diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 2e11548..71e21c1 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ Keep it stable. Prefer pointers to canonical sources over copied structure, file
 - The public component-reuse explanation lives in `docs/recipes/reusable-partials.md`; do not grow a client component framework to explain partial composition.
 - The stable public `.heml` authoring surface lives in `docs/hemplate-syntax.md`; Hemlate examples must use that real hemplate syntax, not Vue/Handlebars sketches.
 - Optional `.heml` editor overlays must share authority with `hemx-build` diagnostics and `docs/hemplate-syntax.md`; `hemx-lsp` owns editor protocol glue for diagnostics/completion/hover and derive-known template facts, while VS Code/Cursor/Neovim keep normal HTML/tree-sitter tooling. Do not create a second template language, selector model, formatter, Rust type system, or custom editor framework. req: diagnostics/004 req: diagnostics/005 req: diagnostics/006
-- JS runtime changes must preserve root-scoped lookup, fail-closed request handling, and tiny pending/failure recovery without selectors, VDOM, expressions, or per-node listeners. req: runtime/005 req: convention/007
+- JS runtime changes must preserve root-scoped lookup, fail-closed request handling, root-scoped error outlets, and tiny pending/failure recovery without selectors, VDOM, expressions, or per-node listeners. req: runtime/005 req: convention/007
 - Host capability adapters must stay at the `hemx-host` boundary: they may call host APIs and return host events, but they must not mutate DOM or own app/domain state. req: host/002
 - Local/offline app behavior should be commands/events/projections; do not add `hemx-local`, stored DOM patches, or stored `EffectBatch` truth without a proven reusable contract. req: local/001 req: local/002
 - Axum apps should serve and load the shared runtime through hemx-axum helpers such as `runtime_js_path()` and `runtime_js()`, not hard-coded `/hemx.js` URLs or app-owned cache-busting strings.
diff --git a/REQUIREMENTS.md b/REQUIREMENTS.md
index 7b676ab..72fd506 100644
--- a/REQUIREMENTS.md
+++ b/REQUIREMENTS.md
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ what a valid business email is.
 004	Core runtime exposes a minimal version/fingerprint handshake only. Capability negotiation belongs to integration crates such as `hemx-wasm`, `hemx-sync`, and `hemx-transition`.
 
 ### req: runtime/005
-005	Failed hemx HTTP requests must fail closed: non-2xx responses are not applied as effects, pending state is restored, and the runtime emits an inspectable `hemx:error` event with status when available. [north_star]
+005	Failed hemx HTTP requests must fail closed: non-2xx responses are not applied as effects, pending state is restored, root-scoped `data-hemx-error` outlets show a transport failure when present, and the runtime emits an inspectable `hemx:error` event with status when available. [north_star]
 
 ---
 
diff --git a/examples/v0/src/main.rs b/examples/v0/src/main.rs
index 1938f82..47d8137 100644
--- a/examples/v0/src/main.rs
+++ b/examples/v0/src/main.rs
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ impl Hemplate for Todos {
     fn render_into(&self, buf: &mut String) -> Result<(), hemplate::error::HemplateError> {
         use std::fmt::Write as _;
 
-        buf.push_str("<section data-hemx-root=\"todos\">\n  <form data-hemx-handle=\"add_todo\" data-hemx-form=\"new_todo\">\n    <label>New todo\n      <input name=\"title\" required=\"required\">\n    </label>\n    <button type=\"submit\">Add</button>\n    <p data-hemx-error-for=\"title\"></p>\n  </form>\n\n  <p data-hemx-slot=\"summary\">");
+        buf.push_str("<section data-hemx-root=\"todos\">\n  <form data-hemx-handle=\"add_todo\" data-hemx-form=\"new_todo\">\n    <label>New todo\n      <input name=\"title\" required=\"required\">\n    </label>\n    <button type=\"submit\">Add</button>\n    <p data-hemx-error-for=\"title\"></p>\n  </form>\n\n  <p data-hemx-error role=\"status\" hidden=\"hidden\"></p>\n\n  <p data-hemx-slot=\"summary\">");
         write!(buf, "{}", hemplate::HtmlEscape(&self.summary))?;
         buf.push_str("</p>\n  <p data-hemx-slot=\"notice\">");
         write!(buf, "{}", hemplate::HtmlEscape(&self.notice))?;
@@ -627,6 +627,11 @@ mod tests {
             2,
             "add and rename forms expose generated field-error targets"
         );
+        assert_eq!(
+            document.select(&selector("[data-hemx-error]")).count(),
+            1,
+            "the app exposes one root-scoped transport error outlet"
+        );
     }
 
