diff --git a/frontend/src/components/common/ErrorDetailModal.vue b/frontend/src/components/common/ErrorDetailModal.vue
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d8281a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/components/common/ErrorDetailModal.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+<template>
+  <v-dialog :model-value="modelValue" max-width="900"
+            @update:model-value="$emit('update:modelValue', $event)">
+    <v-card>
+      <v-card-title class="d-flex align-center" style="gap: 12px;">
+        <v-icon icon="mdi-alert-circle-outline" color="error" />
+        <span>{{ title }}</span>
+        <v-spacer />
+        <v-btn icon variant="text" size="small" @click="close">
+          <v-icon>mdi-close</v-icon>
+        </v-btn>
+      </v-card-title>
+      <v-card-text>
+        <pre class="fc-err-pre">{{ message || '(no error message)' }}</pre>
+      </v-card-text>
+      <v-card-actions>
+        <v-btn
+          variant="text" rounded="pill" size="small"
+          :prepend-icon="copied ? 'mdi-check' : 'mdi-content-copy'"
+          @click="onCopy"
+        >{{ copied ? 'Copied' : 'Copy' }}</v-btn>
+        <v-spacer />
+        <v-btn variant="text" rounded="pill" @click="close">Close</v-btn>
+      </v-card-actions>
+    </v-card>
+  </v-dialog>
+</template>
+
+<script setup>
+import { ref, watch } from 'vue'
+
+const props = defineProps({
+  modelValue: { type: Boolean, default: false },
+  title: { type: String, default: 'Error details' },
+  message: { type: String, default: '' },
+})
+
+const emit = defineEmits(['update:modelValue'])
+
+const copied = ref(false)
+let copiedTimer = null
+
+watch(() => props.modelValue, (open) => {
+  if (!open) {
+    copied.value = false
+    if (copiedTimer) { clearTimeout(copiedTimer); copiedTimer = null }
+  }
+})
+
+function close() {
+  emit('update:modelValue', false)
+}
+
+async function onCopy() {
+  try {
+    await navigator.clipboard.writeText(props.message || '')
+    copied.value = true
+    if (copiedTimer) clearTimeout(copiedTimer)
+    copiedTimer = setTimeout(() => { copied.value = false }, 1500)
+  } catch (e) {
+    window.__fcToast?.({ text: `Copy failed: ${e.message}`, type: 'error' })
+  }
+}
+</script>
+
+<style scoped>
+/* The full error often contains a SQLAlchemy statement + parameters
+   block + multi-line traceback. Pre-wrap keeps long lines readable;
+   monospace + tabular layout keeps the structure scannable. The
+   max-height + overflow-auto prevents a 50-line traceback from
+   pushing the Close button off-screen. Operator-flagged 2026-05-26:
+   the prior :title="..." tooltip was unusable for content this long. */
+.fc-err-pre {
+  font-family: ui-monospace, SFMono-Regular, Menlo, Consolas, monospace;
+  font-size: 12px;
+  line-height: 1.5;
+  white-space: pre-wrap;
+  word-break: break-word;
+  background: rgb(var(--v-theme-surface-variant, 38 36 41));
+  color: rgb(var(--v-theme-on-surface));
+  padding: 12px 14px;
+  border-radius: 6px;
+  max-height: 60vh;
+  overflow: auto;
+  margin: 0;
+}
+</style>
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/settings/ImportTaskList.vue b/frontend/src/components/settings/ImportTaskList.vue
index c3edbd1..97bbebf 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/settings/ImportTaskList.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/settings/ImportTaskList.vue
@@ -45,9 +45,11 @@
       <template #item.size_bytes="{ item }">{{ formatBytes(item.size_bytes) }}</template>
       <template #item.created_at="{ item }">{{ formatDate(item.created_at) }}</template>
       <template #item.error="{ item }">
-        <span v-if="item.error" :title="item.error" class="text-caption">
-          {{ shorten(item.error, 60) }}
-        </span>
+        <button
+          v-if="item.error" type="button" class="fc-err-link text-caption"
+          @click="openError(`Task ${item.id} failed`, item.error)"
+          title="Click for full error"
+        >{{ shorten(item.error, 60) }}</button>
       </template>
     </v-data-table-virtual>
     <div v-if="store.hasMore" class="d-flex justify-center py-3">
@@ -100,16 +102,35 @@
         </v-card-actions>
       </v-card>
     </v-dialog>
+
+    <ErrorDetailModal
+      v-model="showErrorModal"
+      :title="errorModalTitle"
+      :message="errorModalMessage"
+    />
   </v-card>
 </template>
 
