diff --git a/.changeset/fix-access-control-silent-error.md b/.changeset/fix-access-control-silent-error.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2b5c628ce9e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fix-access-control-silent-error.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@keystone-6/core": patch
+---
+
+Fixed an issue where database errors (connection timeouts, malformed queries, etc.) were swallowed in unique item exists checks at the access control layer.
diff --git a/.changeset/fix-validation-feedback-loss.md b/.changeset/fix-validation-feedback-loss.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3a5c49ba694
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fix-validation-feedback-loss.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@keystone-6/core": patch
+---
+
+Fixed an issue where field-level validation messages were lost if a list-level validation hook threw an exception. Field validation messages are now prioritized and preserved in list-level hook crashes.
diff --git a/packages/core/src/lib/core/access-control.ts b/packages/core/src/lib/core/access-control.ts
index 88a488123c8..c7718f37d34 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/lib/core/access-control.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/lib/core/access-control.ts
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@ export async function enforceListLevelAccessControl(
         listKey: list.listKey,
         context,
         item,
+        inputData,
       })
     }
   } catch (error: any) {
@@ -428,7 +429,15 @@ export async function checkUniqueItemExists(
   try {
     const item = await context.db[foreignList.listKey].findOne({ where: uniqueInput })
     if (item !== null) return uniqueWhere
-  } catch (err) {}
+  } catch (err: any) {
+    // If it's an access denied error from context.db, we swallow it and throw our own
+    // to keep the error message consistent with "item may not exist".
+    // But if it's a real database error (e.g. connection, timeout, malformed query),
+    // we MUST rethrow it so the developer knows what happened.
+    if (err?.extensions?.code !== 'KS_ACCESS_DENIED') {
+      throw err
+    }
+  }
 
   throw accessDeniedError(cannotForItem(operation, foreignList))
 }
diff --git a/packages/core/src/lib/core/hooks.ts b/packages/core/src/lib/core/hooks.ts
index b6e90d85bf4..de06ac932a4 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/lib/core/hooks.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/lib/core/hooks.ts
@@ -1,15 +1,12 @@
 import { extensionError, validationFailureError } from './graphql-errors'
-import { type InitialisedList } from './initialise-lists'
+import type { InitialisedList } from './initialise-lists'
 
-export async function validate({
+async function validate({
   list,
   hookArgs,
 }: {
   list: InitialisedList
-  hookArgs: Omit<
-    Parameters<InitialisedList['hooks']['validate']['create' | 'update' | 'delete']>[0],
-    'addValidationError'
-  >
+  hookArgs: any
 }) {
   const messages: string[] = []
   const fieldsErrors: { error: Error; tag: string }[] = []
@@ -32,13 +29,13 @@ export async function validate({
           resolvedFieldData: hookArgs.resolvedData?.[fieldKey],
         } as never) // TODO: FIXME
       } catch (error: any) {
-        fieldsErrors.push({ error, tag: `${list.listKey}.${fieldKey}.hooks.validateInput` })
+        fieldsErrors.push({ error, tag: `${list.listKey}.${fieldKey}.hooks.validate` })
       }
     })
   )
 
   if (fieldsErrors.length) {
-    throw extensionError('validateInput', fieldsErrors)
+    throw extensionError('validate', fieldsErrors)
   }
 
   // list validation hooks
@@ -46,24 +43,26 @@ export async function validate({
     const addValidationError = (msg: string) => void messages.push(`${list.listKey}: ${msg}`)
     const hook = list.hooks.validate[operation]
 
+    let listHookError: any
     try {
       await hook({ ...hookArgs, addValidationError } as never) // TODO: FIXME
     } catch (error: any) {
-      throw extensionError('validateInput', [{ error, tag: `${list.listKey}.hooks.validateInput` }])
+      listHookError = error
     }
 
     if (messages.length) {
       throw validationFailureError(messages)
     }
+
+    if (listHookError) {
+      throw extensionError('validate', [{ error: listHookError, tag: `${list.listKey}.hooks.validate` }])
+    }
   }
 }
 
-export async function runSideEffectOnlyHook<
+async function runSideEffectOnlyHook<
   HookName extends 'beforeOperation' | 'afterOperation',
-  Args extends Parameters<
-    NonNullable<InitialisedList['hooks'][HookName]['create' | 'update' | 'delete']>
-  >[0],
->(list: InitialisedList, hookName: HookName, args: Args) {
+>(list: InitialisedList, hookName: HookName, args: any) {
   const { operation } = args
 
   let shouldRunFieldLevelHook: (fieldKey: string) => boolean
@@ -109,3 +108,5 @@ export async function runSideEffectOnlyHook<
     throw extensionError(hookName, [{ error, tag: `${list.listKey}.hooks.${hookName}` }])
   }
 }
+
+export { validate, runSideEffectOnlyHook }
diff --git a/packages/core/src/types/config/hooks.ts b/packages/core/src/types/config/hooks.ts
index 2263fb7c717..37836ea06d2 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/types/config/hooks.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/types/config/hooks.ts
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ export type ListHooks<ListTypeInfo extends BaseListTypeInfo> = {
       }
 
   /**
-   * Used to **cause side effects** before a create, update, or delete operation once all validateInput hooks have resolved
+   * Used to **cause side effects** before a create, update, or delete operation once all validate hooks have resolved
    */
   beforeOperation?:
     | BeforeOperationListHook<ListTypeInfo, 'create' | 'update' | 'delete'>
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ export type FieldHooks<
       }
 
   /**
-   * Used to **cause side effects** before a create, update, or delete operation once all validateInput hooks have resolved
+   * Used to **cause side effects** before a create, update, or delete operation once all validate hooks have resolved
    */
   beforeOperation?:
     | BeforeOperationFieldHook<ListTypeInfo, 'create' | 'update' | 'delete', FieldTypeInfo>