diff --git a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime-test/project/src/test/java/software/amazon/jsii/testing/ComplianceTest.java b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime-test/project/src/test/java/software/amazon/jsii/testing/ComplianceTest.java
index 673397e3ef..ada75214ac 100644
--- a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime-test/project/src/test/java/software/amazon/jsii/testing/ComplianceTest.java
+++ b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime-test/project/src/test/java/software/amazon/jsii/testing/ComplianceTest.java
@@ -334,8 +334,11 @@ public void exceptions() {
         calc3.add(3);
         assertEquals(23, calc3.getValue());
         boolean thrown = false;
-        try { calc3.add(10); }
-        catch (Exception e) { thrown = true; }
+        try {
+          calc3.add(10);
+        } catch (RuntimeException e) {
+          thrown = true;
+        }
         assertTrue(thrown);
         calc3.setMaxValue(40);
         calc3.add(10);
@@ -449,7 +452,7 @@ public java.lang.Number overrideMe(java.lang.Number mult) {
         boolean thrown = false;
         try {
             obj.callMe();
-        } catch (JsiiException e) {
+        } catch (RuntimeException e) {
             assertTrue(e.getMessage().contains( "Thrown by native code"));
             thrown = true;
         }
@@ -518,7 +521,7 @@ public String getTheProperty() {
         boolean thrown = false;
         try {
             so.retrieveValueOfTheProperty();
-        } catch (Exception e) {
+        } catch (RuntimeException e) {
             assertTrue(e.getMessage().contains("Oh no, this is bad"));
             thrown = true;
         }
@@ -536,7 +539,7 @@ public void setTheProperty(String value) {
         boolean thrown = false;
         try {
             so.modifyValueOfTheProperty("Hii");
-        } catch (Exception e) {
+        } catch (RuntimeException e) {
             assertTrue(e.getMessage().contains("Exception from overloaded setter"));
             thrown = true;
         }
diff --git a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/BundledRuntime.t.js b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/BundledRuntime.t.js
index 5bc380d0fd..daf6890ddd 100644
--- a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/BundledRuntime.t.js
+++ b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/BundledRuntime.t.js
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ ${resources.map(extractResource).map(indent(12)).join('\n')}
 
             return entrypoint.toString();
         } catch (final IOException ioe) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Unable to extract bundled @jsii/runtime library", ioe);
+            throw new JsiiError("Unable to extract bundled @jsii/runtime library", ioe);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiClient.java b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiClient.java
index b730bcfa63..9dbbad425d 100644
--- a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiClient.java
+++ b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiClient.java
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ public void loadModule(final JsiiModule module) {
                 Files.delete(tarball.getParent());
             }
         } catch (IOException e) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Unable to extract resource " + module.getBundleResourceName(), e);
+            throw new JsiiError("Unable to extract resource " + module.getBundleResourceName(), e);
         }
     }
 
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ public List<Callback> pendingCallbacks() {
 
         JsonNode callbacksResp = resp.get("callbacks");
         if (callbacksResp == null || !callbacksResp.isArray()) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Expecting a 'callbacks' key with an array in response");
+            throw new JsiiError("Expecting a 'callbacks' key with an array in response");
         }
 
         ArrayNode callbacksArray = (ArrayNode) callbacksResp;
diff --git a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiEngine.java b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiEngine.java
index 225a98a136..c4222013b4 100644
--- a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiEngine.java
+++ b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiEngine.java
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ private JsiiEngine() {
      */
     public void loadModule(final Class<? extends JsiiModule> moduleClass) {
         if (!JsiiModule.class.isAssignableFrom(moduleClass)) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Invalid module class "
+            throw new JsiiError("Invalid module class "
                     + moduleClass.getName()
                     + ". It must be derived from JsiiModule");
         }
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ public void loadModule(final Class<? extends JsiiModule> moduleClass) {
         try {
             module = moduleClass.getConstructor().newInstance();
         } catch (IllegalAccessException | InstantiationException | InvocationTargetException | NoSuchMethodException e) {
-            throw new JsiiException(e);
+            throw new JsiiError(e);
         }
 
         if (this.loadedModules.containsKey(module.getModuleName())) {
@@ -270,12 +270,12 @@ public JsiiObjectRef nativeToObjRef(final Object nativeObject) {
      *
      * @param objRef The object reference
      * @return a JsiiObject
-     * @throws JsiiException If the object is not found.
+     * @throws JsiiError If the object is not found.
      */
     public Object getObject(final JsiiObjectRef objRef) {
         Object obj = this.objects.get(objRef.getObjId());
         if (obj == null) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Cannot find jsii object: " + objRef.getObjId());
+            throw new JsiiError("Cannot find jsii object: " + objRef.getObjId());
         }
         return obj;
     }
@@ -303,24 +303,24 @@ Class<?> resolveJavaClass(final String fqn) {
         }
         String[] parts = fqn.split("\\.");
         if (parts.length < 2) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Malformed FQN: " + fqn);
+            throw new JsiiError("Malformed FQN: " + fqn);
         }
 
         String moduleName = parts[0];
 
