diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 38ee5d4b1ef87..c1db37ad03b3d 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -238,6 +238,7 @@
     "@types/bluebird": "^3.1.1",
     "@types/chance": "^1.0.0",
     "@types/classnames": "^2.2.3",
+    "@types/enzyme": "^3.1.12",
     "@types/eslint": "^4.16.2",
     "@types/execa": "^0.9.0",
     "@types/fetch-mock": "^5.12.2",
diff --git a/packages/kbn-test-subj-selector/index.d.ts b/packages/kbn-test-subj-selector/index.d.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..91eda37f1e844
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/kbn-test-subj-selector/index.d.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+export default function(selector: string): string;
diff --git a/packages/kbn-test-subj-selector/tsconfig.json b/packages/kbn-test-subj-selector/tsconfig.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..3604f1004cf6c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/kbn-test-subj-selector/tsconfig.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+  "extends": "../../tsconfig.json",
+  "include": [
+    "index.d.ts"
+  ],
+}
diff --git a/src/core/public/core_system.test.ts b/src/core/public/core_system.test.ts
index 76d615b3a45e0..90c503ab5126b 100644
--- a/src/core/public/core_system.test.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/core_system.test.ts
@@ -17,12 +17,14 @@
  * under the License.
  */
 
+import { FatalErrorsService } from './fatal_errors';
 import { InjectedMetadataService } from './injected_metadata';
 import { LegacyPlatformService } from './legacy_platform';
 
 const MockLegacyPlatformService = jest.fn<LegacyPlatformService>(
   function _MockLegacyPlatformService(this: any) {
     this.start = jest.fn();
+    this.stop = jest.fn();
   }
 );
 jest.mock('./legacy_platform', () => ({
@@ -39,7 +41,19 @@ jest.mock('./injected_metadata', () => ({
   InjectedMetadataService: MockInjectedMetadataService,
 }));
 
+const mockFatalErrorsStartContract = {};
+const MockFatalErrorsService = jest.fn<FatalErrorsService>(function _MockFatalErrorsService(
+  this: any
+) {
+  this.start = jest.fn().mockReturnValue(mockFatalErrorsStartContract);
+  this.add = jest.fn();
+});
+jest.mock('./fatal_errors', () => ({
+  FatalErrorsService: MockFatalErrorsService,
+}));
+
 import { CoreSystem } from './core_system';
+jest.spyOn(CoreSystem.prototype, 'stop');
 
 const defaultCoreSystemParams = {
   rootDomElement: null!,
@@ -97,6 +111,44 @@ describe('constructor', () => {
       useLegacyTestHarness,
     });
   });
+
+  it('passes injectedMetadata, rootDomElement, and a stopCoreSystem function to FatalErrorsService', () => {
+    const rootDomElement = { rootDomElement: true } as any;
+    const injectedMetadata = { injectedMetadata: true } as any;
+
+    const coreSystem = new CoreSystem({
+      ...defaultCoreSystemParams,
+      rootDomElement,
+      injectedMetadata,
+    });
+
+    expect(MockFatalErrorsService).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(MockFatalErrorsService).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith({
+      rootDomElement,
+      injectedMetadata: expect.any(MockInjectedMetadataService),
+      stopCoreSystem: expect.any(Function),
+    });
+
+    const [{ stopCoreSystem }] = MockFatalErrorsService.mock.calls[0];
+
+    expect(coreSystem.stop).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    stopCoreSystem();
+    expect(coreSystem.stop).toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});
+
+describe('#stop', () => {
+  it('call legacyPlatform.stop()', () => {
+    const coreSystem = new CoreSystem({
+      ...defaultCoreSystemParams,
+    });
+
+    const legacyPlatformService = MockLegacyPlatformService.mock.instances[0];
+
+    expect(legacyPlatformService.stop).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    coreSystem.stop();
+    expect(legacyPlatformService.stop).toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
 });
 
 describe('#start()', () => {
@@ -115,12 +167,20 @@ describe('#start()', () => {
     expect(mockInstance.start).toHaveBeenCalledWith();
   });
 
-  it('calls lifecycleSystem#start()', () => {
+  it('calls fatalErrors#start()', () => {
+    startCore();
+    const [mockInstance] = MockFatalErrorsService.mock.instances;
+    expect(mockInstance.start).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(mockInstance.start).toHaveBeenCalledWith();
+  });
+
+  it('calls legacyPlatform#start()', () => {
     startCore();
     const [mockInstance] = MockLegacyPlatformService.mock.instances;
     expect(mockInstance.start).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     expect(mockInstance.start).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
       injectedMetadata: mockInjectedMetadataStartContract,
+      fatalErrors: mockFatalErrorsStartContract,
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/core/public/core_system.ts b/src/core/public/core_system.ts
index cc659d74e01af..98bed9567e445 100644
--- a/src/core/public/core_system.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/core_system.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
  * under the License.
  */
 
+import { FatalErrorsService } from './fatal_errors';
 import { InjectedMetadataParams, InjectedMetadataService } from './injected_metadata';
 import { LegacyPlatformParams, LegacyPlatformService } from './legacy_platform';
 
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ interface Params {
  * platform the CoreSystem will get many more Services.
  */
 export class CoreSystem {
+  private fatalErrors: FatalErrorsService;
   private injectedMetadata: InjectedMetadataService;
   private legacyPlatform: LegacyPlatformService;
 
@@ -44,6 +46,14 @@ export class CoreSystem {
       injectedMetadata,
     });
 
+    this.fatalErrors = new FatalErrorsService({
+      rootDomElement,
+      injectedMetadata: this.injectedMetadata,
+      stopCoreSystem: () => {
+        this.stop();
+      },
+    });
+
     this.legacyPlatform = new LegacyPlatformService({
       rootDomElement,
       requireLegacyFiles,
@@ -52,8 +62,16 @@ export class CoreSystem {
   }
 
