diff --git a/crates/generate/src/errors.rs b/crates/generate/src/errors.rs
deleted file mode 100644
index 2dc2f243b0..0000000000
--- a/crates/generate/src/errors.rs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,57 +0,0 @@
-use crate::names::Names;
-use heck::SnakeCase;
-use proc_macro2::TokenStream;
-use quote::{format_ident, quote};
-use std::collections::HashSet;
-use witx::{Document, TypeRef};
-
-/// The context struct needs to implement a trait for converting memory and value errors into the
-/// witx doc's error types.
-///
-// XXX im rethinking this. maybe each error type should impl
-// pub trait WitxErrorType {
-//   type Context;
-//   fn is_success(&self) -> bool;
-//   fn from_memory_error(memory_error: MemoryError, ctx: &mut Context) -> Self;
-//   fn from_value_error(value_error: GuestValueError, ctx: &mut Context) -> Self;
-// }
-//
-// where Context is mapped to their wasi ctx.
-// It seems less "magic" to leave that impl up to the user, and the error message may be simpler?
-//
-pub fn define_error_trait(names: &Names, doc: &Document) -> TokenStream {
-    // All non-anonymous first return types are used to pass errors.
-    let error_typenames = doc
-        .modules()
-        .flat_map(|m| {
-            m.funcs()
-                .filter_map(|f| {
-                    f.results.get(0).and_then(|r| match &r.tref {
-                        TypeRef::Name(nt) => Some(nt.name.clone()),
-                        _ => None,
-                    })
-                })
-                .collect::<HashSet<witx::Id>>()
-        })
-        .collect::<HashSet<witx::Id>>();
-
-    let methods = error_typenames.iter().map(|typename| {
-        let tname = names.type_(typename);
-        let methodfragment = typename.as_str().to_snake_case();
-        let success = format_ident!("success_to_{}", methodfragment);
-        let memory_error = format_ident!("memory_error_to_{}", methodfragment);
-        let value_error = format_ident!("value_error_to_{}", methodfragment);
-
-        quote! {
-            fn #success(&mut self) -> #tname;
-            fn #memory_error(&mut self, err: ::memory::MemoryError) -> #tname;
-            fn #value_error(&mut self, err: ::memory::GuestValueError) -> #tname;
-        }
-    });
-
-    quote!(
-        pub trait WitxErrorConversion {
-            #(#methods)*
-        }
-    )
-}
diff --git a/crates/generate/src/lib.rs b/crates/generate/src/lib.rs
index 830e92e900..76e1014c7e 100644
--- a/crates/generate/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/generate/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 extern crate proc_macro;
 
-mod errors;
 mod funcs;
 mod names;
 mod parse;
@@ -10,7 +9,6 @@ use proc_macro::TokenStream;
 use proc_macro2::TokenStream as TokenStream2;
 use quote::quote;
 
-use errors::define_error_trait;
 use funcs::define_func;
 use names::Names;
 use types::define_datatype;
@@ -39,12 +37,9 @@ pub fn from_witx(args: TokenStream) -> TokenStream {
         )
     });
 
-    let error_trait = define_error_trait(&names, &doc);
-
     TokenStream::from(quote!(
         mod types {
             #(#types)*
-            #error_trait
         }
         #(#modules)*
     ))
diff --git a/crates/memory/src/guest_type.rs b/crates/memory/src/guest_type.rs
index 820e3b28f2..933b11c33e 100644
--- a/crates/memory/src/guest_type.rs
+++ b/crates/memory/src/guest_type.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use crate::{GuestPtr, GuestPtrMut};
+use crate::{GuestPtr, GuestPtrMut, MemoryError};
 use thiserror::Error;
 
 pub trait GuestType: Sized {
@@ -66,3 +66,10 @@ macro_rules! builtin_copy {
 
 // These definitions correspond to all the witx BuiltinType variants that are Copy:
 builtin_copy!(u8, i8, u16, i16, u32, i32, u64, i64, f32, f64, usize, char);
+
+pub trait GuestError {
+    type Context;
+    fn is_success(&self) -> bool;
+    fn from_memory_error(memory_error: MemoryError, ctx: &mut Self::Context) -> Self;
+    fn from_value_error(value_error: GuestValueError, ctx: &mut Self::Context) -> Self;
+}
diff --git a/crates/memory/src/lib.rs b/crates/memory/src/lib.rs
index efc2317a47..872c556b15 100644
--- a/crates/memory/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/memory/src/lib.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,6 @@ mod guest_type;
 mod memory;
 mod region;
 
-pub use guest_type::{GuestType, GuestTypeClone, GuestTypeCopy, GuestValueError};
+pub use guest_type::{GuestError, GuestType, GuestTypeClone, GuestTypeCopy, GuestValueError};
 pub use memory::{GuestMemory, GuestPtr, GuestPtrMut, MemoryError};
 pub use region::Region;
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index a146077675..cdb98b3dd4 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,18 +1,30 @@
 pub mod test {
+    // FIXME: parameterize macro on what ctx type is used here
     generate::from_witx!("test.witx");
 
-    pub struct WasiCtx {} // FIXME: parameterize macro on what ctx type is used here
+    pub struct WasiCtx {
+        mem_errors: Vec<::memory::MemoryError>,
+        value_errors: Vec<::memory::GuestValueError>,
+    }
 
-    impl types::WitxErrorConversion for WasiCtx {
-        fn success_to_errno(&mut self) -> types::Errno {
-            types::Errno::Ok
+    // Errno is used as a first return value in the functions above, therefore
+    // it must implement GuestError with type Context = WasiCtx.
+    // The context type should let you do logging or debugging or whatever you need
+    // with these errors. We just push them to vecs.
+    impl ::memory::GuestError for types::Errno {
+        type Context = WasiCtx;
+        fn is_success(&self) -> bool {
+            match self {
+                types::Errno::Ok => true,
+                _ => false,
+            }
         }
-        fn memory_error_to_errno(&mut self, e: ::memory::MemoryError) -> types::Errno {
-            eprintln!("memory error: {:?}", e);
+        fn from_memory_error(e: ::memory::MemoryError, ctx: &mut WasiCtx) -> types::Errno {
+            ctx.mem_errors.push(e);
             types::Errno::InvalidArg
         }
-        fn value_error_to_errno(&mut self, e: ::memory::GuestValueError) -> types::Errno {
-            eprintln!("guest value error: {:?}", e);
+        fn from_value_error(e: ::memory::GuestValueError, ctx: &mut WasiCtx) -> types::Errno {
+            ctx.value_errors.push(e);
             types::Errno::InvalidArg
         }
     }