diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index fbfdae662..8b18004d9 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ Screen::ui() → AppAction::BackendTask(task)
 
 **Backend task enums**: `BackendTask` has variants like `IdentityTask(IdentityTask)`, `WalletTask(WalletTask)`, `TokenTask(Box<TokenTask>)`, etc. Each sub-enum has its own variants and corresponding `run_*_task()` method. Results are `BackendTaskSuccessResult` with 50+ typed variants.
 
-**Error handling**: Backend tasks return `Result<T, TaskError>` (`src/backend_task/error.rs`). `TaskError` is a typed error envelope — `Display` produces user-friendly text for `MessageBanner`, `Debug` provides technical details for logs. `From<String>` ensures backwards compatibility: existing `Result<T, String>` code works unchanged. Domain errors (`DashPayError`, `SpvError`, etc.) are wired as `#[from]` variants for automatic conversion via `?`. When adding new backend error types, add a `#[from]` variant to `TaskError` rather than converting to `String`.
+**Error handling**: Backend tasks return `Result<T, TaskError>` (`src/backend_task/error.rs`). `TaskError` is a typed error envelope — `Display` produces user-friendly text for `MessageBanner`, `Debug` provides technical details for logs. Domain errors (`DashPayError`, `SpvError`, etc.) are wired as `#[from]` variants for automatic conversion via `?`. When adding new backend error types, add a dedicated `TaskError` variant rather than converting to `String`.
 
 ## Screen Pattern
 
diff --git a/src/backend_task/contested_names/query_dpns_contested_resources.rs b/src/backend_task/contested_names/query_dpns_contested_resources.rs
index af7ca3e25..ce08fde80 100644
--- a/src/backend_task/contested_names/query_dpns_contested_resources.rs
+++ b/src/backend_task/contested_names/query_dpns_contested_resources.rs
@@ -22,7 +22,9 @@ impl AppContext {
         let data_contract = self.dpns_contract.as_ref();
         let document_type = data_contract
             .document_type_for_name("domain")
-            .map_err(|_| TaskError::DataContractNotFound)?;
+            .map_err(|_| TaskError::ContractSchemaMismatch {
+                detail: "DPNS contract missing 'domain' document type",
+            })?;
         let Some(contested_index) = document_type.find_contested_index() else {
             return Err(TaskError::ContractSchemaMismatch {
                 detail: "No contested index found on DPNS domain document type",
diff --git a/src/backend_task/dashpay/auto_accept_handler.rs b/src/backend_task/dashpay/auto_accept_handler.rs
index 0152384e8..51baff39e 100644
--- a/src/backend_task/dashpay/auto_accept_handler.rs
+++ b/src/backend_task/dashpay/auto_accept_handler.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 use crate::backend_task::dashpay::auto_accept_proof::verify_auto_accept_proof;
 use crate::backend_task::dashpay::contact_requests::accept_contact_request;
+use crate::backend_task::dashpay::errors::DashPayError;
 use crate::backend_task::error::TaskError;
 use crate::context::AppContext;
 use crate::model::qualified_identity::QualifiedIdentity;
@@ -26,7 +27,8 @@ pub async fn process_auto_accept_requests(
 
     // Query for incoming contact requests
     let mut incoming_query = DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract.clone(), "contactRequest")
-        .map_err(|e| TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+        .map_err(|e| DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+            query_target: "DashPay contactRequest",
             source: Box::new(e),
         })?;
 
diff --git a/src/backend_task/dashpay/contact_info.rs b/src/backend_task/dashpay/contact_info.rs
index 9eb704cec..03758990d 100644
--- a/src/backend_task/dashpay/contact_info.rs
+++ b/src/backend_task/dashpay/contact_info.rs
@@ -297,7 +297,8 @@ pub async fn create_or_update_contact_info(
 