         JsonNode names = this.getClient().getModuleNames(moduleName);
         if (!names.has("java")) {
-            throw new JsiiException("No java name for module " + moduleName);
+            throw new JsiiError("No java name for module " + moduleName);
         }
 
         final JsiiModule module = this.loadedModules.get(moduleName);
         if (module == null) {
-            throw new JsiiException("No loaded module is named " + moduleName);
+            throw new JsiiError("No loaded module is named " + moduleName);
         }
         try {
             return module.resolveClass(fqn);
         } catch (final ClassNotFoundException cfne) {
-            throw new JsiiException(cfne);
+            throw new JsiiError(cfne);
         }
     }
 
@@ -346,12 +346,12 @@ private JsiiObject createNativeProxy(final String fqn, final JsiiObjectRef objRe
                 ctor.setAccessible(false);
                 return newObj;
             } catch (NoSuchMethodException e) {
-                throw new JsiiException("Cannot create native object of type "
+                throw new JsiiError("Cannot create native object of type "
                         + klass.getName()
                         + " without a constructor that accepts an InitializationMode argument", e);
 
             } catch (IllegalAccessException | InstantiationException | InvocationTargetException e) {
-                throw new JsiiException("Unable to instantiate a new object for FQN " + fqn + ": "
+                throw new JsiiError("Unable to instantiate a new object for FQN " + fqn + ": "
                         + e.getMessage(), e);
             }
         } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ private JsiiObject createNativeProxy(final String fqn, final JsiiObjectRef objRe
     public Enum<?> findEnumValue(final String enumRef) {
         int sep = enumRef.lastIndexOf('/');
         if (sep == -1) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Malformed enum reference: " + enumRef);
+            throw new JsiiError("Malformed enum reference: " + enumRef);
         }
 
         String typeName = enumRef.substring(0, sep);
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ public void processAllPendingCallbacks() {
      * Invokes a local callback and returns the result/error.
      * @param callback The callback to invoke.
      * @return The return value
-     * @throws JsiiException if the callback failed.
+     * @throws JsiiError if the callback failed.
      */
     public JsonNode handleCallback(final Callback callback) {
 
@@ -408,7 +408,7 @@ public JsonNode handleCallback(final Callback callback) {
             return invokeCallbackSet(callback.getSet());
         }
 
-        throw new JsiiException("Unrecognized callback type: get/set/invoke");
+        throw new JsiiError("Unrecognized callback type: get/set/invoke");
     }
 
     /**
@@ -486,9 +486,9 @@ private Object invokeMethod(final Object obj, final Method method, final Object.
                 throw e;
             }
         } catch (InvocationTargetException e) {
-            throw new JsiiException(e.getTargetException());
+            throw new JsiiError(e.getTargetException());
         } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
-            throw new JsiiException(e);
+            throw new JsiiError(e);
         } finally {
             // revert accessibility.
             method.setAccessible(accessibility);
@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@ private void processCallback(final Callback callback) {
         try {
             JsonNode result = handleCallback(callback);
             this.getClient().completeCallback(callback, null, result);
-        } catch (JsiiException e) {
+        } catch (JsiiError e) {
             this.getClient().completeCallback(callback, e.getMessage(), null);
         }
     }
@@ -528,7 +528,7 @@ private Method findCallbackMethod(final Class<?> klass, final String signature)
             return findCallbackMethod(klass.getSuperclass(), signature);
         }
 
-        throw new JsiiException("Unable to find callback method with signature: " + signature);
+        throw new JsiiError("Unable to find callback method with signature: " + signature);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -536,7 +536,7 @@ private Method findCallbackMethod(final Class<?> klass, final String signature)
      * @param klass is the type on which the getter is to be searched for
      * @param methodName is the name of the getter method
      * @return the found Method
-     * @throws JsiiException if no such method is found
+     * @throws JsiiError if no such method is found
      */
     private Method findCallbackGetter(final Class<?> klass, final String methodName) {
         try {
@@ -549,7 +549,7 @@ private Method findCallbackGetter(final Class<?> klass, final String methodName)
                     // Ignored!
                 }
             }
-            throw new JsiiException(nsme);
+            throw new JsiiError(nsme);
         }
     }
 
@@ -559,7 +559,7 @@ private Method findCallbackGetter(final Class<?> klass, final String methodName)
      * @param methodName is the name of the setter method
      * @param valueType is the type of the argument the setter accepts
      * @return the found Method
-     * @throws JsiiException if no such method is found
+     * @throws JsiiError if no such method is found
      */
     private Method findCallbackSetter(final Class<?> klass, final String methodName, final Class<?> valueType) {
         try {
@@ -572,7 +572,7 @@ private Method findCallbackSetter(final Class<?> klass, final String methodName,
                     // Ignored!
                 }
             }
-            throw new JsiiException(nsme);
+            throw new JsiiError(nsme);
         }
     }
 
@@ -731,7 +731,7 @@ static Jsii tryGetJsiiAnnotation(final Class<?> type, final boolean inherited) {
     String loadModuleForClass(Class<?> nativeClass) {
         final Jsii jsii = tryGetJsiiAnnotation(nativeClass, true);
         if (jsii == null) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Unable to find @Jsii annotation for class");
+            throw new JsiiError("Unable to find @Jsii annotation for class");
         }
 
         this.loadModule(jsii.module());
diff --git a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiError.java b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiError.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f64d3a2d9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiError.java
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+package software.amazon.jsii;
+
+/**
+ * A nonrecoverable error from the jsii runtime,
+ * usually the kernel.
+ */
+public final class JsiiError extends JsiiException {
+  public static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+
+  /**
+   * Creates an exception.
+   * @param message The error message
+   */
+  JsiiError(final String message) {
+      super(message);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Creates an exception.
+   * @param e The error that caused this exception
+   */
+  JsiiError(final Throwable e) {
+      super(e);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Creates an exception.
+   * @param message The error message
+   * @param e The error that caused this exception
+   */
+  JsiiError(final String message, final Throwable e) {
+      super(message, e);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiException.java b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiException.java
index 34361bdaa8..92e5d5a305 100644
--- a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiException.java
+++ b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiException.java
@@ -1,33 +1,48 @@
 package software.amazon.jsii;
 
