diff --git a/src/backend/common/errors/MSErrors.ts b/src/backend/common/errors/MSErrors.ts
index 915be1be..3a7c5cae 100644
--- a/src/backend/common/errors/MSErrors.ts
+++ b/src/backend/common/errors/MSErrors.ts
@@ -2,11 +2,13 @@ import { parseRegexSingle } from "@foxxmd/regex-buddy-core";
 import mergeErrorCause from 'merge-error-cause';
 import { findCauseByFunc, isAbortReasonErrorLike } from "../../utils/ErrorUtils.js";
 import { UpstreamError, UpstreamErrorOptions } from "./UpstreamError.js";
-import { isAbortError } from "abort-controller-x";
-import {addKnownErrorConstructor} from 'serialize-error';
+import {addKnownErrorConstructor, serializeError} from 'serialize-error';
 
 export abstract class NamedError extends Error {
     public abstract name: string;
+    public toJSON() {
+        return serializeError(this);
+    }
 }
 
 export abstract class StageError extends NamedError {}
@@ -45,6 +47,9 @@ const STACK_AT_REGEX = new RegExp(/[\n\r]\s*at/);
 export class SimpleError extends Error implements HasSimpleError {
     simple: boolean;
     name = 'SimpleError';
+    public toJSON() {
+        return serializeError(this);
+    }
 
     stackShortened: boolean = false;
 
@@ -113,7 +118,11 @@ export const mergeSimpleError = (err: Error): Error => {
         // mergeErrorCause mutates the argument
         // and we want to be able to do more cause/error parsing after merging for logging
         // so give it a copy instead of the original
-        return mergeErrorCause(structuredClone(err));
+        const mergedErr = mergeErrorCause(structuredClone(err));
+        if(!('toJson' in mergedErr)) {
+            // @ts-expect-error this is used by serialize error with out custom errors
+            mergedErr.toJSON = () => serializeError(mergedErr);
+        }
     }
     return err;
 }
diff --git a/src/backend/tests/database/drizzle.test.ts b/src/backend/tests/database/drizzle.test.ts
index 45cae9cf..f2cfaf9a 100644
--- a/src/backend/tests/database/drizzle.test.ts
+++ b/src/backend/tests/database/drizzle.test.ts
@@ -563,6 +563,27 @@ describe('Repository Operations', function () {
 
 });
 
+describe('Serializes Errors', function() {
+
+    it('serializes errors correctly', async function () {
+
+        await withLocalTmpDir(async () => {
+            try {
+                let [db, _] = await getMigratedDb(getDbPath('ms', process.cwd()));
+                const component = await db.insert(components).values(fixtureCreateComponent()).returning();
+
+                const playRepo = new DrizzlePlayRepository(db);
+                const playData: RepositoryCreatePlayOpts = { ...fixtureCreatePlay({ componentId: component[0].id, play: generatePlayWithLifecycle({ lifecycleSteps: { preCompare: [false] } }) }), state: 'queued', input: { data: undefined } };
+                const p = await playRepo.createPlays([playData]);
+                expect(p[0].play.lifecycle[0].error.cause).is.not.undefined;
+            } catch (e) {
+                throw e;
+            }
+        }, { unsafeCleanup: true, postfix: 'serializeStageError' });
+    });
+
+});
+
 describe('DB Size Stats', function () {
 
 
diff --git a/src/core/tests/utils/apiFixtures.ts b/src/core/tests/utils/apiFixtures.ts
index 99d4f53f..30f61329 100644
--- a/src/core/tests/utils/apiFixtures.ts
+++ b/src/core/tests/utils/apiFixtures.ts
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ export const generateQueueStateApi = (data: Partial<QueueStateApi>): QueueStateA
         queueStatus: faker.helpers.arrayElement(QUEUE_STATUSES),
         updatedAt: cAt,
         retries: 0,
+        createdAt: cAt,
         ...data
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/core/tests/utils/fixtures.ts b/src/core/tests/utils/fixtures.ts
index eb2e9782..df8bff38 100644
--- a/src/core/tests/utils/fixtures.ts
+++ b/src/core/tests/utils/fixtures.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { diffObjects } from '../../DataUtils.js';
 import { existingScrobble } from '../../../backend/utils/PlayComparisonUtils.js';
 import { UpstreamError } from '../../../backend/common/errors/UpstreamError.js';
 import { playToListenPayload } from '../../../backend/common/vendor/listenbrainz/lzUtils.js';
-import { mergeSimpleError, SimpleError, SkipTransformStageError, StagePrerequisiteError } from '../../../backend/common/errors/MSErrors.js';
+import { mergeSimpleError, SimpleError, SkipTransformStageError, StagePrerequisiteError, StageTransformError } from '../../../backend/common/errors/MSErrors.js';
 import dayjs, { Dayjs } from 'dayjs';
 import { TransformHook } from '../../../backend/common/infrastructure/Transform.js';
 import { serializeError } from 'serialize-error';
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ export const generateLifecycleStep = (play: PlayObject, opts: GenerateLifecycleO
     if(error === true) {
       step.flowResult = 'stop';
       step.flowReason = 'Error encountered while transforming';
-      step.error = serializeError(new Error('Failed to do something', {cause: new Error('Oops it borked.')}));
+      step.error = new StageTransformError('foo', 'Failed to do something', {cause: new Error('Oops it borked.')});
     } else if(error === 'prereq') {
       step.flowResult = 'stop';
       step.flowKnownState = 'prereq';