diff --git a/changelog/23921.txt b/changelog/23921.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..cd03142227d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/23921.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+```release-note:bug
+ui: show error from API when seal fails
+```
diff --git a/ui/app/components/seal-action.hbs b/ui/app/components/seal-action.hbs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..ae966e676f6f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/app/components/seal-action.hbs
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+{{!
+  Copyright (c) HashiCorp, Inc.
+  SPDX-License-Identifier: BUSL-1.1
+~}}
+
+<div class="box is-sideless is-fullwidth is-marginless">
+  {{#if this.error}}
+    <Hds::Alert @type="inline" @color="critical" class="has-bottom-margin-m" data-test-seal-error as |A|>
+      <A.Title>Error</A.Title>
+      <A.Description>
+        {{this.error}}
+      </A.Description>
+    </Hds::Alert>
+  {{/if}}
+  <p>
+    Sealing a vault tells the Vault server to stop responding to any access operations until it is unsealed again. A sealed
+    vault throws away its root key to unlock the data, so it physically is blocked from responding to operations again until
+    the Vault is unsealed again with the "unseal" command or via the API.
+  </p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="field is-grouped box is-fullwidth is-bottomless">
+  <ConfirmAction
+    @buttonClasses="button is-primary"
+    @confirmTitle="Seal this cluster?"
+    @confirmMessage="You will not be able to read or write any data until the cluster is unsealed again."
+    @confirmButtonText="Seal"
+    @horizontalPosition="auto-left"
+    @onConfirmAction={{this.handleSeal}}
+    data-test-seal
+  >
+    Seal
+  </ConfirmAction>
+</div>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ui/app/components/seal-action.js b/ui/app/components/seal-action.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..4a2fd873ae47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/app/components/seal-action.js
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) HashiCorp, Inc.
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: BUSL-1.1
+ */
+
+import { action } from '@ember/object';
+import Component from '@glimmer/component';
+import { tracked } from '@glimmer/tracking';
+import errorMessage from 'vault/utils/error-message';
+
+export default class SealActionComponent extends Component {
+  @tracked error;
+
+  @action
+  async handleSeal() {
+    try {
+      await this.args.onSeal();
+    } catch (e) {
+      this.error = errorMessage(e, 'Seal attempt failed. Check Vault logs for details.');
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/ui/app/templates/vault/cluster/settings/seal.hbs b/ui/app/templates/vault/cluster/settings/seal.hbs
index 972f9a72cf85..0b6d738e3f08 100644
--- a/ui/app/templates/vault/cluster/settings/seal.hbs
+++ b/ui/app/templates/vault/cluster/settings/seal.hbs
@@ -12,26 +12,7 @@
 </PageHeader>
 
 {{#if this.model.seal.canUpdate}}
-  <div class="box is-sideless is-fullwidth is-marginless">
-    <p>
-      Sealing a vault tells the Vault server to stop responding to any access operations until it is unsealed again. A sealed
-      vault throws away its root key to unlock the data, so it physically is blocked from responding to operations again
-      until the Vault is unsealed again with the "unseal" command or via the API.
-    </p>
-  </div>
-  <div class="field is-grouped box is-fullwidth is-bottomless">
-    <ConfirmAction
-      @buttonClasses="button is-primary"
-      @confirmTitle="Seal this cluster?"
-      @confirmMessage="You will not be able to read or write any data until the cluster is unsealed again."
-      @confirmButtonText="Seal"
-      @horizontalPosition="auto-left"
-      @onConfirmAction={{action "seal"}}
-      data-test-seal="true"
-    >
-      Seal
-    </ConfirmAction>
-  </div>
+  <SealAction @onSeal={{action "seal"}} />
 {{else}}
   <EmptyState @title="This token does not have sufficient capabilities to seal this vault" />
 {{/if}}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ui/tests/integration/components/seal-action-test.js b/ui/tests/integration/components/seal-action-test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..19bcf382048c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/tests/integration/components/seal-action-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) HashiCorp, Inc.
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: BUSL-1.1
+ */
+
+import { module, test } from 'qunit';
+import { setupRenderingTest } from 'vault/tests/helpers';
+import { click, render } from '@ember/test-helpers';
+import { hbs } from 'ember-cli-htmlbars';
+import sinon from 'sinon';
+
+const SEAL_WHEN_STANDBY_MSG = 'vault cannot seal when in standby mode; please restart instead';
+
+module('Integration | Component | seal-action', function (hooks) {
+  setupRenderingTest(hooks);
+
+  hooks.beforeEach(function () {
+    this.sealSuccess = sinon.spy(() => new Promise((resolve) => resolve({})));
+    this.sealError = sinon.stub().throws({ message: SEAL_WHEN_STANDBY_MSG });
+  });
+
+  test('it handles success', async function (assert) {
+    this.set('handleSeal', this.sealSuccess);
+    await render(hbs`<SealAction @onSeal={{action this.handleSeal}} />`);
+
+    // attempt seal
+    await click('[data-test-seal] button');
+    await click('[data-test-confirm-button]');
+
+    assert.ok(this.sealSuccess.calledOnce, 'called onSeal action');
+    assert.dom('[data-test-seal-error]').doesNotExist('Does not show error when successful');
+  });
+
+  test('it handles error', async function (assert) {
+    this.set('handleSeal', this.sealError);
+    await render(hbs`<SealAction @onSeal={{action this.handleSeal}} />`);
+
+    // attempt seal
+    await click('[data-test-seal] button');
+    await click('[data-test-confirm-button]');
+
+    assert.ok(this.sealError.calledOnce, 'called onSeal action');
+    assert.dom('[data-test-seal-error]').includesText(SEAL_WHEN_STANDBY_MSG, 'Shows error returned from API');
+  });
+});