diff --git a/container/dispatcher.go b/container/dispatcher.go
index ae697ce..c94d934 100644
--- a/container/dispatcher.go
+++ b/container/dispatcher.go
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ func (direct) pivotRoot(newroot, putold string) (err error) {
 	return syscall.PivotRoot(newroot, putold)
 }
 func (direct) mount(source, target, fstype string, flags uintptr, data string) (err error) {
-	return syscall.Mount(source, target, fstype, flags, data)
+	return mount(source, target, fstype, flags, data)
 }
 func (direct) unmount(target string, flags int) (err error) {
 	return syscall.Unmount(target, flags)
diff --git a/container/errors.go b/container/errors.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..12cb3b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/container/errors.go
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+package container
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"os"
+	"syscall"
+)
+
+type MountError struct {
+	Source, Target, Fstype string
+
+	Flags uintptr
+	Data  string
+	syscall.Errno
+}
+
+func (e *MountError) Unwrap() error {
+	if e.Errno == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return e.Errno
+}
+
+func (e *MountError) Error() string {
+	if e.Flags&syscall.MS_BIND != 0 {
+		if e.Flags&syscall.MS_REMOUNT != 0 {
+			return "remount " + e.Target + ": " + e.Errno.Error()
+		}
+		return "bind " + e.Source + " on " + e.Target + ": " + e.Errno.Error()
+	}
+
+	if e.Fstype != FstypeNULL {
+		return "mount " + e.Fstype + " on " + e.Target + ": " + e.Errno.Error()
+	}
+
+	// fallback case: if this is reached, the conditions for it to occur should be handled above
+	return "mount " + e.Target + ": " + e.Errno.Error()
+}
+
+// errnoFallback returns the concrete errno from an error, or a [os.PathError] fallback.
+func errnoFallback(op, path string, err error) (syscall.Errno, *os.PathError) {
+	var errno syscall.Errno
+	if !errors.As(err, &errno) {
+		return 0, &os.PathError{Op: op, Path: path, Err: err}
+	}
+	return errno, nil
+}
+
+// mount wraps syscall.Mount for error handling.
+func mount(source, target, fstype string, flags uintptr, data string) error {
+	err := syscall.Mount(source, target, fstype, flags, data)
+	if err == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	if errno, pathError := errnoFallback("mount", target, err); pathError != nil {
+		return pathError
+	} else {
+		return &MountError{source, target, fstype, flags, data, errno}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/container/errors_test.go b/container/errors_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3d32743
--- /dev/null
+++ b/container/errors_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+package container
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"os"
+	"reflect"
+	"syscall"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestMountError(t *testing.T) {
+	testCases := []struct {
+		name  string
+		err   error
+		errno syscall.Errno
+		want  string
+	}{
+		{"bind", &MountError{
+			Source: "/host/nix/store",
+			Target: "/sysroot/nix/store",
+			Fstype: FstypeNULL,
+			Flags:  syscall.MS_SILENT | syscall.MS_BIND | syscall.MS_REC,
+			Data:   zeroString,
+			Errno:  syscall.ENOSYS,
+		}, syscall.ENOSYS,
+			"bind /host/nix/store on /sysroot/nix/store: function not implemented"},
+
+		{"remount", &MountError{
+			Source: SourceNone,
+			Target: "/sysroot/nix/store",
+			Fstype: FstypeNULL,
+			Flags:  syscall.MS_SILENT | syscall.MS_BIND | syscall.MS_REMOUNT,
+			Data:   zeroString,
+			Errno:  syscall.EPERM,
+		}, syscall.EPERM,
+			"remount /sysroot/nix/store: operation not permitted"},
+
+		{"overlay", &MountError{
+			Source: SourceOverlay,
+			Target: sysrootPath,
+			Fstype: FstypeOverlay,
+			Data:   `lowerdir=/host/var/lib/planterette/base/debian\:f92c9052`,
+			Errno:  syscall.EINVAL,
+		}, syscall.EINVAL,
+			"mount overlay on /sysroot: invalid argument"},
+
+		{"fallback", &MountError{
+			Source: SourceNone,
+			Target: sysrootPath,
+			Fstype: FstypeNULL,
+			Errno:  syscall.ENOTRECOVERABLE,
+		}, syscall.ENOTRECOVERABLE,
+			"mount /sysroot: state not recoverable"},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range testCases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Run("is", func(t *testing.T) {
+				if !errors.Is(tc.err, tc.errno) {
+					t.Errorf("Is: %#v is not %v", tc.err, tc.errno)
+				}
+			})
+			t.Run("error", func(t *testing.T) {
+				if got := tc.err.Error(); got != tc.want {
+					t.Errorf("Error: %q, want %q", got, tc.want)
+				}
+			})
+		})
+	}
+
+	t.Run("zero", func(t *testing.T) {
+		if errors.Is(new(MountError), syscall.Errno(0)) {
+			t.Errorf("Is: zero MountError unexpected true")
+		}
+	})
+}
+
+func TestErrnoFallback(t *testing.T) {
+	testCases := []struct {
+		name      string
+		err       error
+		wantErrno syscall.Errno
+		wantPath  *os.PathError
+	}{
+		{"mount", &MountError{
+			Errno: syscall.ENOTRECOVERABLE,
+		}, syscall.ENOTRECOVERABLE, nil},
+
+		{"path errno", &os.PathError{
+			Err: syscall.ETIMEDOUT,
+		}, syscall.ETIMEDOUT, nil},
+
+		{"fallback", errUnique, 0, &os.PathError{
+			Op:   "fallback",
+			Path: "/proc/nonexistent",
+			Err:  errUnique,
+		}},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range testCases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			errno, err := errnoFallback(tc.name, Nonexistent, tc.err)
+			if errno != tc.wantErrno {
+				t.Errorf("errnoFallback: errno = %v, want %v", errno, tc.wantErrno)
+			}
+			if !reflect.DeepEqual(err, tc.wantPath) {
+				t.Errorf("errnoFallback: pathError = %#v, want %#v", err, tc.wantPath)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}