diff --git a/src/server/index_patterns/service/lib/__tests__/es_api.js b/src/server/index_patterns/service/lib/__tests__/es_api.js
index 9692b6e44c35c..438a5afbe1005 100644
--- a/src/server/index_patterns/service/lib/__tests__/es_api.js
+++ b/src/server/index_patterns/service/lib/__tests__/es_api.js
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 import sinon from 'sinon';
 import expect from 'expect.js';
 
-import { convertEsIndexNotFoundError } from '../errors';
-import * as convertEsIndexNotFoundErrorNS from '../errors';
+import { convertEsError } from '../errors';
+import * as convertEsErrorNS from '../errors';
 
 import { callIndexAliasApi, callFieldCapsApi } from '../es_api';
 
@@ -45,21 +45,21 @@ describe('server/index_patterns/service/lib/es_api', () => {
       expect(passedOpts).to.have.property('allowNoIndices', false);
     });
 
-    it('handles errors with convertEsIndexNotFoundError()', async () => {
+    it('handles errors with convertEsError()', async () => {
       const indices = [];
       const esError = new Error('esError');
       const convertedError = new Error('convertedError');
 
-      sandbox.stub(convertEsIndexNotFoundErrorNS, 'convertEsIndexNotFoundError', () => { throw convertedError; });
+      sandbox.stub(convertEsErrorNS, 'convertEsError', () => { throw convertedError; });
       const callCluster = sinon.spy(async () => { throw esError; });
       try {
         await callIndexAliasApi(callCluster, indices);
         throw new Error('expected callIndexAliasApi() to throw');
       } catch (error) {
         expect(error).to.be(convertedError);
-        sinon.assert.calledOnce(convertEsIndexNotFoundError);
-        expect(convertEsIndexNotFoundError.args[0][0]).to.be(indices);
-        expect(convertEsIndexNotFoundError.args[0][1]).to.be(esError);
+        sinon.assert.calledOnce(convertEsError);
+        expect(convertEsError.args[0][0]).to.be(indices);
+        expect(convertEsError.args[0][1]).to.be(esError);
       }
     });
   });
@@ -103,21 +103,21 @@ describe('server/index_patterns/service/lib/es_api', () => {
       expect(passedOpts).to.have.property('allowNoIndices', false);
     });
 
-    it('handles errors with convertEsIndexNotFoundError()', async () => {
+    it('handles errors with convertEsError()', async () => {
       const indices = [];
       const esError = new Error('esError');
       const convertedError = new Error('convertedError');
 
-      sandbox.stub(convertEsIndexNotFoundErrorNS, 'convertEsIndexNotFoundError', () => { throw convertedError; });
+      sandbox.stub(convertEsErrorNS, 'convertEsError', () => { throw convertedError; });
       const callCluster = sinon.spy(async () => { throw esError; });
       try {
         await callFieldCapsApi(callCluster, indices);
         throw new Error('expected callFieldCapsApi() to throw');
       } catch (error) {
         expect(error).to.be(convertedError);
-        sinon.assert.calledOnce(convertEsIndexNotFoundError);
-        expect(convertEsIndexNotFoundError.args[0][0]).to.be(indices);
-        expect(convertEsIndexNotFoundError.args[0][1]).to.be(esError);
+        sinon.assert.calledOnce(convertEsError);
+        expect(convertEsError.args[0][0]).to.be(indices);
+        expect(convertEsError.args[0][1]).to.be(esError);
       }
     });
   });
diff --git a/src/server/index_patterns/service/lib/errors.js b/src/server/index_patterns/service/lib/errors.js
index c5805401ee81a..a2ef9f1cc396d 100644
--- a/src/server/index_patterns/service/lib/errors.js
+++ b/src/server/index_patterns/service/lib/errors.js
@@ -42,10 +42,12 @@ export function isNoMatchingIndicesError(err) {
  *  @param  {[type]} indices [description]
  *  @return {[type]}         [description]
  */
-export function convertEsIndexNotFoundError(indices, error) {
+export function convertEsError(indices, error) {
   if (isEsIndexNotFoundError(error)) {
     return createNoMatchingIndicesError(indices);
   }
 
-  return error;
+  const statusCode = error.statusCode;
+  const message = error.body ? error.body.error : undefined;
+  return Boom.wrap(error, statusCode, message);
 }
diff --git a/src/server/index_patterns/service/lib/es_api.js b/src/server/index_patterns/service/lib/es_api.js
index c0445812d757b..b52740e3e5b29 100644
--- a/src/server/index_patterns/service/lib/es_api.js
+++ b/src/server/index_patterns/service/lib/es_api.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { convertEsIndexNotFoundError } from './errors';
+import { convertEsError } from './errors';
 
 /**
  *  Call the index.getAlias API for a list of indices.
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ export async function callIndexAliasApi(callCluster, indices) {
       allowNoIndices: false
     });
   } catch (error) {
-    throw convertEsIndexNotFoundError(indices, error);
+    throw convertEsError(indices, error);
   }
 }
 
@@ -46,6 +46,6 @@ export async function callFieldCapsApi(callCluster, indices) {
       allowNoIndices: false
     });
   } catch (error) {
-    throw convertEsIndexNotFoundError(indices, error);
+    throw convertEsError(indices, error);
   }
 }
diff --git a/test/api_integration/apis/index_patterns/es_errors/errors.js b/test/api_integration/apis/index_patterns/es_errors/errors.js
index 6c82cd50a38e5..ed4b0716f23a2 100644
--- a/test/api_integration/apis/index_patterns/es_errors/errors.js
+++ b/test/api_integration/apis/index_patterns/es_errors/errors.js
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 import expect from 'expect.js';
+import { errors as esErrors } from 'elasticsearch';
 
 import {
   isEsIndexNotFoundError,
   createNoMatchingIndicesError,
   isNoMatchingIndicesError,
-  convertEsIndexNotFoundError
+  convertEsError
 } from '../../../../../src/server/index_patterns/service/lib/errors';
 
 import {
@@ -76,25 +77,34 @@ export default function ({ getService }) {
       });
     });
 
-    describe('convertEsIndexNotFoundError()', () => {
+    describe('convertEsError()', () => {
       const indices = ['foo', 'bar'];
 
       it('converts indexNotFoundErrors into NoMatchingIndices errors', async () => {
-        const converted = convertEsIndexNotFoundError(indices, indexNotFoundError);
+        const converted = convertEsError(indices, indexNotFoundError);
         if (!isNoMatchingIndicesError(converted)) {
-          throw new Error('expected convertEsIndexNotFoundError(indexNotFoundError) to return NoMatchingIndices error');
+          throw new Error('expected convertEsError(indexNotFoundError) to return NoMatchingIndices error');
         }
       });
 
-      it('returns other errors', async () => {
-        const originals = [docNotFoundError, '', 1, /foo/, new Date(), new Error(), function () {}];
-
-        originals.forEach(orig => {
-          const converted = convertEsIndexNotFoundError(indices, orig);
-          if (converted !== orig) {
-            throw new Error(`expected convertEsIndexNotFoundError(${orig}) to return original error`);
-          }
+      it('wraps other errors in Boom', async () => {
+        const error = new esErrors.AuthenticationException({
+          root_cause: [
+            {
+              type: 'security_exception',
+              reason: 'action [indices:data/read/field_caps] is unauthorized for user [standard]'
+            }
+          ],
+          type: 'security_exception',
+          reason: 'action [indices:data/read/field_caps] is unauthorized for user [standard]'
+        }, {
+          statusCode: 403
         });
+
+        expect(error).to.not.have.property('isBoom');
+        const converted = convertEsError(indices, error);
+        expect(converted).to.have.property('isBoom');
+        expect(converted.output.statusCode).to.be(403);
       });
     });
   });