diff --git a/packages/core/ui/ErrorMessageStackTraceDialog.tsx b/packages/core/ui/ErrorMessageStackTraceDialog.tsx
index 37f41e6521..35d9adf99b 100644
--- a/packages/core/ui/ErrorMessageStackTraceDialog.tsx
+++ b/packages/core/ui/ErrorMessageStackTraceDialog.tsx
@@ -118,14 +118,14 @@ function stripMessage(trace: string, error: unknown) {
   }
 }
 
-function Contents({ text, extra }: { text: string; extra: unknown }) {
+function Contents({ text, extra }: { text: string; extra?: unknown }) {
   const err = encodeURIComponent(
     [
       'I got this error from JBrowse, here is the stack trace:\n',
       '```',
       text,
       '```',
-      `supporting data: ${extra}`,
+      extra ? `supporting data: ${extra}` : '',
     ].join('\n') + '\n',
   )
   const githubLink = `https://github.com/GMOD/jbrowse-components/issues/new?labels=bug&title=JBrowse+issue&body=${err}`
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ export default function ErrorMessageStackTraceDialog({
 }: {
   onClose: () => void
   error: unknown
-  extra: unknown
+  extra?: unknown
 }) {
   const [mappedStackTrace, setMappedStackTrace] = useState<string>()
   const [secondaryError, setSecondaryError] = useState<unknown>()
diff --git a/packages/core/ui/SnackbarModel.tsx b/packages/core/ui/SnackbarModel.tsx
index be77e25cc9..1dc5b97824 100644
--- a/packages/core/ui/SnackbarModel.tsx
+++ b/packages/core/ui/SnackbarModel.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { IObservableArray, observable } from 'mobx'
 import { NotificationLevel, SnackAction } from '../util/types'
 // icons
 import Report from '@mui/icons-material/Report'
+import { getSession } from '../util'
 
 // lazies
 const ErrorMessageStackTraceDialog = lazy(
@@ -21,7 +22,11 @@ export interface SnackbarMessage {
  * #stateModel SnackbarModel
  * #category session
  */
-function makeExtension(snackbarMessages: IObservableArray<SnackbarMessage>) {
+function makeExtension(
+  snackbarMessages: IObservableArray<SnackbarMessage>,
+  // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+  self: any,
+) {
   return {
     views: {
       /**
@@ -47,7 +52,6 @@ function makeExtension(snackbarMessages: IObservableArray<SnackbarMessage>) {
         this.notify(errorMessage, 'error', {
           name: <Report />,
           onClick: () => {
-            // @ts-expect-error
             self.queueDialog((onClose: () => void) => [
               ErrorMessageStackTraceDialog,
               {
@@ -99,9 +103,9 @@ export default function addSnackbarToModel<
     ReturnType<typeof makeExtension>['actions'] &
     ReturnType<typeof makeExtension>['views']
 > {
-  return tree.extend(() => {
+  return tree.extend(self => {
     const snackbarMessages = observable.array<SnackbarMessage>()
 