   public start() {
-    this.legacyPlatform.start({
-      injectedMetadata: this.injectedMetadata.start(),
-    });
+    try {
+      const injectedMetadata = this.injectedMetadata.start();
+      const fatalErrors = this.fatalErrors.start();
+      this.legacyPlatform.start({ injectedMetadata, fatalErrors });
+    } catch (error) {
+      this.fatalErrors.add(error);
+    }
+  }
+
+  public stop() {
+    this.legacyPlatform.stop();
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/core/public/fatal_errors/__snapshots__/fatal_errors_screen.test.tsx.snap b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/__snapshots__/fatal_errors_screen.test.tsx.snap
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..1e280f1dedf07
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/__snapshots__/fatal_errors_screen.test.tsx.snap
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+// Jest Snapshot v1, https://goo.gl/fbAQLP
+
+exports[`rendering render matches snapshot 1`] = `
+<EuiPage
+  restrictWidth={false}
+  style={
+    Object {
+      "minHeight": "100vh",
+    }
+  }
+>
+  <EuiPageBody
+    restrictWidth={false}
+  >
+    <EuiPageContent
+      horizontalPosition="center"
+      panelPaddingSize="l"
+      verticalPosition="center"
+    >
+      <EuiEmptyPrompt
+        actions={
+          Array [
+            <EuiButton
+              color="primary"
+              data-test-subj="clearSession"
+              fill={true}
+              iconSide="left"
+              onClick={[Function]}
+              type="button"
+            >
+              Clear your session
+            </EuiButton>,
+            <EuiButtonEmpty
+              color="primary"
+              data-test-subj="goBack"
+              iconSide="left"
+              onClick={[Function]}
+              type="button"
+            >
+              Go back
+            </EuiButtonEmpty>,
+          ]
+        }
+        body={
+          <p>
+            Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, go back to the previous page or clear your session data.
+          </p>
+        }
+        iconColor="danger"
+        iconType="alert"
+        title={
+          <h2>
+            Something went wrong
+          </h2>
+        }
+      />
+      <EuiCallOut
+        color="danger"
+        iconType="alert"
+        key="0"
+        size="m"
+        title="foo"
+      >
+        <EuiCodeBlock
+          className="eui-textBreakAll"
+          language="bash"
+        >
+          Version: bar
+Build: 123
+Error: foo
+  stack...foo.js:1:1
+        </EuiCodeBlock>
+      </EuiCallOut>
+      <EuiCallOut
+        color="danger"
+        iconType="alert"
+        key="1"
+        size="m"
+        title="bar"
+      >
+        <EuiCodeBlock
+          className="eui-textBreakAll"
+          language="bash"
+        >
+          Version: bar
+Build: 123
+Error: bar
+  stack...bar.js:1:1
+        </EuiCodeBlock>
+      </EuiCallOut>
+    </EuiPageContent>
+  </EuiPageBody>
+</EuiPage>
+`;
diff --git a/src/core/public/fatal_errors/__snapshots__/fatal_errors_service.test.ts.snap b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/__snapshots__/fatal_errors_service.test.ts.snap
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..841ba0f148aed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/__snapshots__/fatal_errors_service.test.ts.snap
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// Jest Snapshot v1, https://goo.gl/fbAQLP
+
+exports[`#add() deletes all children of rootDomElement and renders <FatalErrorScreen /> into it: fatal error screen component 1`] = `
+Array [
+  Array [
+    <FatalErrorsScreen
+      buildNumber="kibanaBuildNumber"
+      errorInfo$={Rx.Observable}
+      kibanaVersion="kibanaVersion"
+    />,
+    <div />,
+  ],
+]
+`;
+
+exports[`#add() deletes all children of rootDomElement and renders <FatalErrorScreen /> into it: fatal error screen container 1`] = `
+<div>
+  <div />
+</div>
+`;
diff --git a/src/core/public/fatal_errors/fatal_errors_screen.test.tsx b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/fatal_errors_screen.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..184c0b544e265
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/fatal_errors_screen.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+// @ts-ignore EuiCallOut not available until we upgrade to EUI 3.1.0
+import { EuiCallOut } from '@elastic/eui';
+import testSubjSelector from '@kbn/test-subj-selector';
+import { mount, shallow } from 'enzyme';
+import React from 'react';
+import * as Rx from 'rxjs';
+
+import { FatalErrorsScreen } from './fatal_errors_screen';
+
+const errorInfoFoo = {
+  message: 'foo',
+  stack: 'Error: foo\n  stack...foo.js:1:1',
+};
+const errorInfoBar = {
+  message: 'bar',
+  stack: 'Error: bar\n  stack...bar.js:1:1',
+};
+
+const defaultProps = {
+  buildNumber: 123,
+  kibanaVersion: 'bar',
+  errorInfo$: Rx.of(errorInfoFoo, errorInfoBar),
+};
+
+const noop = () => {
+  // noop
+};
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  jest.restoreAllMocks();
+});
+
+describe('reloading', () => {
+  it('refreshes the page if a `hashchange` event is emitted', () => {
+    const addEventListenerSpy = jest.spyOn(window, 'addEventListener');
+
+    const locationReloadSpy = jest.spyOn(window.location, 'reload').mockImplementation(noop);
+
+    shallow(<FatalErrorsScreen {...defaultProps} />);
+    expect(addEventListenerSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(addEventListenerSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith('hashchange', expect.any(Function), undefined);
+
+    expect(locationReloadSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    const [, handler] = addEventListenerSpy.mock.calls[0];
+    handler();
+    expect(locationReloadSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('rendering', () => {
+  it('render matches snapshot', () => {
+    expect(shallow(<FatalErrorsScreen {...defaultProps} />)).toMatchSnapshot();
+  });
+
+  it('rerenders when errorInfo$ emits more errors', () => {
+    const errorInfo$ = new Rx.ReplaySubject<typeof errorInfoFoo>();
+
+    const el = shallow(<FatalErrorsScreen {...defaultProps} errorInfo$={errorInfo$} />);
+
+    expect(el.find(EuiCallOut)).toHaveLength(0);
+
+    errorInfo$.next(errorInfoFoo);
+    el.update(); // allow setState() to cause a render
+
+    expect(el.find(EuiCallOut)).toHaveLength(1);
+
+    errorInfo$.next(errorInfoBar);
+    el.update(); // allow setState() to cause a render
+
+    expect(el.find(EuiCallOut)).toHaveLength(2);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('buttons', () => {
+  beforeAll(() => {
+    Object.assign(window, {
+      localStorage: {
+        clear: jest.fn(),
+      },
+      sessionStorage: {
+        clear: jest.fn(),
+      },
+    });
+  });
+
+  afterAll(() => {
+    delete (window as any).localStorage;
+    delete (window as any).sessionStorage;
+  });
+
+  describe('"Clear your session"', () => {
+    it('clears localStorage, sessionStorage, the location.hash, and reloads the page', () => {
+      window.location.hash = '/foo/bar';
+      jest.spyOn(window.location, 'reload').mockImplementation(noop);
+
+      const el = mount(<FatalErrorsScreen {...defaultProps} />);
+      const button = el.find('button').find(testSubjSelector('clearSession'));
+      button.simulate('click');
+
+      expect(window.localStorage.clear).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(window.sessionStorage.clear).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(window.location.reload).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(window.location.hash).toBe('');
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('"Go back"', () => {
+    it('calls window.history.back()', () => {
+      jest.spyOn(window.history, 'back').mockImplementation(noop);
+
+      const el = mount(<FatalErrorsScreen {...defaultProps} />);
+      const button = el.find('button').find(testSubjSelector('goBack'));
