diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/errors.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/errors.ts
index 024475d678f5c9b..1e2ad8d850a82be 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/errors.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/errors.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  */
 
 /* eslint-disable max-classes-per-file */
-import Boom from 'boom';
+import Boom, { isBoom } from 'boom';
 import {
   RequestHandlerContext,
   KibanaRequest,
@@ -22,32 +22,34 @@ export class IngestManagerError extends Error {
 }
 
 export const getHTTPResponseCode = (error: IngestManagerError): number => {
-  if (error instanceof RegistryError) {
-    return 502; // Bad Gateway
-  }
-  if (error instanceof PackageNotFoundError) {
-    return 404;
-  }
-  if (error instanceof PackageOutdatedError) {
-    return 400;
-  } else {
-    return 400; // Bad Request
+  switch (true) {
+    case error instanceof RegistryConnectionError:
+      return 502; // Bad Gateway
+
+    case error instanceof RegistryResponseNotFoundError:
+    case error instanceof PackageNotFoundError:
+      return 404;
+
+    case error instanceof PackageOutdatedError:
+      return 400;
+
+    default:
+      return 500;
   }
 };
 
-interface IngestErrorHandlerParams {
+export type IngestErrorHandler = (
+  params: IngestErrorHandlerParams
+) => IKibanaResponse | Promise<IKibanaResponse>;
+
+export interface IngestErrorHandlerParams {
   error: IngestManagerError | Boom | Error;
   response: KibanaResponseFactory;
   request?: KibanaRequest;
   context?: RequestHandlerContext;
 }
 
-export const defaultIngestErrorHandler = async ({
-  error,
-  request,
-  response,
-  context,
-}: IngestErrorHandlerParams): Promise<IKibanaResponse> => {
+export const defaultIngestErrorHandler: IngestErrorHandler = async ({ error, response }) => {
   const logger = appContextService.getLogger();
   if (error instanceof IngestManagerError) {
     logger.error(error.message);
@@ -56,7 +58,7 @@ export const defaultIngestErrorHandler = async ({
       body: { message: error.message },
     });
   }
-  if ('isBoom' in error) {
+  if (isBoom(error)) {
     logger.error(error.output.payload.message);
     return response.customError({
       statusCode: error.output.statusCode,
@@ -70,6 +72,9 @@ export const defaultIngestErrorHandler = async ({
   });
 };
 
-export class RegistryError extends IngestManagerError {}
+export class RegistryResponseError extends IngestManagerError {}
+export class RegistryResponseNotFoundError extends IngestManagerError {}
+export class RegistryConnectionError extends IngestManagerError {}
+
 export class PackageNotFoundError extends IngestManagerError {}
 export class PackageOutdatedError extends IngestManagerError {}
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/routes/setup/handlers.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/routes/setup/handlers.test.ts
index ce826e78c454daf..d8d0828be50a454 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/routes/setup/handlers.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/routes/setup/handlers.test.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 import { xpackMocks } from '../../../../../../x-pack/mocks';
 import { httpServerMock } from 'src/core/server/mocks';
 import { PostIngestSetupResponse } from '../../../common';
-import { RegistryError } from '../../errors';
+import { RegistryConnectionError } from '../../errors';
 import { createAppContextStartContractMock } from '../../mocks';
 import { ingestManagerSetupHandler } from './handlers';
 import { appContextService } from '../../services/app_context';
@@ -66,9 +66,9 @@ describe('ingestManagerSetupHandler', () => {
     });
   });
 
-  it('POST /setup fails w/502 on RegistryError', async () => {
+  it('POST /setup fails w/502 on RegistryConnectionError', async () => {
     mockSetupIngestManager.mockImplementation(() =>
-      Promise.reject(new RegistryError('Registry method mocked to throw'))
+      Promise.reject(new RegistryConnectionError('Registry method mocked to throw'))
     );
 
     await ingestManagerSetupHandler(context, request, response);
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/registry/requests.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/registry/requests.test.ts
index f836a133a78a01b..728046ef5fdaea6 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/registry/requests.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/registry/requests.test.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License.
  */
 import { fetchUrl } from './requests';
-import { RegistryError } from '../../../errors';
+import { RegistryConnectionError } from '../../../errors';
 jest.mock('node-fetch');
 
