diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 4f838e8..5a1b029 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+## [0.11.0] - 2024-09-11
+
+### Changed
+
+- if a handler function throws because of a `Zod` validation error (ie. from
+  `ZodSchema.parse()`), the response will automatically have status `400` and
+  the whole `ZodError` as the response text
+
 ## [0.10.0] - 2024-09-08
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/deps.ts b/deps.ts
index 43b7b8d..c0d6aa1 100644
--- a/deps.ts
+++ b/deps.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 export { join } from "jsr:@std/path@^1.0.4";
 
-export { Router } from "jsr:@oak/oak@^17.0.0";
+export { Router, Status } from "jsr:@oak/oak@^17.0.0";
 
 export type {
   Application,
   Context,
+  ErrorStatus,
   Next,
   RouteContext,
 } from "jsr:@oak/oak@^17.0.0";
@@ -90,6 +91,7 @@ type SubsetOfZ = Pick<
   | "union"
   | "unknown"
   | "util"
+  | "ZodError"
 >;
 /**
  * entry to the `Zod` API, enhanced with `@asteasolutions/zod-to-openapi`;
diff --git a/dev_deps.ts b/dev_deps.ts
index b9a4025..40c79fa 100644
--- a/dev_deps.ts
+++ b/dev_deps.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ export { Body } from "jsr:@oak/oak@^17.0.0/body";
 
 export {
   assertSpyCall,
+  assertSpyCallArg,
   assertSpyCalls,
   type MethodSpy,
   type Spy,
diff --git a/jsr.json b/jsr.json
index 55531ba..ee30a21 100644
--- a/jsr.json
+++ b/jsr.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@dklab/oak-routing-ctrl",
-  "version": "0.10.0",
+  "version": "0.11.0",
   "exports": {
     ".": "./mod.ts",
     "./mod": "./mod.ts"
diff --git a/src/__snapshots__/useOakServer_test.ts.snap b/src/__snapshots__/useOakServer_test.ts.snap
index 3a00831..2e4a738 100644
--- a/src/__snapshots__/useOakServer_test.ts.snap
+++ b/src/__snapshots__/useOakServer_test.ts.snap
@@ -163,5 +163,40 @@ snapshot[`useOakServer - fully decorated Controller 1`] = `
     path: "/test/uah",
     regexp: /^\\/test\\/uah[\\/#\\?]?\$/i,
   },
+  {
+    methods: [
+      "HEAD",
+      "GET",
+    ],
+    middleware: [
+      [AsyncFunction (anonymous)],
+    ],
+    options: {
+      end: undefined,
+      ignoreCaptures: undefined,
+      sensitive: undefined,
+      strict: undefined,
+    },
+    paramNames: [],
+    path: "/test/zodError",
+    regexp: /^\\/test\\/zodError[\\/#\\?]?\$/i,
+  },
+  {
+    methods: [
+      "POST",
+    ],
+    middleware: [
+      [AsyncFunction (anonymous)],
+    ],
+    options: {
+      end: undefined,
+      ignoreCaptures: undefined,
+      sensitive: undefined,
+      strict: undefined,
+    },
+    paramNames: [],
+    path: "/test/arbitraryError",
+    regexp: /^\\/test\\/arbitraryError[\\/#\\?]?\$/i,
+  },
 ]
 `;
diff --git a/src/useOakServer.ts b/src/useOakServer.ts
index c8a429e..7834106 100644
--- a/src/useOakServer.ts
+++ b/src/useOakServer.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { debug } from "./utils/logger.ts";
-import { type Application, Router } from "../deps.ts";
+import { type Application, Router, Status, z } from "../deps.ts";
 import type { ControllerClass } from "./Controller.ts";
 import { store } from "./Store.ts";
 
