diff --git a/src/err.c b/src/err.c
index 0aac372..69dd166 100644
--- a/src/err.c
+++ b/src/err.c
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 
 #include <stdio.h>
+#include <hdf5.h>
 #include "err.h"
 
 
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@ static char *messages[ERR_MAX_STACK_SIZE] = {0};
 
 static struct error_stack_t stack = {files, funcs, lines, errors, messages, 0};
 
+
 void push_error_stack(const char *file, const char *func, int line, int err, const char *message) {
 	if (stack.size >= ERR_MAX_STACK_SIZE) return; /* unfortunate */
 	int idx = stack.size;
@@ -47,8 +49,35 @@ void push_error_stack(const char *file, const char *func, int line, int err, con
 }
 
 
+herr_t h5e_walk_callback(unsigned int n, const struct H5E_error2_t *err, void *client_data) {
+	herr_t retval = 0;
+	/* only read the message for the innermost stack frame - the rest are just noise */
+	if (n == 0) {
+		char message[ERR_MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH] = {0};
+		sprintf(message, "%.*s", ERR_MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH - 1, err->desc);
+		push_error_stack(err->file_name, err->func_name, err->line, -1, message);
+	} else {
+		push_error_stack(err->file_name, err->func_name, err->line, -1, "");
+	}
+	return retval;
+}
+
+
+int h5e_error_callback(hid_t stack_id, void *client_data) {
+	int retval = 0;
+	herr_t err = 0;
+	err = H5Ewalk2(stack_id, H5E_WALK_UPWARD, &h5e_walk_callback, client_data);
+	if (err < 0) {
+		ERROR_JUMP(err, done, "Error walking HDF5 Error stack");
+	}
+done:
+	return retval;
+}
+
+
 void reset_error_stack() {
 	stack.size = 0;
+	H5Eclear2(H5E_DEFAULT); /* almost certainly unnecessary */
 }
 
 
@@ -67,3 +96,14 @@ void dump_error_stack(FILE *out) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+
+int init_h5_error_handling() {
+	int retval = 0;
+	hid_t err = 0;
+	if ((err = H5Eset_auto2(H5E_DEFAULT, &h5e_error_callback, NULL)) < 0) {
+		ERROR_JUMP(err, done, "Error configuring HDF5 error callback");
+	}
+done:
+	return retval;
+}
diff --git a/src/err.h b/src/err.h
index cba6713..c30f6f2 100644
--- a/src/err.h
+++ b/src/err.h
@@ -48,4 +48,6 @@ void dump_error_stack(FILE *out);
 
 void reset_error_stack();
 
+int init_h5_error_handling();
+
 #endif /* NXS_XDS_ERR_H */
diff --git a/src/plugin.c b/src/plugin.c
index 5d94ea9..0b9b97f 100644
--- a/src/plugin.c
+++ b/src/plugin.c
@@ -54,6 +54,11 @@ void plugin_open(
 		int *error_flag) {
 	int retval = 0;
 	*error_flag = 0;
+
+	if (init_h5_error_handling() < 0) {
+		ERROR_JUMP(-2, done, "Failed to configure HDF5 error handling");
+	}
+
 	fill_info_array(info);
 	file_id = H5Fopen(filename, H5F_ACC_RDONLY, H5P_DEFAULT);
 	if (file_id < 0) {
diff --git a/src/test.c b/src/test.c
index daa3589..93d6d32 100644
--- a/src/test.c
+++ b/src/test.c
@@ -47,6 +47,9 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 	int *data = NULL;
 
 	reset_error_stack();
+	if (init_h5_error_handling() < 0) {
+		ERROR_JUMP(-1, done, "");
+	}
 
 	if (parse_args(argc, argv, &test_file, &frame_idx) < 0) {
 		ERROR_JUMP(-1, done, "Failure parsing arguments");