+      button.simulate('click');
+
+      expect(window.history.back).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/core/public/fatal_errors/fatal_errors_screen.tsx b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/fatal_errors_screen.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..a217fc7ee1575
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/fatal_errors_screen.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+import {
+  EuiButton,
+  EuiButtonEmpty,
+  // @ts-ignore EuiCallOut not available until we upgrade to EUI 3.1.0
+  EuiCallOut,
+  // @ts-ignore EuiCodeBlock not available until we upgrade to EUI 3.1.0
+  EuiCodeBlock,
+  // @ts-ignore EuiEmptyPrompt not available until we upgrade to EUI 3.1.0
+  EuiEmptyPrompt,
+  EuiPage,
+  EuiPageBody,
+  EuiPageContent,
+} from '@elastic/eui';
+import React from 'react';
+import * as Rx from 'rxjs';
+import { tap } from 'rxjs/operators';
+
+import { ErrorInfo } from './get_error_info';
+
+interface Props {
+  kibanaVersion: string;
+  buildNumber: number;
+  errorInfo$: Rx.Observable<ErrorInfo>;
+}
+
+interface State {
+  errors: ErrorInfo[];
+}
+
+export class FatalErrorsScreen extends React.Component<Props, State> {
+  public state: State = {
+    errors: [],
+  };
+
+  private subscription?: Rx.Subscription;
+
+  public componentDidMount() {
+    this.subscription = Rx.merge(
+      // reload the page if hash-based navigation is attempted
+      Rx.fromEvent(window, 'hashchange').pipe(
+        tap(() => {
+          window.location.reload();
+        })
+      ),
+
+      // consume error notifications and set them to the component state
+      this.props.errorInfo$.pipe(
+        tap(error => {
+          this.setState(state => ({
+            ...state,
+            errors: [...state.errors, error],
+          }));
+        })
+      )
+    ).subscribe({
+      error(error) {
+        // tslint:disable-next-line no-console
+        console.error('Uncaught error in fatal error screen internals', error);
+      },
+    });
+  }
+
+  public componentWillUnmount() {
+    if (this.subscription) {
+      this.subscription.unsubscribe();
+      this.subscription = undefined;
+    }
+  }
+
+  public render() {
+    return (
+      <EuiPage style={{ minHeight: '100vh' }}>
+        <EuiPageBody>
+          <EuiPageContent verticalPosition="center" horizontalPosition="center">
+            <EuiEmptyPrompt
+              iconType="alert"
+              iconColor="danger"
+              title={<h2>Something went wrong</h2>}
+              body={
+                <p>
+                  Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, go back to the previous page or
+                  clear your session data.
+                </p>
+              }
+              actions={[
+                <EuiButton
+                  color="primary"
+                  fill
+                  onClick={this.onClickClearSession}
+                  data-test-subj="clearSession"
+                >
+                  Clear your session
+                </EuiButton>,
+                <EuiButtonEmpty onClick={this.onClickGoBack} data-test-subj="goBack">
+                  Go back
+                </EuiButtonEmpty>,
+              ]}
+            />
+            {this.state.errors.map((error, i) => (
+              <EuiCallOut key={i} title={error.message} color="danger" iconType="alert">
+                <EuiCodeBlock language="bash" className="eui-textBreakAll">
+                  {`Version: ${this.props.kibanaVersion}` +
+                    '\n' +
+                    `Build: ${this.props.buildNumber}` +
+                    '\n' +
+                    (error.stack ? error.stack : '')}
+                </EuiCodeBlock>
+              </EuiCallOut>
+            ))}
+          </EuiPageContent>
+        </EuiPageBody>
+      </EuiPage>
+    );
+  }
+
+  private onClickGoBack = (e: React.MouseEvent<HTMLButtonElement>) => {
+    e.preventDefault();
+    window.history.back();
+  };
+
+  private onClickClearSession = (e: React.MouseEvent<HTMLButtonElement>) => {
+    e.preventDefault();
+    localStorage.clear();
+    sessionStorage.clear();
+    window.location.hash = '';
+    window.location.reload();
+  };
+}
diff --git a/src/core/public/fatal_errors/fatal_errors_service.test.ts b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/fatal_errors_service.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..15859bc9cbc2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/fatal_errors_service.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+import * as Rx from 'rxjs';
+
+expect.addSnapshotSerializer({
+  test: val => val instanceof Rx.Observable,
+  print: () => `Rx.Observable`,
+});
+
+const mockRender = jest.fn();
+jest.mock('react-dom', () => {
+  return {
+    render: mockRender,
+  };
+});
+
+import { FatalErrorsService } from './fatal_errors_service';
+
+function setup() {
+  const rootDomElement = document.createElement('div');
+
+  const injectedMetadata = {
+    getKibanaBuildNumber: jest.fn().mockReturnValue('kibanaBuildNumber'),
+    getKibanaVersion: jest.fn().mockReturnValue('kibanaVersion'),
+  };
+
+  const stopCoreSystem = jest.fn();
+
+  return {
+    rootDomElement,
+    injectedMetadata,
+    stopCoreSystem,
+    fatalErrors: new FatalErrorsService({
+      injectedMetadata: injectedMetadata as any,
+      rootDomElement,
+      stopCoreSystem,
+    }),
+  };
+}
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  jest.resetAllMocks();
+});
+
+describe('#add()', () => {
+  it('calls stopCoreSystem() param', () => {
+    const { stopCoreSystem, fatalErrors } = setup();
+
+    expect(stopCoreSystem).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(() => {
+      fatalErrors.add(new Error('foo'));
+    }).toThrowError();
+    expect(stopCoreSystem).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(stopCoreSystem).toHaveBeenCalledWith();
+  });
+
+  it('deletes all children of rootDomElement and renders <FatalErrorScreen /> into it', () => {
+    const { fatalErrors, rootDomElement } = setup();
+
+    rootDomElement.innerHTML = `
+      <h1>Loading...</h1>
+      <div class="someSpinner"></div>
+    `;
+
+    expect(mockRender).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(rootDomElement.children).toHaveLength(2);
+    expect(() => {
+      fatalErrors.add(new Error('foo'));
+    }).toThrowError();
+    expect(rootDomElement).toMatchSnapshot('fatal error screen container');
+    expect(mockRender.mock.calls).toMatchSnapshot('fatal error screen component');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('start.add()', () => {
+  it('exposes a function that passes its two arguments to fatalErrors.add()', () => {
+    const { fatalErrors } = setup();
+
+    jest.spyOn(fatalErrors, 'add').mockImplementation(() => {
+      /* noop */
+    });
+
+    expect(fatalErrors.add).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    const { add } = fatalErrors.start();
+    add('foo', 'bar');
+    expect(fatalErrors.add).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(fatalErrors.add).toHaveBeenCalledWith('foo', 'bar');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('start.get$()', () => {
+  it('provides info about the errors passed to fatalErrors.add()', () => {
+    const { fatalErrors } = setup();
+
+    const startContract = fatalErrors.start();
+
+    const onError = jest.fn();
+    startContract.get$().subscribe(onError);
+
+    expect(onError).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(() => {
+      fatalErrors.add(new Error('bar'));
+    }).toThrowError();
+
+    expect(onError).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(onError).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      message: 'bar',
+      stack: expect.stringMatching(/Error: bar[\w\W]+fatal_errors_service\.test\.ts/),
