diff --git a/src/ui/code_editor.rs b/src/ui/code_editor.rs
index 4f3fbd9b..9cb9d0a6 100644
--- a/src/ui/code_editor.rs
+++ b/src/ui/code_editor.rs
@@ -623,7 +623,18 @@ impl Tty7App {
                     Ok(mtime) => {
                         f.disk_mtime = mtime;
                     }
-                    Err(e) => HostOps::notify_err(window, cx, t(L10nKey::EditorSaveFailed), &e),
+                    Err(e) => {
+                        // "Save failed" did not say which file, and with more
+                        // than one editor tab open that is the first thing you
+                        // need to know.
+                        let name = f
+                            .path
+                            .file_name()
+                            .map(|n| n.to_string_lossy().to_string())
+                            .unwrap_or_else(|| f.path.display().to_string());
+                        let context = t_fmt(L10nKey::EditorSaveFailed, &[("name", &name)]);
+                        HostOps::notify_err(window, cx, &context, &e);
+                    }
                 }
                 if landing.clean {
                     f.dirty = false;
diff --git a/src/ui/host_ops.rs b/src/ui/host_ops.rs
index a72ca16c..a63255d4 100644
--- a/src/ui/host_ops.rs
+++ b/src/ui/host_ops.rs
@@ -205,13 +205,31 @@ impl HostOps {
         window.push_notification(
             t_fmt(
                 L10nKey::HostOpsError,
-                &[("context", context), ("error", &err.to_string())],
+                &[("context", context), ("error", &explain_io(err))],
             ),
             cx,
         );
     }
 }
 
+/// A sentence for the failures someone can act on, and the raw error for the
+/// rest. `Display` on an `io::Error` answers "what happened" for a developer
+/// reading a log; it does not answer "what now" for the person who just lost
+/// a save, and "Permission denied (os error 13)" is the shape of that gap.
+pub fn explain_io(err: &std::io::Error) -> String {
+    use std::io::ErrorKind;
+    let key = match err.kind() {
+        ErrorKind::PermissionDenied => L10nKey::IoDenied,
+        ErrorKind::NotFound => L10nKey::IoGone,
+        ErrorKind::StorageFull => L10nKey::IoNoSpace,
+        ErrorKind::ReadOnlyFilesystem => L10nKey::IoReadOnly,
+        ErrorKind::ResourceBusy => L10nKey::IoBusy,
+        ErrorKind::TimedOut => L10nKey::IoTimedOut,
+        _ => return err.to_string(),
+    };
+    crate::ui::i18n::t(key).to_string()
+}
+
 pub struct InFlight<K: Eq + Hash + Clone> {
     in_flight: HashSet<K>,
     stale: HashSet<K>,
@@ -322,6 +340,31 @@ impl<K: Eq + Hash, V> ByHost<K, V> {
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn the_failures_people_can_act_on_get_a_sentence() {
+        use std::io::{Error, ErrorKind};
+        crate::ui::i18n::set_locale("en");
+
+        // The kinds that change what you would do next.
+        for kind in [
+            ErrorKind::PermissionDenied,
+            ErrorKind::StorageFull,
+            ErrorKind::ReadOnlyFilesystem,
+            ErrorKind::NotFound,
+        ] {
+            let text = explain_io(&Error::new(kind, "os error 13"));
+            assert!(!text.contains("os error"), "{kind:?}: {text}");
+            assert!(text.ends_with('.'), "{kind:?}: {text}");
+        }
+
+        // Anything unclassified keeps its detail rather than losing it to a
+        // vague house sentence.
+        assert_eq!(
+            explain_io(&Error::other("the widget frobnicated")),
+            "the widget frobnicated"
+        );
+    }
     use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
     #[test]
diff --git a/src/ui/i18n/en.rs b/src/ui/i18n/en.rs
index 09cc5b0a..bc7640ba 100644
--- a/src/ui/i18n/en.rs
+++ b/src/ui/i18n/en.rs
@@ -806,7 +806,7 @@ pub fn translate_en(key: L10nKey) -> &'static str {
         L10nKey::EditorCantOpen => "Can't open {path}: {e}",
         L10nKey::EditorCantRead => "Can't read {path}: {e}",
         L10nKey::EditorNotUtf8 => "\"{path}\" is not valid UTF-8",
-        L10nKey::EditorSaveFailed => "Save failed",
+        L10nKey::EditorSaveFailed => "Could not save {name}",
         L10nKey::EditorUnsavedChanges => "\"{name}\" has unsaved changes",
         L10nKey::EditorDiscard => "Discard",
         L10nKey::EditorNoFileOpen => "No file open",
@@ -1048,6 +1048,12 @@ pub fn translate_en(key: L10nKey) -> &'static str {
         L10nKey::SshPromptUnlock => "Unlock",
         L10nKey::SshPromptSubmit => "Submit",
         L10nKey::HostOpsError => "{context}: {error}",
+        L10nKey::IoDenied => "You do not have permission.",
+        L10nKey::IoGone => "It is not there any more.",
+        L10nKey::IoNoSpace => "There is no space left on the disk.",
+        L10nKey::IoReadOnly => "That location is read-only.",
+        L10nKey::IoBusy => "Something else has it open.",
+        L10nKey::IoTimedOut => "The machine did not answer in time.",
         L10nKey::TreeWindowOpenedEmpty => {
             "This window's server never handed over its tabs, so it opened empty. Nothing was lost — they come back when it answers. If it doesn't, run \"Restart Server\" from the command palette."
