diff --git a/.changeset/content-create-error-toast.md b/.changeset/content-create-error-toast.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..995bb1b5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/content-create-error-toast.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@emdash-cms/admin": patch
+---
+
+Fixes silent save failures when creating content in the admin: a rejected create — for example a slug that already exists in the collection — now shows a "Failed to save" toast with the server's message instead of doing nothing.
diff --git a/packages/admin/src/router.tsx b/packages/admin/src/router.tsx
index 18e7a82ab..12a292ada 100644
--- a/packages/admin/src/router.tsx
+++ b/packages/admin/src/router.tsx
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  * Defines all admin routes and their components.
  */
 
-import { Button, Loader, Toast } from "@cloudflare/kumo";
+import { Button, Loader, Toast, useKumoToastManager } from "@cloudflare/kumo";
 import { plural } from "@lingui/core/macro";
 import { useLingui } from "@lingui/react/macro";
 import type { QueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
@@ -634,6 +634,8 @@ function ContentNewPage() {
 	const { locale } = useSearch({ from: "/_admin/content/$collection/new" });
 	const navigate = useNavigate();
 	const queryClient = useQueryClient();
+	const { t } = useLingui();
+	const toastManager = useKumoToastManager();
 	const [selectedBylines, setSelectedBylines] = React.useState<BylineCreditInput[]>([]);
 
 	const { data: manifest } = useQuery({
@@ -663,6 +665,13 @@ function ContentNewPage() {
 				search: { locale: result.locale },
 			});
 		},
+		onError: (error) => {
+			toastManager.add({
+				title: t`Failed to save`,
+				description: error instanceof Error ? error.message : t`An error occurred`,
+				variant: "error",
+			});
+		},
 	});
 
 	const pluginBlocks = React.useMemo(() => (manifest ? getPluginBlocks(manifest) : []), [manifest]);
diff --git a/packages/admin/tests/router.test.tsx b/packages/admin/tests/router.test.tsx
index bb20659a6..17fe8ad33 100644
--- a/packages/admin/tests/router.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/admin/tests/router.test.tsx
@@ -492,6 +492,80 @@ describe("ContentNewPage – locale passed to createContent", () => {
 	});
 });
 
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Tests: ContentNewPage – a rejected create surfaces an error toast
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+describe("ContentNewPage – create failure surfaces the server's error", () => {
+	let mockFetch: ReturnType<typeof createMockFetch>;
+
+	beforeEach(() => {
+		mockFetch = createMockFetch();
+
+		mockFetch
+			.on("GET", "/_emdash/api/manifest", { data: MANIFEST })
+			.on("GET", "/_emdash/api/auth/me", {
+				data: { id: "user_01", role: 60 },
+			})
+			.on("GET", "/_emdash/api/bylines", { data: { items: [] } })
+			// A canned 409 SLUG_CONFLICT — the response shape the server
+			// returns when the entry's slug is already taken in the
+			// collection (slug derivation itself is server-side and not
+			// exercised here).
+			.on(
+				"POST",
+				"/_emdash/api/content/posts",
+				{
+					success: false,
+					error: {
+						code: "SLUG_CONFLICT",
+						message: "Slug 'test-post' already exists in collection 'posts'",
+					},
+				},
+				409,
+			);
+	});
+
+	afterEach(() => {
+		mockFetch.restore();
+	});
+
+	it("shows a toast with the server's message on a slug conflict (and stays on /new)", async () => {
+		const { router, TestApp } = buildRouter();
+
+		await router.navigate({
+			to: "/content/$collection/new",
+			params: { collection: "posts" },
+			search: { locale: undefined },
+		});
+
+		const screen = await render(<TestApp />);
+
+		await expect
+			.element(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Save", exact: true }))
+			.toBeInTheDocument();
+
+		await screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Save", exact: true }).click();
+
+		// The UI surfaces WHAT happened — the server's human-readable
+		// conflict message.
+		await expect.element(screen.getByText("Failed to save")).toBeInTheDocument();
+		await expect
+			.element(screen.getByText("Slug 'test-post' already exists in collection 'posts'"))
+			.toBeInTheDocument();
+
+		// And with the error affordance: Kumo styles severity off `variant`
+		// (Base UI's `type` is inert for styling), and the toast icon only
+		// renders for a non-default variant.
+		await expect
+			.poll(() => document.querySelectorAll("[data-toast-icon]").length)
+			.toBeGreaterThan(0);
+
+		// And the failed create must not navigate anywhere.
+		expect(router.state.location.pathname).toContain("/content/posts/new");
+	});
+});
+
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Tests: ContentEditPage – autosave cache stays in sync
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------