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/core/public/fatal_errors/fatal_errors_service.tsx b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/fatal_errors_service.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..3a7e821a368a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/fatal_errors_service.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+import React from 'react';
+import { render } from 'react-dom';
+import * as Rx from 'rxjs';
+import { first, tap } from 'rxjs/operators';
+
+import { InjectedMetadataService } from '../injected_metadata';
+import { FatalErrorsScreen } from './fatal_errors_screen';
+import { ErrorInfo, getErrorInfo } from './get_error_info';
+
+export interface FatalErrorsParams {
+  rootDomElement: HTMLElement;
+  injectedMetadata: InjectedMetadataService;
+  stopCoreSystem: () => void;
+}
+
+export class FatalErrorsService {
+  private readonly errorInfo$ = new Rx.ReplaySubject<ErrorInfo>();
+
+  constructor(private params: FatalErrorsParams) {
+    this.errorInfo$.pipe(first(), tap(() => this.onFirstError())).subscribe({
+      error: error => {
+        // tslint:disable-next-line no-console
+        console.error('Uncaught error in fatal error screen internals', error);
+      },
+    });
+  }
+
+  public add = (error: Error | string, source?: string) => {
+    const errorInfo = getErrorInfo(error, source);
+
+    this.errorInfo$.next(errorInfo);
+
+    if (error instanceof Error) {
+      // make stack traces clickable by putting whole error in the console
+      // tslint:disable-next-line no-console
+      console.error(error);
+    }
+
+    throw error;
+  };
+
+  public start() {
+    return {
+      add: this.add,
+      get$: () => {
+        return this.errorInfo$.asObservable();
+      },
+    };
+  }
+
+  private onFirstError() {
+    // stop the core systems so that things like the legacy platform are stopped
+    // and angular/react components are unmounted;
+    this.params.stopCoreSystem();
+
+    // delete all content in the rootDomElement
+    this.params.rootDomElement.textContent = '';
+
+    // create and mount a container for the <FatalErrorScreen>
+    const container = document.createElement('div');
+    this.params.rootDomElement.appendChild(container);
+
+    render(
+      <FatalErrorsScreen
+        buildNumber={this.params.injectedMetadata.getKibanaBuildNumber()}
+        kibanaVersion={this.params.injectedMetadata.getKibanaVersion()}
+        errorInfo$={this.errorInfo$}
+      />,
+      container
+    );
+  }
+}
+
+export type FatalErrorsStartContract = ReturnType<FatalErrorsService['start']>;
diff --git a/src/core/public/fatal_errors/get_error_info.test.ts b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/get_error_info.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..478b75ee5d2f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/get_error_info.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+import { getErrorInfo } from './get_error_info';
+
+class StubEsError<T> extends Error {
+  constructor(public resp: T) {
+    super('This is an elasticsearch error');
+    Error.captureStackTrace(this, StubEsError);
+  }
+}
+
+it('should prepend the `source` to the message', () => {
+  expect(getErrorInfo('error message', 'unit_test')).toEqual({
+    message: 'unit_test: error message',
+  });
+});
+
+it('should handle a simple string', () => {
+  expect(getErrorInfo('error message')).toEqual({
+    message: 'error message',
+  });
+});
+
+it('reads the message and stack from an Error object', () => {
+  const err = new Error('error message');
+  expect(getErrorInfo(err)).toEqual({
+    message: 'error message',
+    stack: expect.stringContaining(__filename),
+  });
+});
+
+it('reads the root cause reason from elasticsearch errors', () => {
+  const err = new StubEsError({
+    error: {
+      root_cause: [
+        {
+          reason: 'I am the detailed message',
+        },
+      ],
+    },
+  });
+
+  expect(getErrorInfo(err, 'foo')).toEqual({
+    message: 'foo: I am the detailed message',
+    stack: expect.stringContaining(__filename),
+  });
+});
+
+it('should combine the root cause reasons if elasticsearch error has more than one', () => {
+  const err = new StubEsError({
+    error: {
+      root_cause: [
+        {
+          reason: 'I am the detailed message 1',
+        },
+        {
+          reason: 'I am the detailed message 2',
+        },
+      ],
+    },
+  });
+
+  expect(getErrorInfo(err)).toEqual({
+    message: 'I am the detailed message 1\nI am the detailed message 2',
+    stack: expect.stringContaining(__filename),
+  });
+});
+
+it('should prepend the stack with the error message if it is not already there', () => {
+  const error = new Error('Foo');
+  error.stack = 'bar.js:1:1\nbaz.js:2:1\n';
+
+  expect(getErrorInfo(error)).toEqual({
+    message: 'Foo',
+    stack: 'Error: Foo\nbar.js:1:1\nbaz.js:2:1\n',
+  });
+});
+
+it('should just return the stack if it already includes the message', () => {
+  const error = new Error('Foo');
+  error.stack = 'Foo\n  bar.js:1:1\n  baz.js:2:1\n';
+
+  expect(getErrorInfo(error)).toEqual({
+    message: 'Foo',
+    stack: 'Foo\n  bar.js:1:1\n  baz.js:2:1\n',
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/core/public/fatal_errors/get_error_info.ts b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/get_error_info.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..fcaf7144ce6c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/get_error_info.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+import { inspect } from 'util';
+
+/**
+ * Produce a string version of an error,
+ */
+function formatMessage(error: any) {
+  if (typeof error === 'string') {
+    return error;
+  }
+
+  if (!error) {
+    // stringify undefined/null/0/whatever this falsy value is
+    return inspect(error);
+  }
+
+  // handle es error response with `root_cause`s
+  if (error.resp && error.resp.error && error.resp.error.root_cause) {
+    return error.resp.error.root_cause.map((cause: { reason: string }) => cause.reason).join('\n');
+  }
+
+  // handle http response errors with error messages
+  if (error.body && typeof error.body.message === 'string') {
+    return error.body.message;
+  }
+
+  // handle standard error objects with messages
+  if (error instanceof Error && error.message) {
+    return error.message;
+  }
+
+  // everything else can just be serialized using util.inspect()
+  return inspect(error);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Format the stack trace from a message so that it starts with the message, which
+ * some browsers do automatically and some don't
+ */
+function formatStack(err: Error) {
+  if (err.stack && !err.stack.includes(err.message)) {
+    return 'Error: ' + err.message + '\n' + err.stack;
+  }
+
+  return err.stack;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Produce a simple ErrorInfo object from some error and optional source, used for
+ * displaying error information on the fatal error screen
+ */
+export function getErrorInfo(error: any, source?: string) {
+  const prefix = source ? source + ': ' : '';
+  return {
+    message: prefix + formatMessage(error),
+    stack: formatStack(error),
+  };
+}
+
+export type ErrorInfo = ReturnType<typeof getErrorInfo>;
diff --git a/src/core/public/fatal_errors/index.ts b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..08360da97d735
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/public/fatal_errors/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+export { FatalErrorsStartContract, FatalErrorsService } from './fatal_errors_service';
diff --git a/src/core/public/injected_metadata/injected_metadata_service.test.ts b/src/core/public/injected_metadata/injected_metadata_service.test.ts
index 59b3cc65db24e..bace5dd371194 100644
--- a/src/core/public/injected_metadata/injected_metadata_service.test.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/injected_metadata/injected_metadata_service.test.ts
@@ -19,23 +19,27 @@
 