-/**
+/*
  * An error raised by the jsii runtime.
  */
-public final class JsiiException extends RuntimeException {
+public abstract class JsiiException extends RuntimeException {
     public static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
-    /**
-     * Creates an exception.
-     * @param message The error message
-     */
-    JsiiException(final String message) {
-        super(message);
-    }
+    static enum Type {
+        JSII_FAULT("@jsii/kernel.Fault"),
+        RUNTIME_EXCEPTION("@jsii/kernel.RuntimeException");
 
-    /**
-     * Creates an exception.
-     * @param e The error that caused this exception
-     */
-    JsiiException(final Throwable e) {
-        super(e);
-    }
+        private final String errorType;
+
+        Type(String str) {
+            this.errorType = str;
+        }
 
-    /**
-     * Creates an exception.
-     * @param message The error message
-     * @param e The error that caused this exception
-     */
-    JsiiException(final String message, final Throwable e) {
-        super(message, e);
+        public String toString() {
+            return this.errorType;
+        }
     }
+
+  /**
+   * Creates an exception.
+   * @param message The error message
+   */
+  JsiiException(final String message) {
+      super(message);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Creates an exception.
+   * @param e The error that caused this exception
+   */
+  JsiiException(final Throwable e) {
+      super(e);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Creates an exception.
+   * @param message The error message
+   * @param e The error that caused this exception
+   */
+  JsiiException(final String message, final Throwable e) {
+      super(message, e);
+  }
 }
diff --git a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiObject.java b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiObject.java
index 776b1bbf7a..84761907ec 100644
--- a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiObject.java
+++ b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiObject.java
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ protected JsiiObject(final InitializationMode initializationMode) {
     JsiiObject(@Nullable final JsiiEngine engine, final InitializationMode initializationMode) {
         this.jsii$engine = JsiiEngine.getEngineFor(this, engine);
         if (initializationMode != InitializationMode.JSII) {
-            throw new JsiiException("The only supported initialization mode is '" + InitializationMode.JSII + "'");
+            throw new JsiiError("The only supported initialization mode is '" + InitializationMode.JSII + "'");
         }
     }
 
@@ -380,11 +380,11 @@ final <T extends JsiiObject> T asInterfaceProxy(final Class<? extends T> proxyCl
                     constructor.setAccessible(oldAccessible);
                 }
             } catch(final NoSuchMethodException nsme) {
-                throw new JsiiException("Unable to find interface proxy constructor on " + proxyClass.getCanonicalName(), nsme);
+                throw new JsiiError("Unable to find interface proxy constructor on " + proxyClass.getCanonicalName(), nsme);
             } catch (final InvocationTargetException | InstantiationException e) {
-                throw new JsiiException("Unable to initialize interface proxy " + proxyClass.getCanonicalName(), e);
+                throw new JsiiError("Unable to initialize interface proxy " + proxyClass.getCanonicalName(), e);
             } catch (final IllegalAccessException iae) {
-                throw new JsiiException("Unable to invoke constructor of " + proxyClass.getCanonicalName(), iae);
+                throw new JsiiError("Unable to invoke constructor of " + proxyClass.getCanonicalName(), iae);
             }
         }
         @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
diff --git a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiObjectMapper.java b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiObjectMapper.java
index 2dd7d317c8..c5d58a1acc 100644
--- a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiObjectMapper.java
+++ b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiObjectMapper.java
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ public final class JsiiObjectMapper {
 
   /**
    * Similar to calling JsiiObjectMapper.INSTANCE.treeToValue, but handles a null JsonNode argument
-   * well, and throws JsiiException instead of JsonProcessingException.
+   * well, and throws JsiiError instead of JsonProcessingException.
    *
    * @param tree the JSON object to parse
    * @param valueType the expected type value type
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ private static final class EnumSerializer extends JsonSerializer<Enum> {
     public void serialize(final Enum value, final JsonGenerator gen, final SerializerProvider serializers) throws IOException {
       Jsii jsii = this.tryGetJsiiAnnotation(value.getClass());
       if (jsii == null) {
-        throw new JsiiException("Cannot serialize non-jsii enums");
+        throw new JsiiError("Cannot serialize non-jsii enums");
       } else {
         gen.writeStartObject();
         gen.writeStringField(TOKEN_ENUM, jsii.fqn() + "/" + value.toString());
diff --git a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiObjectRef.java b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiObjectRef.java
index 383ead102e..ce218d9872 100644
--- a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiObjectRef.java
+++ b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiObjectRef.java
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ private JsiiObjectRef(final String objId, final Set<String> interfaces, final Js
      */
     public static JsiiObjectRef parse(final JsonNode objRef) {
         if (!objRef.has(TOKEN_REF)) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Malformed object reference. Expecting " + TOKEN_REF);
+            throw new JsiiError("Malformed object reference. Expecting " + TOKEN_REF);
         }
 
