diff --git a/benches/benchmarks.rs b/benches/benchmarks.rs
index 84552daef9..7a23715c8d 100644
--- a/benches/benchmarks.rs
+++ b/benches/benchmarks.rs
@@ -47,8 +47,7 @@ fn setup_stack_and_engine_from_command(command: &str) -> (Stack, EngineState) {
         &mut engine,
         &mut stack,
         PipelineData::empty(),
-        None,
-        false,
+        Default::default(),
     )
     .unwrap();
 
@@ -90,8 +89,7 @@ fn bench_command(
                     &mut engine,
                     &mut stack,
                     PipelineData::empty(),
-                    None,
-                    false,
+                    Default::default(),
                 )
                 .unwrap(),
             );
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/eval_cmds.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/eval_cmds.rs
index 8fa3bf30e5..13141f6174 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/eval_cmds.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/eval_cmds.rs
@@ -8,15 +8,45 @@ use nu_protocol::{
 };
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
+#[derive(Default)]
+pub struct EvaluateCommandsOpts {
+    pub table_mode: Option<Value>,
+    pub error_style: Option<Value>,
+    pub no_newline: bool,
+}
+
 /// Run a command (or commands) given to us by the user
 pub fn evaluate_commands(
     commands: &Spanned<String>,
     engine_state: &mut EngineState,
     stack: &mut Stack,
     input: PipelineData,
-    table_mode: Option<Value>,
-    no_newline: bool,
+    opts: EvaluateCommandsOpts,
 ) -> Result<(), ShellError> {
+    let EvaluateCommandsOpts {
+        table_mode,
+        error_style,
+        no_newline,
+    } = opts;
+
+    // Handle the configured error style early
+    if let Some(e_style) = error_style {
+        match e_style.coerce_str()?.parse() {
+            Ok(e_style) => {
+                Arc::make_mut(&mut engine_state.config).error_style = e_style;
+            }
+            Err(err) => {
+                return Err(ShellError::GenericError {
+                    error: "Invalid value for `--error-style`".into(),
+                    msg: err.into(),
+                    span: Some(e_style.span()),
+                    help: None,
+                    inner: vec![],
+                });
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     // Translate environment variables from Strings to Values
     convert_env_values(engine_state, stack)?;
 
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/lib.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/lib.rs
index c4342dc3a0..6f151adad1 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/lib.rs
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ mod validation;
 pub use commands::add_cli_context;
 pub use completions::{FileCompletion, NuCompleter, SemanticSuggestion, SuggestionKind};
 pub use config_files::eval_config_contents;
-pub use eval_cmds::evaluate_commands;
+pub use eval_cmds::{evaluate_commands, EvaluateCommandsOpts};
 pub use eval_file::evaluate_file;
 pub use menus::NuHelpCompleter;
 pub use nu_cmd_base::util::get_init_cwd;
diff --git a/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/error_make.rs b/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/error_make.rs
index 0c6908d2aa..f5714c88ac 100644
--- a/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/error_make.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/error_make.rs
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@ use nu_test_support::nu;
 fn error_label_works() {
     let actual = nu!("error make {msg:foo label:{text:unseen}}");
 
-    assert!(actual.err.contains("unseen"));
-    assert!(actual.err.contains("╰──"));
+    assert!(actual
+        .err
+        .contains("label at line 1, columns 1 to 10: unseen"));
 }
 
 #[test]
diff --git a/crates/nu-test-support/src/macros.rs b/crates/nu-test-support/src/macros.rs
index c18dd5ac81..51d743e1a4 100644
--- a/crates/nu-test-support/src/macros.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-test-support/src/macros.rs
@@ -283,6 +283,8 @@ pub fn nu_run_test(opts: NuOpts, commands: impl AsRef<str>, with_std: bool) -> O
     if !with_std {
         command.arg("--no-std-lib");
     }
+    // Use plain errors to help make error text matching more consistent
+    command.args(["--error-style", "plain"]);
     command
         .arg(format!("-c {}", escape_quote_string(&commands)))
         .stdout(Stdio::piped())
@@ -369,6 +371,8 @@ where
         .envs(envs)
         .arg("--commands")
         .arg(command)
+        // Use plain errors to help make error text matching more consistent
+        .args(["--error-style", "plain"])
         .arg("--config")
         .arg(temp_config_file)
         .arg("--env-config")
diff --git a/src/command.rs b/src/command.rs
index 15da0e3e47..5ba8a60996 100644
--- a/src/command.rs
+++ b/src/command.rs
@@ -29,8 +29,10 @@ pub(crate) fn gather_commandline_args() -> (Vec<String>, String, Vec<String>) {
         }
 