 import { InjectedMetadataService } from './injected_metadata_service';
 
-describe('#start()', () => {
-  it('deeply freezes its injectedMetadata param', () => {
-    const params = {
-      injectedMetadata: { foo: true } as any,
-    };
-
-    const injectedMetadata = new InjectedMetadataService(params);
+describe('#getKibanaVersion', () => {
+  it('returns version from injectedMetadata', () => {
+    const injectedMetadata = new InjectedMetadataService({
+      injectedMetadata: {
+        version: 'foo',
+      },
+    } as any);
 
-    expect(() => {
-      params.injectedMetadata.foo = false;
-    }).not.toThrowError();
+    expect(injectedMetadata.getKibanaVersion()).toBe('foo');
+  });
+});
 
-    injectedMetadata.start();
+describe('#getKibanaBuildNumber', () => {
+  it('returns buildNumber from injectedMetadata', () => {
+    const injectedMetadata = new InjectedMetadataService({
+      injectedMetadata: {
+        buildNumber: 'foo',
+      },
+    } as any);
 
-    expect(() => {
-      params.injectedMetadata.foo = true;
-    }).toThrowError(`read only property 'foo'`);
+    expect(injectedMetadata.getKibanaBuildNumber()).toBe('foo');
   });
 });
 
@@ -44,10 +48,29 @@ describe('start.getLegacyMetadata()', () => {
     const injectedMetadata = new InjectedMetadataService({
       injectedMetadata: {
         legacyMetadata: 'foo',
-      } as any,
-    });
+      },
+    } as any);
 
     const contract = injectedMetadata.start();
     expect(contract.getLegacyMetadata()).toBe('foo');
   });
+
+  it('exposes frozen version of legacyMetadata', () => {
+    const injectedMetadata = new InjectedMetadataService({
+      injectedMetadata: {
+        legacyMetadata: {
+          foo: true,
+        },
+      },
+    } as any);
+
+    const legacyMetadata = injectedMetadata.start().getLegacyMetadata();
+    expect(legacyMetadata).toEqual({
+      foo: true,
+    });
+    expect(() => {
+      // @ts-ignore TS knows this shouldn't be possible
+      legacyMetadata.foo = false;
+    }).toThrowError();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/core/public/injected_metadata/injected_metadata_service.ts b/src/core/public/injected_metadata/injected_metadata_service.ts
index 2921d97fca66d..e756d99b1f854 100644
--- a/src/core/public/injected_metadata/injected_metadata_service.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/injected_metadata/injected_metadata_service.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ import { deepFreeze } from './deep_freeze';
 
 export interface InjectedMetadataParams {
   injectedMetadata: {
+    version: string;
+    buildNumber: number;
     legacyMetadata: {
       [key: string]: any;
     };
@@ -34,17 +36,25 @@ export interface InjectedMetadataParams {
  * and is read from the DOM in most cases.
  */
 export class InjectedMetadataService {
+  private state = deepFreeze(this.params.injectedMetadata);
+
   constructor(private readonly params: InjectedMetadataParams) {}
 
   public start() {
-    const state = deepFreeze(this.params.injectedMetadata);
-
     return {
-      getLegacyMetadata() {
-        return state.legacyMetadata;
+      getLegacyMetadata: () => {
+        return this.state.legacyMetadata;
       },
     };
   }
+
+  public getKibanaVersion() {
+    return this.state.version;
+  }
+
+  public getKibanaBuildNumber() {
+    return this.state.buildNumber;
+  }
 }
 
 export type InjectedMetadataStartContract = ReturnType<InjectedMetadataService['start']>;
diff --git a/src/core/public/legacy_platform/__snapshots__/legacy_platform_service.test.ts.snap b/src/core/public/legacy_platform/__snapshots__/legacy_platform_service.test.ts.snap
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..59165d049c786
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/public/legacy_platform/__snapshots__/legacy_platform_service.test.ts.snap
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+// Jest Snapshot v1, https://goo.gl/fbAQLP
+
+exports[`#stop() destroys the angular scope and empties the rootDomElement if angular is bootstraped to rootDomElement 1`] = `
+<div
+  class="ng-scope"
+/>
+`;
+
+exports[`#stop() does nothing if angular was not bootstrapped to rootDomElement 1`] = `
+<div>
+  
+      
+  <h1>
+    foo
+  </h1>
+  
+      
+  <h2>
+    bar
+  </h2>
+  
+    
+</div>
+`;
diff --git a/src/core/public/legacy_platform/legacy_platform_service.test.ts b/src/core/public/legacy_platform/legacy_platform_service.test.ts
index 3927d7f56149d..071fe1d2ef417 100644
--- a/src/core/public/legacy_platform/legacy_platform_service.test.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/legacy_platform/legacy_platform_service.test.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
  * under the License.
  */
 
+import angular from 'angular';
+
 const mockLoadOrder: string[] = [];
 
 const mockUiMetadataInit = jest.fn();
@@ -43,8 +45,18 @@ jest.mock('ui/test_harness', () => {
   };
 });
 
+const mockFatalErrorInit = jest.fn();
+jest.mock('ui/notify/fatal_error', () => {
+  mockLoadOrder.push('ui/notify/fatal_error');
+  return {
+    __newPlatformInit__: mockFatalErrorInit,
+  };
+});
+
 import { LegacyPlatformService } from './legacy_platform_service';
 
+const fatalErrorsStartContract = {} as any;
+
 const injectedMetadataStartContract = {
   getLegacyMetadata: jest.fn(),
 };
@@ -74,6 +86,7 @@ describe('#start()', () => {
       });
 
       legacyPlatform.start({
+        fatalErrors: fatalErrorsStartContract,
         injectedMetadata: injectedMetadataStartContract,
       });
 
@@ -81,6 +94,20 @@ describe('#start()', () => {
       expect(mockUiMetadataInit).toHaveBeenCalledWith(legacyMetadata);
     });
 
+    it('passes fatalErrors service to ui/notify/fatal_errors', () => {
+      const legacyPlatform = new LegacyPlatformService({
+        ...defaultParams,
+      });
+
+      legacyPlatform.start({
+        fatalErrors: fatalErrorsStartContract,
+        injectedMetadata: injectedMetadataStartContract,
+      });
+
+      expect(mockFatalErrorInit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(mockFatalErrorInit).toHaveBeenCalledWith(fatalErrorsStartContract);
+    });
+
     describe('useLegacyTestHarness = false', () => {
       it('passes the rootDomElement to ui/chrome', () => {
         const legacyPlatform = new LegacyPlatformService({
@@ -88,6 +115,7 @@ describe('#start()', () => {
         });
 
         legacyPlatform.start({
+          fatalErrors: fatalErrorsStartContract,
           injectedMetadata: injectedMetadataStartContract,
         });
 
