diff --git a/src/chat.rs b/src/chat.rs
index be163f421..ff35944d8 100644
--- a/src/chat.rs
+++ b/src/chat.rs
@@ -2439,7 +2439,7 @@ async fn create_send_msg_job(context: &Context, msg_id: MsgId) -> Result<Option<
     let rendered_msg = match mimefactory.render(context).await {
         Ok(res) => Ok(res),
         Err(err) => {
-            message::set_msg_failed(context, msg_id, &err.to_string()).await;
+            message::set_msg_failed(context, msg_id, &err.to_string()).await?;
             Err(err)
         }
     }?;
@@ -2451,7 +2451,7 @@ async fn create_send_msg_job(context: &Context, msg_id: MsgId) -> Result<Option<
             msg_id,
             "End-to-end-encryption unavailable unexpectedly.",
         )
-        .await;
+        .await?;
         bail!(
             "e2e encryption unavailable {} - {:?}",
             msg_id,
diff --git a/src/message.rs b/src/message.rs
index fe9792553..eb01fa55a 100644
--- a/src/message.rs
+++ b/src/message.rs
@@ -1649,35 +1649,33 @@ pub(crate) async fn update_msg_state(
 
 // Context functions to work with messages
 
-pub(crate) async fn set_msg_failed(context: &Context, msg_id: MsgId, error: &str) {
-    if let Ok(mut msg) = Message::load_from_db(context, msg_id).await {
-        if msg.state.can_fail() {
-            msg.state = MessageState::OutFailed;
-            warn!(context, "{} failed: {}", msg_id, error);
-        } else {
-            warn!(
-                context,
-                "{} seems to have failed ({}), but state is {}", msg_id, error, msg.state
-            )
-        }
+pub(crate) async fn set_msg_failed(context: &Context, msg_id: MsgId, error: &str) -> Result<()> {
+    let mut msg = Message::load_from_db(context, msg_id).await?;
 
-        match context
-            .sql
-            .execute(
-                "UPDATE msgs SET state=?, error=? WHERE id=?;",
-                (msg.state, error, msg_id),
-            )
-            .await
-        {
-            Ok(_) => context.emit_event(EventType::MsgFailed {
-                chat_id: msg.chat_id,
-                msg_id,
-            }),
-            Err(e) => {
-                warn!(context, "{:?}", e);
-            }
-        }
+    if msg.state.can_fail() {
+        msg.state = MessageState::OutFailed;
+        warn!(context, "{} failed: {}", msg_id, error);
+    } else {
+        warn!(
+            context,
+            "{} seems to have failed ({}), but state is {}", msg_id, error, msg.state
+        )
     }
+
+    context
+        .sql
+        .execute(
+            "UPDATE msgs SET state=?, error=? WHERE id=?;",
+            (msg.state, error, msg_id),
+        )
+        .await?;
+
+    context.emit_event(EventType::MsgFailed {
+        chat_id: msg.chat_id,
+        msg_id,
+    });
+
+    Ok(())
 }
 
 /// The number of messages assigned to unblocked chats
@@ -2284,7 +2282,7 @@ mod tests {
         update_msg_state(&alice, alice_msg.id, MessageState::OutMdnRcvd).await?;
         assert_state(&alice, alice_msg.id, MessageState::OutMdnRcvd).await;
 
-        set_msg_failed(&alice, alice_msg.id, "badly failed").await;
+        set_msg_failed(&alice, alice_msg.id, "badly failed").await?;
         assert_state(&alice, alice_msg.id, MessageState::OutFailed).await;
 
         // check incoming message states on receiver side
diff --git a/src/mimeparser.rs b/src/mimeparser.rs
index 3cd305068..1a5ecbe1e 100644
--- a/src/mimeparser.rs
+++ b/src/mimeparser.rs
@@ -2156,7 +2156,7 @@ async fn handle_ndn(
     let mut first = true;
     for msg in msgs {
         let (msg_id, chat_id, chat_type) = msg?;
-        set_msg_failed(context, msg_id, &error).await;
+        set_msg_failed(context, msg_id, &error).await?;
         if first {
             // Add only one info msg for all failed messages
             ndn_maybe_add_info_msg(context, failed, chat_id, chat_type).await?;
diff --git a/src/smtp.rs b/src/smtp.rs
index 7ae5a737b..ba371da44 100644
--- a/src/smtp.rs
+++ b/src/smtp.rs
@@ -492,7 +492,9 @@ pub(crate) async fn smtp_send(
 
     if let SendResult::Failure(err) = &status {
         // We couldn't send the message, so mark it as failed
-        message::set_msg_failed(context, msg_id, &err.to_string()).await;
+        if let Err(err) = message::set_msg_failed(context, msg_id, &err.to_string()).await {
+            error!(context, "Failed to mark {msg_id} as failed: {err:#}.");
+        }
     }
     status
 }
@@ -539,7 +541,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn send_msg_to_smtp(
         )
         .await?;
     if retries > 6 {
-        message::set_msg_failed(context, msg_id, "Number of retries exceeded the limit.").await;
+        message::set_msg_failed(context, msg_id, "Number of retries exceeded the limit.").await?;
         context
             .sql
             .execute("DELETE FROM smtp WHERE id=?", (rowid,))