diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/ElasticsearchException.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/ElasticsearchException.java
index 7f41aa61bf1e9..80a3cb77b9f56 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/ElasticsearchException.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/ElasticsearchException.java
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ public class ElasticsearchException extends RuntimeException implements ToXConte
     private static final String ROOT_CAUSE = "root_cause";
 
     static final String TIMED_OUT_HEADER = "X-Timed-Out";
+    static final String EXCEPTION_TYPE_HEADER = "X-Elasticsearch-Exception";
 
     private static final Map<Integer, CheckedFunction<StreamInput, ? extends ElasticsearchException, IOException>> ID_TO_SUPPLIER;
     private static final Map<Class<? extends ElasticsearchException>, ElasticsearchExceptionHandle> CLASS_TO_ELASTICSEARCH_EXCEPTION_HANDLE;
@@ -131,7 +132,6 @@ public class ElasticsearchException extends RuntimeException implements ToXConte
     @SuppressWarnings("this-escape")
     public ElasticsearchException(Throwable cause) {
         super(cause);
-        maybePutTimeoutHeader();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -146,7 +146,6 @@ public ElasticsearchException(Throwable cause) {
     @SuppressWarnings("this-escape")
     public ElasticsearchException(String msg, Object... args) {
         super(LoggerMessageFormat.format(msg, args));
-        maybePutTimeoutHeader();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -163,7 +162,6 @@ public ElasticsearchException(String msg, Object... args) {
     @SuppressWarnings("this-escape")
     public ElasticsearchException(String msg, Throwable cause, Object... args) {
         super(LoggerMessageFormat.format(msg, args), cause);
-        maybePutTimeoutHeader();
     }
 
     @SuppressWarnings("this-escape")
@@ -174,11 +172,19 @@ public ElasticsearchException(StreamInput in) throws IOException {
         metadata.putAll(in.readMapOfLists(StreamInput::readString));
     }
 
-    private void maybePutTimeoutHeader() {
+    private void maybeAddErrorHeaders() {
         if (isTimeout()) {
             // see https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8941.html#section-4.1.9 for booleans in structured headers
             bodyHeaders.put(TIMED_OUT_HEADER, List.of("?1"));
         }
+        if (httpHeaders.containsKey(EXCEPTION_TYPE_HEADER) == false) {
+            // TODO: cache unwrapping the cause? we do this in several places...
+            Throwable cause = unwrapCause();
+            RestStatus status = ExceptionsHelper.status(cause);
+            if (status.getStatus() >= 500) {
+                httpHeaders.put(EXCEPTION_TYPE_HEADER, List.of(cause.getClass().getSimpleName()));
+            }
+        }
     }
 
     /**
@@ -244,6 +250,7 @@ public void addBodyHeader(String key, String... value) {
      * Returns a set of all body header keys on this exception
      */
     public Set<String> getBodyHeaderKeys() {
+        maybeAddErrorHeaders();
         return bodyHeaders.keySet();
     }
 
@@ -252,10 +259,12 @@ public Set<String> getBodyHeaderKeys() {
      * given key exists.
      */
     public List<String> getBodyHeader(String key) {
+        maybeAddErrorHeaders();
         return bodyHeaders.get(key);
     }
 
     protected Map<String, List<String>> getBodyHeaders() {
+        maybeAddErrorHeaders();
         return bodyHeaders;
     }
 
@@ -279,6 +288,7 @@ public void addHttpHeader(String key, String... value) {
      * Returns a set of all body header keys on this exception
      */
     public Set<String> getHttpHeaderKeys() {
+        maybeAddErrorHeaders();
         return httpHeaders.keySet();
     }
 
@@ -287,10 +297,12 @@ public Set<String> getHttpHeaderKeys() {
      * given key exists.
      */
     public List<String> getHttpHeader(String key) {
+        maybeAddErrorHeaders();
         return httpHeaders.get(key);
     }
 
     protected Map<String, List<String>> getHttpHeaders() {
+        maybeAddErrorHeaders();
         return httpHeaders;
     }
 
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ElasticsearchExceptionTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ElasticsearchExceptionTests.java
index d0e21fad5b4c7..2741ac37ce519 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ElasticsearchExceptionTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ElasticsearchExceptionTests.java
@@ -1553,19 +1553,24 @@ private void testExceptionLoop(Exception rootException) throws IOException {
         assertArrayEquals(ser.getStackTrace(), rootException.getStackTrace());
     }
 
-    static class ExceptionSubclass extends ElasticsearchException {
+    static class TimeoutSubclass extends ElasticsearchException {
+        TimeoutSubclass(String message) {
+            super(message);
+        }
+
         @Override
         public boolean isTimeout() {
             return true;
         }
 
