diff --git a/src/matrix/Sync.js b/src/matrix/Sync.js
index ed9889b1..bcd29ab4 100644
--- a/src/matrix/Sync.js
+++ b/src/matrix/Sync.js
@@ -296,14 +296,10 @@ export class Sync {
             // avoid corrupting state by only
             // storing the sync up till the point
             // the exception occurred
-            try {
-                syncTxn.abort();
-            } catch (abortErr) {
-                log.set("couldNotAbortTxn", true);
-            }
-            throw err;
+            syncTxn.abort(log);
+            throw syncTxn.getCause(err);
         }
-        await syncTxn.complete();
+        await syncTxn.complete(log);
     }
 
     _afterSync(sessionState, inviteStates, roomStates, archivedRoomStates, log) {
diff --git a/src/matrix/storage/idb/Transaction.ts b/src/matrix/storage/idb/Transaction.ts
index 291226c5..84247428 100644
--- a/src/matrix/storage/idb/Transaction.ts
+++ b/src/matrix/storage/idb/Transaction.ts
@@ -159,13 +159,39 @@ export class Transaction {
         return this._store(StoreNames.accountData, idbStore => new AccountDataStore(idbStore));
     }
 
-    complete(): Promise<void> {
-        return txnAsPromise(this._txn);
+    async complete(log?: LogItem): Promise<void> {
+        try {
+            await txnAsPromise(this._txn);
+        } catch (err) {
+            if (this._writeErrors.length) {
+                this._logWriteErrors(log);
+                throw this._writeErrors[0].error;
+            }
+            throw err;
+        }
     }
 
-    abort(): void {
+    getCause(error: Error) {
+        if (error instanceof StorageError) {
+            if (error.errcode === "AbortError" && this._writeErrors.length) {
+                return this._writeErrors[0].error;
+            }
+        }
+        return error;
+    }
+
+    abort(log?: LogItem): void {
         // TODO: should we wrap the exception in a StorageError?
-        this._txn.abort();
+        try {
+            this._txn.abort();
+        } catch (abortErr) {
+            log?.set("couldNotAbortTxn", true);
+        }
+        if (this._writeErrors.length) {
+            this._logWriteErrors(log);
+        }
+    }
+
     addWriteError(error: StorageError, refItem: LogItem | undefined, operationName: string, key: IDBValidKey | IDBKeyRange | undefined) {
         // don't log subsequent `AbortError`s
         if (error.errcode !== "AbortError" || this._writeErrors.length === 0) {
diff --git a/src/matrix/storage/idb/utils.ts b/src/matrix/storage/idb/utils.ts
index bd1683ea..f9209f56 100644
--- a/src/matrix/storage/idb/utils.ts
+++ b/src/matrix/storage/idb/utils.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 
 import { IDBRequestError } from "./error";
 import { StorageError } from "../common";
+import { AbortError } from "../../../utils/error.js";
 
 let needsSyncPromise = false;
 
@@ -112,22 +113,8 @@ export function txnAsPromise(txn): Promise<void> {
             // @ts-ignore
             needsSyncPromise && Promise._flush && Promise._flush();
         });
-        txn.addEventListener("error", event => {
-            const request = event.target;
-            // catch first error here, but don't reject yet,
-            // as we don't have access to the failed request in the abort event handler
-            if (!error && request) {
-                error = new IDBRequestError(request);
-            }
-        });
         txn.addEventListener("abort", event => {
-            if (!error) {
-                const txn = event.target;
-                const dbName = txn.db.name;
-                const storeNames = Array.from(txn.objectStoreNames).join(", ")
-                error = new StorageError(`Transaction on ${dbName} with stores ${storeNames} was aborted.`);
-            }
-            reject(error);
+            reject(new AbortError());
             // @ts-ignore
             needsSyncPromise && Promise._flush && Promise._flush();
         });