diff --git a/packages/minimongo/minimongo.js b/packages/minimongo/minimongo.js
index f79f2d4bc1..312c9e4581 100644
--- a/packages/minimongo/minimongo.js
+++ b/packages/minimongo/minimongo.js
@@ -40,7 +40,11 @@ Minimongo = {};
 // Use it to export private functions to test in Tinytest.
 MinimongoTest = {};
 
-MinimongoError = function (message) {
+MinimongoError = function (message, options={}) {
+  if (typeof message === "string" && options.field) {
+    message += ` for field '${options.field}'`;
+  }
+
   var e = new Error(message);
   e.name = "MinimongoError";
   return e;
diff --git a/packages/minimongo/minimongo_tests.js b/packages/minimongo/minimongo_tests.js
index 69e728448e..9edc47c52e 100644
--- a/packages/minimongo/minimongo_tests.js
+++ b/packages/minimongo/minimongo_tests.js
@@ -163,6 +163,22 @@ Tinytest.add("minimongo - basics", function (test) {
 
 });
 
+Tinytest.add("minimongo - error - no options", function (test) {
+  try {
+    throw MinimongoError("Not fun to have errors");
+  } catch (e) {
+    test.equal(e.message, "Not fun to have errors");
+  }
+});
+
+Tinytest.add("minimongo - error - with field", function (test) {
+  try {
+    throw MinimongoError("Cats are no fun", { field: "mice" });
+  } catch (e) {
+    test.equal(e.message, "Cats are no fun for field 'mice'");
+  }
+});
+
 Tinytest.add("minimongo - cursors", function (test) {
   var c = new LocalCollection();
   var res;
diff --git a/packages/minimongo/modify.js b/packages/minimongo/modify.js
index e595d82cab..7074482ee6 100644
--- a/packages/minimongo/modify.js
+++ b/packages/minimongo/modify.js
@@ -185,20 +185,24 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
   $currentDate: function (target, field, arg) {
     if (typeof arg === "object" && arg.hasOwnProperty("$type")) {
        if (arg.$type !== "date") {
-         throw MinimongoError("Minimongo does currently only support the date type in $currentDate modifiers: " + field);
+          throw MinimongoError(
+            "Minimongo does currently only support the date type " +
+            "in $currentDate modifiers",
+            { field });
        }
     } else if (arg !== true) {
-      throw MinimongoError("Invalid $currentDate modifier: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError("Invalid $currentDate modifier", { field });
     }
     target[field] = new Date();
   },
   $min: function (target, field, arg) {
     if (typeof arg !== "number") {
-      throw MinimongoError("Modifier $min allowed for numbers only: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError("Modifier $min allowed for numbers only", { field });
     }
     if (field in target) {
       if (typeof target[field] !== "number") {
-        throw MinimongoError("Cannot apply $min modifier to non-number: " + field);
+        throw MinimongoError(
+          "Cannot apply $min modifier to non-number", { field });
       }
       if (target[field] > arg) {
         target[field] = arg;
@@ -209,11 +213,12 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
   },
   $max: function (target, field, arg) {
     if (typeof arg !== "number") {
-      throw MinimongoError("Modifier $max allowed for numbers only: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError("Modifier $max allowed for numbers only", { field });
     }
     if (field in target) {
       if (typeof target[field] !== "number") {
-        throw MinimongoError("Cannot apply $max modifier to non-number: " + field);
+        throw MinimongoError(
+          "Cannot apply $max modifier to non-number", { field });
       }
       if (target[field] < arg) {
          target[field] = arg;
@@ -224,10 +229,11 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
   },
   $inc: function (target, field, arg) {
     if (typeof arg !== "number")
-      throw MinimongoError("Modifier $inc allowed for numbers only: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError("Modifier $inc allowed for numbers only", { field });
     if (field in target) {
       if (typeof target[field] !== "number")
-        throw MinimongoError("Cannot apply $inc modifier to non-number: " + field);
+        throw MinimongoError(
+          "Cannot apply $inc modifier to non-number", { field });
       target[field] += arg;
     } else {
       target[field] = arg;
@@ -235,12 +241,13 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
   },
   $set: function (target, field, arg) {
     if (!_.isObject(target)) { // not an array or an object
-      var e = MinimongoError("Cannot set property on non-object field: " + field);
+      var e = MinimongoError(
+        "Cannot set property on non-object field", { field });
       e.setPropertyError = true;
       throw e;
     }
     if (target === null) {
-      var e = MinimongoError("Cannot set property on null: " + field);
+      var e = MinimongoError("Cannot set property on null", { field });
       e.setPropertyError = true;
       throw e;
     }
@@ -267,7 +274,8 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
     if (target[field] === undefined)
       target[field] = [];
     if (!(target[field] instanceof Array))
-      throw MinimongoError("Cannot apply $push modifier to non-array: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError(
+        "Cannot apply $push modifier to non-array", { field });
 
     if (!(arg && arg.$each)) {
       // Simple mode: not $each
@@ -278,16 +286,17 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
     // Fancy mode: $each (and maybe $slice and $sort and $position)
     var toPush = arg.$each;
     if (!(toPush instanceof Array))
-      throw MinimongoError("$each must be an array: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError("$each must be an array", { field });
 
     // Parse $position
     var position = undefined;
     if ('$position' in arg) {
       if (typeof arg.$position !== "number")
-        throw MinimongoError("$position must be a numeric value: " + field);
+        throw MinimongoError("$position must be a numeric value", { field });
       // XXX should check to make sure integer
       if (arg.$position < 0)
-        throw MinimongoError("$position in $push must be zero or positive: " + field);
+        throw MinimongoError(
+          "$position in $push must be zero or positive", { field });
       position = arg.$position;
     }
 