     // req: canonical_authoring/003 req: test/005
diff --git a/examples/v0/templates/todos.heml b/examples/v0/templates/todos.heml
index a66ea91..cb5b730 100644
--- a/examples/v0/templates/todos.heml
+++ b/examples/v0/templates/todos.heml
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
     <button type="submit">Add</button>
     <p data-hemx-error-for="title"></p>
   </form>
+  <p data-hemx-error role="status" hidden="hidden"></p>
   <p data-hemx-slot="summary">{+ self.summary +}</p>
   <p data-hemx-slot="notice">{+ self.notice +}</p>
   <ul data-hemx-slot="todo_row">
diff --git a/hemx-build/src/lib.rs b/hemx-build/src/lib.rs
index 8e2e09b..e70f7c0 100644
--- a/hemx-build/src/lib.rs
+++ b/hemx-build/src/lib.rs
@@ -1541,6 +1541,7 @@ fn known_hemx_attr(name: &str) -> bool {
             | "data-hemx-nav"
             | "data-hemx-boost"
             | "data-hemx-error-for"
+            | "data-hemx-error"
             | "data-hemx-island"
     )
 }
diff --git a/hemx-js/runtime/hemx.js b/hemx-js/runtime/hemx.js
index 1992436..89fac9a 100644
--- a/hemx-js/runtime/hemx.js
+++ b/hemx-js/runtime/hemx.js
@@ -194,6 +194,17 @@
     return error;
   }
 
+  function showError(el, error) {
+    const root = rootOf(el) || document;
+    const message = error ? (error.status ? `Request failed (${error.status})` : "Request failed") : "";
+    forEachElement(root, (outlet) => {
+      if (!outlet.hasAttribute("data-hemx-error")) return;
+      outlet.textContent = message;
+      if (message) outlet.removeAttribute("hidden");
+      else outlet.setAttribute("hidden", "");
+    });
+  }
+
   async function send(el, eventName, source = el) {
     if (el.getAttribute("data-hemx-confirm") && !confirm(el.getAttribute("data-hemx-confirm"))) return;
     const { form, data, multipart } = formDataFor(el, eventName, source);
@@ -224,6 +235,7 @@
     const headers = { "X-HEMX-Partial": "1", "Accept": "application/hemx, text/html" };
     if (body instanceof URLSearchParams) headers["Content-Type"] = "application/x-www-form-urlencoded;charset=UTF-8";
     pending.set(target, { abort, done });
+    showError(target, null);
     showPending(target, true);
     try {
       const response = await fetch(requestUrl(form, data, method), {
@@ -237,7 +249,10 @@
       if (!response.ok) throw httpError(response);
       await applyResponse(response, rootOf(target));
     } catch (error) {
-      if (error.name !== "AbortError") emit(rootOf(target), "hemx:error", { message: String(error), status: error.status || null });
+      if (error.name !== "AbortError") {
+        showError(target, error);
+        emit(rootOf(target), "hemx:error", { message: String(error), status: error.status || null });
+      }
     } finally {
       if (pending.get(target)?.abort === abort) {
         pending.delete(target);
diff --git a/hemx-js/tests/runtime.rs b/hemx-js/tests/runtime.rs
index da1ed18..3512932 100644
--- a/hemx-js/tests/runtime.rs
+++ b/hemx-js/tests/runtime.rs
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ fn runtime_reports_http_failures_without_applying_effects() {
 
     assert!(source.contains("function httpError(response)"));
     assert!(source.contains("if (!response.ok) throw httpError(response)"));
+    assert!(source.contains("showError(target, error)"));
+    assert!(source.contains("showError(target, null)"));
+    assert!(source.contains("Request failed (${error.status})"));
     assert!(source.contains("error.status = response.status"));
     assert!(source.contains(
         "emit(rootOf(target), \"hemx:error\", { message: String(error), status: error.status || null })"
@@ -129,6 +132,8 @@ fn runtime_toggles_pending_conventions_around_requests() {
     assert!(source.contains("el.removeAttribute(\"aria-busy\")"));
     assert!(source.contains("toggleBusy(el, on)"));
     assert!(source.contains("function toggleIndicator(indicator, on)"));
+    assert!(source.contains("data-hemx-error"));
+    assert!(source.contains("function showError(el, error)"));
     assert!(source.contains("toggleIndicator(i, on)"));
     assert!(source.contains("indicator.hidden = state.hidden"));
     assert!(source.contains("el.hasAttribute(\"data-hemx-disable-while-pending\")"));