         }
diff --git a/src/ui/i18n/ja.rs b/src/ui/i18n/ja.rs
index e412f4b6..e341d836 100644
--- a/src/ui/i18n/ja.rs
+++ b/src/ui/i18n/ja.rs
@@ -847,7 +847,7 @@ pub fn translate_ja(key: L10nKey) -> Option<&'static str> {
         L10nKey::EditorCantOpen => "{path} を開けません: {e}",
         L10nKey::EditorCantRead => "{path} を読み取れません: {e}",
         L10nKey::EditorNotUtf8 => "「{path}」は有効な UTF-8 ではありません",
-        L10nKey::EditorSaveFailed => "保存に失敗しました",
+        L10nKey::EditorSaveFailed => "{name} を保存できませんでした",
         L10nKey::EditorUnsavedChanges => "「{name}」には保存されていない変更があります",
         L10nKey::EditorDiscard => "破棄",
         L10nKey::EditorNoFileOpen => "開かれているファイルはありません",
@@ -1078,6 +1078,12 @@ pub fn translate_ja(key: L10nKey) -> Option<&'static str> {
         L10nKey::SshPromptUnlock => "ロック解除",
         L10nKey::SshPromptSubmit => "送信",
         L10nKey::HostOpsError => "{context}: {error}",
+        L10nKey::IoDenied => "権限がありません。",
+        L10nKey::IoGone => "もう存在しません。",
+        L10nKey::IoNoSpace => "ディスクに空き容量がありません。",
+        L10nKey::IoReadOnly => "その場所は読み取り専用です。",
+        L10nKey::IoBusy => "他のプログラムが使用中です。",
+        L10nKey::IoTimedOut => "時間内に応答がありませんでした。",
         L10nKey::TreeWindowOpenedEmpty => {
             "このウィンドウのサーバーがタブを渡さなかったため、空のまま開きました。失われたものはなく、応答すれば戻ります。戻らない場合はコマンドパレットの「サーバーを再起動」を実行してください"
         }
diff --git a/src/ui/i18n/mod.rs b/src/ui/i18n/mod.rs
index 2663c3f5..e47d5c93 100644
--- a/src/ui/i18n/mod.rs
+++ b/src/ui/i18n/mod.rs
@@ -877,6 +877,12 @@ l10n_keys! {
     SshPromptUnlock,
     SshPromptSubmit,
     HostOpsError,
+    IoDenied,
+    IoGone,
+    IoNoSpace,
+    IoReadOnly,
+    IoBusy,
+    IoTimedOut,
     TreeWindowOpenedEmpty,
     CmdGroupTabsPanes,
     CmdGroupWorkspaces,
@@ -1740,6 +1746,12 @@ mod tests {
             L10nKey::SshPromptUnlock,
             L10nKey::SshPromptSubmit,
             L10nKey::HostOpsError,
+            L10nKey::IoDenied,
+            L10nKey::IoGone,
+            L10nKey::IoNoSpace,
+            L10nKey::IoReadOnly,
+            L10nKey::IoBusy,
+            L10nKey::IoTimedOut,
             L10nKey::TreeWindowOpenedEmpty,
             L10nKey::CmdGroupTabsPanes,
             L10nKey::CmdGroupWorkspaces,
diff --git a/src/ui/i18n/zh.rs b/src/ui/i18n/zh.rs
index 5c70907e..2ef5317e 100644
--- a/src/ui/i18n/zh.rs
+++ b/src/ui/i18n/zh.rs
@@ -772,7 +772,7 @@ pub fn translate_zh(key: L10nKey) -> Option<&'static str> {
         L10nKey::EditorCantOpen => "无法打开 {path}：{e}",
         L10nKey::EditorCantRead => "无法读取 {path}：{e}",
         L10nKey::EditorNotUtf8 => "\"{path}\" 不是有效的 UTF-8",
-        L10nKey::EditorSaveFailed => "保存失败",
+        L10nKey::EditorSaveFailed => "保存 {name} 失败",
         L10nKey::EditorUnsavedChanges => "\"{name}\" 有未保存的更改",
         L10nKey::EditorDiscard => "放弃",
         L10nKey::EditorNoFileOpen => "没有打开的文件",
@@ -986,6 +986,12 @@ pub fn translate_zh(key: L10nKey) -> Option<&'static str> {
         L10nKey::SshPromptUnlock => "解锁",
         L10nKey::SshPromptSubmit => "提交",
         L10nKey::HostOpsError => "{context}：{error}",
+        L10nKey::IoDenied => "没有权限。",
+        L10nKey::IoGone => "它已经不在了。",
+        L10nKey::IoNoSpace => "磁盘没有空间了。",
+        L10nKey::IoReadOnly => "那个位置是只读的。",
+        L10nKey::IoBusy => "有别的程序正占着它。",
+        L10nKey::IoTimedOut => "对方没有在规定时间内响应。",
         L10nKey::TreeWindowOpenedEmpty => {
             "这个窗口的服务器没有交出标签页，所以窗口是空的。什么都没丢，它一响应就会回来。如果一直不回来，在命令面板里执行「重启服务器」。"
         }