         return new JsiiObjectRef(objRef.get(TOKEN_REF).textValue(), objRef);
diff --git a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiRuntime.java b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiRuntime.java
index bfda1b8de9..94520bbcbf 100644
--- a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiRuntime.java
+++ b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/JsiiRuntime.java
@@ -76,7 +76,8 @@ public final class JsiiRuntime {
      *
      * @param request The JSON request
      * @return The JSON response
-     * @throws JsiiException If the runtime returns an error response.
+     * @throws JsiiError If the runtime returns an error response originating from the @jsii/kernel.
+     * @throws RuntimeException If the runtime returns an error response.
      */
     JsonNode requestResponse(final JsonNode request) {
         try {
@@ -104,24 +105,29 @@ JsonNode requestResponse(final JsonNode request) {
             return resp.get("ok");
 
         } catch (IOException e) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Unable to send request to jsii-runtime: " + e.toString(), e);
+            throw new JsiiError("Unable to send request to jsii-runtime: " + e.toString(), e);
         }
     }
 
     /**
      * Handles an "error" response by extracting the message and stack trace
-     * and throwing a JsiiException.
+     * and throwing a JsiiError or a RuntimeException.
      *
      * @param resp The response
      * @return Never
      */
     private JsonNode processErrorResponse(final JsonNode resp) {
+        String errorName = resp.get("name").asText();
         String errorMessage = resp.get("error").asText();
         if (resp.has("stack")) {
             errorMessage += "\n" + resp.get("stack").asText();
         }
 
-        throw new JsiiException(errorMessage);
+        if (errorName.equals(JsiiException.Type.RUNTIME_EXCEPTION.toString())) {
+          throw new RuntimeException(errorMessage);
+        }
+
+        throw new JsiiError(errorMessage);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -133,7 +139,7 @@ private JsonNode processErrorResponse(final JsonNode resp) {
      */
     private JsonNode processCallbackResponse(final JsonNode resp) {
         if (this.callbackHandler == null) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Cannot process callback since callbackHandler was not set");
+            throw new JsiiError("Cannot process callback since callbackHandler was not set");
         }
 
         Callback callback = JsiiObjectMapper.treeToValue(resp.get("callback"), NativeType.forClass(Callback.class));
@@ -310,7 +316,7 @@ private void handshake() {
         JsonNode helloResponse = this.readNextResponse();
 
         if (!helloResponse.has("hello")) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Expecting 'hello' message from jsii-runtime");
+            throw new JsiiError("Expecting 'hello' message from jsii-runtime");
         }
 
         String runtimeVersion = helloResponse.get("hello").asText();
@@ -321,19 +327,19 @@ private void handshake() {
      * Reads the next response from STDOUT of the child process.
      *
      * @return The parsed JSON response.
-     * @throws JsiiException if we couldn't parse the response.
+     * @throws JsiiError if we couldn't parse the response.
      */
     JsonNode readNextResponse() {
         try {
             String responseLine = this.stdout.readLine();
             if (responseLine == null) {
-                throw new JsiiException("Child process exited unexpectedly!");
+                throw new JsiiError("Child process exited unexpectedly!");
             }
             final JsonNode response = JsiiObjectMapper.INSTANCE.readTree(responseLine);
             JsiiRuntime.notifyInspector(response, MessageInspector.MessageType.Response);
             return response;
         } catch (IOException e) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Unable to read reply from jsii-runtime: " + e.toString(), e);
+            throw new JsiiError("Unable to read reply from jsii-runtime: " + e.toString(), e);
         }
     }
 
@@ -345,7 +351,7 @@ JsonNode readNextResponse() {
     public JsiiClient getClient() {
         this.startRuntimeIfNeeded();
         if (this.client == null) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Client not created");
+            throw new JsiiError("Client not created");
         }
         return this.client;
     }
@@ -356,13 +362,13 @@ public JsiiClient getClient() {
      *
      * @param expectedVersion The version this client expects from the runtime
      * @param actualVersion   The actual version the runtime reports
-     * @throws JsiiException if versions mismatch
+     * @throws JsiiError if versions mismatch
      */
     static void assertVersionCompatible(final String expectedVersion, final String actualVersion) {
         final String shortActualVersion = actualVersion.replaceAll(VERSION_BUILD_PART_REGEX, "");
         final String shortExpectedVersion = expectedVersion.replaceAll(VERSION_BUILD_PART_REGEX, "");
         if (shortExpectedVersion.compareTo(shortActualVersion) != 0) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Incompatible jsii-runtime version. Expecting "
+            throw new JsiiError("Incompatible jsii-runtime version. Expecting "
                     + shortExpectedVersion
                     + ", actual was " + shortActualVersion);
         }
diff --git a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/UnsafeCast.java b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/UnsafeCast.java
index c1b3a570ea..ccc6a5b9eb 100644
--- a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/UnsafeCast.java
+++ b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/UnsafeCast.java
@@ -49,11 +49,11 @@ public static <T extends JsiiSerializable> T unsafeCast(final JsiiObject value,
                 constructor.setAccessible(oldAccessible);
             }
         } catch (final NoSuchMethodException nsme) {
-            throw new JsiiException(String.format("Unable to find interface proxy constructor on %s", annotation.value().getCanonicalName()), nsme);
+            throw new JsiiError(String.format("Unable to find interface proxy constructor on %s", annotation.value().getCanonicalName()), nsme);
         } catch (final InvocationTargetException | InstantiationException e) {
-            throw new JsiiException(String.format("Unable to initialize interface proxy %s", annotation.value().getCanonicalName()), e);
+            throw new JsiiError(String.format("Unable to initialize interface proxy %s", annotation.value().getCanonicalName()), e);
         } catch (final IllegalAccessException iae) {
-            throw new JsiiException(String.format("Unable to invoke constructor of %s", annotation.value().getCanonicalName()), iae);
+            throw new JsiiError(String.format("Unable to invoke constructor of %s", annotation.value().getCanonicalName()), iae);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/Util.java b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/Util.java
index e132ee85aa..7e1c82defe 100644
--- a/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/Util.java
+++ b/packages/@jsii/java-runtime/project/src/main/java/software/amazon/jsii/Util.java
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ private static boolean isMatchingGetterPresent(final String getterName, final Cl
     static String javaPropertyToJSProperty(final Method method) {
         final String getterSetterMethod = method.getName();
         if (!isJavaPropertyMethod(method)) {
-            throw new JsiiException("Invalid getter/setter method. Must start with get/set");
+            throw new JsiiError("Invalid getter/setter method. Must start with get/set");
         }
 