 <script setup>
 import { computed, ref } from 'vue'
 import { useImportStore } from '../../stores/import.js'
+import ErrorDetailModal from '../common/ErrorDetailModal.vue'
 
 const store = useImportStore()
 const statusFilter = ref(null)
 const clearDialog = ref(false)
+// Click-to-open modal for full error text (operator-flagged 2026-05-26
+// — the prior :title="..." tooltip cramped multi-line SQLAlchemy
+// tracebacks into an unusable popup with no copy-paste affordance).
+const showErrorModal = ref(false)
+const errorModalTitle = ref('')
+const errorModalMessage = ref('')
+
+function openError(title, message) {
+  errorModalTitle.value = title
+  errorModalMessage.value = message || ''
+  showErrorModal.value = true
+}
 const clearAgeDays = ref(7)
 const clearStuckDialog = ref(false)
 
@@ -179,3 +200,21 @@ async function onClearStuckConfirm() {
   clearStuckDialog.value = false
 }
 </script>
+
+<style scoped>
+.fc-err-link {
+  /* Truncated error preview as a clickable button — opens
+     ErrorDetailModal with the full text. Inherits the row's font
+     sizing so it doesn't visually drift from the prior tooltip-bearing
+     span. */
+  color: rgb(var(--v-theme-error, 220 80 80));
+  background: transparent;
+  border: 0;
+  padding: 0;
+  font: inherit;
+  text-align: left;
+  text-decoration: underline dotted;
+  cursor: pointer;
+}
+.fc-err-link:hover { text-decoration: underline; }
+</style>
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/settings/SystemActivityTab.vue b/frontend/src/components/settings/SystemActivityTab.vue
index 1db2724..f623bb0 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/settings/SystemActivityTab.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/settings/SystemActivityTab.vue
@@ -59,8 +59,12 @@
               <td>{{ r.queue }}</td>
               <td><code>{{ shortTaskName(r.task_name) }}</code></td>
               <td class="fc-tabular">{{ r.target_id ?? '—' }}</td>
-              <td class="fc-err" :title="r.error_message">
-                {{ r.error_type }}
+              <td>
+                <button
+                  type="button" class="fc-err-link"
+                  @click="openError(r.error_type, r.error_message)"
+                  :title="'Click for full error'"
+                >{{ r.error_type }}</button>
               </td>
             </tr>
             <tr v-if="!filteredFailures.length">
@@ -138,6 +142,12 @@
         </div>
       </v-card-text>
     </v-card>
+
+    <ErrorDetailModal
+      v-model="showErrorModal"
+      :title="errorModalTitle"
+      :message="errorModalMessage"
+    />
   </div>
 </template>
 
@@ -145,8 +155,23 @@
 import { computed, onMounted, onUnmounted, ref } from 'vue'
 
 import { useSystemActivityStore } from '../../stores/systemActivity.js'
+import ErrorDetailModal from '../common/ErrorDetailModal.vue'
 import QueuesTable from './QueuesTable.vue'
 
+// Click-to-open modal for full error text. Replaces the unusable
+// :title="..." tooltip (operator-flagged 2026-05-26: SQLAlchemy
+// rollback + traceback content rendered as a cramped browser tooltip
+// you couldn't copy from or scroll within).
+const showErrorModal = ref(false)
+const errorModalTitle = ref('')
+const errorModalMessage = ref('')
+
+function openError(title, message) {
+  errorModalTitle.value = title || 'Error details'
+  errorModalMessage.value = message || ''
+  showErrorModal.value = true
+}
+
 const store = useSystemActivityStore()
 
 const filterQueue = ref(null)
@@ -276,5 +301,18 @@ function formatRelative(iso) {
   font-feature-settings: 'tnum';
 }
 .fc-err { color: rgb(var(--v-theme-error, 220 80 80)); }
+.fc-err-link {
+  /* Styled as a text-only button so the error_type cell stays
+     visually identical to the prior tooltip-bearing row, but is
+     now a real clickable target with hover affordance. */
+  color: rgb(var(--v-theme-error, 220 80 80));
+  background: transparent;
+  border: 0;
+  padding: 0;
+  font: inherit;
+  text-decoration: underline dotted;
+  cursor: pointer;
+}
+.fc-err-link:hover { text-decoration: underline; }
 .fc-muted { color: rgb(var(--v-theme-on-surface-variant)); }
 </style>