diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 007201dd78e..28afe42c886 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 # Release Notes for Craft CMS 5
 
+## Unreleased
+
+- Fixed a bug where nested element cards weren’t showing validation errors. ([#18690](https://github.com/craftcms/cms/pull/18690))
+
 ## 5.9.19 - 2026-04-07
 
 - Most classes can now be instantiated via the `create()` Twig function. ([#18376](https://github.com/craftcms/cms/discussions/18376))
diff --git a/src/controllers/ElementsController.php b/src/controllers/ElementsController.php
index d3af6f792df..eb9f7b97279 100644
--- a/src/controllers/ElementsController.php
+++ b/src/controllers/ElementsController.php
@@ -2190,10 +2190,12 @@ public function actionApplyDraft(): ?Response
             // save the draft anyway, so we don’t lose the latest changes
             // (see https://github.com/craftcms/cms/issues/18657)
             $errors = $element->getErrors();
+            $invalidNestedElementIds = $element->getInvalidNestedElementIds();
             $element->setScenario(Element::SCENARIO_ESSENTIALS);
             $elementsService->saveElement($element, saveContent: $saveContent);
             $element->clearErrors();
             $element->addErrors($errors);
+            $element->addInvalidNestedElementIds($invalidNestedElementIds);
 
             return $this->_asAppyDraftFailure($element);
         }