@@ -295,10 +304,11 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
     var slice = undefined;
     if ('$slice' in arg) {
       if (typeof arg.$slice !== "number")
-        throw MinimongoError("$slice must be a numeric value: " + field);
+        throw MinimongoError("$slice must be a numeric value", { field });
       // XXX should check to make sure integer
       if (arg.$slice > 0)
-        throw MinimongoError("$slice in $push must be zero or negative: " + field);
+        throw MinimongoError(
+          "$slice in $push must be zero or negative", { field });
       slice = arg.$slice;
     }
 
@@ -306,7 +316,7 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
     var sortFunction = undefined;
     if (arg.$sort) {
       if (slice === undefined)
-        throw MinimongoError("$sort requires $slice to be present: " + field);
+        throw MinimongoError("$sort requires $slice to be present", { field });
       // XXX this allows us to use a $sort whose value is an array, but that's
       // actually an extension of the Node driver, so it won't work
       // server-side. Could be confusing!
@@ -315,7 +325,7 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
       for (var i = 0; i < toPush.length; i++) {
         if (LocalCollection._f._type(toPush[i]) !== 3) {
           throw MinimongoError("$push like modifiers using $sort " +
-                      "require all elements to be objects: " + field);
+                      "require all elements to be objects", { field });
         }
       }
     }
@@ -350,7 +360,8 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
     if (x === undefined)
       target[field] = arg;
     else if (!(x instanceof Array))
-      throw MinimongoError("Cannot apply $pushAll modifier to non-array: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError(
+        "Cannot apply $pushAll modifier to non-array", { field });
     else {
       for (var i = 0; i < arg.length; i++)
         x.push(arg[i]);
@@ -371,7 +382,8 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
     if (x === undefined)
       target[field] = values;
     else if (!(x instanceof Array))
-      throw MinimongoError("Cannot apply $addToSet modifier to non-array: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError(
+        "Cannot apply $addToSet modifier to non-array", { field });
     else {
       _.each(values, function (value) {
         for (var i = 0; i < x.length; i++)
@@ -388,7 +400,8 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
     if (x === undefined)
       return;
     else if (!(x instanceof Array))
-      throw MinimongoError("Cannot apply $pop modifier to non-array: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError(
+        "Cannot apply $pop modifier to non-array", { field });
     else {
       if (typeof arg === 'number' && arg < 0)
         x.splice(0, 1);
@@ -403,7 +416,8 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
     if (x === undefined)
       return;
     else if (!(x instanceof Array))
-      throw MinimongoError("Cannot apply $pull/pullAll modifier to non-array: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError(
+        "Cannot apply $pull/pullAll modifier to non-array", { field });
     else {
       var out = [];
       if (arg != null && typeof arg === "object" && !(arg instanceof Array)) {
@@ -430,14 +444,16 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
   },
   $pullAll: function (target, field, arg) {
     if (!(typeof arg === "object" && arg instanceof Array))
-      throw MinimongoError("Modifier $pushAll/pullAll allowed for arrays only: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError(
+        "Modifier $pushAll/pullAll allowed for arrays only", { field });
     if (target === undefined)
       return;
     var x = target[field];
     if (x === undefined)
       return;
     else if (!(x instanceof Array))
-      throw MinimongoError("Cannot apply $pull/pullAll modifier to non-array: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError(
+        "Cannot apply $pull/pullAll modifier to non-array", { field });
     else {
       var out = [];
       for (var i = 0; i < x.length; i++) {
@@ -457,15 +473,17 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
   $rename: function (target, field, arg, keypath, doc) {
     if (keypath === arg)
       // no idea why mongo has this restriction..
-      throw MinimongoError("$rename source must differ from target: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError("$rename source must differ from target", { field });
     if (target === null)
-      throw MinimongoError("$rename source field invalid: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError("$rename source field invalid", { field });
     if (typeof arg !== "string")
-      throw MinimongoError("$rename target must be a string: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError("$rename target must be a string", { field });
     if (arg.indexOf('\0') > -1) {
       // Null bytes are not allowed in Mongo field names
       // https://docs.mongodb.com/manual/reference/limits/#Restrictions-on-Field-Names
-      throw MinimongoError("The 'to' field for $rename cannot contain an embedded null byte: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError(
+        "The 'to' field for $rename cannot contain an embedded null byte",
+        { field });
     }
     if (target === undefined)
       return;
@@ -475,13 +493,13 @@ var MODIFIERS = {
     var keyparts = arg.split('.');
     var target2 = findModTarget(doc, keyparts, {forbidArray: true});
     if (target2 === null)
-      throw MinimongoError("$rename target field invalid: " + field);
+      throw MinimongoError("$rename target field invalid", { field });
     var field2 = keyparts.pop();
     target2[field2] = v;
   },
   $bit: function (target, field, arg) {
     // XXX mongo only supports $bit on integers, and we only support
     // native javascript numbers (doubles) so far, so we can't support $bit
-    throw MinimongoError("$bit is not supported: " + field);
+    throw MinimongoError("$bit is not supported", { field });
   }
 };
diff --git a/packages/minimongo/package.js b/packages/minimongo/package.js
index e4353c687a..d490228a29 100644
--- a/packages/minimongo/package.js
+++ b/packages/minimongo/package.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ Package.onUse(function (api) {
   api.export('LocalCollection');
   api.export('Minimongo');
   api.export('MinimongoTest', { testOnly: true });
+  api.export('MinimongoError', { testOnly: true });
   api.use([
     'underscore',
     'ejson',