diff --git a/pkg/errors/error.go b/pkg/errors/error.go
index cb4e8b1f0f..13b607b405 100644
--- a/pkg/errors/error.go
+++ b/pkg/errors/error.go
@@ -6,8 +6,10 @@ import (
 	stderrors "errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"net/http"
+	"strings"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/github/github-mcp-server/pkg/sanitize"
 	"github.com/github/github-mcp-server/pkg/utils"
 	"github.com/google/go-github/v89/github"
 	"github.com/modelcontextprotocol/go-sdk/mcp"
@@ -191,7 +193,72 @@ func NewGitHubAPIErrorResponse(ctx context.Context, message string, resp *github
 			"%s: GitHub secondary rate limit exceeded. Wait before retrying.", message))
 	}
 
-	return utils.NewToolResultErrorFromErr(message, err)
+	return utils.NewToolResultErrorFromErr(message, formatGitHubValidationError(resp, err))
+}
+
+// formatGitHubValidationError exposes the parsed fields of 422 responses without
+// including request or response metadata from the underlying HTTP exchange.
+func formatGitHubValidationError(resp *github.Response, err error) error {
+	var ghErr *github.ErrorResponse
+	if !stderrors.As(err, &ghErr) {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	statusCode := 0
+	if ghErr.Response != nil {
+		statusCode = ghErr.Response.StatusCode
+	}
+	if statusCode == 0 && resp != nil {
+		statusCode = resp.StatusCode
+	}
+	if statusCode != http.StatusUnprocessableEntity {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	parts := make([]string, 0, len(ghErr.Errors)+1)
+	if summary := sanitizeGitHubValidationText(ghErr.Message); summary != "" {
+		parts = append(parts, summary)
+	}
+	for _, validationErr := range ghErr.Errors {
+		if detail := formatGitHubValidationDetail(validationErr); detail != "" {
+			parts = append(parts, detail)
+		}
+	}
+
+	if len(parts) == 0 {
+		return stderrors.New("GitHub API validation failed")
+	}
+	return stderrors.New(strings.Join(parts, "\n"))
+}
+
+func formatGitHubValidationDetail(validationErr github.Error) string {
+	resource := sanitizeGitHubValidationText(validationErr.Resource)
+	field := sanitizeGitHubValidationText(validationErr.Field)
+	code := sanitizeGitHubValidationText(validationErr.Code)
+	message := sanitizeGitHubValidationText(validationErr.Message)
+
+	location := strings.Trim(strings.Join([]string{resource, field}, "."), ".")
+	switch {
+	case location != "" && code != "":
+		location += " (" + code + ")"
+	case location == "":
+		location = code
+	}
+
+	switch {
+	case location != "" && message != "":
+		return location + ": " + message
+	case message != "":
+		return message
+	default:
+		return location
+	}
+}
+
+func sanitizeGitHubValidationText(value string) string {
+	// Tool errors are plain text; keep quoted branch patterns readable.
+	sanitized := strings.ReplaceAll(sanitize.Sanitize(value), "'", "'")
+	return strings.Join(strings.Fields(sanitized), " ")
 }
 
 // NewGitHubGraphQLErrorResponse returns an mcp.NewToolResultError and retains the error in the context for access via middleware
diff --git a/pkg/errors/error_test.go b/pkg/errors/error_test.go
index 414b7008f7..9938c12df9 100644
--- a/pkg/errors/error_test.go
+++ b/pkg/errors/error_test.go
@@ -687,3 +687,103 @@ func TestNewGitHubAPIErrorResponse_RateLimits(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.Contains(t, text, "validation failed")
 	})
 }
+
+func TestNewGitHubAPIErrorResponse_ValidationMessages(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("ruleset ErrorResponse includes sanitized structured validation messages", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ctx := ContextWithGitHubErrors(context.Background())
+
+		request, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, "https://api.github.test/repos/owner/repo/git/refs?private=secret-url-token", nil)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		request.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer secret-request-token")
+		response := &http.Response{
+			StatusCode: http.StatusUnprocessableEntity,
+			Request:    request,
+			Header:     http.Header{"X-Secret": []string{"secret-response-header"}},
+		}
+
+		originalErr := &github.ErrorResponse{
+			Response: response,
+			Message:  "Validation <script>secret-script</script>Failed\u202e",
+			Errors: []github.Error{
+				{
+					Resource: "GitRef",
+					Field:    "ref",
+					Code:     "custom",
+					Message:  "ref name does not match the required pattern 'feature/*'\u202e",
+				},
+			},
+			DocumentationURL: "https://docs.github.test/private?token=secret-doc-token",
+		}
+
+		wrappedErr := fmt.Errorf("create ref: %w", originalErr)
+		result := NewGitHubAPIErrorResponse(
+			ctx,
+			"failed to create branch",
+			&github.Response{Response: response},
+			wrappedErr,
+		)
+
+		text := requireErrorText(t, result)