         let flag_value = match arg.as_ref() {
-            "--commands" | "-c" | "--table-mode" | "-m" | "-e" | "--execute" | "--config"
-            | "--env-config" | "-I" | "ide-ast" => args.next().map(|a| escape_quote_string(&a)),
+            "--commands" | "-c" | "--table-mode" | "-m" | "--error-style" | "-e" | "--execute"
+            | "--config" | "--env-config" | "-I" | "ide-ast" => {
+                args.next().map(|a| escape_quote_string(&a))
+            }
             #[cfg(feature = "plugin")]
             "--plugin-config" => args.next().map(|a| escape_quote_string(&a)),
             "--log-level" | "--log-target" | "--log-include" | "--log-exclude" | "--testbin"
@@ -102,6 +104,8 @@ pub(crate) fn parse_commandline_args(
             let execute = call.get_flag_expr("execute");
             let table_mode: Option<Value> =
                 call.get_flag(engine_state, &mut stack, "table-mode")?;
+            let error_style: Option<Value> =
+                call.get_flag(engine_state, &mut stack, "error-style")?;
             let no_newline = call.get_named_arg("no-newline");
 
             // ide flags
@@ -245,6 +249,7 @@ pub(crate) fn parse_commandline_args(
                 ide_check,
                 ide_ast,
                 table_mode,
+                error_style,
                 no_newline,
             });
         }
@@ -278,6 +283,7 @@ pub(crate) struct NushellCliArgs {
     pub(crate) log_exclude: Option<Vec<Spanned<String>>>,
     pub(crate) execute: Option<Spanned<String>>,
     pub(crate) table_mode: Option<Value>,
+    pub(crate) error_style: Option<Value>,
     pub(crate) no_newline: Option<Spanned<String>>,
     pub(crate) include_path: Option<Spanned<String>>,
     pub(crate) lsp: bool,
@@ -325,6 +331,12 @@ impl Command for Nu {
                 "the table mode to use. rounded is default.",
                 Some('m'),
             )
+            .named(
+                "error-style",
+                SyntaxShape::String,
+                "the error style to use (fancy or plain). default: fancy",
+                None,
+            )
             .switch("no-newline", "print the result for --commands(-c) without a newline", None)
             .switch(
                 "no-config-file",
diff --git a/src/run.rs b/src/run.rs
index 2996bc76f8..db779b0058 100644
--- a/src/run.rs
+++ b/src/run.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ use crate::{
 use log::trace;
 #[cfg(feature = "plugin")]
 use nu_cli::read_plugin_file;
-use nu_cli::{evaluate_commands, evaluate_file, evaluate_repl};
+use nu_cli::{evaluate_commands, evaluate_file, evaluate_repl, EvaluateCommandsOpts};
 use nu_protocol::{
     engine::{EngineState, Stack},
     report_error_new, PipelineData, Spanned,
@@ -114,8 +114,11 @@ pub(crate) fn run_commands(
         engine_state,
         &mut stack,
         input,
-        parsed_nu_cli_args.table_mode,
-        parsed_nu_cli_args.no_newline.is_some(),
+        EvaluateCommandsOpts {
+            table_mode: parsed_nu_cli_args.table_mode,
+            error_style: parsed_nu_cli_args.error_style,
+            no_newline: parsed_nu_cli_args.no_newline.is_some(),
+        },
     ) {
         report_error_new(engine_state, &err);
         std::process::exit(1);