diff --git a/lib/format/format.go b/lib/format/format.go
index 42dd34a..055e2c7 100644
--- a/lib/format/format.go
+++ b/lib/format/format.go
@@ -83,6 +83,10 @@ func ParseMessageFormat(format string, timeFmt string, thisDayTimeFmt string,
 	thisWeekTimeFmt string, thisYearTimeFmt string, ctx Ctx) (
 	string, []interface{}, error,
 ) {
+	if ctx.MsgInfo.Error != nil {
+		return "", nil,
+			errors.New("(unable to fetch header)")
+	}
 	retval := make([]byte, 0, len(format))
 	var args []interface{}
 
diff --git a/lib/msgstore.go b/lib/msgstore.go
index 33c2439..a545f62 100644
--- a/lib/msgstore.go
+++ b/lib/msgstore.go
@@ -112,8 +112,9 @@ func (store *MessageStore) FetchHeaders(uids []uint32,
 	}
 	if len(toFetch) > 0 {
 		store.worker.PostAction(&types.FetchMessageHeaders{Uids: toFetch}, func(msg types.WorkerMessage) {
-			if _, ok := msg.(*types.Error); ok {
+			if msg, ok := msg.(*types.Error); ok {
 				for _, uid := range toFetch {
+					store.postInvalidMessageInfo(uid, msg.Error)
 					delete(store.pendingHeaders, uid)
 				}
 			}
@@ -124,6 +125,17 @@ func (store *MessageStore) FetchHeaders(uids []uint32,
 	}
 }
 
+func (store *MessageStore) postInvalidMessageInfo(uid uint32, err error) {
+	logging.Errorf("Unable to fetch header %d: %w", uid, err)
+	info := &models.MessageInfo{
+		Envelope: &models.Envelope{},
+		Flags:    []models.Flag{models.SeenFlag},
+		Uid:      uid,
+		Error:    err,
+	}
+	store.Update(&types.MessageInfo{Info: info})
+}
+
 func (store *MessageStore) FetchFull(uids []uint32, cb func(*types.FullMessage)) {
 	// TODO: this could be optimized by pre-allocating toFetch and trimming it
 	// at the end. In practice we expect to get most messages back in one frame.