diff --git a/app/App.zig b/app/App.zig
index 2550654ed..bf7501150 100644
--- a/app/App.zig
+++ b/app/App.zig
@@ -886,25 +886,38 @@ pub fn themeFilenameToName(trimmed: []const u8) ?[]const u8 {
     return null;
 }
 
-/// Human-readable, actionable explanation for a `PluginLoader.LoadError`.
+/// Human-readable, actionable explanation for a `PluginLoader.LoadError`. The desktop and web
+/// loaders have different error sets that share a name wherever they mean the same thing, so the
+/// reasons are kept by name (`load_failure_reasons`): an error either loader gains without a
+/// reason there is a compile error, as a missing switch prong would be.
 pub fn pluginLoadFailureReason(err: PluginLoader.LoadError) []const u8 {
     return switch (err) {
-        error.AbiMismatch => "built against an incompatible Fizzy SDK — rebuild the plugin against this Fizzy build",
-        error.AbiBuildEnvMismatch => "SDK versions match, but optimize mode does not match",
-        error.SdkVersionMismatch => "requires a newer Fizzy SDK — update Fizzy or install a matching plugin build",
-        error.PluginIdMismatch => "plugin id in the dylib does not match its filename — rename the file or fix manifest.id",
-        error.DylibOpenFailed => "the plugin library could not be opened (missing file, wrong architecture, or unresolved symbols)",
-        error.RegisterRejected => "the plugin's register() was rejected (often a duplicate plugin id — a built-in or another plugin already claims it)",
-        error.AbiFingerprintSymbolMissing,
-        error.RegisterSymbolMissing,
-        error.SetGlobalsSymbolMissing,
-        error.SetDvuiContextSymbolMissing,
-        error.SetRenderBridgeSymbolMissing,
-        error.SdkVersionSymbolMissing,
-        => "the plugin is missing required entry symbols — rebuild it from a current root.zig template",
+        inline else => |e| @field(load_failure_reasons, @errorName(e)),
     };
 }
 
+const missing_symbols_reason = "the plugin is missing required entry symbols — rebuild it from a current root.zig template";
+
+const load_failure_reasons = .{
+    .AbiMismatch = "built against an incompatible Fizzy SDK — rebuild the plugin against this Fizzy build",
+    .AbiBuildEnvMismatch = "SDK versions match, but optimize mode does not match",
+    .SdkVersionMismatch = "requires a newer Fizzy SDK — update Fizzy or install a matching plugin build",
+    .PluginIdMismatch = "plugin id in the dylib does not match its filename — rename the file or fix manifest.id",
+    .DylibOpenFailed = "the plugin library could not be opened (missing file, wrong architecture, or unresolved symbols)",
+    .RegisterRejected = "the plugin's register() was rejected (often a duplicate plugin id — a built-in or another plugin already claims it)",
+    .AbiFingerprintSymbolMissing = missing_symbols_reason,
+    .RegisterSymbolMissing = missing_symbols_reason,
+    .SetGlobalsSymbolMissing = missing_symbols_reason,
+    .SetDvuiContextSymbolMissing = missing_symbols_reason,
+    .SetRenderBridgeSymbolMissing = missing_symbols_reason,
+    .SdkVersionSymbolMissing = missing_symbols_reason,
+    // The web loader's own: a linked module without an entry point, a build that cannot load
+    // plugins at all, and an allocation failing on the way.
+    .LoadFailed = missing_symbols_reason,
+    .Unsupported = "this build of Fizzy cannot load plugins",
+    .OutOfMemory = "ran out of memory while loading",
+};
+
 pub fn formatPluginProbeDetail(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, info: PluginLoader.PluginVersionInfo) ![]const u8 {
     return std.fmt.allocPrint(allocator, "plugin {d}.{d}.{d}, min SDK {d}.{d}.{d}", .{
         info.plugin_version.major,
diff --git a/app/store/PluginLoader_web.zig b/app/store/PluginLoader_web.zig
index 827c95f21..954afb280 100644
--- a/app/store/PluginLoader_web.zig
+++ b/app/store/PluginLoader_web.zig
@@ -232,6 +232,17 @@ fn readVersionTriplet(get_fn: ?dylib_api.GetSdkVersionFn) std.SemanticVersion {
     return .{ .major = 0, .minor = 0, .patch = 0 };
 }
 
