diff --git a/ociregistry/ociserver/error_test.go b/ociregistry/ociserver/error_test.go
index b6f0589b..52d2f0d8 100644
--- a/ociregistry/ociserver/error_test.go
+++ b/ociregistry/ociserver/error_test.go
@@ -31,9 +31,9 @@ func TestCustomErrorWriter(t *testing.T) {
 	// HTTP status code is derived from the OCI error code in preference
 	// to the HTTPError status code.
 	r := New(&ociregistry.Funcs{}, &Options{
-		WriteError: func(w http.ResponseWriter, err error) error {
+		WriteError: func(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request, err error) {
 			w.Header().Set("Some-Header", "a value")
-			return ociregistry.WriteError(w, err)
+			ociregistry.WriteError(w, err)
 		},
 	})
 	s := httptest.NewServer(r)
diff --git a/ociregistry/ociserver/registry.go b/ociregistry/ociserver/registry.go
index b16d1192..9ce9a886 100644
--- a/ociregistry/ociserver/registry.go
+++ b/ociregistry/ociserver/registry.go
@@ -42,10 +42,12 @@ var v2 = ocispecroot.Versioned{
 // Options holds options for the server.
 type Options struct {
 	// WriteError is used to write error responses. It is passed the
-	// error an API call has returned and is responsible for writing
-	// it to w. If WriteError is nil, [ociregistry.WriteError] will
-	// be used.
-	WriteError func(w http.ResponseWriter, err error) error
+	// writer to write the error response to, the request that
+	// the error is in response to, and the error itself.
+	//
+	// If WriteError is nil, [ociregistry.WriteError] will
+	// be used and any error discarded.
+	WriteError func(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request, err error)
 
 	// DisableReferrersAPI, when true, causes the registry to behave as if
 	// it does not understand the referrers API.
@@ -140,7 +142,9 @@ func New(backend ociregistry.Interface, opts *Options) http.Handler {
 		r.opts.DebugID = fmt.Sprintf("ociserver%d", atomic.AddInt32(&debugID, 1))
 	}
 	if r.opts.WriteError == nil {
-		r.opts.WriteError = ociregistry.WriteError
+		r.opts.WriteError = func(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request, err error) {
+			ociregistry.WriteError(w, err)
+		}
 	}
 	return r
 }
@@ -176,7 +180,7 @@ var handlers = []func(r *registry, ctx context.Context, w http.ResponseWriter, r
 
 func (r *registry) ServeHTTP(resp http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
 	if rerr := r.v2(resp, req); rerr != nil {
-		r.opts.WriteError(resp, rerr)
+		r.opts.WriteError(resp, req, rerr)
 		return
 	}
 }