diff --git a/frontend/src/App.tsx b/frontend/src/App.tsx
index 4c4c06dc..804c01d2 100644
--- a/frontend/src/App.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/App.tsx
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import PageShell from "./components/PageShell";
 import GlassTuner from "./components/GlassTuner";
 import ChatDock from "./components/ChatDock";
 import Toaster from "./components/Toaster";
+import { StateMessage } from "./components/QueryState";
 import ErrorDialog from "./components/ErrorDialog";
 import VersionBanner from "./components/VersionBanner";
 import DemoBanner from "./components/DemoBanner";
@@ -294,8 +295,10 @@ export default function App() {
   // network/5xx failure, and no data means "not signed in" → the public landing.
   if (meQuery.error)
     return (
-      <div className="min-h-screen grid place-items-center text-muted">
-        {t("common.somethingWrong")}
+      <div className="min-h-screen grid place-items-center">
+        <StateMessage tone="error" onRetry={() => meQuery.refetch()}>
+          {t("common.somethingWrong")}
+        </StateMessage>
       </div>
     );
   if (!meQuery.data) return <Welcome />;
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Playlists.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Playlists.tsx
index 1483dc9e..2d7ee7f7 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Playlists.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Playlists.tsx
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ import {
   Upload,
   Youtube,
 } from "lucide-react";
-import { api, type Video } from "../lib/api";
+import { api, HttpError, type Video } from "../lib/api";
 import { notify } from "../lib/notifications";
 import { notifyYouTubeActionError } from "../lib/youtubeErrors";
 import { playlistName } from "../lib/playlistName";
@@ -489,10 +489,14 @@ export default function Playlists() {
     setSelectedId(remaining[0]?.id ?? null);
     try {
       await api.deletePlaylist(deletedId, onYoutube);
-    } catch {
+    } catch (err) {
+      // Prefer the server's specific reason (e.g. a local vs YouTube-side failure) over a blanket
+      // "couldn't delete on YouTube" that misleads when the failure wasn't the YouTube side.
       notify({
         level: "warning",
-        message: onYoutube ? t("playlists.deleteYtFailed") : t("playlists.deleteFailed"),
+        message:
+          (err instanceof HttpError && err.detail) ||
+          (onYoutube ? t("playlists.deleteYtFailed") : t("playlists.deleteFailed")),
       });
     }
     qc.removeQueries({ queryKey: ["playlist", deletedId] });
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/youtubeErrors.ts b/frontend/src/lib/youtubeErrors.ts
index 5d8440ee..22d07af5 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/youtubeErrors.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/youtubeErrors.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,9 @@ export function notifyYouTubeActionError(
   fallbackMessage: string,
   onConnect?: () => void,
 ): void {
-  if (err instanceof HttpError && err.status === 403) {
+  const httpErr = err instanceof HttpError ? err : null;
+  if (httpErr?.status === 403) {
+    // A 403 on a YouTube write action means the write scope isn't granted — offer to connect.
     notify({
       level: "error",
       message: i18n.t("channels.notify.needYouTube"),
@@ -19,7 +21,9 @@ export function notifyYouTubeActionError(
         ? { label: i18n.t("channels.notify.connect"), onClick: onConnect }
         : undefined,
     });
-  } else {
-    notify({ level: "error", message: fallbackMessage });
+    return;
   }
+  // Any other error: prefer the server's own reason (e.g. "Not enough quota left today") over the
+  // caller's generic fallback — the useful detail was being discarded (U-3.2.8).
+  notify({ level: "error", message: httpErr?.detail || fallbackMessage });
 }