diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/CHANGES.md
index 6e79f1d..92b1d33 100644
--- a/CHANGES.md
+++ b/CHANGES.md
@@ -1,3 +1,13 @@
+Unreleased
+--------------
+
+- h2: surface (body) write failures through `flush`
+  ([#247](https://github.com/anmonteiro/ocaml-h2/pull/247))
+    - `Body.Writer.flush` now takes a callback of the type
+       ``([ `Written | ` Closed] -> unit)``, informing the caller whether the
+       previous writes have been written or whether the output channel was
+       closed.
+
 0.12.0 2024-06-23
 --------------
 
diff --git a/lib/body.ml b/lib/body.ml
index af071c3..d786629 100644
--- a/lib/body.ml
+++ b/lib/body.ml
@@ -125,28 +125,41 @@ module Writer = struct
   let ready_to_write t = Serialize.Writer.wakeup t.writer
 
   let write_char t c =
-    Faraday.write_char t.faraday c;
+    if not (Faraday.is_closed t.faraday) then Faraday.write_char t.faraday c;
     ready_to_write t
 
   let write_string t ?off ?len s =
-    Faraday.write_string ?off ?len t.faraday s;
+    if not (Faraday.is_closed t.faraday)
+    then Faraday.write_string ?off ?len t.faraday s;
     ready_to_write t
 
   let write_bigstring t ?off ?len b =
-    Faraday.write_bigstring ?off ?len t.faraday b;
+    if not (Faraday.is_closed t.faraday)
+    then Faraday.write_bigstring ?off ?len t.faraday b;
     ready_to_write t
 
   let schedule_bigstring t ?off ?len (b : Bigstringaf.t) =
-    Faraday.schedule_bigstring ?off ?len t.faraday b;
+    if not (Faraday.is_closed t.faraday)
+    then Faraday.schedule_bigstring ?off ?len t.faraday b;
     ready_to_write t
 
   let flush t kontinue =
-    Faraday.flush t.faraday kontinue;
-    ready_to_write t
+    if Serialize.Writer.is_closed t.writer
+    then kontinue `Closed
+    else (
+      Faraday.flush_with_reason t.faraday (function
+        | Drain -> kontinue `Closed
+        | Nothing_pending | Shift -> kontinue `Written);
+      ready_to_write t)
 
   let is_closed t = Faraday.is_closed t.faraday
   let has_pending_output t = Faraday.has_pending_output t.faraday
 
+  let close_and_drain t =
+    Faraday.close t.faraday;
+    (* Resolve all pending flushes *)
+    ignore (Faraday.drain t.faraday : int)
+
   let close t =
     Serialize.Writer.unyield t.writer;
     Faraday.close t.faraday;
@@ -156,18 +169,25 @@ module Writer = struct
 
   let transfer_to_writer t writer ~max_frame_size ~max_bytes stream_id =
     let faraday = t.faraday in
-    match Faraday.operation faraday with
-    | `Yield | `Close -> 0
-    | `Writev iovecs ->
-      let buffered = t.buffered_bytes in
-      let iovecs = Httpun_types.IOVec.shiftv iovecs !buffered in
-      let lengthv = Httpun_types.IOVec.lengthv iovecs in
-      let writev_len = if max_bytes < lengthv then max_bytes else lengthv in
-      buffered := !buffered + writev_len;
-      let frame_info = Writer.make_frame_info ~max_frame_size stream_id in
-      Writer.schedule_iovecs writer frame_info ~len:writev_len iovecs;
-      Writer.flush writer (fun () ->
-        Faraday.shift faraday writev_len;
-        buffered := !buffered - writev_len);
-      writev_len
+    if Serialize.Writer.is_closed t.writer
+    then (
+      close_and_drain t;
+      0)
+    else
+      match Faraday.operation faraday with
+      | `Yield | `Close -> 0
+      | `Writev iovecs ->
+        let buffered = t.buffered_bytes in
+        let iovecs = Httpun_types.IOVec.shiftv iovecs !buffered in
+        let lengthv = Httpun_types.IOVec.lengthv iovecs in
+        let writev_len = if max_bytes < lengthv then max_bytes else lengthv in
+        buffered := !buffered + writev_len;
+        let frame_info = Writer.make_frame_info ~max_frame_size stream_id in
+        Writer.schedule_iovecs writer frame_info ~len:writev_len iovecs;
+        Writer.flush t.writer (function
+          | `Closed -> close_and_drain t
+          | `Written ->
+            Faraday.shift faraday writev_len;
+            buffered := !buffered - writev_len);
+        writev_len
 end
diff --git a/lib/client_connection.ml b/lib/client_connection.ml
index 2fa9cf9..b6963a2 100644
--- a/lib/client_connection.ml
+++ b/lib/client_connection.ml
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ let report_error =
         t.did_send_go_away <- true;
         if error <> Error_code.NoError
         then t.error_handler (`Protocol_error (error, data));
-        Writer.flush t.writer (fun () ->
+        Writer.flush t.writer (fun _reason ->
           (* XXX: We need to allow lower numbered streams to complete before
            * shutting down. *)
           shutdown_rw t);
diff --git a/lib/h2.mli b/lib/h2.mli
index d2c79e6..5674c6e 100644
--- a/lib/h2.mli
+++ b/lib/h2.mli
@@ -34,13 +34,13 @@
 