         String camelCase = getterSetterMethod.substring(
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ static String javaPropertyToJSProperty(final Method method) {
      */
     static String javaScriptPropertyToJavaPropertyName(final String prefix, final String jsPropertyName) {
         if (jsPropertyName.isEmpty()) {
-            throw new JsiiException("jsPropertyName must not be empty");
+            throw new JsiiError("jsPropertyName must not be empty");
         }
 
         StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
diff --git a/packages/@jsii/kernel/src/kernel.ts b/packages/@jsii/kernel/src/kernel.ts
index 7426dab9da..5100b490c7 100644
--- a/packages/@jsii/kernel/src/kernel.ts
+++ b/packages/@jsii/kernel/src/kernel.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,28 @@ import * as onExit from './on-exit';
 import * as wire from './serialization';
 import * as tar from './tar-cache';
 
+export const enum JsiiErrorType {
+  JSII_FAULT = '@jsii/kernel.Fault',
+  RUNTIME_ERROR = '@jsii/kernel.RuntimeError',
+}
+
+export interface JsiiError extends Error {
+  readonly name: JsiiErrorType;
+}
+
+export class JsiiFault extends Error implements JsiiError {
+  public readonly name = JsiiErrorType.JSII_FAULT;
+  public constructor(message: string) {
+    super(message);
+  }
+}
+
+export class RuntimeError extends Error implements JsiiError {
+  public readonly name = JsiiErrorType.RUNTIME_ERROR;
+  public constructor(message: string) {
+    super(message);
+  }
+}
 export class Kernel {
   /**
    * Set to true for verbose debugging.
@@ -56,7 +78,7 @@ export class Kernel {
     this._debug('load', req);
 
     if ('assembly' in req) {
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new JsiiFault(
         '`assembly` field is deprecated for "load", use `name`, `version` and `tarball` instead',
       );
     }
@@ -70,7 +92,7 @@ export class Kernel {
       // module exists, verify version
       const epkg = fs.readJsonSync(path.join(packageDir, 'package.json'));
       if (epkg.version !== pkgver) {
-        throw new Error(
+        throw new JsiiFault(
           `Multiple versions ${pkgver} and ${epkg.version} of the ` +
             `package '${pkgname}' cannot be loaded together since this is unsupported by ` +
             'some runtime environments',
@@ -135,7 +157,9 @@ export class Kernel {
         `loadAssemblyFromPath(${packageDir})`,
       );
     } catch (e: any) {
-      throw new Error(`Error for package tarball ${req.tarball}: ${e.message}`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(
+        `Error for package tarball ${req.tarball}: ${e.message}`,
+      );
     }
 
     // load the module and capture its closure
@@ -166,13 +190,15 @@ export class Kernel {
       const epkg = fs.readJsonSync(path.join(packageDir, 'package.json'));
 
       if (!epkg.bin) {
-        throw new Error('There is no bin scripts defined for this package.');
+        throw new JsiiFault(
+          'There is no bin scripts defined for this package.',
+        );
       }
 
       const scriptPath = epkg.bin[req.script];
 
       if (!epkg.bin) {
-        throw new Error(`Script with name ${req.script} was not defined.`);
+        throw new JsiiFault(`Script with name ${req.script} was not defined.`);
       }
 
       const result = cp.spawnSync(
@@ -198,7 +224,7 @@ export class Kernel {
         signal: result.signal,
       };
     }
-    throw new Error(`Package with name ${req.assembly} was not loaded.`);
+    throw new JsiiFault(`Package with name ${req.assembly} was not loaded.`);
   }
 
   public create(req: api.CreateRequest): api.CreateResponse {
@@ -221,7 +247,7 @@ export class Kernel {
     const ti = this._typeInfoForProperty(property, fqn);
 
     if (!ti.static) {
-      throw new Error(`property ${symbol} is not static`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(`property ${symbol} is not static`);
     }
 
     const prototype = this._findSymbol(fqn);
@@ -244,11 +270,11 @@ export class Kernel {
     const ti = this._typeInfoForProperty(property, fqn);
 
     if (!ti.static) {
-      throw new Error(`property ${symbol} is not static`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(`property ${symbol} is not static`);
     }
 
     if (ti.immutable) {
-      throw new Error(`static property ${symbol} is readonly`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(`static property ${symbol} is readonly`);
     }
 
     const prototype = this._findSymbol(fqn);
@@ -299,7 +325,7 @@ export class Kernel {
     const propInfo = this._typeInfoForProperty(req.property, fqn, interfaces);
 
     if (propInfo.immutable) {
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new JsiiFault(
         `Cannot set value of immutable property ${req.property} to ${req.value}`,
       );
     }
@@ -328,7 +354,7 @@ export class Kernel {
 