     // Query for existing contactInfo document
     let mut query = DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract.clone(), "contactInfo").map_err(|e| {
-        TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+        DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+            query_target: "DashPay contactInfo",
             source: Box::new(e),
         }
     })?;
diff --git a/src/backend_task/dashpay/contact_requests.rs b/src/backend_task/dashpay/contact_requests.rs
index 3ef5c04a6..9fb97fd75 100644
--- a/src/backend_task/dashpay/contact_requests.rs
+++ b/src/backend_task/dashpay/contact_requests.rs
@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@ pub async fn load_contact_requests(
 
     // Query for incoming contact requests (where toUserId == our identity)
     let mut incoming_query = DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract.clone(), "contactRequest")
-        .map_err(|e| TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+        .map_err(|e| DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+            query_target: "DashPay contactRequest",
             source: Box::new(e),
         })?;
 
@@ -68,7 +69,8 @@ pub async fn load_contact_requests(
     // Query for outgoing contact requests (where $ownerId == our identity)
     let mut outgoing_query =
         DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract, "contactRequest").map_err(|e| {
-            TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+            DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+                query_target: "DashPay contactRequest",
                 source: Box::new(e),
             }
         })?;
@@ -214,7 +216,8 @@ pub async fn send_contact_request_with_proof(
     // Step 2: Check if a contact request already exists
     let dashpay_contract = app_context.dashpay_contract.clone();
     let mut existing_query = DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract.clone(), "contactRequest")
-        .map_err(|e| TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+        .map_err(|e| DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+            query_target: "DashPay contactRequest",
             source: Box::new(e),
         })?;
 
@@ -529,7 +532,8 @@ async fn resolve_username_to_identity(sdk: &Sdk, username: &str) -> Result<Ident
         .ok_or(TaskError::DataContractNotFound)?;
 
     let mut query = DocumentQuery::new(Arc::new(dpns_contract), "domain").map_err(|e| {
-        TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+        DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+            query_target: "DPNS domain",
             source: Box::new(e),
         }
     })?;
@@ -573,7 +577,8 @@ pub async fn accept_contact_request(
 
     // Fetch the specific contact request document by creating a query with its ID
     let query = DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract.clone(), "contactRequest").map_err(|e| {
-        TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+        DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+            query_target: "DashPay contactRequest",
             source: Box::new(e),
         }
     })?;
@@ -588,7 +593,8 @@ pub async fn accept_contact_request(
 
     // Check if we already sent a contact request to this identity
     let mut existing_query = DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract.clone(), "contactRequest")
-        .map_err(|e| TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+        .map_err(|e| DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+            query_target: "DashPay contactRequest",
             source: Box::new(e),
         })?;
 
@@ -657,7 +663,8 @@ pub async fn reject_contact_request(
     let dashpay_contract = app_context.dashpay_contract.clone();
 
     let query = DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract.clone(), "contactRequest").map_err(|e| {
-        TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+        DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+            query_target: "DashPay contactRequest",
             source: Box::new(e),
         }
     })?;
diff --git a/src/backend_task/dashpay/contacts.rs b/src/backend_task/dashpay/contacts.rs
index 29fee731e..38401e9d7 100644
--- a/src/backend_task/dashpay/contacts.rs
+++ b/src/backend_task/dashpay/contacts.rs
@@ -207,7 +207,8 @@ pub async fn load_contacts(
 
     // Query for contact requests where we are the sender (ownerId)
     let mut outgoing_query = DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract.clone(), "contactRequest")
-        .map_err(|e| TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+        .map_err(|e| DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+            query_target: "DashPay contactRequest",
             source: Box::new(e),
         })?;
 
@@ -220,7 +221,8 @@ pub async fn load_contacts(
 
     // Query for contact requests where we are the recipient (toUserId)
     let mut incoming_query = DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract.clone(), "contactRequest")
-        .map_err(|e| TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+        .map_err(|e| DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+            query_target: "DashPay contactRequest",
             source: Box::new(e),
         })?;
 
