diff --git a/frontend/src/components/config/JailsTab.tsx b/frontend/src/components/config/JailsTab.tsx
index 1aff34c..0828d30 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/config/JailsTab.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/config/JailsTab.tsx
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ import {
   Play24Regular,
 } from "@fluentui/react-icons";
 import { ApiError } from "../../api/client";
+import { handleFetchError } from "../../utils/fetchError";
 import type {
   AddLogPathRequest,
   BackendType,
@@ -651,13 +652,17 @@ function InactiveJailDetail({
   const styles = useConfigStyles();
   const [validating, setValidating] = useState(false);
   const [validationResult, setValidationResult] = useState<JailValidationResult | null>(null);
+  const [validationError, setValidationError] = useState<string | null>(null);
 
   const handleValidate = useCallback((): void => {
     setValidating(true);
     setValidationResult(null);
+    setValidationError(null);
     onValidate()
       .then((result) => { setValidationResult(result); })
-      .catch(() => { /* validation call failed — ignore */ })
+      .catch((err: unknown) => {
+        handleFetchError(err, setValidationError, "Validation request failed.");
+      })
       .finally(() => { setValidating(false); });
   }, [onValidate]);
 
@@ -700,8 +705,17 @@ function InactiveJailDetail({
         <Input readOnly value={jail.source_file} className={styles.codeFont} />
       </Field>
 
+      {/* Validation error panel */}
+      {validationError !== null && (
+        <div style={{ marginBottom: tokens.spacingVerticalM }}>
+          <MessageBar intent="error">
+            <MessageBarBody>{validationError}</MessageBarBody>
+          </MessageBar>
+        </div>
+      )}
+
       {/* Validation result panel */}
-      {validationResult !== null && (
+      {validationResult !== null && validationError === null && (
         <div style={{ marginBottom: tokens.spacingVerticalM }}>
           {blockingIssues.length === 0 && advisoryIssues.length === 0 ? (
             <MessageBar intent="success">
@@ -924,7 +938,7 @@ export function JailsTab({ initialJail }: JailsTabProps): React.JSX.Element {
                   ? (): void => { void handleDeactivateInactive(selectedInactiveJail.name); }
                   : undefined
               }
-              onValidate={() => { void validateJailConfig(selectedInactiveJail.name); }}
+              onValidate={async () => validateJailConfig(selectedInactiveJail.name)}
             />
           ) : null}
         </ConfigListDetail>
diff --git a/frontend/src/hooks/__tests__/useJailConfigs.test.ts b/frontend/src/hooks/__tests__/useJailConfigs.test.ts
index 93f98fb..646516e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/hooks/__tests__/useJailConfigs.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/hooks/__tests__/useJailConfigs.test.ts
@@ -15,27 +15,19 @@ describe("useJailConfigs", () => {
       jails: [
         {
           name: "sshd",
-          enabled: true,
-          active: true,
+          ban_time: 600,
+          find_time: 600,
+          max_retry: 5,
+          fail_regex: [],
+          ignore_regex: [],
+          log_paths: [],
+          date_pattern: null,
+          log_encoding: "auto",
           backend: "systemd",
-          filename: "/etc/fail2ban/jail.d/sshd.conf",
-          source_file: "/etc/fail2ban/jail.d/sshd.conf",
-          last_activation: "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
-          bantime: 600,
-          findtime: 600,
-          maxretry: 5,
-          action: [],
-          logpath: [],
-          port: [],
-          ignoreself: false,
-          filter: "sshd",
-          destemail: "",
-          sendername: "",
-          action_d_files: [],
-          ignoreip: [],
-          ignorecommand: "",
-          banaction: "",
-          banaction_allports: false,
+          use_dns: "warn",
+          prefregex: "",
+          actions: [],
+          bantime_escalation: null,
         },
       ],
       total: 1,