     // verify this is not an async method
     if (ti.async) {
-      throw new Error(`${method} is an async method, use "begin" instead`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(`${method} is an async method, use "begin" instead`);
     }
 
     const fqn = jsiiTypeFqn(obj);
@@ -365,12 +391,12 @@ export class Kernel {
     const ti = this._typeInfoForMethod(method, fqn);
 
     if (!ti.static) {
-      throw new Error(`${fqn}.${method} is not a static method`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(`${fqn}.${method} is not a static method`);
     }
 
     // verify this is not an async method
     if (ti.async) {
-      throw new Error(`${method} is an async method, use "begin" instead`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(`${method} is an async method, use "begin" instead`);
     }
 
     const prototype = this._findSymbol(fqn);
@@ -404,7 +430,7 @@ export class Kernel {
     this._debug('begin', objref, method, args);
 
     if (this.syncInProgress) {
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new JsiiFault(
         `Cannot invoke async method '${req.objref[TOKEN_REF]}.${req.method}' while sync ${this.syncInProgress} is being processed`,
       );
     }
@@ -413,7 +439,7 @@ export class Kernel {
 
     // verify this is indeed an async method
     if (!ti.async) {
-      throw new Error(`Method ${method} is expected to be an async method`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(`Method ${method} is expected to be an async method`);
     }
 
     const fqn = jsiiTypeFqn(obj);
@@ -448,7 +474,7 @@ export class Kernel {
 
     const storedPromise = this.promises.get(promiseid);
     if (storedPromise == null) {
-      throw new Error(`Cannot find promise with ID: ${promiseid}`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(`Cannot find promise with ID: ${promiseid}`);
     }
     const { promise, method } = storedPromise;
 
@@ -458,7 +484,7 @@ export class Kernel {
       this._debug('promise result:', result);
     } catch (e) {
       this._debug('promise error:', e);
-      throw e;
+      throw new JsiiFault((e as any).message);
     }
 
     return {
@@ -497,7 +523,7 @@ export class Kernel {
 
     const cb = this.waiting.get(cbid);
     if (!cb) {
-      throw new Error(`Callback ${cbid} not found`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(`Callback ${cbid} not found`);
     }
 
     if (err) {
@@ -530,7 +556,9 @@ export class Kernel {
     const assembly = this._assemblyFor(assemblyName);
     const targets = assembly.metadata.targets;
     if (!targets) {
-      throw new Error(`Unexpected - "targets" for ${assemblyName} is missing!`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(
+        `Unexpected - "targets" for ${assemblyName} is missing!`,
+      );
     }
 
     return { naming: targets };
@@ -581,12 +609,12 @@ export class Kernel {
         };
 
       case spec.TypeKind.Interface:
-        throw new Error(
+        throw new JsiiFault(
           `Cannot create an object with an FQN of an interface: ${fqn}`,
         );
 
       default:
-        throw new Error(`Unexpected FQN kind: ${fqn}`);
+        throw new JsiiFault(`Unexpected FQN kind: ${fqn}`);
     }
   }
 
@@ -635,10 +663,10 @@ export class Kernel {
       for (const override of overrides) {
         if (api.isMethodOverride(override)) {
           if (api.isPropertyOverride(override)) {
-            throw new Error(overrideTypeErrorMessage);
+            throw new JsiiFault(overrideTypeErrorMessage);
           }
           if (methods.has(override.method)) {
-            throw new Error(
+            throw new JsiiFault(
               `Duplicate override for method '${override.method}'`,
             );
           }
@@ -647,10 +675,10 @@ export class Kernel {
           this._applyMethodOverride(obj, objref, fqn, interfaces, override);
         } else if (api.isPropertyOverride(override)) {
           if (api.isMethodOverride(override)) {
-            throw new Error(overrideTypeErrorMessage);
+            throw new JsiiFault(overrideTypeErrorMessage);
           }
           if (properties.has(override.property)) {
-            throw Error(
+            throw new JsiiFault(
               `Duplicate override for property '${override.property}'`,
             );
           }
@@ -658,7 +686,7 @@ export class Kernel {
 
           this._applyPropertyOverride(obj, objref, fqn, interfaces, override);
         } else {
-          throw new Error(overrideTypeErrorMessage);
+          throw new JsiiFault(overrideTypeErrorMessage);
         }
       }
     }
@@ -679,7 +707,7 @@ export class Kernel {
   ) {
     // error if we can find a method with this name
     if (this._tryTypeInfoForMethod(override.property, typeFqn, interfaces)) {
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new JsiiFault(
         `Trying to override method '${override.property}' as a property`,
       );
     }
@@ -802,7 +830,7 @@ export class Kernel {
   ) {
     // error if we can find a property with this name
     if (this._tryTypeInfoForProperty(override.method, typeFqn, interfaces)) {
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new JsiiFault(
         `Trying to override property '${override.method}' as a method`,
       );
     }
@@ -940,7 +968,7 @@ export class Kernel {
     if (!fn) {
       fn = instance[methodName];
       if (!fn) {
-        throw new Error(`Cannot find ${methodName} on object`);
+        throw new JsiiFault(`Cannot find ${methodName} on object`);
       }
     }
     return { ti, obj: instance, fn };
@@ -954,7 +982,7 @@ export class Kernel {
 