@@ -280,7 +282,8 @@ pub async fn load_contacts(
 
     // Now query for contact info documents
     let mut contact_info_query = DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract.clone(), "contactInfo")
-        .map_err(|e| TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+        .map_err(|e| DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+            query_target: "DashPay contactInfo",
             source: Box::new(e),
         })?;
 
diff --git a/src/backend_task/dashpay/profile.rs b/src/backend_task/dashpay/profile.rs
index ec3542f4d..cfd12bcde 100644
--- a/src/backend_task/dashpay/profile.rs
+++ b/src/backend_task/dashpay/profile.rs
@@ -28,10 +28,12 @@ pub async fn load_profile(
     let dashpay_contract = app_context.dashpay_contract.clone();
 
     // Query for profile document owned by this identity
-    let mut profile_query =
-        DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract, "profile").map_err(|e| TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+    let mut profile_query = DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract, "profile").map_err(|e| {
+        DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+            query_target: "DashPay profile",
             source: Box::new(e),
-        })?;
+        }
+    })?;
 
     profile_query = profile_query.with_where(WhereClause {
         field: "$ownerId".to_string(),
@@ -129,7 +131,8 @@ pub async fn update_profile(
     // Check if profile already exists
     let mut profile_query =
         DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract.clone(), "profile").map_err(|e| {
-            TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+            DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+                query_target: "DashPay profile",
                 source: Box::new(e),
             }
         })?;
@@ -406,10 +409,12 @@ pub async fn fetch_contact_profile(
     let dashpay_contract = app_context.dashpay_contract.clone();
 
     // Query for the contact's profile document
-    let mut query =
-        DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract, "profile").map_err(|e| TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+    let mut query = DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract, "profile").map_err(|e| {
+        DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+            query_target: "DashPay profile",
             source: Box::new(e),
-        })?;
+        }
+    })?;
 
     query = query.with_where(WhereClause {
         field: "$ownerId".to_string(),
@@ -450,10 +455,12 @@ pub async fn search_profiles(
     let normalized_query = query_trimmed.to_lowercase();
 
     // Search DPNS for usernames starting with the query
-    let mut dpns_query =
-        DocumentQuery::new(dpns_contract, "domain").map_err(|e| TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+    let mut dpns_query = DocumentQuery::new(dpns_contract, "domain").map_err(|e| {
+        DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+            query_target: "DPNS domain",
             source: Box::new(e),
-        })?;
+        }
+    })?;
 
     dpns_query = dpns_query
         .with_where(WhereClause {
@@ -496,7 +503,8 @@ pub async fn search_profiles(
         // Query for profile document owned by this identity
         let mut profile_query =
             DocumentQuery::new(dashpay_contract.clone(), "profile").map_err(|e| {
-                TaskError::DpnsFetchError {
+                DashPayError::QueryCreation {
+                    query_target: "DashPay profile",
                     source: Box::new(e),
                 }
             })?;
diff --git a/src/backend_task/error.rs b/src/backend_task/error.rs
index 02f4393e3..4b5aa827a 100644
--- a/src/backend_task/error.rs
+++ b/src/backend_task/error.rs
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ const RPC_WALLET_NOT_SPECIFIED: i32 = -19;
 #[derive(Debug, Error)]
 pub enum TaskError {
     /// SPV subsystem errors.
-    #[error(transparent)]
+    #[error("{}", spv_user_message(.0))]
     Spv(#[from] crate::spv::SpvError),
 
     /// DashPay domain errors.
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ pub enum TaskError {
     Config(#[from] crate::config::ConfigError),
 
     /// GroveSTARK prover errors.
-    #[error(transparent)]
+    #[error("Could not verify platform data. Please retry.")]
     GroveStark(#[from] crate::model::grovestark_prover::GroveSTARKError),
 
     /// Wallet errors.
@@ -46,15 +46,8 @@ pub enum TaskError {
         source: rusqlite::Error,
     },
 
