diff --git a/crates/wiggle/generate/src/funcs.rs b/crates/wiggle/generate/src/funcs.rs
index 331f8e3c3b..a12910c914 100644
--- a/crates/wiggle/generate/src/funcs.rs
+++ b/crates/wiggle/generate/src/funcs.rs
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ pub fn define_func(names: &Names, func: &witx::InterfaceFunc) -> TokenStream {
             let err_typename = names.type_ref(&tref, anon_lifetime());
             quote! {
                 let e = wiggle::GuestError::InFunc { funcname: #funcname, location: #location, err: Box::new(e.into()) };
-                let err: #err_typename = wiggle::GuestErrorType::from_error(e, ctx);
+                let err: #err_typename = wiggle::GuestErrorType::from_error(e, ctx); // XXX replace with conversion method on trait!
                 return #abi_ret::from(err);
             }
         } else {
diff --git a/crates/wiggle/macro/src/lib.rs b/crates/wiggle/macro/src/lib.rs
index 2cd1c27b53..f0e587ce4d 100644
--- a/crates/wiggle/macro/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/wiggle/macro/src/lib.rs
@@ -66,16 +66,11 @@ use syn::parse_macro_input;
 ///
 /// /// For all types used in the `Error` position of a `Result` in the module
 /// /// traits, you must implement `GuestErrorType` which tells wiggle-generated
-/// /// code how to determine if a method call has been successful, as well as
-/// /// how to translate a wiggle runtime error into an ABI-level error.
-/// impl<'a> GuestErrorType<'a> for types::Errno {
-///     type Context = YourCtxType;
+/// /// code what value to return when the method returns Ok(...).
+/// impl GuestErrorType for types::Errno {
 ///     fn success() -> Self {
 ///         unimplemented!()
 ///     }
-///     fn from_error(_e: wiggle::GuestError, _c: &Self::Context) -> Self {
-///         unimplemented!()
-///     }
 /// }
 ///
 /// # fn main() { println!("this fools doc tests into compiling the above outside a function body")
diff --git a/crates/wiggle/src/guest_type.rs b/crates/wiggle/src/guest_type.rs
index 534eed5489..51e003c7f6 100644
--- a/crates/wiggle/src/guest_type.rs
+++ b/crates/wiggle/src/guest_type.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
 use crate::{GuestError, GuestPtr};
 use std::mem;
 
-pub trait GuestErrorType<'a> {
-    type Context;
+/// A trait for types which are used to report errors. Each type used in the
+/// first result position of an interface function is used, by convention, to
+/// indicate whether the function was successful and subsequent results are valid,
+/// or whether an error occured. This trait allows wiggle to return the correct
+/// value when the interface function's idiomatic Rust method returns
+/// Ok(<rest of return values>).
+pub trait GuestErrorType {
     fn success() -> Self;
-    fn from_error(e: GuestError, ctx: &Self::Context) -> Self;
 }
 
 /// A trait for types that are intended to be pointees in `GuestPtr<T>`.
diff --git a/crates/wiggle/test-helpers/src/lib.rs b/crates/wiggle/test-helpers/src/lib.rs
index 27766dbff9..f41515be52 100644
--- a/crates/wiggle/test-helpers/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/wiggle/test-helpers/src/lib.rs
@@ -314,16 +314,10 @@ impl<'a> WasiCtx<'a> {
 #[macro_export]
 macro_rules! impl_errno {
     ( $errno:ty ) => {
-        impl<'a> wiggle::GuestErrorType<'a> for $errno {
-            type Context = WasiCtx<'a>;
+        impl wiggle::GuestErrorType for $errno {
             fn success() -> $errno {
                 <$errno>::Ok
             }
-            fn from_error(e: GuestError, ctx: &WasiCtx) -> $errno {
-                eprintln!("GUEST ERROR: {:?}", e);
-                ctx.guest_errors.borrow_mut().push(e);
-                types::Errno::InvalidArg
-            }
         }
     };
 }
diff --git a/crates/wiggle/tests/wasi.rs b/crates/wiggle/tests/wasi.rs
index 5e2f133782..c605be9c3f 100644
--- a/crates/wiggle/tests/wasi.rs
+++ b/crates/wiggle/tests/wasi.rs
@@ -23,18 +23,10 @@ fn document_equivelant() {
 
 type Result<T> = std::result::Result<T, types::Errno>;
 
-impl<'a> GuestErrorType<'a> for types::Errno {
-    type Context = WasiCtx<'a>;
-
+impl GuestErrorType for types::Errno {
     fn success() -> types::Errno {
         types::Errno::Success
     }
-
-    fn from_error(e: GuestError, ctx: &Self::Context) -> types::Errno {
-        eprintln!("GUEST ERROR: {:?}", e);
-        ctx.guest_errors.borrow_mut().push(e);
-        types::Errno::Io
-    }
 }
 
 impl<'a> crate::wasi_snapshot_preview1::WasiSnapshotPreview1 for WasiCtx<'a> {