@@ -28,12 +28,19 @@ export const useOakServer = (
               Ctrl.prototype,
               propName,
             )?.value;
-            const handlerRetVal = await handler.call(ctrl, ctx);
-            // some developers set body within the handler,
-            // some developers return something from the handler
-            // and expect that it gets assigned to the response,
-            // so by doing the following, we satisfy both use cases
-            ctx.response.body = ctx.response.body ?? handlerRetVal;
+            try {
+              const handlerRetVal = await handler.call(ctrl, ctx);
+              // some developers set body within the handler,
+              // some developers return something from the handler
+              // and expect that it gets assigned to the response,
+              // so by doing the following, we satisfy both use cases
+              ctx.response.body = ctx.response.body ?? handlerRetVal;
+            } catch (e) {
+              if (e instanceof z.ZodError) {
+                return ctx.throw(Status.BadRequest, e.toString());
+              }
+              throw e;
+            }
             await next();
           },
         );
diff --git a/src/useOakServer_test.ts b/src/useOakServer_test.ts
index 661ee56..2545242 100644
--- a/src/useOakServer_test.ts
+++ b/src/useOakServer_test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,19 @@
 import type { SupportedVerb } from "./Store.ts";
-import { type Context, RouteContext } from "../deps.ts";
-import { assertEquals, assertSnapshot, oakTesting } from "../dev_deps.ts";
+import {
+  type Context,
+  type ErrorStatus,
+  RouteContext,
+  Status,
+  z,
+} from "../deps.ts";
+import {
+  assertEquals,
+  assertSnapshot,
+  assertSpyCallArg,
+  assertSpyCalls,
+  oakTesting,
+  spy,
+} from "../dev_deps.ts";
 import {
   Controller,
   type ControllerMethodArg,
@@ -94,6 +107,14 @@ class TestController {
   uah(body: ArrayBuffer) {
     return `hello, ArrayBuffer body with byteLength=${body.byteLength}`;
   }
+  @Get("/zodError")
+  zodError() {
+    z.enum(["alice", "bob"]).parse("camela");
+  }
+  @Post("/arbitraryError")
+  arbitraryError() {
+    throw new Error("nah");
+  }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -109,6 +130,9 @@ type TestCaseDefinition = {
   mockRequestPathParams?: Record<string, string>;
   mockRequestBody?: MockRequestBodyDefinition;
   expectedResponse: unknown;
+  expectedCtxThrow?: boolean;
+  expectedError?: unknown;
+  expectedResponseStatus?: Status;
 };
 
 Deno.test("useOakServer - noop Controller", () => {
@@ -218,6 +242,32 @@ Deno.test({
         },
         expectedResponse: "hello, ArrayBuffer body with byteLength=42",
       },
+      {
+        caseDescription: "handler where a ZodError (validation error) happens",
+        method: "get",
+        expectedCtxThrow: true,
+        expectedError: `[
+          {
+            "received": "camela",
+            "code": "invalid_enum_value",
+            "options": [
+              "alice",
+              "bob"
+            ],
+            "path": [],
+            "message": "Invalid enum value. Expected 'alice' | 'bob', received 'camela'"
+          }
+        ]`,
+        expectedResponse: undefined,
+        expectedResponseStatus: Status.BadRequest,
+      },
+      {
+        caseDescription: "handler where an arbitrary error happens",
+        method: "post",
+        expectedError: "nah",
+        expectedResponse: undefined,
+        expectedResponseStatus: Status.InternalServerError,
+      },
     ];
 
     await Promise.all(
@@ -228,6 +278,9 @@ Deno.test({
         mockRequestPathParams = undefined,
         mockRequestBody = undefined,
         expectedResponse,
+        expectedCtxThrow,
+        expectedError,
+        expectedResponseStatus,
       }, i) =>
         t.step({
           name: `case ${i + 1}: ${caseDescription}`,
@@ -245,7 +298,35 @@ Deno.test({
             const next = oakTesting.createMockNext();
             useOakServer(ctx.app, [TestController]);
             const routes = Array.from(useOakServerInternal.oakRouter.values());
-            await routes[i].middleware[0]?.(ctx, next); // simulate the route being requested
+            const spyCtxThrow = spy(ctx, "throw");
+            try {
+              // simulate the route being requested
+              await routes[i].middleware[0]?.(ctx, next);
+            } catch (e) {
+              const theErrMsg = (e as Error).message;
+              if (expectedCtxThrow) {
+                assertSpyCalls(spyCtxThrow, 1);
+                assertSpyCallArg(
+                  spyCtxThrow,
+                  0,
+                  0,
+                  expectedResponseStatus as ErrorStatus,
+                );
+                assertSpyCallArg(
+                  spyCtxThrow,
+                  0,
+                  1,
+                  JSON.stringify(
+                    JSON.parse(expectedError as string),
+                    undefined,
+                    2,
+                  ),
+                );
+              } else {
+                assertSpyCalls(spyCtxThrow, 0);
+                assertEquals(theErrMsg, expectedError);
+              }
+            }
             assertEquals(ctx.response.body, expectedResponse);
           },
           sanitizeOps: false,