diff --git a/internal/app/app.go b/internal/app/app.go
index 5004e39..124b53b 100644
--- a/internal/app/app.go
+++ b/internal/app/app.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package app
 
 import (
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ func Run(context, contextFile, promptName, promptFile, engineName string, amend,
 		}
 	}
 
-	diff, err := commitDiff(amend, cfg, excludeFiles)
+	diff, filterResult, err := commitDiff(amend, cfg, excludeFiles)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -80,7 +81,7 @@ func Run(context, contextFile, promptName, promptFile, engineName string, amend,
 
 	output, err := eng.Generate(promptText)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return buildEngineFailureError(err, filterResult, excludeFiles)
 	}
 	message := sanitizeMessage(output)
 	if message == "" {
@@ -141,7 +142,7 @@ func sanitizeMessage(message string) string {
 	return clean
 }
 
-func commitDiff(amend bool, cfg config.Config, excludeFiles []string) (string, error) {
+func commitDiff(amend bool, cfg config.Config, excludeFiles []string) (string, git.Result, error) {
 	var diff string
 	var err error
 	if amend {
@@ -150,7 +151,7 @@ func commitDiff(amend bool, cfg config.Config, excludeFiles []string) (string, e
 		diff, err = git.StagedDiff()
 	}
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
+		return "", git.Result{}, err
 	}
 
 	// Determine exclude patterns
@@ -174,9 +175,9 @@ func commitDiff(amend bool, cfg config.Config, excludeFiles []string) (string, e
 	result := git.Filter(diff, opts)
 
 	if result.Truncated || len(result.ExcludedFiles) > 0 {
-		return result.Diff + formatFilterNotice(result), nil
+		return result.Diff + formatFilterNotice(result), result, nil
 	}
-	return result.Diff, nil
+	return result.Diff, result, nil
 }
 
 func formatFilterNotice(result git.Result) string {
@@ -193,6 +194,83 @@ func formatFilterNotice(result git.Result) string {
 	return "\n\n[Filter notice: " + strings.Join(parts, "; ") + "]"
 }
 
+// buildEngineFailureError converts an engine error into an actionable user
+// message. If err is an *engine.EngineError, it saves the full stderr to a
+// temp log file and appends an --exclude hint when the filter result contains
+// truncated or pattern-excluded files. Non-EngineError values are returned
+// unchanged.
+func buildEngineFailureError(err error, filterResult git.Result, userExcluded []string) error {
+	var engineErr *engine.EngineError
+	if !errors.As(err, &engineErr) {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	var msg strings.Builder
+	msg.WriteString(engineErr.Error())
+
+	logPath := writeTempLog(engineErr.Stderr)
+	if logPath != "" {
+		msg.WriteString("\nFull engine output saved to: ")
+		msg.WriteString(logPath)
+	}
+
+	candidates := buildExcludeCandidates(filterResult, userExcluded)
+	if len(candidates) > 0 {
+		msg.WriteString("\nHint: the following files were truncated or excluded and may have caused\na context window overflow. Re-run with --exclude to skip them:")
+		const binary = "git ai-commit"
+		padding := strings.Repeat(" ", 2+len(binary)+1)
+		for i, f := range candidates {
+			if i == 0 {
+				msg.WriteString("\n  ")
+				msg.WriteString(binary)
+				msg.WriteString(" --exclude ")
+				msg.WriteString(f)
+			} else {
+				msg.WriteString(" \\\n")
+				msg.WriteString(padding)
+				msg.WriteString("--exclude ")
+				msg.WriteString(f)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	return errors.New(msg.String())
+}
+
+// writeTempLog writes content to a new temp file and returns its path.
+// Returns empty string if the file cannot be created or written.
+func writeTempLog(stderr string) string {
+	content := stderr
+	if strings.TrimSpace(content) == "" {
+		content = "(empty)\n"
+	}
+	f, err := os.CreateTemp("", "git-ai-commit-stderr-*.log")
+	if err != nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	defer f.Close()
+	_, _ = f.WriteString(content)
+	return f.Name()
+}
+
+// buildExcludeCandidates returns the list of files to suggest in the
+// --exclude hint: truncated files plus pattern-excluded files that the user
+// has not already explicitly excluded on the current invocation.
+func buildExcludeCandidates(filterResult git.Result, userExcluded []string) []string {
+	excluded := make(map[string]bool, len(userExcluded))
+	for _, f := range userExcluded {
+		excluded[f] = true
+	}
+	candidates := make([]string, 0, len(filterResult.TruncatedFiles)+len(filterResult.ExcludedFiles))
+	candidates = append(candidates, filterResult.TruncatedFiles...)
+	for _, f := range filterResult.ExcludedFiles {
+		if !excluded[f] {
+			candidates = append(candidates, f)
+		}
+	}
+	return candidates
+}
+
 func stageChanges(addAll bool, includeFiles []string) (func(), error) {
 	tree, err := git.WriteIndexTree()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/app/app_test.go b/internal/app/app_test.go
index ee5d35a..eee3a7c 100644
--- a/internal/app/app_test.go
+++ b/internal/app/app_test.go
@@ -1,11 +1,121 @@
 package app
 
 import (
+	"errors"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	"git-ai-commit/internal/config"
+	"git-ai-commit/internal/engine"
+	"git-ai-commit/internal/git"
 )
 
+func TestBuildEngineFailureErrorNonEngineError(t *testing.T) {
+	plain := errors.New("some other error")
+	result := buildEngineFailureError(plain, git.Result{}, nil)
+	if result != plain {
+		t.Fatalf("expected original error to be returned unchanged, got %v", result)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBuildEngineFailureErrorNoHint(t *testing.T) {
+	inner := errors.New("exit status 1")
+	engErr := &engine.EngineError{Err: inner, Stderr: "some stderr output"}
+	result := buildEngineFailureError(engErr, git.Result{}, nil)
+	msg := result.Error()
+
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(msg, "engine command failed: exit status 1") {
+		t.Fatalf("message should start with engine error, got: %q", msg)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(msg, "Full engine output saved to:") {
+		t.Fatalf("message should contain log path, got: %q", msg)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(msg, "Hint:") {
+		t.Fatalf("message should not contain hint when no truncated/excluded files, got: %q", msg)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBuildEngineFailureErrorWithTruncatedFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	inner := errors.New("exit status 1")
+	engErr := &engine.EngineError{Err: inner, Stderr: ""}
+	filterResult := git.Result{
+		TruncatedFiles: []string{"large.txt"},
+	}
+	result := buildEngineFailureError(engErr, filterResult, nil)
+	msg := result.Error()
+
+	if !strings.Contains(msg, "Hint:") {
+		t.Fatalf("message should contain hint for truncated files, got: %q", msg)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(msg, "--exclude large.txt") {
+		t.Fatalf("message should contain --exclude large.txt, got: %q", msg)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBuildEngineFailureErrorWithExcludedFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	inner := errors.New("exit status 1")
+	engErr := &engine.EngineError{Err: inner, Stderr: ""}
+	filterResult := git.Result{
+		ExcludedFiles: []string{"go.sum", "package-lock.json"},
+	}
+	result := buildEngineFailureError(engErr, filterResult, nil)
+	msg := result.Error()
+
+	if !strings.Contains(msg, "--exclude go.sum") {
+		t.Fatalf("message should contain --exclude go.sum, got: %q", msg)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(msg, "--exclude package-lock.json") {
+		t.Fatalf("message should contain --exclude package-lock.json, got: %q", msg)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBuildEngineFailureErrorSkipsUserExcluded(t *testing.T) {
+	inner := errors.New("exit status 1")
+	engErr := &engine.EngineError{Err: inner, Stderr: ""}
+	filterResult := git.Result{
+		TruncatedFiles: []string{"large.txt"},
+		ExcludedFiles:  []string{"already-excluded.txt"},
+	}
+	result := buildEngineFailureError(engErr, filterResult, []string{"already-excluded.txt"})
+	msg := result.Error()
+
+	if strings.Contains(msg, "--exclude already-excluded.txt") {
+		t.Fatalf("message should not re-list user-excluded file, got: %q", msg)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(msg, "--exclude large.txt") {
+		t.Fatalf("message should still contain truncated file hint, got: %q", msg)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBuildEngineFailureErrorEmptyStderr(t *testing.T) {
+	inner := errors.New("exit status 1")
+	engErr := &engine.EngineError{Err: inner, Stderr: ""}
+	result := buildEngineFailureError(engErr, git.Result{}, nil)
+	msg := result.Error()
+
+	// Even with empty stderr, a log file should be created
+	if !strings.Contains(msg, "Full engine output saved to:") {
+		t.Fatalf("message should contain log path even for empty stderr, got: %q", msg)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBuildExcludeCandidates(t *testing.T) {
+	filterResult := git.Result{
+		TruncatedFiles: []string{"big.go"},
+		ExcludedFiles:  []string{"go.sum", "user-excluded.txt"},
+	}
+	candidates := buildExcludeCandidates(filterResult, []string{"user-excluded.txt"})
+	if len(candidates) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 2 candidates, got %d: %v", len(candidates), candidates)
+	}
+	if candidates[0] != "big.go" {
+		t.Fatalf("first candidate should be big.go, got %q", candidates[0])
+	}
+	if candidates[1] != "go.sum" {
+		t.Fatalf("second candidate should be go.sum, got %q", candidates[1])
+	}
+}
+
 func TestSelectEngineCodexDefault(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg := config.Default()
 	cfg.DefaultEngine = "codex"
diff --git a/internal/engine/cli.go b/internal/engine/cli.go
index 3706a96..9570515 100644
--- a/internal/engine/cli.go
+++ b/internal/engine/cli.go
@@ -8,6 +8,20 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 )
 
+// EngineError is returned by Generate when the engine subprocess exits with a
+// non-zero status. Stderr holds the full standard error output of the engine
+// process, which may be empty.
+type EngineError struct {
+	Err    error  // the underlying exec error (e.g. *exec.ExitError)
+	Stderr string // full stderr content, possibly empty
+}
+
+func (e *EngineError) Error() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("engine command failed: %v", e.Err)
+}
+
+func (e *EngineError) Unwrap() error { return e.Err }
+
 type CLI struct {
 	Command string
 	Args    []string
@@ -33,7 +47,7 @@ func (c CLI) Generate(prompt string) (string, error) {
 	cmd.Stdout = &stdout
 	cmd.Stderr = &stderr
 	if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("engine command failed: %v: %s", err, strings.TrimSpace(stderr.String()))
+		return "", &EngineError{Err: err, Stderr: stderr.String()}
 	}
 	return stdout.String(), nil
 }
diff --git a/internal/engine/cli_test.go b/internal/engine/cli_test.go
index cd5448f..9386e60 100644
--- a/internal/engine/cli_test.go
+++ b/internal/engine/cli_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,59 @@
 package engine
 
-import "testing"
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestEngineErrorMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	inner := errors.New("exit status 1")
+	e := &EngineError{Err: inner, Stderr: "some error output"}
+	got := e.Error()
+	if got != "engine command failed: exit status 1" {
+		t.Fatalf("Error() = %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEngineErrorMessageEmptyStderr(t *testing.T) {
+	inner := errors.New("exit status 1")
+	e := &EngineError{Err: inner, Stderr: ""}
+	got := e.Error()
+	if got != "engine command failed: exit status 1" {
+		t.Fatalf("Error() = %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEngineErrorUnwrap(t *testing.T) {
+	inner := errors.New("exit status 1")
+	e := &EngineError{Err: inner, Stderr: ""}
+	if !errors.Is(e, inner) {
+		t.Fatal("errors.Is should match the wrapped error")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEngineErrorDoesNotIncludeStderr(t *testing.T) {
+	inner := errors.New("exit status 1")
+	e := &EngineError{Err: inner, Stderr: "secret output that should not appear"}
+	if strings.Contains(e.Error(), "secret output") {
+		t.Fatal("Error() must not include stderr content")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCLIGenerateReturnsEngineErrorOnFailure(t *testing.T) {
+	cli := CLI{Command: "/bin/sh", Args: []string{"-c", "echo 'err output' >&2; exit 1"}}
+	_, err := cli.Generate("ignored")
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error, got nil")
+	}
+	var engineErr *EngineError
+	if !errors.As(err, &engineErr) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected *EngineError, got %T: %v", err, err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(engineErr.Stderr, "err output") {
+		t.Fatalf("Stderr = %q, want it to contain 'err output'", engineErr.Stderr)
+	}
+}
 
 func TestCLIGenerateUsesStdin(t *testing.T) {
 	cli := CLI{Command: "/bin/cat", Args: nil}