diff --git a/src/ui/public/notify/__tests__/lib/_format_msg.js b/src/ui/public/notify/__tests__/lib/_format_msg.js
index 52d9546216db..8961509db5ac 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/notify/__tests__/lib/_format_msg.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/notify/__tests__/lib/_format_msg.js
@@ -21,6 +21,22 @@ describe('formatMsg', function () {
     expect(actual).to.equal('error message');
   });
 
+  it('should handle a simple Angular $http error object', function () {
+    var err = {
+      data: {
+        statusCode: 403,
+        error: 'Forbidden',
+        message: '[security_exception] action [indices:data/read/mget] is unauthorized for user [user]'
+      },
+      status: 403,
+      config: {},
+      statusText: 'Forbidden'
+    };
+    var actual = formatMsg(err);
+
+    expect(actual).to.equal('Error 403 Forbidden: [security_exception] action [indices:data/read/mget] is unauthorized for user [user]');
+  });
+
   it('should handle an extended elasticsearch error', function () {
     var err = {
       resp : {
diff --git a/src/ui/public/notify/lib/_format_msg.js b/src/ui/public/notify/lib/_format_msg.js
index e0458816836d..2331d01a7659 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/notify/lib/_format_msg.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/notify/lib/_format_msg.js
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 define(function (require) {
+  var _ = require('lodash');
+  var has = _.has;
   var formatESMsg = require('ui/notify/lib/_format_es_msg');
 
   /**
@@ -22,6 +24,9 @@ define(function (require) {
       rtn += esMsg;
     } else if (err instanceof Error) {
       rtn += formatMsg.describeError(err);
+    } else if (has(err, 'status') && has(err, 'data')) {
+      // is an Angular $http "error object"
+      rtn += 'Error ' + err.status + ' ' + err.statusText + ': ' + err.data.message;
     }
 
     return rtn;