diff --git a/db-traits/errors.rs b/db-traits/errors.rs
index b03f3d2c..58b39aa8 100644
--- a/db-traits/errors.rs
+++ b/db-traits/errors.rs
@@ -214,11 +214,13 @@ pub enum DbErrorKind {
     UnrecognizedIdent(String),
 
     /// An entid->ident mapping failed.
-    /// We also use this error if you try to transact an entid that we didn't allocate,
-    /// in part because we blow the stack in error_chain if we define a new enum!
-    #[fail(display = "unrecognized or no ident found for entid: {}", _0)]
+    #[fail(display = "no ident found for entid: {}", _0)]
     UnrecognizedEntid(Entid),
 
+    /// Tried to transact an entid that isn't allocated.
+    #[fail(display = "entid not allocated: {}", _0)]
+    UnallocatedEntid(Entid),
+
     #[fail(display = "unknown attribute for entid: {}", _0)]
     UnknownAttribute(Entid),
 
diff --git a/db/src/tx.rs b/db/src/tx.rs
index 1a5f91eb..7669622d 100644
--- a/db/src/tx.rs
+++ b/db/src/tx.rs
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ impl<'conn, 'a, W> Tx<'conn, 'a, W> where W: TransactWatcher {
                 if self.partition_map.contains_entid(e) {
                     Ok(KnownEntid(e))
                 } else {
-                    bail!(DbErrorKind::UnrecognizedEntid(e))
+                    bail!(DbErrorKind::UnallocatedEntid(e))
                 }
             }
 
diff --git a/src/conn.rs b/src/conn.rs
index dde86076..921da9a5 100644
--- a/src/conn.rs
+++ b/src/conn.rs
@@ -895,7 +895,7 @@ mod tests {
 
         match conn.transact(&mut sqlite, t.as_str()) {
             Err(MentatError::DbError(e)) => {
-                assert_eq!(e.kind(), ::db_traits::errors::DbErrorKind::UnrecognizedEntid(next + 1));
+                assert_eq!(e.kind(), ::db_traits::errors::DbErrorKind::UnallocatedEntid(next + 1));
             },
             x => panic!("expected db error, got {:?}", x),
         }
@@ -923,7 +923,7 @@ mod tests {
         match conn.transact(&mut sqlite, t.as_str()) {
             Err(MentatError::DbError(e)) => {
                 // All this, despite this being the ID we were about to allocate!
-                assert_eq!(e.kind(), ::db_traits::errors::DbErrorKind::UnrecognizedEntid(next));
+                assert_eq!(e.kind(), ::db_traits::errors::DbErrorKind::UnallocatedEntid(next));
             },
             x => panic!("expected db error, got {:?}", x),
         }