     // error if args > params
     if (args.length > params.length && !(method && method.variadic)) {
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new JsiiFault(
         `Too many arguments (method accepts ${params.length} parameters, got ${args.length} arguments)`,
       );
     }
@@ -969,7 +997,7 @@ export class Kernel {
         } // No vararg was provided
         for (let j = i; j < params.length; j++) {
           if (!param.optional && params[j] === undefined) {
-            throw new Error(
+            throw new JsiiFault(
               `Unexpected 'undefined' value at index ${
                 j - i
               } of variadic argument '${
@@ -979,7 +1007,7 @@ export class Kernel {
           }
         }
       } else if (!param.optional && arg === undefined) {
-        throw new Error(
+        throw new JsiiFault(
           `Not enough arguments. Missing argument for the required parameter '${
             param.name
           }' of type '${spec.describeTypeReference(param.type)}'`,
@@ -991,7 +1019,7 @@ export class Kernel {
   private _assemblyFor(assemblyName: string) {
     const assembly = this.assemblies.get(assemblyName);
     if (!assembly) {
-      throw new Error(`Could not find assembly: ${assemblyName}`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(`Could not find assembly: ${assemblyName}`);
     }
     return assembly;
   }
@@ -1010,7 +1038,7 @@ export class Kernel {
       curr = curr[name];
     }
     if (!curr) {
-      throw new Error(`Could not find symbol ${fqn}`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(`Could not find symbol ${fqn}`);
     }
     return curr;
   }
@@ -1021,13 +1049,13 @@ export class Kernel {
 
     const assembly = this.assemblies.get(moduleName);
     if (!assembly) {
-      throw new Error(`Module '${moduleName}' not found`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(`Module '${moduleName}' not found`);
     }
 
     const types = assembly.metadata.types ?? {};
     const fqnInfo = types[fqn];
     if (!fqnInfo) {
-      throw new Error(`Type '${fqn}' not found`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(`Type '${fqn}' not found`);
     }
 
     return fqnInfo;
@@ -1044,7 +1072,7 @@ export class Kernel {
         interfaces && interfaces.length > 0
           ? ` or interface(s) ${interfaces.join(', ')}`
           : '';
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new JsiiFault(
         `Class ${fqn}${addendum} doesn't have a method '${methodName}'`,
       );
     }
@@ -1114,7 +1142,7 @@ export class Kernel {
         properties = interfaceTypeInfo.properties;
         bases = interfaceTypeInfo.interfaces ?? [];
       } else {
-        throw new Error(
+        throw new JsiiFault(
           `Type of kind ${typeInfo.kind} does not have properties`,
         );
       }
@@ -1148,7 +1176,7 @@ export class Kernel {
         interfaces && interfaces.length > 0
           ? ` or interface(s) ${interfaces.join(', ')}`
           : '';
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new JsiiFault(
         `Type ${fqn}${addendum} doesn't have a property '${property}'`,
       );
     }
@@ -1233,7 +1261,7 @@ export class Kernel {
       parametersCopy.push(parametersCopy[parametersCopy.length - 1]);
     }
     if (xs.length > parametersCopy.length) {
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new JsiiFault(
         `Argument list (${JSON.stringify(
           xs,
         )}) not same size as expected argument list (length ${
@@ -1278,6 +1306,14 @@ export class Kernel {
     this.syncInProgress = desc;
     try {
       return fn();
+    } catch (e: any) {
+      if (e.name === JsiiErrorType.JSII_FAULT) {
+        throw new JsiiFault(e);
+      }
+      // This error can be thrown by the kernel directly, or it can be
+      // thrown from user code. If the error comes from the kernel, then its name field will be populated;
+      // if the error comes from user code, the name field will not be populated.
+      throw new RuntimeError(e);
     } finally {
       delete this.syncInProgress;
     }
diff --git a/packages/@jsii/kernel/src/objects.ts b/packages/@jsii/kernel/src/objects.ts
index 293732ea48..425420a3af 100644
--- a/packages/@jsii/kernel/src/objects.ts
+++ b/packages/@jsii/kernel/src/objects.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import * as spec from '@jsii/spec';
 
 import * as api from './api';
+import { JsiiFault } from './kernel';
 import { EMPTY_OBJECT_FQN } from './serialization';
 
 /**
@@ -136,7 +137,7 @@ export class ObjectTable {
     interfaces?: string[],
   ): api.ObjRef {
     if (fqn === undefined) {
-      throw new Error('FQN cannot be undefined');
+      throw new JsiiFault('FQN cannot be undefined');
     }
 
     const existingRef = objectReference(obj);
@@ -179,13 +180,15 @@ export class ObjectTable {
    */
   public findObject(objref: api.ObjRef): RegisteredObject {
     if (typeof objref !== 'object' || !(api.TOKEN_REF in objref)) {
-      throw new Error(`Malformed object reference: ${JSON.stringify(objref)}`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(
+        `Malformed object reference: ${JSON.stringify(objref)}`,
+      );
     }
 
     const objid = objref[api.TOKEN_REF];
     const obj = this.objects.get(objid);
     if (!obj) {
-      throw new Error(`Object ${objid} not found`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(`Object ${objid} not found`);
     }
 