@@ -104,6 +132,7 @@ describe('#start()', () => {
         });
 
         legacyPlatform.start({
+          fatalErrors: fatalErrorsStartContract,
           injectedMetadata: injectedMetadataStartContract,
         });
 
@@ -124,10 +153,16 @@ describe('#start()', () => {
         expect(mockLoadOrder).toEqual([]);
 
         legacyPlatform.start({
+          fatalErrors: fatalErrorsStartContract,
           injectedMetadata: injectedMetadataStartContract,
         });
 
-        expect(mockLoadOrder).toEqual(['ui/metadata', 'ui/chrome', 'legacy files']);
+        expect(mockLoadOrder).toEqual([
+          'ui/metadata',
+          'ui/notify/fatal_error',
+          'ui/chrome',
+          'legacy files',
+        ]);
       });
     });
 
@@ -141,11 +176,64 @@ describe('#start()', () => {
         expect(mockLoadOrder).toEqual([]);
 
         legacyPlatform.start({
+          fatalErrors: fatalErrorsStartContract,
           injectedMetadata: injectedMetadataStartContract,
         });
 
-        expect(mockLoadOrder).toEqual(['ui/metadata', 'ui/test_harness', 'legacy files']);
+        expect(mockLoadOrder).toEqual([
+          'ui/metadata',
+          'ui/notify/fatal_error',
+          'ui/test_harness',
+          'legacy files',
+        ]);
       });
     });
   });
 });
+
+describe('#stop()', () => {
+  it('does nothing if angular was not bootstrapped to rootDomElement', () => {
+    const rootDomElement = document.createElement('div');
+    rootDomElement.innerHTML = `
+      <h1>foo</h1>
+      <h2>bar</h2>
+    `;
+
+    const legacyPlatform = new LegacyPlatformService({
+      ...defaultParams,
+      rootDomElement,
+    });
+
+    legacyPlatform.stop();
+    expect(rootDomElement).toMatchSnapshot();
+  });
+
+  it('destroys the angular scope and empties the rootDomElement if angular is bootstraped to rootDomElement', () => {
+    const rootDomElement = document.createElement('div');
+    const scopeDestroySpy = jest.fn();
+
+    const legacyPlatform = new LegacyPlatformService({
+      ...defaultParams,
+      rootDomElement,
+    });
+
+    // simulate bootstraping with a module "foo"
+    angular.module('foo', []).directive('bar', () => ({
+      restrict: 'E',
+      link($scope) {
+        $scope.$on('$destroy', scopeDestroySpy);
+      },
+    }));
+
+    rootDomElement.innerHTML = `
+      <bar></bar>
+    `;
+
+    angular.bootstrap(rootDomElement, ['foo']);
+
+    legacyPlatform.stop();
+
+    expect(rootDomElement).toMatchSnapshot();
+    expect(scopeDestroySpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/core/public/legacy_platform/legacy_platform_service.ts b/src/core/public/legacy_platform/legacy_platform_service.ts
index ed7976bfa2a35..4996d6d95dff6 100644
--- a/src/core/public/legacy_platform/legacy_platform_service.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/legacy_platform/legacy_platform_service.ts
@@ -17,10 +17,13 @@
  * under the License.
  */
 
+import angular from 'angular';
+import { FatalErrorsStartContract } from '../fatal_errors';
 import { InjectedMetadataStartContract } from '../injected_metadata';
 
 interface Deps {
   injectedMetadata: InjectedMetadataStartContract;
+  fatalErrors: FatalErrorsStartContract;
 }
 
 export interface LegacyPlatformParams {
@@ -39,10 +42,11 @@ export interface LegacyPlatformParams {
 export class LegacyPlatformService {
   constructor(private readonly params: LegacyPlatformParams) {}
 
-  public start({ injectedMetadata }: Deps) {
+  public start({ injectedMetadata, fatalErrors }: Deps) {
     // Inject parts of the new platform into parts of the legacy platform
     // so that legacy APIs/modules can mimic their new platform counterparts
     require('ui/metadata').__newPlatformInit__(injectedMetadata.getLegacyMetadata());
+    require('ui/notify/fatal_error').__newPlatformInit__(fatalErrors);
 
     // Load the bootstrap module before loading the legacy platform files so that
     // the bootstrap module can modify the environment a bit first
@@ -54,6 +58,23 @@ export class LegacyPlatformService {
     bootstrapModule.bootstrap(this.params.rootDomElement);
   }
 
+  public stop() {
+    const angularRoot = angular.element(this.params.rootDomElement);
+    const injector$ = angularRoot.injector();
+
+    // if we haven't gotten to the point of bootstraping
+    // angular, injector$ won't be defined
+    if (!injector$) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // destroy the root angular scope
+    injector$.get('$rootScope').$destroy();
+
+    // clear the inner html of the root angular element
+    this.params.rootDomElement.textContent = '';
+  }
+
   private loadBootstrapModule(): {
     bootstrap: (rootDomElement: HTMLElement) => void;
   } {
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/controllers/discover.js b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/controllers/discover.js
index 4fb8065bf4ed5..914cb67a88993 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/controllers/discover.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/controllers/discover.js
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ import { timefilter } from 'ui/timefilter';
 import 'ui/share';
 import 'ui/query_bar';
 import { hasSearchStategyForIndexPattern, isDefaultTypeIndexPattern } from 'ui/courier';
-import { toastNotifications, getPainlessError } from 'ui/notify';
+import { toastNotifications } from 'ui/notify';
 import { VisProvider } from 'ui/vis';
 import { BasicResponseHandlerProvider } from 'ui/vis/response_handlers/basic';
 import { DocTitleProvider } from 'ui/doc_title';
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ import { visualizationLoader } from 'ui/visualize/loader/visualization_loader';
 import { recentlyAccessed } from 'ui/persisted_log';
 import { getDocLink } from 'ui/documentation_links';
 import '../components/fetch_error';
+import { getPainlessError } from './get_painless_error';
 
 const app = uiModules.get('apps/discover', [
   'kibana/notify',
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/controllers/get_painless_error.ts b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/controllers/get_painless_error.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..95a2e5ba42554
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/controllers/get_painless_error.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+import { get } from 'lodash';
+
+export function getPainlessError(error: Error) {
+  const rootCause: Array<{ lang: string; script: string }> | undefined = get(
+    error,
+    'resp.error.root_cause'
+  );
+
+  if (!rootCause) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  const [{ lang, script }] = rootCause;
+
+  if (lang !== 'painless') {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  return {
+    lang,
+    script,
+    message: `Error with Painless scripted field '${script}'`,
+    error: error.message,
+  };
+}
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/tests_bundle/tests_entry_template.js b/src/core_plugins/tests_bundle/tests_entry_template.js
index 850eb66f88abb..03a943c8f625d 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/tests_bundle/tests_entry_template.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/tests_bundle/tests_entry_template.js
@@ -74,6 +74,8 @@ const legacyMetadata = {
 