-    return makeExtension(snackbarMessages)
+    return makeExtension(snackbarMessages, self)
   })
 }
diff --git a/packages/core/util/types/index.ts b/packages/core/util/types/index.ts
index 8c5e1f28e2..ba92ec7c4e 100644
--- a/packages/core/util/types/index.ts
+++ b/packages/core/util/types/index.ts
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ export interface AbstractSessionModel extends AbstractViewContainer {
     level?: NotificationLevel,
     action?: SnackAction,
   ) => void
+  notifyError: (message: string, error?: unknown, extra?: unknown) => void
   assemblyManager: AssemblyManager
   version: string
   getTrackActionMenuItems?: Function
diff --git a/plugins/dotplot-view/src/DotplotReadVsRef/DotplotReadVsRef.ts b/plugins/dotplot-view/src/DotplotReadVsRef/DotplotReadVsRef.ts
index 5156266a71..632fa68c8b 100644
--- a/plugins/dotplot-view/src/DotplotReadVsRef/DotplotReadVsRef.ts
+++ b/plugins/dotplot-view/src/DotplotReadVsRef/DotplotReadVsRef.ts
@@ -110,6 +110,6 @@ export function onClick(feature: Feature, self: LinearPileupDisplayModel) {
     })
   } catch (e) {
     console.error(e)
-    session.notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+    session.notifyError(`${e}`, e)
   }
 }
diff --git a/plugins/grid-bookmark/src/GridBookmarkWidget/components/BookmarkGrid.tsx b/plugins/grid-bookmark/src/GridBookmarkWidget/components/BookmarkGrid.tsx
index e87b9fbd12..8548af5395 100644
--- a/plugins/grid-bookmark/src/GridBookmarkWidget/components/BookmarkGrid.tsx
+++ b/plugins/grid-bookmark/src/GridBookmarkWidget/components/BookmarkGrid.tsx
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ const BookmarkGrid = observer(function ({
           model.updateBookmarkLabel(target, row.label)
           return row
         }}
-        onProcessRowUpdateError={e => session.notify(e.message, 'error')}
+        onProcessRowUpdateError={e => session.notifyError(`${e}`, e)}
         checkboxSelection
         onRowSelectionModelChange={newRowSelectionModel => {
           if (bookmarksWithValidAssemblies.length > 0) {
diff --git a/plugins/grid-bookmark/src/GridBookmarkWidget/utils.ts b/plugins/grid-bookmark/src/GridBookmarkWidget/utils.ts
index 5eb43f9dcd..19835801cc 100644
--- a/plugins/grid-bookmark/src/GridBookmarkWidget/utils.ts
+++ b/plugins/grid-bookmark/src/GridBookmarkWidget/utils.ts
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ export async function navToBookmark(
     await view.navToLocString(locString, assembly)
   } catch (e) {
     console.error(e)
-    session.notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+    session.notifyError(`${e}`, e)
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/plugins/linear-genome-view/src/LaunchLinearGenomeView/index.ts b/plugins/linear-genome-view/src/LaunchLinearGenomeView/index.ts
index e0f45cd016..7fb2a5884c 100644
--- a/plugins/linear-genome-view/src/LaunchLinearGenomeView/index.ts
+++ b/plugins/linear-genome-view/src/LaunchLinearGenomeView/index.ts
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ export default (pluginManager: PluginManager) => {
           )
         }
       } catch (e) {
-        session.notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+        session.notifyError(`${e}`, e)
         throw e
       }
     },
diff --git a/plugins/linear-genome-view/src/LinearGenomeView/components/RefNameAutocomplete/index.tsx b/plugins/linear-genome-view/src/LinearGenomeView/components/RefNameAutocomplete/index.tsx
index 91dda7ba74..42f6f22b93 100644
--- a/plugins/linear-genome-view/src/LinearGenomeView/components/RefNameAutocomplete/index.tsx
+++ b/plugins/linear-genome-view/src/LinearGenomeView/components/RefNameAutocomplete/index.tsx
@@ -48,8 +48,6 @@ const RefNameAutocomplete = observer(function ({
   const { coarseVisibleLocStrings, hasDisplayedRegions } = model
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    let active = true
-
     // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-floating-promises
     ;(async () => {
       try {
@@ -59,21 +57,13 @@ const RefNameAutocomplete = observer(function ({
 
         setLoaded(false)
         const results = await fetchResults(debouncedSearch)
-        if (active) {
-          setLoaded(true)
-          setSearchOptions(getDeduplicatedResult(results))
-        }
+        setLoaded(true)
+        setSearchOptions(getDeduplicatedResult(results))
       } catch (e) {
         console.error(e)
-        if (active) {
-          session.notify(`${e}`, 'error')
-        }
+        session.notifyError(`${e}`, e)
       }
     })()
-
-    return () => {
-      active = false
-    }
   }, [assemblyName, fetchResults, debouncedSearch, session, model])
 
   const inputBoxVal = coarseVisibleLocStrings || value || ''
diff --git a/plugins/linear-genome-view/src/LinearGenomeView/components/SearchResultsTable.tsx b/plugins/linear-genome-view/src/LinearGenomeView/components/SearchResultsTable.tsx
index 60553e04b8..ec31deeccf 100644
--- a/plugins/linear-genome-view/src/LinearGenomeView/components/SearchResultsTable.tsx
+++ b/plugins/linear-genome-view/src/LinearGenomeView/components/SearchResultsTable.tsx
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ export default function SearchResultsTable({
                       }
                     } catch (e) {
                       console.error(e)
-                      session.notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+                      session.notifyError(`${e}`, e)
                     }
                     handleClose()
                   }}
diff --git a/products/jbrowse-react-linear-genome-view/src/createViewState.ts b/products/jbrowse-react-linear-genome-view/src/createViewState.ts
index 2f48bccc71..9c8e0acb16 100644
--- a/products/jbrowse-react-linear-genome-view/src/createViewState.ts
+++ b/products/jbrowse-react-linear-genome-view/src/createViewState.ts
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ export default function createViewState(opts: ViewStateOptions) {
           assembly.name,
         )
       } catch (e) {
-        session.notify(`${e}`, 'error')
+        session.notifyError(`${e}`, e)
       }
     })()
   }