diff --git a/plugins/airbrake/package.json b/plugins/airbrake/package.json
index 7342fdd839..47dc6b31c9 100644
--- a/plugins/airbrake/package.json
+++ b/plugins/airbrake/package.json
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
     "@backstage/core-components": "^0.8.10",
     "@backstage/core-plugin-api": "^0.7.0",
     "@backstage/dev-utils": "^0.2.23",
+    "@backstage/errors": "^0.2.2",
     "@backstage/plugin-catalog-react": "^0.7.0",
     "@backstage/test-utils": "^0.2.6",
     "@backstage/theme": "^0.2.15",
diff --git a/plugins/airbrake/src/api/AirbrakeApi.ts b/plugins/airbrake/src/api/AirbrakeApi.ts
index 672b1f92f4..3abe745b5b 100644
--- a/plugins/airbrake/src/api/AirbrakeApi.ts
+++ b/plugins/airbrake/src/api/AirbrakeApi.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 import { Groups } from './airbrakeGroups';
 import { createApiRef } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
+import { CustomErrorBase } from '@backstage/errors';
 
 export const airbrakeApiRef = createApiRef<AirbrakeApi>({
   id: 'plugin.airbrake.service',
@@ -25,7 +26,7 @@ export interface AirbrakeApi {
   fetchGroups(projectId: string): Promise<Groups>;
 }
 
-export class NoProjectIdError extends Error {
+export class NoProjectIdError extends CustomErrorBase {
   constructor() {
     super('Project ID is not present');
   }
diff --git a/plugins/airbrake/src/components/EntityAirbrakeWidget/EntityAirbrakeWidget.test.tsx b/plugins/airbrake/src/components/EntityAirbrakeWidget/EntityAirbrakeWidget.test.tsx
index 64f1f11223..e8d09b5e65 100644
--- a/plugins/airbrake/src/components/EntityAirbrakeWidget/EntityAirbrakeWidget.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/airbrake/src/components/EntityAirbrakeWidget/EntityAirbrakeWidget.test.tsx
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ import React from 'react';
 import { EntityAirbrakeWidget } from './EntityAirbrakeWidget';
 import exampleData from '../../api/mock/airbrakeGroupsApiMock.json';
 import {
-  MockErrorApi,
   renderInTestApp,
   setupRequestMockHandlers,
   TestApiProvider,
@@ -30,7 +29,6 @@ import {
   MockAirbrakeApi,
   ProductionAirbrakeApi,
 } from '../../api';
-import { errorApiRef } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
 import { rest } from 'msw';
 import { setupServer } from 'msw/node';
 
@@ -53,14 +51,9 @@ describe('EntityAirbrakeWidget', () => {
   });
 
   it('states that the annotation is missing if no project ID annotation is provided but does not error', async () => {
-    const mockErrorApi = new MockErrorApi({ collect: true });
-
     const widget = await renderInTestApp(
       <TestApiProvider
-        apis={[
-          [airbrakeApiRef, new ProductionAirbrakeApi(localDiscoveryApi)],
-          [errorApiRef, mockErrorApi],
-        ]}
+        apis={[[airbrakeApiRef, new ProductionAirbrakeApi(localDiscoveryApi)]]}
       >
         <EntityAirbrakeWidget entity={createEntity()} />
       </TestApiProvider>,
@@ -68,7 +61,9 @@ describe('EntityAirbrakeWidget', () => {
     await expect(
       widget.findByText('Missing Annotation'),
     ).resolves.toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(mockErrorApi.getErrors().length).toBe(0);
+    expect(
+      widget.queryByText(/.*Failed fetching Airbrake groups.*/),
+    ).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
   it('states that an error occurred if the API call fails', async () => {
@@ -80,14 +75,10 @@ describe('EntityAirbrakeWidget', () => {
         },
       ),
     );
-    const mockErrorApi = new MockErrorApi({ collect: true });
 