 new CoreSystem({
   injectedMetadata: {
+    version: legacyMetadata.version,
+    buildNumber: legacyMetadata.buildNum,
     legacyMetadata
   },
   rootDomElement: document.body,
diff --git a/src/dev/jest/config.js b/src/dev/jest/config.js
index 29557240bac6f..99b22b14c2d71 100644
--- a/src/dev/jest/config.js
+++ b/src/dev/jest/config.js
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ export default {
   rootDir: '../../..',
   roots: [
     '<rootDir>/src/ui',
+    '<rootDir>/src/core',
     '<rootDir>/src/core_plugins',
     '<rootDir>/src/server',
     '<rootDir>/src/cli',
@@ -30,7 +31,6 @@ export default {
     '<rootDir>/src/utils',
     '<rootDir>/src/setup_node_env',
     '<rootDir>/packages',
-    '<rootDir>/src/core',
   ],
   collectCoverageFrom: [
     'packages/kbn-ui-framework/src/components/**/*.js',
diff --git a/src/ui/public/notify/fatal_error.js b/src/ui/public/notify/fatal_error.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 62221953c3104..0000000000000
--- a/src/ui/public/notify/fatal_error.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,108 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
- * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
- * this work for additional information regarding copyright
- * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
- * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
- * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
- * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
- * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
- * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
- * specific language governing permissions and limitations
- * under the License.
- */
-
-import _ from 'lodash';
-import $ from 'jquery';
-import { metadata } from '../metadata';
-import { formatMsg, formatStack } from './lib';
-import fatalSplashScreen from './partials/fatal_splash_screen.html';
-import { callEach } from '../utils/function';
-
-const {
-  version,
-  buildNum,
-} = metadata;
-
-// used to identify the first call to fatal, set to false there
-let firstFatal = true;
-
-const fatalToastTemplate = (function lazyTemplate(tmpl) {
-  let compiled;
-  return function (vars) {
-    return (compiled || (compiled = _.template(tmpl)))(vars);
-  };
-}(require('./partials/fatal.html')));
-
-// to be notified when the first fatal error occurs, push a function into this array.
-const fatalCallbacks = [];
-
-export const addFatalErrorCallback = callback => {
-  fatalCallbacks.push(callback);
-};
-
-function formatInfo() {
-  const info = [];
-
-  if (!_.isUndefined(version)) {
-    info.push(`Version: ${version}`);
-  }
-
-  if (!_.isUndefined(buildNum)) {
-    info.push(`Build: ${buildNum}`);
-  }
-
-  return info.join('\n');
-}
-
-// We're exporting this because state_management/state.js calls fatalError, which makes it
-// impossible to test unless we stub this stuff out.
-export const fatalErrorInternals = {
-  show: (err, location) => {
-    if (firstFatal) {
-      callEach(fatalCallbacks);
-      firstFatal = false;
-      window.addEventListener('hashchange', function () {
-        window.location.reload();
-      });
-    }
-
-    const html = fatalToastTemplate({
-      info: formatInfo(),
-      msg: formatMsg(err, location),
-      stack: formatStack(err)
-    });
-
-    let $container = $('#fatal-splash-screen');
-
-    if (!$container.length) {
-      $(document.body)
-        // in case the app has not completed boot
-        .removeAttr('ng-cloak')
-        .html(fatalSplashScreen);
-
-      $container = $('#fatal-splash-screen');
-    }
-
-    $container.append(html);
-  },
-};
-
-/**
- * Kill the page, display an error, then throw the error.
- * Used as a last-resort error back in many promise chains
- * so it rethrows the error that's displayed on the page.
- *
- * @param  {Error} err - The error that occured
- */
-export function fatalError(err, location) {
-  fatalErrorInternals.show(err, location);
-  console.error(err.stack); // eslint-disable-line no-console
-
-  throw err;
-}
diff --git a/src/ui/public/notify/fatal_error.ts b/src/ui/public/notify/fatal_error.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..3956a7a41aa2c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ui/public/notify/fatal_error.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+import { FatalErrorsStartContract } from '../../../core/public/fatal_errors';
+import {
+  AngularHttpError,
+  formatAngularHttpError,
+  isAngularHttpError,
+} from './lib/format_angular_http_error';
+
+let newPlatformFatalErrors: FatalErrorsStartContract;
+
+export function __newPlatformInit__(instance: FatalErrorsStartContract) {
+  if (newPlatformFatalErrors) {
+    throw new Error('ui/notify/fatal_error already initialized with new platform apis');
+  }
+
+  newPlatformFatalErrors = instance;
+}
+
+export function addFatalErrorCallback(callback: () => void) {
+  newPlatformFatalErrors.get$().subscribe(() => {
+    callback();
+  });
+}
+
+export function fatalError(error: AngularHttpError | Error | string, location?: string) {
+  // add support for angular http errors to newPlatformFatalErrors
+  if (isAngularHttpError(error)) {
+    error = formatAngularHttpError(error);
+  }
+
+  newPlatformFatalErrors.add(error, location);
+}
diff --git a/src/ui/public/notify/index.js b/src/ui/public/notify/index.js
index f5991abc9e3e1..31ef28161a862 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/notify/index.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/notify/index.js
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@
 
 export { notify } from './notify';
 export { Notifier } from './notifier';
-export { getPainlessError } from './lib';
-export { fatalError, fatalErrorInternals, addFatalErrorCallback } from './fatal_error';
+export { fatalError, addFatalErrorCallback } from './fatal_error';
 export { GlobalToastList, toastNotifications } from './toasts';
 export { GlobalBannerList, banners } from './banners';
diff --git a/src/ui/public/notify/lib/format_angular_http_error.ts b/src/ui/public/notify/lib/format_angular_http_error.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..ec6efded95ca8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ui/public/notify/lib/format_angular_http_error.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+import { IHttpResponse } from 'angular';
+
+export type AngularHttpError = IHttpResponse<{ message: string }>;
+
+export function isAngularHttpError(error: any): error is AngularHttpError {
+  return (
+    error &&
+    typeof error.status === 'number' &&
+    typeof error.statusText === 'string' &&
+    error.data &&
+    typeof error.data.message === 'string'
+  );
+}
+
+export function formatAngularHttpError(error: AngularHttpError) {
+  // is an Angular $http "error object"
+  if (error.status === -1) {
+    // status = -1 indicates that the request was failed to reach the server
+    return (
+      'An HTTP request has failed to connect. ' +
+      'Please check if the Kibana server is running and that your browser has a working connection, ' +
+      'or contact your system administrator.'
+    );
+  }
+
+  return `Error ${error.status} ${error.statusText}: ${error.data.message}`;
+}
diff --git a/src/ui/public/notify/lib/format_es_msg.js b/src/ui/public/notify/lib/format_es_msg.js
index f5a4fa0e33952..1a7cf817c9d83 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/notify/lib/format_es_msg.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/notify/lib/format_es_msg.js
@@ -36,24 +36,3 @@ export const formatESMsg = (err) => {
   const result = _.pluck(rootCause, 'reason').join('\n');
   return result;
 };
-
-export const getPainlessError = (err) => {
-  const rootCause = getRootCause(err);
-
-  if (!rootCause) {
-    return;
-  }
-
-  const { lang, script } = rootCause[0];
-
-  if (lang !== 'painless') {
-    return;
-  }
-
-  return {
-    lang,
-    script,
-    message: `Error with Painless scripted field '${script}'`,
-    error: err.message,
-  };
-};
diff --git a/src/ui/public/notify/lib/index.js b/src/ui/public/notify/lib/index.js
index 5d0c6628f1a00..426cfbb88ed8d 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/notify/lib/index.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/notify/lib/index.js
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
  * under the License.
  */
 
