diff --git a/crates/uv/src/commands/diagnostics.rs b/crates/uv/src/commands/diagnostics.rs
index d0f19aaedff10..a3f4956a7ba4c 100644
--- a/crates/uv/src/commands/diagnostics.rs
+++ b/crates/uv/src/commands/diagnostics.rs
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ use crate::commands::project::run::RecursionLimitError;
 use crate::commands::project::version::MissingProjectVersionError;
 use crate::commands::tool::common::NoExecutablesError;
 use crate::commands::tool::run::ToolRunScriptError;
+use crate::printer::Printer;
 
 static SUGGESTIONS: LazyLock<FxHashMap<PackageName, PackageName>> = LazyLock::new(|| {
     let suggestions: Vec<(String, String)> =
@@ -223,6 +224,15 @@ fn no_solution(err: &uv_resolver::NoSolutionError, context: Option<&'static str>
     anstream::eprint!("{hints}");
 }
 
+/// Format an error chain with the default user-facing hints and output settings.
+pub(crate) fn write_error_chain(err: &anyhow::Error, printer: Printer) -> std::fmt::Result {
+    uv_errors::write_error_chain_with_options(
+        err.as_ref(),
+        hints_for_error(err),
+        uv_errors::ErrorOptions::default().with_stream(printer.stderr_important()),
+    )
+}
+
 /// Walk an error chain and collect hint strings from all known error types.
 ///
 /// This is the central "hint for error" function. It walks the full error chain
diff --git a/crates/uv/src/lib.rs b/crates/uv/src/lib.rs
index b62220931aa67..618380804650e 100644
--- a/crates/uv/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/uv/src/lib.rs
@@ -530,17 +530,7 @@ pub async fn run(cli: Cli, global_initialization: GlobalInitialization) -> Resul
     }
 
     // Configure the `Printer`, which controls user-facing output in the CLI.
-    let printer = if globals.quiet == 1 {
-        Printer::Quiet
-    } else if globals.quiet > 1 {
-        Printer::Silent
-    } else if globals.verbose > 0 {
-        Printer::Verbose
-    } else if globals.no_progress {
-        Printer::NoProgress
-    } else {
-        Printer::Default
-    };
+    let printer = Printer::new(globals.quiet, globals.verbose, globals.no_progress);
 
     // Configure the `warn!` macros, which control user-facing warnings in the CLI.
     if globals.quiet > 0 {
@@ -3025,6 +3015,14 @@ where
         }
     };
 
+    // Configure a printer for failures that escape command execution. The resolved `no_progress`
+    // setting can differ due to environment variables, but it does not affect important stderr.
+    let printer = Printer::new(
+        cli.top_level.global_args.quiet,
+        cli.top_level.global_args.verbose,
+        cli.top_level.global_args.no_progress,
+    );
+
     // See `min_stack_size` doc comment about `main2`
     let min_stack_size = min_stack_size();
     let main2 = move || {
@@ -3061,13 +3059,13 @@ where
             match error {
                 UvError::User(err) => {
                     trace!("Error trace: {err:?}");
-                    anstream::eprintln!("{}", err.to_string().bold());
+                    writeln!(printer.stderr_important(), "{}", err.to_string().bold())
+                        .expect("writing to stderr should not fail");
                     ExitStatus::Failure.into()
                 }
                 UvError::Unexpected(err) => {
                     trace!("Error trace: {err:?}");
-                    let hints = commands::diagnostics::hints_for_error(&err);
-                    uv_errors::write_error_chain(err.as_ref(), hints)
+                    commands::diagnostics::write_error_chain(&err, printer)
                         .expect("writing to stderr should not fail");
                     ExitStatus::Error.into()
                 }
diff --git a/crates/uv/src/printer.rs b/crates/uv/src/printer.rs
index 3a9bf31fe0d7a..14e3b38b45f78 100644
--- a/crates/uv/src/printer.rs
+++ b/crates/uv/src/printer.rs
@@ -16,6 +16,21 @@ pub(crate) enum Printer {
 }
 
 impl Printer {
+    /// Create a printer from the global output settings.
+    pub(crate) fn new(quiet: u8, verbose: u8, no_progress: bool) -> Self {
+        if quiet == 1 {
+            Self::Quiet
+        } else if quiet > 1 {
+            Self::Silent
+        } else if verbose > 0 {
+            Self::Verbose
+        } else if no_progress {
+            Self::NoProgress
+        } else {
+            Self::Default
+        }
+    }
+
     /// Return the [`ProgressDrawTarget`] for this printer.
     pub(crate) fn target(self) -> ProgressDrawTarget {
         match self {
diff --git a/crates/uv/tests/project/run.rs b/crates/uv/tests/project/run.rs
index 5b99d70e750f6..01f9d2bdd9382 100644
--- a/crates/uv/tests/project/run.rs
+++ b/crates/uv/tests/project/run.rs
@@ -5281,6 +5281,23 @@ fn run_with_not_existing_env_file() -> Result<()> {
     error: No environment file found at: `.env.development`
     ");
 
+    uv_snapshot!(context.filters(), context.run().arg("--env-file").arg(".env.development").arg("--quiet").arg("test.py"), @"
+    success: false
+    exit_code: 2
+    ----- stdout -----
+
+    ----- stderr -----
+    error: No environment file found at: `.env.development`
+    ");
+
+    uv_snapshot!(context.filters(), context.run().arg("--env-file").arg(".env.development").arg("--quiet").arg("--quiet").arg("test.py"), @"
+    success: false
+    exit_code: 2
+    ----- stdout -----
+
+    ----- stderr -----
+    ");
+
     Ok(())
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/uv/tests/sync/sync.rs b/crates/uv/tests/sync/sync.rs
index 0e8f2449ea8b1..01545e44c3318 100644
--- a/crates/uv/tests/sync/sync.rs
+++ b/crates/uv/tests/sync/sync.rs
@@ -255,6 +255,25 @@ fn locked() -> Result<()> {
     The lockfile at `uv.lock` needs to be updated, but `--locked` was provided. To update the lockfile, run `uv lock`.
     ");
 
+    // Quiet mode suppresses the resolution summary, but preserves the user-facing failure.
+    uv_snapshot!(context.filters(), context.sync().arg("--locked").arg("--quiet"), @"
+    success: false
+    exit_code: 1
+    ----- stdout -----
+
+    ----- stderr -----
+    The lockfile at `uv.lock` needs to be updated, but `--locked` was provided. To update the lockfile, run `uv lock`.
+    ");
+
+    // Silent mode suppresses the final error too.
+    uv_snapshot!(context.filters(), context.sync().arg("--locked").arg("--quiet").arg("--quiet"), @"
+    success: false
+    exit_code: 1
+    ----- stdout -----
+
+    ----- stderr -----
+    ");
+
     let updated = context.read("uv.lock");
 
     // And the lockfile should be unchanged.