 (** H2 is a high-performance, memory-efficient, and scalable HTTP/2
     implementation for OCaml. It is based on the concepts introduced http/af,
-  and therefore uses the Angstrom and Faraday libraries to implement the
-  parsing and serialization layers of the HTTP/2 standard. It preserves
-  the same API as httpun wherever possible.
+    and therefore uses the Angstrom and Faraday libraries to implement the
+    parsing and serialization layers of the HTTP/2 standard. It preserves the
+    same API as httpun wherever possible.
 
-  Not unlike httpun, the user should be familiar with HTTP, and the basic
-  principles of memory management and vectorized IO in order to use this
-  library. *)
+    Not unlike httpun, the user should be familiar with HTTP, and the basic
+    principles of memory management and vectorized IO in order to use this
+    library. *)
 
 (** {2 Basic HTTP Types} *)
 
@@ -65,10 +65,10 @@ module Method : module type of Httpun_types.Method
     See {{:https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7231#section-6} RFC7231§6} for more
     details.
 
-    This module is a strict superset of [Httpun_types.Status]. Even though the HTTP/2
-    specification removes support for the [Switching_protocols] status code, h2
-    keeps it for the sake of higher level interaction between OCaml libraries
-    that support both HTTP/1 and HTTP/2.
+    This module is a strict superset of [Httpun_types.Status]. Even though the
+    HTTP/2 specification removes support for the [Switching_protocols] status
+    code, h2 keeps it for the sake of higher level interaction between OCaml
+    libraries that support both HTTP/1 and HTTP/2.
 
     See {{:https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7540#section-8.1.1} RFC7540§8.1.1} for
     more details. *)
@@ -373,7 +373,7 @@ module Body : sig
         the next opportunity without performing a copy. [bs] should not be
         modified until a subsequent call to {!flush} has successfully completed. *)
 
-    val flush : t -> (unit -> unit) -> unit
+    val flush : t -> ([ `Written | `Closed ] -> unit) -> unit
     (** [flush t f] makes all bytes in [t] available for writing to the awaiting
         output channel. Once those bytes have reached that output channel, [f]
         will be called.
@@ -449,8 +449,8 @@ module Response : sig
     -> Status.t
     -> t
   (** [create ?headers status] creates an HTTP response with the given
-      parameters. Unlike the [Response] type in httpun, h2 does not define a
-      way for responses to carry reason phrases or protocol version.
+      parameters. Unlike the [Response] type in httpun, h2 does not define a way
+      for responses to carry reason phrases or protocol version.
 
       See
       {{:https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7540#section-8.1.2.4} RFC7540§8.1.2.4}
diff --git a/lib/reqd.ml b/lib/reqd.ml
index 21ab47e..b50c308 100644
--- a/lib/reqd.ml
+++ b/lib/reqd.ml
@@ -215,7 +215,8 @@ let unsafe_respond_with_data (t : t) response data =
      *   reserved (local): [...] In this state, only the following transitions
      *   are possible: The endpoint can send a HEADERS frame. This causes the
      *   stream to open in a "half-closed (remote)" state. *)
-    Writer.flush t.writer (fun () ->
+    Writer.flush t.writer (fun _reason ->
+      (* TODO(anmonteiro): different if closed? *)
       t.state <- Active (HalfClosed request_info, stream))
   | Closed _ -> assert false
 
@@ -268,7 +269,8 @@ let unsafe_respond_with_streaming (t : t) ~flush_headers_immediately response =
      *   reserved (local): [...] In this state, only the following transitions
      *   are possible: The endpoint can send a HEADERS frame. This causes the
      *   stream to open in a "half-closed (remote)" state. *)
-    Writer.flush t.writer (fun () ->
+    Writer.flush t.writer (fun _reason ->
+      (* TODO(anmonteiro): different if closed? *)
       t.state <- Active (HalfClosed request_info, stream));
     response_body
   | Closed _ -> assert false
@@ -444,7 +446,7 @@ let close_stream (t : t) =
        *   flag). *)
       Stream.reset_stream t Error_code.NoError
     | Active (HalfClosed _, _) ->
-      Writer.flush t.writer (fun () -> Stream.finish_stream t Finished)
+      Writer.flush t.writer (fun _reason -> Stream.finish_stream t Finished)
     | _ -> assert false)
   | Exn _ -> Stream.reset_stream t InternalError
   | Other { code; _ } -> Stream.reset_stream t code
diff --git a/lib/serialize.ml b/lib/serialize.ml
index e015341..979014e 100644
--- a/lib/serialize.ml
+++ b/lib/serialize.ml
@@ -589,12 +589,19 @@ module Writer = struct
     t.wakeup <- Optional_thunk.none;
     Optional_thunk.call_if_some f
 
