diff --git a/internal/pluginhost/loader_unix.go b/internal/pluginhost/loader_unix.go
--- a/internal/pluginhost/loader_unix.go
+++ b/internal/pluginhost/loader_unix.go
@@ -191,6 +191,9 @@
 		C.cliproxy_free_plugin_buffer(c.api.free_buffer, response.ptr, response.len)
 	}
 	if rc != 0 {
+		if isPluginErrorEnvelope(out) {
+			return out, nil
+		}
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("plugin call %s returned %d: %s", method, int(rc), string(out))
 	}
 	return out, nil
diff --git a/internal/pluginhost/loader_windows.go b/internal/pluginhost/loader_windows.go
--- a/internal/pluginhost/loader_windows.go
+++ b/internal/pluginhost/loader_windows.go
@@ -128,6 +128,9 @@
 		_, _, _ = syscall.SyscallN(c.api.freeBuffer, response.ptr, response.len)
 	}
 	if rc != 0 {
+		if isPluginErrorEnvelope(out) {
+			return out, nil
+		}
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("plugin call %s returned %d: %s", method, rc, string(out))
 	}
 	return out, nil
diff --git a/internal/pluginhost/rpc_client.go b/internal/pluginhost/rpc_client.go
--- a/internal/pluginhost/rpc_client.go
+++ b/internal/pluginhost/rpc_client.go
@@ -35,6 +35,19 @@
 	*rpcPluginAdapter
 }
 
+type rpcPluginError struct {
+	message    string
+	statusCode int
+}
+
+func (e rpcPluginError) Error() string {
+	return e.message
+}
+
+func (e rpcPluginError) StatusCode() int {
+	return e.statusCode
+}
+
 type rpcResponseNormalizer struct {
 	*rpcPluginAdapter
 	method string
@@ -140,6 +153,9 @@
 	}
 	out, errDecode := decodeEnvelopeResult[T](envelope)
 	if errDecode != nil {
+		if !envelope.OK {
+			return zero, errDecode
+		}
 		return zero, fmt.Errorf("decode plugin result %s: %w", method, errDecode)
 	}
 	return out, nil
@@ -260,11 +276,26 @@
 	return decodeEnvelopeResult[T](envelope)
 }
 
+func isPluginErrorEnvelope(raw []byte) bool {
+	var envelope pluginabi.Envelope
+	if errUnmarshal := json.Unmarshal(raw, &envelope); errUnmarshal != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	return !envelope.OK && envelope.Error != nil
+}
+
 func decodeEnvelopeResult[T any](envelope pluginabi.Envelope) (T, error) {
 	var zero T
 	if !envelope.OK {
 		if envelope.Error != nil {
-			return zero, fmt.Errorf("%s", envelope.Error.Message)
+			message := strings.TrimSpace(envelope.Error.Message)
+			if message == "" {
+				message = "plugin call failed"
+			}
+			if envelope.Error.HTTPStatus > 0 {
+				return zero, rpcPluginError{message: message, statusCode: envelope.Error.HTTPStatus}
+			}
+			return zero, fmt.Errorf("%s", message)
 		}
 		return zero, fmt.Errorf("plugin call failed")
 	}
diff --git a/internal/pluginhost/rpc_client_error_test.go b/internal/pluginhost/rpc_client_error_test.go
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/pluginhost/rpc_client_error_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+package pluginhost
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"net/http"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/router-for-me/CLIProxyAPI/v7/sdk/pluginabi"
+)
+
+type staticEnvelopePluginClient struct {
+	raw []byte
+}
+
+func (c staticEnvelopePluginClient) Call(context.Context, string, []byte) ([]byte, error) {
+	return c.raw, nil
+}
+
+func (c staticEnvelopePluginClient) Shutdown() {}
+
+func TestDecodeEnvelopeResultPreservesPluginHTTPStatus(t *testing.T) {
+	_, errDecode := decodeEnvelopeResult[rpcEmptyResponse](pluginabi.Envelope{
+		OK: false,
+		Error: &pluginabi.Error{
+			Code:       "plugin_error",
+			Message:    "license required",
+			HTTPStatus: http.StatusForbidden,
+		},
+	})
+	if errDecode == nil {
+		t.Fatal("decodeEnvelopeResult returned nil error")
+	}
+	if got := errDecode.Error(); got != "license required" {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %q, want license required", got)
+	}
+	statusProvider, ok := errDecode.(interface{ StatusCode() int })
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatalf("error %T does not expose StatusCode", errDecode)
+	}
+	if got := statusProvider.StatusCode(); got != http.StatusForbidden {
+		t.Fatalf("status = %d, want %d", got, http.StatusForbidden)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCallPluginReturnsPluginErrorWithoutMethodWrapper(t *testing.T) {
+	raw, errMarshal := json.Marshal(pluginabi.Envelope{
+		OK: false,
+		Error: &pluginabi.Error{
+			Code:       "plugin_error",
+			Message:    "license required",
+			HTTPStatus: http.StatusForbidden,
+		},
+	})
+	if errMarshal != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("marshal envelope: %v", errMarshal)
+	}
+	_, errCall := callPlugin[rpcEmptyResponse](context.Background(), staticEnvelopePluginClient{raw: raw}, pluginabi.MethodExecutorExecuteStream, rpcEmptyResponse{})
+	if errCall == nil {
+		t.Fatal("callPlugin returned nil error")
+	}
+	if got := errCall.Error(); got != "license required" {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %q, want license required", got)
+	}
+	statusProvider, ok := errCall.(interface{ StatusCode() int })
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatalf("error %T does not expose StatusCode", errCall)
+	}
+	if got := statusProvider.StatusCode(); got != http.StatusForbidden {
+		t.Fatalf("status = %d, want %d", got, http.StatusForbidden)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIsPluginErrorEnvelopeAcceptsNonzeroReturnEnvelope(t *testing.T) {
+	raw := marshalRPCError("plugin_error", "upstream failed")
+	if !isPluginErrorEnvelope(raw) {
+		t.Fatalf("isPluginErrorEnvelope(%s) = false, want true", raw)
+	}
+	if isPluginErrorEnvelope([]byte(`not json`)) {
+		t.Fatal("isPluginErrorEnvelope accepted invalid JSON")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/sdk/pluginabi/types.go b/sdk/pluginabi/types.go
--- a/sdk/pluginabi/types.go
+++ b/sdk/pluginabi/types.go
@@ -86,7 +86,8 @@
 }
 
 type Error struct {
-	Code      string `json:"code"`
-	Message   string `json:"message"`
-	Retryable bool   `json:"retryable,omitempty"`
+	Code       string `json:"code"`
+	Message    string `json:"message"`
+	Retryable  bool   `json:"retryable,omitempty"`
+	HTTPStatus int    `json:"http_status,omitempty"`
 }