     // If there are "additional" interfaces declared on the objref, merge them
@@ -215,7 +218,7 @@ export class ObjectTable {
    */
   public deleteObject({ [api.TOKEN_REF]: objid }: api.ObjRef) {
     if (!this.objects.delete(objid)) {
-      throw new Error(`Object ${objid} not found`);
+      throw new JsiiFault(`Object ${objid} not found`);
     }
   }
 
@@ -267,7 +270,7 @@ class InterfaceCollection implements Iterable<string> {
   public addFromClass(fqn: string): void {
     const ti = this.resolveType(fqn);
     if (!spec.isClassType(ti)) {
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new JsiiFault(
         `Expected a class, but received ${spec.describeTypeReference(ti)}`,
       );
     }
@@ -288,7 +291,7 @@ class InterfaceCollection implements Iterable<string> {
   public addFromInterface(fqn: string): void {
     const ti = this.resolveType(fqn);
     if (!spec.isInterfaceType(ti)) {
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new JsiiFault(
         `Expected an interface, but received ${spec.describeTypeReference(ti)}`,
       );
     }
diff --git a/packages/@jsii/kernel/src/recording.ts b/packages/@jsii/kernel/src/recording.ts
index 0f77519403..bb77e9c05c 100644
--- a/packages/@jsii/kernel/src/recording.ts
+++ b/packages/@jsii/kernel/src/recording.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import * as fs from 'fs-extra';
 
-import { Kernel } from './kernel';
+import { RuntimeError, JsiiErrorType, JsiiFault, Kernel } from './kernel';
 
 export async function closeRecording(kernel: Kernel): Promise<void> {
   const logfile: fs.WriteStream = (kernel as any).logfile;
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ export function recordInteraction(kernel: Kernel, inputOutputLogPath: string) {
                     ok(value);
                   })
                   .catch((err: any) => {
-                    logOutput({ error: err.message });
+                    logOutput({ error: err.message, name: err.name });
                     fail(err);
                   });
               });
@@ -59,8 +59,11 @@ export function recordInteraction(kernel: Kernel, inputOutputLogPath: string) {
             logOutput({ ok: ret });
             return ret;
           } catch (e: any) {
-            logOutput({ error: e.message });
-            throw e;
+            logOutput({ error: e.message, name: e.name });
+            if (e.type === JsiiErrorType.RUNTIME_ERROR) {
+              throw new RuntimeError(e.message);
+            }
+            throw new JsiiFault(e.message);
           }
         },
       });
diff --git a/packages/@jsii/runtime/lib/host.ts b/packages/@jsii/runtime/lib/host.ts
index 44a38dec7b..e12d33f418 100644
--- a/packages/@jsii/runtime/lib/host.ts
+++ b/packages/@jsii/runtime/lib/host.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { api, Kernel } from '@jsii/kernel';
+import { api, Kernel, JsiiFault, JsiiError } from '@jsii/kernel';
 import { EventEmitter } from 'events';
 
 import { Input, IInputOutput } from './in-out';
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ export class KernelHost {
     function completeCallback(this: KernelHost): void {
       const req = this.inout.read();
       if (!req || 'exit' in req) {
-        throw new Error('Interrupted before callback returned');
+        throw new JsiiFault('Interrupted before callback returned');
       }
 
       // if this is a completion for the current callback, then we can
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ export class KernelHost {
         completeReq.complete.cbid === callback.cbid
       ) {
         if (completeReq.complete.err) {
-          throw new Error(completeReq.complete.err);
+          throw new JsiiFault(completeReq.complete.err);
         }
 
         return completeReq.complete.result;
@@ -93,13 +93,13 @@ export class KernelHost {
    */
   private processRequest(req: Input, next: () => void, sync = false) {
     if ('callback' in req) {
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new JsiiFault(
         'Unexpected `callback` result. This request should have been processed by a callback handler',
       );
     }
 
     if (!('api' in req)) {
-      throw new Error('Malformed request, "api" field is required');
+      throw new JsiiFault('Malformed request, "api" field is required');
     }
 
     const apiReq = req;
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ export class KernelHost {
       }
 
       this.writeOkay(ret);
-    } catch (e) {
+    } catch (e: any) {
       this.writeError(e);
     }
 
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ export class KernelHost {
 
     function checkIfAsyncIsAllowed() {
       if (sync) {
-        throw new Error(
+        throw new JsiiFault(
           'Cannot handle async operations while waiting for a sync callback to return',
         );
       }
@@ -179,11 +179,12 @@ export class KernelHost {
   /**
    * Writes an "error" result to stdout.
    */
-  private writeError(error: any) {
-    const res = { error: error.message, stack: undefined };
-    if (!this.opts.noStack) {
-      res.stack = error.stack;
-    }
+  private writeError(error: JsiiError) {
+    const res = {
+      error: error.message,
+      name: error.name,
+      stack: this.opts.noStack ? undefined : error.stack,
+    };
     this.inout.write(res);
   }