-docs": "2.3.1",
     "@docusaurus/plugin-content-pages": "2.3.1",
     "@docusaurus/utils": "2.3.1",
+    "@docusaurus/utils-common": "2.3.1",
     "@types/history": "^4.7.11",
     "@types/react": "*",
     "@types/react-router-config": "*",
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/index.ts b/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/index.ts
index 3b8e6e7df28d..d7993ab76ce5 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/index.ts
@@ -93,4 +93,5 @@ export {
 export {
   ErrorBoundaryTryAgainButton,
   ErrorBoundaryError,
+  ErrorCauseBoundary,
 } from './utils/errorBoundaryUtils';
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/docsUtils.tsx b/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/docsUtils.tsx
index 726946be9e6c..1d03b8dc814c 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/docsUtils.tsx
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/docsUtils.tsx
@@ -271,8 +271,8 @@ export function useLayoutDocsSidebar(
         `Can't find any sidebar with id "${sidebarId}" in version${
           versions.length > 1 ? 's' : ''
         } ${versions.map((version) => version.name).join(', ')}".
-  Available sidebar ids are:
-  - ${Object.keys(allSidebars).join('\n- ')}`,
+Available sidebar ids are:
+- ${Object.keys(allSidebars).join('\n- ')}`,
       );
     }
     return sidebarEntry[1];
@@ -304,9 +304,9 @@ export function useLayoutDoc(
         return null;
       }
       throw new Error(
-        `DocNavbarItem: couldn't find any doc with id "${docId}" in version${
+        `Couldn't find any doc with id "${docId}" in version${
           versions.length > 1 ? 's' : ''
-        } ${versions.map((version) => version.name).join(', ')}".
+        } "${versions.map((version) => version.name).join(', ')}".
 Available doc ids are:
 - ${uniq(allDocs.map((versionDoc) => versionDoc.id)).join('\n- ')}`,
       );
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/errorBoundaryUtils.tsx b/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/errorBoundaryUtils.tsx
index 193ec7cd4ff7..051dbe86eb35 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/errorBoundaryUtils.tsx
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/errorBoundaryUtils.tsx
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 
 import React, {type ComponentProps} from 'react';
 import Translate from '@docusaurus/Translate';
+import {getErrorCausalChain} from '@docusaurus/utils-common';
 import styles from './errorBoundaryUtils.module.css';
 
 export function ErrorBoundaryTryAgainButton(
@@ -22,7 +23,34 @@ export function ErrorBoundaryTryAgainButton(
     </button>
   );
 }
-
 export function ErrorBoundaryError({error}: {error: Error}): JSX.Element {
-  return <p className={styles.errorBoundaryError}>{error.message}</p>;
+  const causalChain = getErrorCausalChain(error);
+  const fullMessage = causalChain.map((e) => e.message).join('\n\nCause:\n');
+  return <p className={styles.errorBoundaryError}>{fullMessage}</p>;
+}
+
+/**
+ * This component is useful to wrap a low-level error into a more meaningful
+ * error with extra context, using the ES error-cause feature.
+ *
+ * <ErrorCauseBoundary
+ *   onError={(error) => new Error("extra context message",{cause: error})}
+ * >
+ *   <RiskyComponent>
+ * </ErrorCauseBoundary>
+ */
+export class ErrorCauseBoundary extends React.Component<
+  {
+    children: React.ReactNode;
+    onError: (error: Error, errorInfo: React.ErrorInfo) => Error;
+  },
+  unknown
+> {
+  override componentDidCatch(error: Error, errorInfo: React.ErrorInfo): never {
+    throw this.props.onError(error, errorInfo);
+  }
+
+  override render(): React.ReactNode {
+    return this.props.children;
+  }
 }
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-utils-common/src/__tests__/errorUtils.test.ts b/packages/docusaurus-utils-common/src/__tests__/errorUtils.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..1d29f660861f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-utils-common/src/__tests__/errorUtils.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) Facebook, Inc. and its affiliates.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+ */
+
+import {getErrorCausalChain} from '../errorUtils';
+
+describe('getErrorCausalChain', () => {
+  it('works for simple error', () => {
+    const error = new Error('msg');
+    expect(getErrorCausalChain(error)).toEqual([error]);
+  });
+
+  it('works for nested errors', () => {
+    const error = new Error('msg', {
+      cause: new Error('msg', {cause: new Error('msg')}),
+    });
+    expect(getErrorCausalChain(error)).toEqual([
+      error,
+      error.cause,
+      (error.cause as Error).cause,
+    ]);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-utils-common/src/errorUtils.ts b/packages/docusaurus-utils-common/src/errorUtils.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..5e3161dc47c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-utils-common/src/errorUtils.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) Facebook, Inc. and its affiliates.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+ */
+type CausalChain = [Error, ...Error[]];
+
+export function getErrorCausalChain(error: Error): CausalChain {
+  if (error.cause) {
+    return [error, ...getErrorCausalChain(error.cause as Error)];
+  }
+  return [error];
+}
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-utils-common/src/index.ts b/packages/docusaurus-utils-common/src/index.ts
index 11b925a28302..b1bbfb5237e1 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-utils-common/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-utils-common/src/index.ts
@@ -10,3 +10,4 @@ export {
   default as applyTrailingSlash,
   type ApplyTrailingSlashParams,
 } from './applyTrailingSlash';
+export {getErrorCausalChain} from './errorUtils';
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus/src/client/theme-fallback/Error/index.tsx b/packages/docusaurus/src/client/theme-fallback/Error/index.tsx
index 645bd1682bdf..79ace57d7627 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus/src/client/theme-fallback/Error/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/docusaurus/src/client/theme-fallback/Error/index.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import Head from '@docusaurus/Head';
 import ErrorBoundary from '@docusaurus/ErrorBoundary';
+import {getErrorCausalChain} from '@docusaurus/utils-common';
 import Layout from '@theme/Layout';
 import type {Props} from '@theme/Error';
 
@@ -42,11 +43,17 @@ function ErrorDisplay({error, tryAgain}: Props): JSX.Element {
         }}>
         Try again
       </button>
-      <p style={{whiteSpace: 'pre-wrap'}}>{error.message}</p>
+      <ErrorBoundaryError error={error} />
     </div>
   );
 }
 
+function ErrorBoundaryError({error}: {error: Error}): JSX.Element {
+  const causalChain = getErrorCausalChain(error);
+  const fullMessage = causalChain.map((e) => e.message).join('\n\nCause:\n');
+  return <p style={{whiteSpace: 'pre-wrap'}}>{fullMessage}</p>;
+}
+
 export default function Error({error, tryAgain}: Props): JSX.Element {
   // We wrap the error in its own error boundary because the layout can actually
   // throw too... Only the ErrorDisplay component is simple enough to be