-  let flush t f = flush t.encoder f
+  let flush t f =
+    flush_with_reason t.encoder (fun reason ->
+      let result =
+        match reason with
+        | Nothing_pending | Shift -> `Written
+        | Drain -> `Closed
+      in
+      f result)
 
   let unyield t =
     (* Faraday doesn't have a function to take the serializer out of a yield
        state. In the meantime, `flush` does it. *)
-    flush t (fun () -> ())
+    flush t (fun _reason -> ())
 
   let yield t = Faraday.yield t.encoder
   let close t = Faraday.close t.encoder
diff --git a/lib/server_connection.ml b/lib/server_connection.ml
index 8164cd9..2ec972f 100644
--- a/lib/server_connection.ml
+++ b/lib/server_connection.ml
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ let report_error t = function
         ~debug_data
         ~last_stream_id:t.max_client_stream_id
         error;
-      Writer.flush t.writer (fun () ->
+      Writer.flush t.writer (fun _reason ->
         (* XXX: We need to allow lower numbered streams to complete before
          * shutting down. *)
         shutdown t);
diff --git a/lib_test/test_h2_client.ml b/lib_test/test_h2_client.ml
index 3f9feb0..700e71a 100644
--- a/lib_test/test_h2_client.ml
+++ b/lib_test/test_h2_client.ml
@@ -1251,7 +1251,9 @@ module Client_connection_tests = struct
     flush_request t;
     Body.Writer.write_string request_body "hello";
     flush_request t;
-    Body.Writer.flush request_body (fun () -> Body.Writer.close request_body);
+    Body.Writer.flush request_body (function
+      | `Closed -> assert false
+      | `Written -> Body.Writer.close request_body);
     let frames, _lenv = flush_pending_writes t in
     Alcotest.(check (list int))
       "Writes empty DATA frame"
diff --git a/lib_test/test_h2_server.ml b/lib_test/test_h2_server.ml
index 7fe2f1c..f18cafa 100644
--- a/lib_test/test_h2_server.ml
+++ b/lib_test/test_h2_server.ml
@@ -886,7 +886,9 @@ module Server_connection_tests = struct
       | [] -> Body.Writer.close body
       | w :: ws ->
         Body.Writer.write_string body w;
-        Body.Writer.flush body (fun () -> write ws)
+        Body.Writer.flush body (function
+          | `Closed -> assert false
+          | `Written -> write ws)
     in
     write writes
 
@@ -1159,8 +1161,9 @@ module Server_connection_tests = struct
       let response = Response.create `OK in
       let response_body = Reqd.respond_with_streaming reqd response in
       Body.Writer.write_string response_body "hello";
-      Body.Writer.flush response_body (fun () ->
-        Body.Writer.close response_body)
+      Body.Writer.flush response_body (function
+        | `Closed -> assert false
+        | `Written -> Body.Writer.close response_body)
     in
     let t =
       create_and_handle_preface
@@ -1211,9 +1214,11 @@ module Server_connection_tests = struct
     (* Send the response for / *)
     let response_body = Reqd.respond_with_streaming reqd response in
     Body.Writer.write_string response_body "somedata";
-    Body.Writer.flush response_body (fun () ->
-      Reqd.schedule_trailers reqd Headers.(add empty "foo" "bar");
-      Body.Writer.close response_body)
+    Body.Writer.flush response_body (function
+      | `Closed -> assert false
+      | `Written ->
+        Reqd.schedule_trailers reqd Headers.(add empty "foo" "bar");
+        Body.Writer.close response_body)
 
   let test_trailers () =
     let t = create ~error_handler trailers_request_handler in
diff --git a/spec/lwt_h2spec.ml b/spec/lwt_h2spec.ml
index 413dd6d..733f2d8 100644
--- a/spec/lwt_h2spec.ml
+++ b/spec/lwt_h2spec.ml
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ let connection_handler : Unix.sockaddr -> Lwt_unix.file_descr -> unit Lwt.t =
                 ignore
                 @@ Reqd.try_with request_descriptor (fun () ->
                   Body.Writer.write_string response_body " data");
-                Body.Writer.flush response_body (fun () ->
+                Body.Writer.flush response_body (fun _reason ->
                   Body.Writer.close response_body))
             | "/bigstring" ->
               let res_body = "non-empty data." in