-    /// Failed to persist an identity update to the local database.
-    #[error("Could not save identity changes. Check available disk space and retry.")]
-    IdentitySaveError {
-        #[source]
-        source: rusqlite::Error,
-    },
-
     /// Tokio task join errors.
-    #[error(transparent)]
+    #[error("An internal operation failed unexpectedly. Please restart the application.")]
     JoinError(#[from] tokio::task::JoinError),
 
     /// Core wallet not configured for this wallet on a multi-wallet Core node.
@@ -401,7 +394,7 @@ pub enum TaskError {
     /// The Dash Platform SDK could not be initialised with the current config,
     /// or a context provider could not be bound to the current AppContext.
     #[error(
-        "Could not start the SDK. Please check your network settings and restart the application."
+        "Could not connect to the Dash network. Please check your network settings and restart the application."
     )]
     SdkInitializationFailed { detail: String },
 
@@ -630,6 +623,31 @@ pub fn is_instant_lock_proof_invalid(error: &SdkError) -> bool {
     )
 }
 
+/// Produce a user-friendly message for SPV subsystem errors.
+///
+/// Inspects the specific `SpvError` variant to give actionable guidance.
+fn spv_user_message(e: &crate::spv::SpvError) -> &'static str {
+    use crate::spv::SpvError;
+    match e {
+        SpvError::LockPoisoned(_) | SpvError::ChannelError(_) => {
+            "An internal error occurred. Please restart the application."
+        }
+        SpvError::ClientNotInitialized | SpvError::NotRunning => {
+            "The wallet sync service is not ready. Please restart the application."
+        }
+        SpvError::NetworkError(_) | SpvError::SyncFailed(_) => {
+            "Could not sync wallet data. Please check your connection and retry."
+        }
+        SpvError::WalletError(_) => {
+            "Could not process wallet data. Please check your wallet and retry."
+        }
+        SpvError::ConfigError(_) => {
+            "Wallet sync is not configured properly. Please check your settings."
+        }
+        SpvError::Other(_) => "Could not sync wallet data. Please retry.",
+    }
+}
+
 /// Produce a user-friendly message by inspecting the SDK error variant.
 ///
 /// The returned text is shown in `MessageBanner` via `Display`.
diff --git a/src/backend_task/identity/add_key_to_identity.rs b/src/backend_task/identity/add_key_to_identity.rs
index b918e41bb..febaa8610 100644
--- a/src/backend_task/identity/add_key_to_identity.rs
+++ b/src/backend_task/identity/add_key_to_identity.rs
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ impl AppContext {
         let fee_result = FeeResult::new(estimated_fee, actual_fee);
 
         self.update_local_qualified_identity(&qualified_identity)
-            .map_err(|e| TaskError::IdentitySaveError { source: e })?;
+            .map_err(|e| TaskError::Database { source: e })?;
         Ok(BackendTaskSuccessResult::AddedKeyToIdentity(fee_result))
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/backend_task/identity/load_identity_from_wallet.rs b/src/backend_task/identity/load_identity_from_wallet.rs
index ceed43ffc..45acaccbf 100644
--- a/src/backend_task/identity/load_identity_from_wallet.rs
+++ b/src/backend_task/identity/load_identity_from_wallet.rs
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ impl AppContext {
             &qualified_identity,
             &Some((wallet_seed_hash, identity_index)),
         )
-        .map_err(|e| TaskError::IdentitySaveError { source: e })?;
+        .map_err(|e| TaskError::Database { source: e })?;
 
         {
             let mut wallet = wallet_arc_ref.wallet.write().unwrap();
diff --git a/src/backend_task/identity/mod.rs b/src/backend_task/identity/mod.rs
index 560c119c5..318aeb643 100644
--- a/src/backend_task/identity/mod.rs
+++ b/src/backend_task/identity/mod.rs
@@ -661,7 +661,7 @@ impl AppContext {
 
         // Store the updated identity (use update to preserve wallet association)
         self.update_local_qualified_identity(&updated_identity)
-            .map_err(|e| TaskError::IdentitySaveError { source: e })?;
+            .map_err(|e| TaskError::Database { source: e })?;
 
         let fee_result = FeeResult::new(estimated_fee, estimated_fee);
         Ok(BackendTaskSuccessResult::ToppedUpIdentity(
@@ -744,7 +744,7 @@ impl AppContext {
 
         // Store the updated identity (use update to preserve wallet association)
         self.update_local_qualified_identity(&updated_identity)
-            .map_err(|e| TaskError::IdentitySaveError { source: e })?;
+            .map_err(|e| TaskError::Database { source: e })?;
 
         let fee_result = FeeResult::new(estimated_fee, actual_fee);
         Ok(BackendTaskSuccessResult::TransferredCredits(fee_result))
diff --git a/src/backend_task/identity/refresh_loaded_identities_dpns_names.rs b/src/backend_task/identity/refresh_loaded_identities_dpns_names.rs
index fb99f5e2c..9d32f0794 100644
--- a/src/backend_task/identity/refresh_loaded_identities_dpns_names.rs
+++ b/src/backend_task/identity/refresh_loaded_identities_dpns_names.rs
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ impl AppContext {
             }
 
             self.update_local_qualified_identity(&qualified_identity)
-                .map_err(|e| TaskError::IdentitySaveError { source: e })?;
+                .map_err(|e| TaskError::Database { source: e })?;
         }
 
         sender
diff --git a/src/backend_task/identity/register_dpns_name.rs b/src/backend_task/identity/register_dpns_name.rs
index 0a979bb16..1dc7a5e5c 100644
--- a/src/backend_task/identity/register_dpns_name.rs
+++ b/src/backend_task/identity/register_dpns_name.rs
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ impl AppContext {
         qualified_identity.identity = refreshed_identity;
 
         self.update_local_qualified_identity(&qualified_identity)
-            .map_err(|e| TaskError::IdentitySaveError { source: e })?;
+            .map_err(|e| TaskError::Database { source: e })?;
 
         let fee_result = FeeResult::new(estimated_fee, actual_fee);
         Ok(BackendTaskSuccessResult::RegisteredDpnsName(fee_result))
diff --git a/src/backend_task/identity/transfer.rs b/src/backend_task/identity/transfer.rs
index 49f199a0b..b660729d0 100644
--- a/src/backend_task/identity/transfer.rs
+++ b/src/backend_task/identity/transfer.rs
@@ -64,13 +64,13 @@ impl AppContext {
         {
             receiver.identity.set_balance(receiver_balance);
             self.update_local_qualified_identity(receiver)
-                .map_err(|e| TaskError::IdentitySaveError { source: e })?;
+                .map_err(|e| TaskError::Database { source: e })?;
         }
 
         let fee_result = FeeResult::new(estimated_fee, actual_fee);
 
         self.update_local_qualified_identity(&qualified_identity)
             .map(|_| BackendTaskSuccessResult::TransferredCredits(fee_result))
-            .map_err(|e| TaskError::IdentitySaveError { source: e })
+            .map_err(|e| TaskError::Database { source: e })
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/backend_task/identity/withdraw_from_identity.rs b/src/backend_task/identity/withdraw_from_identity.rs
index 843efc3ea..57df40f6a 100644
--- a/src/backend_task/identity/withdraw_from_identity.rs
+++ b/src/backend_task/identity/withdraw_from_identity.rs
@@ -114,6 +114,6 @@ impl AppContext {
 
         self.update_local_qualified_identity(&qualified_identity)
             .map(|_| BackendTaskSuccessResult::WithdrewFromIdentity(fee_result))
-            .map_err(|e| TaskError::IdentitySaveError { source: e })
+            .map_err(|e| TaskError::Database { source: e })
     }
 }