diff --git a/client/src/app/tabs/EditorTab.js b/client/src/app/tabs/EditorTab.js
index 8722ad015..4cf8562ab 100644
--- a/client/src/app/tabs/EditorTab.js
+++ b/client/src/app/tabs/EditorTab.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 
 import React, { PureComponent } from 'react';
 
+import ErrorTab from './ErrorTab';
 import MultiSheetTab from './MultiSheetTab';
 
 
@@ -14,9 +15,19 @@ export function createTab(tabName, providers) {
 
   class EditorTab extends PureComponent {
 
+    static getDerivedStateFromError(error) {
+      return {
+        hasError: true
+      };
+    }
+
     constructor(props) {
       super(props);
 
+      this.state = {
+        hasError: false
+      };
+
       this.tabRef = React.createRef();
     }
 
@@ -39,13 +50,15 @@ export function createTab(tabName, providers) {
       } = this.props;
 
       return (
-        <MultiSheetTab
-          id={ tab.id }
-          tab={ tab }
-          { ...otherProps }
-          xml={ tab.file.contents }
-          ref={ this.tabRef }
-          providers={ providers } />
+        this.state.hasError ?
+          <ErrorTab ref={ this.tabRef } /> :
+          <MultiSheetTab
+            id={ tab.id }
+            tab={ tab }
+            { ...otherProps }
+            xml={ tab.file.contents }
+            ref={ this.tabRef }
+            providers={ providers } />
       );
     }
 
diff --git a/client/src/app/tabs/ErrorTab.js b/client/src/app/tabs/ErrorTab.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..561b440ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/src/app/tabs/ErrorTab.js
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) Camunda Services GmbH.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+ */
+
+import React, { PureComponent } from 'react';
+
+import css from './ErrorTab.less';
+
+import {
+  TabContainer
+} from '../primitives';
+
+
+export default class ErrorTab extends PureComponent {
+
+  triggerAction() {}
+
+  render() {
+    return (
+      <TabContainer className="content tab">
+        <div className={ css.ErrorTab }>
+          <h1>
+            Unexpected Error
+          </h1>
+          <p>
+            An unexpected error occurred in this tab. Please click the link below to report
+            an issue on GitHub. You can also save the latest known state of the tab.
+          </p>
+          <p>
+            <a href="https://github.com/camunda/camunda-modeler/issues/new/choose">
+              Report an issue.
+            </a>
+          </p>
+        </div>
+      </TabContainer>
+    );
+  }
+}
diff --git a/client/src/app/tabs/ErrorTab.less b/client/src/app/tabs/ErrorTab.less
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0de152f74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/src/app/tabs/ErrorTab.less
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+:local(.ErrorTab) {
+
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: center;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  flex: 1;
+
+  h1 {
+    font-size: 26px;
+  }
+
+  p {
+    font-size: 16px;
+    max-width: 60%;
+    text-align: justify;
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/client/src/app/tabs/__tests__/EditorTabSpec.js b/client/src/app/tabs/__tests__/EditorTabSpec.js
index d5d85d423..f19060e57 100644
--- a/client/src/app/tabs/__tests__/EditorTabSpec.js
+++ b/client/src/app/tabs/__tests__/EditorTabSpec.js
@@ -7,26 +7,55 @@
 
 import React from 'react';
 
-import { createTab } from './../EditorTab';
+import TestRenderer from 'react-test-renderer';
 
-import { mount } from 'enzyme';
+import { createTab } from './../EditorTab';
+import ErrorTab from './../ErrorTab';
 
 import {
+  Editor as MockEditor,
   providers as defaultProviders,
   tab as defaultTab
 } from './mocks';
 
+/* global sinon */
+
 
 describe('<EditorTab>', function() {
 
   describe('render', function() {
 
     it('should render', function() {
+
+      // when
       const {
         instance
       } = renderEditorTab();
 
-      expect(instance).to.exist;
+      // then
+      expect(instance, 'did not render').to.exist;
+    });
+
+  });
+
+
+  describe('error handling', function() {
+
+    afterEach(sinon.restore);
+
+
+    it('should display ErrorTab when editor fails', function() {
+
+      // given
+      sinon.stub(MockEditor.prototype, 'render').throwsException();
+
+      // when
+      const {
+        wrapper
+      } = renderEditorTab();
+
+      // then
+      verifyChildIsPresent(wrapper, ErrorTab);
     });
 
   });
@@ -39,14 +68,15 @@ describe('<EditorTab>', function() {
 function noop() {}
 
 function renderEditorTab({
-  tab = defaultTab,
   onError = noop,
-  onShown = noop
+  onShown = noop,
+  providers = defaultProviders,
+  tab = defaultTab
 } = {}) {
 
-  const EditorTab = createTab(defaultTab.name, defaultProviders);
+  const EditorTab = createTab(tab.name, providers);
 
-  const wrapper = mount(
+  const testRenderer = TestRenderer.create(
     <EditorTab
       tab={ tab }
       onError={ onError }
@@ -54,10 +84,18 @@ function renderEditorTab({
     />
   );
 
-  const instance = wrapper.instance();
+  const instance = testRenderer.getInstance();
 
   return {
     instance,
-    wrapper
+    wrapper: testRenderer.root
   };
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+
+function verifyChildIsPresent(wrapper, childType) {
+  function isChildPresent() {
+    return wrapper.findByType(childType);
+  }
+
+  expect(isChildPresent, `did not display ${childType.name}`).to.not.throw();
+}
diff --git a/client/src/app/tabs/__tests__/mocks/index.js b/client/src/app/tabs/__tests__/mocks/index.js
index c0411be85..109571bd1 100644
--- a/client/src/app/tabs/__tests__/mocks/index.js
+++ b/client/src/app/tabs/__tests__/mocks/index.js
@@ -5,49 +5,49 @@
  * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
  */
 
-import React, { Component } from 'react';
-
-export class Editor extends Component {
+import React, { Component } from 'react';
+
+export class Editor extends Component {
   constructor(props) {
     super(props);
-
-    this.xml = null;
-  }
-
-  triggerAction() {}
-
-  setXML(xml) {
-    this.xml = xml;
-  }
-
-  getXML() {
-    return this.xml;
-  }
-
-  render() {
-    return <div></div>;
-  }
-}
-
-export const providers = [{
-  type: 'editor',
-  editor: Editor,
-  defaultName: 'Editor'
-}, {
-  type: 'fallback',
-  editor: Editor,
-  defaultName: 'Fallback',
-  isFallback: true
-}];
-
-export const tab = {
-  id: 42,
-  name: 'foo.bar',
-  type: 'bar',
-  title: 'unsaved',
-  file: {
-    name: 'foo.bar',
-    contents: '',
-    path: null
-  }
+
+    this.xml = null;
+  }
+
+  triggerAction() {}
+
+  setXML(xml) {
+    this.xml = xml;
+  }
+
+  getXML() {
+    return this.xml;
+  }
+
+  render() {
+    return <div></div>;
+  }
+}
+
+export const providers = [{
+  type: 'editor',
+  editor: Editor,
+  defaultName: 'Editor'
+}, {
+  type: 'fallback',
+  editor: Editor,
+  defaultName: 'Fallback',
+  isFallback: true
+}];
+
+export const tab = {
+  id: 42,
+  name: 'foo.bar',
+  type: 'bar',
+  title: 'unsaved',
+  file: {
+    name: 'foo.bar',
+    contents: '',
+    path: null
+  }
 };
\ No newline at end of file