diff --git a/instances/jobs.py b/instances/jobs.py
index 242e3d72..8e4d2282 100644
--- a/instances/jobs.py
+++ b/instances/jobs.py
@@ -898,11 +898,13 @@ class MigrateInstance(Kind):
             utils.migrate_instance(Compute.objects.get(pk=p["target"]), instance, op.user,
                                    disk_pools=p["disk_pools"],
                                    **{k: p[k] for k in MIGRATE_OPTIONS})
-        except libvirtError:
+        except libvirtError as err:
             op.refresh_from_db(fields=["cancel_requested"])
             if op.cancel_requested:
                 raise Cancelled from None
-            raise
+            # a superuser's job: libvirt's words, which a host the source cannot
+            # reach for the migration would hide behind "cannot be reached"
+            raise util.OperationError(str(err)) from err
         return {}
 
     def progress(self, op):
diff --git a/instances/tests/test_migrate_job.py b/instances/tests/test_migrate_job.py
index 00037b7d..ed4ef8f1 100644
--- a/instances/tests/test_migrate_job.py
+++ b/instances/tests/test_migrate_job.py
@@ -11,9 +11,10 @@ from appsettings.settings import get_settings
 from computes.models import Compute
 from instances.jobs import MigrateInstance
 from instances.models import Instance
-from libvirt import VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INACTIVE, libvirtError
+from libvirt import VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INACTIVE, VIR_ERR_SYSTEM_ERROR, VIR_FROM_RPC, libvirtError
 from operations.jobs import Cancelled, Context, get_kind
 from operations.models import Claim, Operation, acquire
+from operations.utils import public_error_text
 
 UUID = "31313131-4242-5353-6464-757575757575"
 
@@ -156,6 +157,18 @@ class MigrateJobTestCase(TransactionTestCase):
         self.vm.refresh_from_db()
         self.assertEqual(self.vm.compute, self.source)
 
+    def test_a_failed_migration_says_what_libvirt_said(self):
+        # libvirt reports the source host's failure to reach the destination's migration
+        # port as a connection error; only superusers migrate, so its text is shown
+        op = self.queue(live_migrate="true")
+        ctx = self.start(op)
+        err = libvirtError("Unable to resolve address 'kvm2.example.com' service '49152': Name or service not known")
+        err.err = (VIR_ERR_SYSTEM_ERROR, VIR_FROM_RPC, str(err), 2, None, None, None, 0, 0)
+        self.dest_conn.moveto.side_effect = err
+        with self.assertRaises(Exception) as raised:
+            get_kind(op.kind).run(op, ctx)
+        self.assertIn("Unable to resolve address 'kvm2.example.com'", public_error_text(raised.exception))
+
     def test_cancel_and_progress_ask_the_source_vm(self):
         op = self.queue(live_migrate="true")
         with patch("instances.jobs.wvmInstance") as proxy: