diff --git a/errors.js b/errors.js
index 01b073c..036eba7 100644
--- a/errors.js
+++ b/errors.js
@@ -1,11 +1,39 @@
 'use strict'
 
-const createError = require('errno').create
-const LevelUPError = createError('LevelUPError')
-const NotFoundError = createError('NotFoundError', LevelUPError)
+function createError (type, Proto) {
+  const Err = function (message, cause) {
+    if (typeof message === 'object' && message !== null) {
+      // Can be passed just a cause
+      cause = cause || message
+      message = message.message || message.name
+    }
 
-NotFoundError.prototype.notFound = true
-NotFoundError.prototype.status = 404
+    message = message || ''
+    cause = cause || undefined
+
+    // If input is already of type, return as-is to keep its stack trace.
+    // Avoid instanceof, for when node_modules has multiple copies of level-errors.
+    if (typeof cause === 'object' && cause.type === type && cause.message === message) {
+      return cause
+    }
+
+    Object.defineProperty(this, 'type', { value: type, enumerable: false, writable: true, configurable: true })
+    Object.defineProperty(this, 'name', { value: type, enumerable: false, writable: true, configurable: true })
+    Object.defineProperty(this, 'cause', { value: cause, enumerable: false, writable: true, configurable: true })
+    Object.defineProperty(this, 'message', { value: message, enumerable: false, writable: true, configurable: true })
+
+    Error.call(this)
+
+    if (typeof Error.captureStackTrace === 'function') {
+      Error.captureStackTrace(this, Err)
+    }
+  }
+
+  Err.prototype = new Proto()
+  return Err
+}
+
+const LevelUPError = createError('LevelUPError', Error)
 
 module.exports = {
   LevelUPError: LevelUPError,
@@ -13,6 +41,9 @@ module.exports = {
   OpenError: createError('OpenError', LevelUPError),
   ReadError: createError('ReadError', LevelUPError),
   WriteError: createError('WriteError', LevelUPError),
-  NotFoundError: NotFoundError,
+  NotFoundError: createError('NotFoundError', LevelUPError),
   EncodingError: createError('EncodingError', LevelUPError)
 }
+
+module.exports.NotFoundError.prototype.notFound = true
+module.exports.NotFoundError.prototype.status = 404
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index ee2308a..ea913a4 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -19,9 +19,7 @@
     "LICENSE.md",
     "UPGRADING.md"
   ],
-  "dependencies": {
-    "errno": "^1.0.0"
-  },
+  "dependencies": {},
   "devDependencies": {
     "airtap": "^4.0.3",
     "airtap-playwright": "^1.0.1",
diff --git a/test.js b/test.js
index 8f3e995..f0cff56 100644
--- a/test.js
+++ b/test.js
@@ -3,20 +3,100 @@
 const test = require('tape')
 const errors = require('.')
 
-test('all errors are instances of LevelUPError', function (t) {
+test('all errors are instances of Error and LevelUPError', function (t) {
   const LevelUPError = errors.LevelUPError
   const keys = Object.keys(errors)
 
   keys.forEach(function (key) {
+    t.ok(new errors[key]() instanceof Error)
     t.ok(new errors[key]() instanceof LevelUPError)
   })
 
   t.end()
 })
 
+test('error with message has expected properties', function (t) {
+  const error = new errors.ReadError('foo')
+
+  t.is(error.type, 'ReadError')
+  t.is(error.name, 'ReadError')
+  t.is(error.cause, undefined)
+  t.is(error.message, 'foo')
+  t.end()
+})
+
+test('error without message has expected properties', function (t) {
+  const error = new errors.ReadError()
+
+  t.is(error.type, 'ReadError')
+  t.is(error.name, 'ReadError')
+  t.is(error.cause, undefined)
+  t.is(error.message, '')
+  t.end()
+})
+
+test('error with cause has expected properties', function (t) {
+  const cause = new Error('foo')
+  const error = new errors.ReadError(cause)
+
+  t.is(error.type, 'ReadError')
+  t.is(error.name, 'ReadError')
+  t.is(error.cause, cause)
+  t.is(error.message, 'foo')
+  t.end()
+})
+
+test('error with message and cause has expected properties', function (t) {
+  const cause = new Error('foo')
+  const error = new errors.ReadError('bar', cause)
+
+  t.is(error.type, 'ReadError')
+  t.is(error.name, 'ReadError')
+  t.is(error.cause, cause)
+  t.is(error.message, 'bar')
+  t.end()
+})
+
 test('NotFoundError has special properties', function (t) {
   const error = new errors.NotFoundError()
-  t.equal(error.notFound, true)
-  t.equal(error.status, 404)
+  t.is(error.notFound, true)
+  t.is(error.status, 404)
+  t.end()
+})
+
+test('error message is writable to mirror node core conventions', function (t) {
+  const error = new errors.WriteError('foo')
+  error.message = 'Got error: ' + error.message
+  t.is(error.message, 'Got error: foo')
+  t.end()
+})
+
+test('returns original instance if cause is the same type', function (t) {
+  const cause = new errors.NotFoundError('Key not found in database [foo]')
+  const error = new errors.NotFoundError(cause)
+  t.is(cause, error, 'same instance')
+  t.is(error.message, 'Key not found in database [foo]')
+  t.end()
+})
+
+test('returns new instance if cause prototype is different', function (t) {
+  const cause = new errors.NotFoundError('Key not found in database [foo]')
+  const error = new errors.WriteError(cause)
+  t.isNot(cause, error, 'new instance')
+  t.is(error.message, 'Key not found in database [foo]')
+  t.end()
+})
+
+test('returns original instance if message and cause are the same', function (t) {
+  const cause = new errors.NotFoundError('Key not found in database [foo]')
+  const error = new errors.NotFoundError('Key not found in database [foo]', cause)
+  t.is(cause, error, 'same instance')
+  t.end()
+})
+
+test('returns new instance if message is different', function (t) {
+  const cause = new errors.NotFoundError('Key not found in database [foo]')
+  const error = new errors.NotFoundError('Key not found in database [bar]', cause)
+  t.isNot(cause, error, 'new instance')
   t.end()
 })