-        ExceptionSubclass(String message) {
-            super(message);
+        @Override
+        public RestStatus status() {
+            return RestStatus.BAD_REQUEST;
         }
     }
 
-    public void testTimeout() throws IOException {
-        var e = new ExceptionSubclass("some timeout");
+    public void testTimeoutHeader() throws IOException {
+        var e = new TimeoutSubclass("some timeout");
         assertThat(e.getBodyHeaderKeys(), hasItem(ElasticsearchException.TIMED_OUT_HEADER));
 
         XContentBuilder builder = XContentFactory.jsonBuilder();
@@ -1574,7 +1579,7 @@ public void testTimeout() throws IOException {
         builder.endObject();
         String expected = """
             {
-              "type": "exception_subclass",
+              "type": "timeout_subclass",
               "reason": "some timeout",
               "timed_out": true,
               "header": {
@@ -1584,6 +1589,44 @@ public void testTimeout() throws IOException {
         assertEquals(XContentHelper.stripWhitespace(expected), Strings.toString(builder));
     }
 
+    static class Exception5xx extends ElasticsearchException {
+        Exception5xx(String message) {
+            super(message);
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public RestStatus status() {
+            return RestStatus.INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR;
+        }
+    }
+
+    static class Exception4xx extends ElasticsearchException {
+        Exception4xx(String message) {
+            super(message);
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public RestStatus status() {
+            return RestStatus.BAD_REQUEST;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public void testExceptionTypeHeader() throws IOException {
+        var e = new Exception5xx("some exception");
+        assertThat(e.getHttpHeaderKeys(), hasItem(ElasticsearchException.EXCEPTION_TYPE_HEADER));
+
+        XContentBuilder builder = XContentFactory.jsonBuilder();
+        builder.startObject();
+        e.toXContent(builder, ToXContent.EMPTY_PARAMS);
+        builder.endObject();
+        String expected = """
+            {
+              "type": "exception5xx",
+              "reason": "some exception"
+            }""";
+        assertEquals(XContentHelper.stripWhitespace(expected), Strings.toString(builder));
+    }
+
     public void testHttpHeaders() throws IOException {
         var e = new ElasticsearchException("some exception");
         e.addHttpHeader("My-Header", "value");
@@ -1592,13 +1635,19 @@ public void testHttpHeaders() throws IOException {
         assertThat(e.getHttpHeaders(), hasEntry("My-Header", List.of("value")));
 
         // ensure http headers are not written to response body
+    }
+
+    public void testNoExceptionTypeHeaderOn4xx() throws IOException {
+        var e = new Exception4xx("some exception");
+        assertThat(e.getHttpHeaderKeys(), not(hasItem(ElasticsearchException.EXCEPTION_TYPE_HEADER)));
+
         XContentBuilder builder = XContentFactory.jsonBuilder();
         builder.startObject();
         e.toXContent(builder, ToXContent.EMPTY_PARAMS);
         builder.endObject();
         String expected = """
             {
-              "type": "exception",
+              "type": "exception4xx",
               "reason": "some exception"
             }""";
         assertEquals(XContentHelper.stripWhitespace(expected), Strings.toString(builder));
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ExceptionSerializationTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ExceptionSerializationTests.java
index 8497871dad006..64c0b9a780cfe 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ExceptionSerializationTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ExceptionSerializationTests.java
@@ -148,7 +148,9 @@ public void testExceptionRegistration() throws IOException, URISyntaxException {
             CancellableThreadsTests.CustomException.class,
             RestResponseTests.WithHeadersException.class,
             AbstractClientHeadersTestCase.InternalException.class,
-            ElasticsearchExceptionTests.ExceptionSubclass.class
+            ElasticsearchExceptionTests.TimeoutSubclass.class,
+            ElasticsearchExceptionTests.Exception4xx.class,
+            ElasticsearchExceptionTests.Exception5xx.class
         );
         FileVisitor<Path> visitor = new FileVisitor<Path>() {
             private Path pkgPrefix = PathUtils.get(path).getParent();
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/rest/RestResponseTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/rest/RestResponseTests.java
index 2a8025d059cc3..c22698ec4f926 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/rest/RestResponseTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/rest/RestResponseTests.java
@@ -539,6 +539,11 @@ public static class WithHeadersException extends ElasticsearchException {
             this.addHttpHeader("My-Header", "v1");
             this.addMetadata("es.test", "value1", "value2");
         }
+
+        @Override
+        public RestStatus status() {
+            return RestStatus.BAD_REQUEST;
+        }
     }
 
     private static class SimpleExceptionRestChannel extends AbstractRestChannel {