     const widget = await renderInTestApp(
       <TestApiProvider
-        apis={[
-          [airbrakeApiRef, new ProductionAirbrakeApi(localDiscoveryApi)],
-          [errorApiRef, mockErrorApi],
-        ]}
+        apis={[[airbrakeApiRef, new ProductionAirbrakeApi(localDiscoveryApi)]]}
       >
         <EntityAirbrakeWidget entity={createEntity(123)} />
       </TestApiProvider>,
@@ -96,9 +87,10 @@ describe('EntityAirbrakeWidget', () => {
     await expect(
       widget.findByText(/.*there was an issue communicating with Airbrake.*/),
     ).resolves.toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(mockErrorApi.getErrors().length).toBe(1);
-    expect(mockErrorApi.getErrors()[0].error.message).toStrictEqual(
-      'Failed fetching Airbrake groups',
-    );
+    expect(
+      widget.getByRole('heading', {
+        name: /.*Failed fetching Airbrake groups.*/,
+      }),
+    ).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 });
diff --git a/plugins/airbrake/src/components/EntityAirbrakeWidget/EntityAirbrakeWidget.tsx b/plugins/airbrake/src/components/EntityAirbrakeWidget/EntityAirbrakeWidget.tsx
index 29260427a9..f235a3e2f5 100644
--- a/plugins/airbrake/src/components/EntityAirbrakeWidget/EntityAirbrakeWidget.tsx
+++ b/plugins/airbrake/src/components/EntityAirbrakeWidget/EntityAirbrakeWidget.tsx
@@ -14,10 +14,11 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 import { Entity } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
-import React, { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import React from 'react';
 import { Grid, Typography } from '@material-ui/core';
 import {
   EmptyState,
+  ErrorPanel,
   InfoCard,
   MissingAnnotationEmptyState,
   Progress,
@@ -25,7 +26,7 @@ import {
 import hash from 'object-hash';
 import { makeStyles } from '@material-ui/core/styles';
 import { BackstageTheme } from '@backstage/theme';
-import { ErrorApi, errorApiRef, useApi } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
+import { useApi } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
 import { airbrakeApiRef } from '../../api';
 import useAsync from 'react-use/lib/useAsync';
 import { AIRBRAKE_PROJECT_ID_ANNOTATION, useProjectId } from '../useProjectId';
@@ -47,33 +48,22 @@ export const EntityAirbrakeWidget = ({ entity }: { entity: Entity }) => {
   const classes = useStyles();
 
   const projectId = useProjectId(entity);
-  const errorApi = useApi<ErrorApi>(errorApiRef);
   const airbrakeApi = useApi(airbrakeApiRef);
-  const [componentState, setComponentState] = useState<ComponentState>(
-    ComponentState.Loading,
-  );
+  let componentState = ComponentState.Loading;
 
-  const { loading, value } = useAsync(async () => {
-    try {
-      const result = await airbrakeApi.fetchGroups(projectId);
-      setComponentState(ComponentState.Loaded);
-      return result;
-    } catch (e) {
-      if (!projectId) {
-        setComponentState(ComponentState.NoProjectId);
-      } else {
-        setComponentState(ComponentState.Error);
-        errorApi.post(e);
-      }
-      throw e;
-    }
-  }, [airbrakeApi, errorApi, projectId]);
+  const { loading, value, error } = useAsync(() => {
+    return airbrakeApi.fetchGroups(projectId);
+  }, [airbrakeApi, projectId]);
 
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (loading) {
-      setComponentState(ComponentState.Loading);
-    }
-  }, [loading]);
+  if (loading) {
+    componentState = ComponentState.Loading;
+  } else if (!projectId) {
+    componentState = ComponentState.NoProjectId;
+  } else if (error) {
+    componentState = ComponentState.Error;
+  } else if (value) {
+    componentState = ComponentState.Loaded;
+  }
 
   switch (componentState) {
     case ComponentState.Loaded:
@@ -103,11 +93,14 @@ export const EntityAirbrakeWidget = ({ entity }: { entity: Entity }) => {
     case ComponentState.Error:
     default:
       return (
-        <EmptyState
-          missing="info"
-          title="No information to display"
-          description={`There is no Airbrake project with id '${projectId}' or there was an issue communicating with Airbrake.`}
-        />
+        <>
+          <ErrorPanel error={error as Error} />
+          <EmptyState
+            missing="info"
+            title="No information to display"
+            description={`There is no Airbrake project with id '${projectId}' or there was an issue communicating with Airbrake.`}
+          />
+        </>
       );
   }
 };