+/// The versions a linked module declares, read whether or not `prepare` accepts it — the web's
+/// `probeVersionInfo`, so a refused build is reported with the same detail as one on disk. Only
+/// the triplet getters run, which `prepare` already calls on a module whose fingerprint is wrong.
+pub fn versionInfo(lib: WebDynLib) PluginVersionInfo {
+    return .{
+        .plugin_version = readVersionTriplet(lib.lookup(dylib_api.GetSdkVersionFn, dylib_api.symbol_plugin_version)),
+        .built_with_sdk_version = readVersionTriplet(lib.lookup(dylib_api.GetSdkVersionFn, dylib_api.symbol_sdk_version)),
+        .min_sdk_version = readVersionTriplet(lib.lookup(dylib_api.GetSdkVersionFn, dylib_api.symbol_min_sdk_version)),
+    };
+}
+
 /// A linked module that has passed every check and has not yet been registered. Split from
 /// `register` so an update can find out whether the new build is acceptable *before* the running
 /// one is torn down: everything that can reject a module (fingerprint, SDK version, declared id,
diff --git a/src/editor/Editor.zig b/src/editor/Editor.zig
index fbac5cffe..449c532cd 100644
--- a/src/editor/Editor.zig
+++ b/src/editor/Editor.zig
@@ -1513,6 +1513,7 @@ const WebPluginRequest = struct {
         }
         const lib = arrival.lib orelse {
             dvui.log.err("web plugin '{s}' ({s}): the page could not load it", .{ req.id, req.url });
+            req.failed("the page could not fetch or link the plugin's module (offline, a changed download, or not a plugin)", null);
             gpa.free(req.url);
             return;
         };
@@ -1521,6 +1522,7 @@ const WebPluginRequest = struct {
         // replacing is still running and still owns its documents.
         const ready = PluginLoader.prepare(req.url, req.id, lib) catch |err| {
             dvui.log.err("web plugin '{s}' ({s}): refused: {s}", .{ req.id, req.url, @errorName(err) });
+            req.failed(App.pluginLoadFailureReason(err), lib);
             gpa.free(req.url);
             return;
         };
@@ -1543,6 +1545,7 @@ const WebPluginRequest = struct {
             .arg_c = null,
         }) catch |err| {
             dvui.log.err("web plugin '{s}' ({s}): register failed: {s}", .{ req.id, req.url, @errorName(err) });
+            req.failed(App.pluginLoadFailureReason(err), lib);
             gpa.free(req.url);
             return;
         };
@@ -1551,6 +1554,8 @@ const WebPluginRequest = struct {
             return;
         };
         registered = true;
+        // As `loadUserPluginById` does: a build that loads retires any failure an earlier one left.
+        editor.app.clearFailedUserPlugin(req.id);
         App.syncLoadedPluginDvuiContexts(&editor.app);
         App.syncLoadedPluginRenderBridge(&editor.app);
         for (editor.app.host.plugins.items) |p| {
@@ -1571,6 +1576,23 @@ const WebPluginRequest = struct {
         dvui.log.info("web plugin '{s}' loaded from {s}", .{ req.id, req.url });
         editor.app.host.refresh();
     }
+
+    /// This build did not take. With no build of this id running (a remembered build coming
+    /// back, a first install, a repair), the store's Installed pane shows it as failed and says
+    /// why, as the desktop does for a build on disk (`App.recordLoadFailure`) — before, the web
+    /// said so only in the console. An update the running build stays in front of is only noted,
+    /// as a failed reload is on the desktop; its row in the update window turns to Retry
+    /// (`PluginStore.webLoadFailed`).
+    fn failed(req: *const WebPluginRequest, reason: []const u8, lib: ?PluginLoader.WebDynLib) void {
+        const app = &req.editor.app;
+        if (app.host.pluginById(req.id) != null) return app.noteLoadFailed(req.id, reason);
+        const info: ?PluginLoader.PluginVersionInfo = if (lib) |l| PluginLoader.versionInfo(l) else null;
+        const detail: ?[]const u8 = if (info) |i| App.formatPluginProbeDetail(app.gpa, i) catch null else null;
+        defer if (detail) |d| app.gpa.free(d);
+        // `recordPluginFailure` appends: one card per id however many times it is retried.
+        app.clearFailedUserPlugin(req.id);
+        app.recordPluginFailure(req.id, reason, detail, if (info) |i| i.plugin_version else null, .{});
+    }
 };
 
 /// The page asks for a plugin: `?plugin=<id>` on the URL (`plugins/<id>/<id>.wasm` beside
@@ -1934,9 +1956,11 @@ pub fn uninstallPlugin(editor: *Editor, id: []const u8, force: bool) !void {
             error.NotUnloadable => {}, // already gone
             else => return err,
         };
-        // As on the desktop: a reinstall asks again (see `clearPluginOwnershipRecord`).
+        // As on the desktop: a reinstall asks again (see `clearPluginOwnershipRecord`), and a
+        // refused build's card goes with it.
         editor.app.untrackDisabledPlugin(id);
         editor.clearPluginOwnershipRecord(id);
+        editor.app.clearFailedUserPlugin(id);
         editor.rebuildExtensionOwnerCache();
         return;
     }