+		assert.Equal(t, "failed to create branch: Validation Failed\nGitRef.ref (custom): ref name does not match the required pattern 'feature/*'", text)
+		assert.NotContains(t, text, "create ref")
+		assert.NotContains(t, text, "https://")
+		assert.NotContains(t, text, "secret-")
+		assert.NotContains(t, text, "Authorization")
+		assert.NotContains(t, text, "X-Secret")
+		assert.NotContains(t, text, "<script>")
+		assert.NotContains(t, text, "\u202e")
+		assertContextHasError(t, ctx, wrappedErr)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("ordinary validation errors retain resource field and code", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ctx := ContextWithGitHubErrors(context.Background())
+
+		originalErr := &github.ErrorResponse{
+			Response: &http.Response{StatusCode: http.StatusUnprocessableEntity},
+			Message:  "Validation Failed",
+			Errors: []github.Error{
+				{
+					Resource: "Repository",
+					Field:    "name",
+					Code:     "invalid",
+				},
+			},
+		}
+
+		result := NewGitHubAPIErrorResponse(ctx, "API call failed", nil, originalErr)
+
+		text := requireErrorText(t, result)
+		assert.Equal(t, "API call failed: Validation Failed\nRepository.name (invalid)", text)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("top-level validation message is useful without nested errors", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ctx := ContextWithGitHubErrors(context.Background())
+
+		originalErr := &github.ErrorResponse{
+			Response: &http.Response{StatusCode: http.StatusUnprocessableEntity},
+			Message:  "Reference already exists",
+		}
+
+		result := NewGitHubAPIErrorResponse(ctx, "failed to create branch", nil, originalErr)
+
+		text := requireErrorText(t, result)
+		assert.Equal(t, "failed to create branch: Reference already exists", text)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("non-422 ErrorResponse preserves the existing error contract", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ctx := ContextWithGitHubErrors(context.Background())
+
+		originalErr := &github.ErrorResponse{
+			Response: &http.Response{StatusCode: http.StatusConflict},
+			Message:  "Conflict",
+			Errors: []github.Error{
+				{Message: "Changes must be made through a pull request."},
+			},
+		}
+
+		result := NewGitHubAPIErrorResponse(ctx, "API call failed", nil, originalErr)
+
+		text := requireErrorText(t, result)
+		assert.Equal(t, "API call failed: "+originalErr.Error(), text)
+	})
+}
diff --git a/pkg/github/repositories_test.go b/pkg/github/repositories_test.go
index 1d488b9ced..c315b41e59 100644
--- a/pkg/github/repositories_test.go
+++ b/pkg/github/repositories_test.go
@@ -1008,6 +1008,7 @@ func Test_CreateBranch(t *testing.T) {
 		expectError    bool
 		expectedRef    *github.Reference
 		expectedErrMsg string
+		unexpectedErrs []string
 	}{
 		{
 			name: "successful branch creation with from_branch",
@@ -1096,7 +1097,39 @@ func Test_CreateBranch(t *testing.T) {
 				"from_branch": "main",
 			},
 			expectError:    true,
-			expectedErrMsg: "failed to create branch",
+			expectedErrMsg: "Reference already exists",
+			unexpectedErrs: []string{"422", "http://", "https://"},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "create branch surfaces ruleset validation details",
+			mockedClient: MockHTTPClientWithHandlers(map[string]http.HandlerFunc{
+				GetReposGitRefByOwnerByRepoByRef:           mockResponse(t, http.StatusOK, mockSourceRef),
+				"GET /repos/owner/repo/git/ref/heads/main": mockResponse(t, http.StatusOK, mockSourceRef),
+				PostReposGitRefsByOwnerByRepo: func(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
+					w.WriteHeader(http.StatusUnprocessableEntity)
+					_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{
+						"message": "Validation Failed",
+						"documentation_url": "https://docs.github.com/rest/git/refs#create-a-reference",
+						"errors": [
+							{
+								"resource": "GitRef",
+								"field": "ref",
+								"code": "custom",
+								"message": "ref name does not match the required pattern 'feature/*'"
+							}
+						]
+					}`))
+				},
+			}),
+			requestArgs: map[string]any{
+				"owner":       "owner",
+				"repo":        "repo",
+				"branch":      "hotfix",
+				"from_branch": "main",
+			},
+			expectError:    true,
+			expectedErrMsg: "ref name does not match the required pattern 'feature/*'",
+			unexpectedErrs: []string{"422", "https://docs.github.com"},
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -1121,6 +1154,9 @@ func Test_CreateBranch(t *testing.T) {
 				require.True(t, result.IsError)
 				errorContent := getErrorResult(t, result)
 				assert.Contains(t, errorContent.Text, tc.expectedErrMsg)
+				for _, unexpectedErr := range tc.unexpectedErrs {
+					assert.NotContains(t, errorContent.Text, unexpectedErr)
+				}
 				return
 			}