-export { formatESMsg, getPainlessError } from './format_es_msg';
+export { formatESMsg } from './format_es_msg';
 export { formatMsg } from './format_msg';
 export { formatStack } from './format_stack';
+export { isAngularHttpError, formatAngularHttpError } from './format_angular_http_error';
diff --git a/src/ui/public/notify/partials/fatal.html b/src/ui/public/notify/partials/fatal.html
deleted file mode 100644
index f65c52e4ae601..0000000000000
--- a/src/ui/public/notify/partials/fatal.html
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,21 +0,0 @@
-<!--
-!!!!
-  Since fatal error could prevent angular from starting
-  this template is just a simple lodash template
-!!!!
--->
-<h1><i class="fa fa-warning-triangle"></i></h1>
-<div class="panel panel-danger">
-  <div class="panel-heading">
-    <h1 class="panel-title">
-      <i class="fa fa-warning"></i> Fatal Error
-    </h1>
-  </div>
-  <div class="panel-body fatal-body"><%- msg %></div>
-  <% if (info) { %>
-    <div class="panel-footer"><pre><%- info %></pre></div>
-  <% } %>
-  <% if (stack) { %>
-    <div class="panel-footer"><pre><%- stack %></pre></div>
-  <% } %>
-</div>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/ui/public/notify/partials/fatal_splash_screen.html b/src/ui/public/notify/partials/fatal_splash_screen.html
deleted file mode 100644
index 4aee2075cb67a..0000000000000
--- a/src/ui/public/notify/partials/fatal_splash_screen.html
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,35 +0,0 @@
-<div
-  id="fatal-splash-screen-header"
-  class="kuiViewContent kuiViewContent--constrainedWidth kuiViewContentItem"
->
-  <div style="text-align: center">
-    <h1 class="kuiTitle kuiVerticalRhythm">
-      Oops!
-    </h1>
-
-    <p class="kuiText kuiVerticalRhythm">
-      Looks like something went wrong. Refreshing may do the trick.
-    </p>
-
-    <div
-      class="kuiButtonGroup kuiVerticalRhythm"
-      style="text-align: center; display: inline-block;"
-    >
-      <button
-        class="kuiButton kuiButton--primary"
-        onclick="window.history.back();"
-      >
-        Go back
-      </button>
-
-      <button
-        class="kuiButton kuiButton--hollow"
-        onclick="localStorage.clear(); sessionStorage.clear(); window.location.hash = ''; window.location.reload();"
-      >
-        Clear your session
-      </button>
-    </div>
-  </div>
-  <div id="fatal-splash-screen">
-  </div>
-</div>
diff --git a/src/ui/public/state_management/__tests__/state.js b/src/ui/public/state_management/__tests__/state.js
index 0a6416b6039d0..12058da104b79 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/state_management/__tests__/state.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/state_management/__tests__/state.js
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@ import expect from 'expect.js';
 import ngMock from 'ng_mock';
 import { encode as encodeRison } from 'rison-node';
 import '../../private';
-import { fatalErrorInternals, toastNotifications } from '../../notify';
+import { toastNotifications } from '../../notify';
+import * as FatalErrorNS from '../../notify/fatal_error';
 import { StateProvider } from '../state';
 import {
   unhashQueryString,
@@ -36,6 +37,9 @@ import StubBrowserStorage from 'test_utils/stub_browser_storage';
 import { EventsProvider } from '../../events';
 
 describe('State Management', () => {
+  const sandbox = sinon.createSandbox();
+  afterEach(() => sandbox.restore());
+
   describe('Enabled', () => {
     let $rootScope;
     let $location;
@@ -289,13 +293,16 @@ describe('State Management', () => {
           expect(toastNotifications.list[0].title).to.match(/use the share functionality/i);
         });
 
-        it('throws error linking to github when setting item fails', () => {
+        it('triggers fatal error linking to github when setting item fails', () => {
           const { state, hashedItemStore } = setup({ storeInHash: true });
-          sinon.stub(fatalErrorInternals, 'show');
+          const fatalErrorStub = sandbox.stub(FatalErrorNS, 'fatalError');
           sinon.stub(hashedItemStore, 'setItem').returns(false);
-          expect(() => {
-            state.toQueryParam();
-          }).to.throwError(/github\.com/);
+          state.toQueryParam();
+          sinon.assert.calledOnce(fatalErrorStub);
+          sinon.assert.calledWith(fatalErrorStub, sinon.match(error => (
+            error instanceof Error &&
+            error.message.includes('github.com'))
+          ));
         });
 
         it('translateHashToRison should gracefully fallback if parameter can not be parsed', () => {
diff --git a/src/ui/ui_render/ui_render_mixin.js b/src/ui/ui_render/ui_render_mixin.js
index 8385f129c12c4..d9c24452cf8ee 100644
--- a/src/ui/ui_render/ui_render_mixin.js
+++ b/src/ui/ui_render/ui_render_mixin.js
@@ -151,6 +151,8 @@ export function uiRenderMixin(kbnServer, server, config) {
         i18n: (id, options) => i18n.translate(id, options),
 
         injectedMetadata: {
+          version: kbnServer.version,
+          buildNumber: config.get('pkg.buildNum'),
           legacyMetadata: await getLegacyKibanaPayload({
             app,
             request,
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index d90582efd7429..b081f6ccb24a3 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -289,6 +289,10 @@
   version "1.0.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/chance/-/chance-1.0.1.tgz#c10703020369602c40dd9428cc6e1437027116df"
 
+"@types/cheerio@*":
+  version "0.22.8"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/cheerio/-/cheerio-0.22.8.tgz#5702f74f78b73e13f1eb1bd435c2c9de61a250d4"
+
 "@types/classnames@^2.2.3":
   version "2.2.3"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/classnames/-/classnames-2.2.3.tgz#3f0ff6873da793870e20a260cada55982f38a9e5"
@@ -301,6 +305,13 @@
   version "2.0.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/delay/-/delay-2.0.1.tgz#61bcf318a74b61e79d1658fbf054f984c90ef901"
 
+"@types/enzyme@^3.1.12":
+  version "3.1.12"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/enzyme/-/enzyme-3.1.12.tgz#293bb07c1ef5932d37add3879e72e0f5bc614f3c"
+  dependencies:
+    "@types/cheerio" "*"
+    "@types/react" "*"
+
 "@types/eslint@^4.16.2":
   version "4.16.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/eslint/-/eslint-4.16.2.tgz#30f4f026019eb78a6ef12f276b75cd16ea2afb27"