 const { Response, FetchError } = jest.requireActual('node-fetch');
@@ -20,22 +20,22 @@ describe('setupIngestManager', () => {
   });
 
   describe('fetchUrl / getResponse errors', () => {
-    it('regular Errors do not retry. Becomes RegistryError', async () => {
+    it('regular Errors do not retry. Becomes RegistryConnectionError', async () => {
       fetchMock.mockImplementationOnce(() => {
         throw new Error('mocked');
       });
       const promise = fetchUrl('');
-      await expect(promise).rejects.toThrow(RegistryError);
+      await expect(promise).rejects.toThrow(RegistryConnectionError);
       expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     });
 
-    it('TypeErrors do not retry. Becomes RegistryError', async () => {
+    it('TypeErrors do not retry. Becomes RegistryConnectionError', async () => {
       fetchMock.mockImplementationOnce(() => {
         // @ts-expect-error
         null.f();
       });
       const promise = fetchUrl('');
-      await expect(promise).rejects.toThrow(RegistryError);
+      await expect(promise).rejects.toThrow(RegistryConnectionError);
       expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     });
 
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ describe('setupIngestManager', () => {
         expect(actualResultsOrder).toEqual(['throw', 'throw', 'throw', 'return']);
       });
 
-      it('or error after 1 failure & 5 retries with RegistryError', async () => {
+      it('or error after 1 failure & 5 retries with RegistryConnectionError', async () => {
         fetchMock
           .mockImplementationOnce(() => {
             throw new FetchError('message 1', 'system', { code: 'ESOMETHING' });
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ describe('setupIngestManager', () => {
           });
 
         const promise = fetchUrl('');
-        await expect(promise).rejects.toThrow(RegistryError);
+        await expect(promise).rejects.toThrow(RegistryConnectionError);
         // doesn't retry after 1 failure & 5 failed retries
         expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(6);
         const actualResultsOrder = fetchMock.mock.results.map(({ type }: { type: string }) => type);
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/registry/requests.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/registry/requests.ts
index 5939dc204aae66c..83d0a64260afb13 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/registry/requests.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/registry/requests.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,11 @@
 import fetch, { FetchError, Response } from 'node-fetch';
 import pRetry from 'p-retry';
 import { streamToString } from './streams';
-import { RegistryError } from '../../../errors';
+import {
+  RegistryConnectionError,
+  RegistryResponseError,
+  RegistryResponseNotFoundError,
+} from '../../../errors';
 
 type FailedAttemptErrors = pRetry.FailedAttemptError | FetchError | Error;
 
@@ -19,10 +23,13 @@ async function registryFetch(url: string) {
     return response;
   } else {
     // 4xx & 5xx responses
-    // exit without retry & throw RegistryError
-    throw new pRetry.AbortError(
-      new RegistryError(`Error connecting to package registry at ${url}: ${response.statusText}`)
-    );
+    const is404 = response.status === 404;
+    const ErrorCtor = is404 ? RegistryResponseNotFoundError : RegistryResponseError;
+    const message = `'${response.status} ${response.statusText}' response from package registry at ${url}`;
+    const error = new ErrorCtor(message);
+
+    // exit without retry (will ultimately throw RegistryConnectionError)
+    throw new pRetry.AbortError(error);
   }
 }
 
@@ -38,17 +45,16 @@ export async function getResponse(url: string): Promise<Response> {
         // and let the others through without retrying
         //
         // throwing in onFailedAttempt will abandon all retries & fail the request
-        // we only want to retry system errors, so throw a RegistryError for everything else
+        // we only want to retry system errors, so re-throw for everything else
         if (!isSystemError(error)) {
-          throw new RegistryError(
-            `Error connecting to package registry at ${url}: ${error.message}`
-          );
+          throw error;
         }
       },
     });
     return response;
-  } catch (e) {
-    throw new RegistryError(`Error connecting to package registry at ${url}: ${e.message}`);
+  } catch (error) {
+    // throw same error type whether isSystemError (after max retry attempts) or something else
+    throw new RegistryConnectionError(error);
   }
 }