diff --git a/crates/c-api/include/wasmtime/error.h b/crates/c-api/include/wasmtime/error.h
index 2ffee72bed8f..cfa0c9690e2e 100644
--- a/crates/c-api/include/wasmtime/error.h
+++ b/crates/c-api/include/wasmtime/error.h
@@ -48,6 +48,24 @@ WASM_API_EXTERN void wasmtime_error_message(
     wasm_name_t *message
 );
 
+/**
+ * \brief Attempts to extract a WASI-specific exit status from this error.
+ *
+ * Returns `true` if the error is a WASI "exit" trap and has a return status.
+ * If `true` is returned then the exit status is returned through the `status`
+ * pointer. If `false` is returned then this is not a wasi exit trap.
+ */
+WASM_API_EXTERN bool wasmtime_error_exit_status(const wasmtime_error_t*, int *status);
+
+/**
+ * \brief Attempts to extract a WebAssembly trace from this error.
+ *
+ * This is similar to #wasm_trap_trace except that it takes a #wasmtime_error_t
+ * as input. The `out` argument will be filled in with the wasm trace, if
+ * present.
+ */
+WASM_API_EXTERN void wasmtime_error_wasm_trace(const wasmtime_error_t*, wasm_frame_vec_t *out);
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }  // extern "C"
 #endif
diff --git a/crates/c-api/include/wasmtime/trap.h b/crates/c-api/include/wasmtime/trap.h
index 909a4801f006..6346cf443be4 100644
--- a/crates/c-api/include/wasmtime/trap.h
+++ b/crates/c-api/include/wasmtime/trap.h
@@ -69,15 +69,6 @@ WASM_API_EXTERN wasm_trap_t *wasmtime_trap_new(const char *msg, size_t msg_len);
  */
 WASM_API_EXTERN bool wasmtime_trap_code(const wasm_trap_t*, wasmtime_trap_code_t *code);
 
-/**
- * \brief Attempts to extract a WASI-specific exit status from this trap.
- *
- * Returns `true` if the trap is a WASI "exit" trap and has a return status. If
- * `true` is returned then the exit status is returned through the `status`
- * pointer. If `false` is returned then this is not a wasi exit trap.
- */
-WASM_API_EXTERN bool wasmtime_trap_exit_status(const wasm_trap_t*, int *status);
-
 /**
  * \brief Returns a human-readable name for this frame's function.
  *
diff --git a/crates/c-api/src/error.rs b/crates/c-api/src/error.rs
index 073c158c3b4d..e1e066531a0f 100644
--- a/crates/c-api/src/error.rs
+++ b/crates/c-api/src/error.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use crate::wasm_name_t;
+use crate::{wasm_frame_vec_t, wasm_name_t};
 use anyhow::{anyhow, Error, Result};
 
 #[repr(C)]
@@ -37,3 +37,25 @@ pub(crate) fn bad_utf8() -> Option<Box<wasmtime_error_t>> {
 pub extern "C" fn wasmtime_error_message(error: &wasmtime_error_t, message: &mut wasm_name_t) {
     message.set_buffer(format!("{:?}", error.error).into_bytes());
 }
+
+#[no_mangle]
+pub extern "C" fn wasmtime_error_exit_status(raw: &wasmtime_error_t, status: &mut i32) -> bool {
+    #[cfg(feature = "wasi")]
+    if let Some(exit) = raw.error.downcast_ref::<wasmtime_wasi::I32Exit>() {
+        *status = exit.0;
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    // Squash unused warnings in wasi-disabled builds.
+    drop((raw, status));
+
+    false
+}
+
+#[no_mangle]
+pub extern "C" fn wasmtime_error_wasm_trace<'a>(
+    raw: &'a wasmtime_error_t,
+    out: &mut wasm_frame_vec_t<'a>,
+) {
+    crate::trap::error_trace(&raw.error, out)
+}
diff --git a/crates/c-api/src/instance.rs b/crates/c-api/src/instance.rs
index 2f93661ecddd..13fb96a36914 100644
--- a/crates/c-api/src/instance.rs
+++ b/crates/c-api/src/instance.rs
@@ -98,13 +98,14 @@ pub(crate) fn handle_instantiate(
             *instance_ptr = i;
             None
         }
-        Err(e) => match e.downcast::<Trap>() {
-            Ok(trap) => {
-                *trap_ptr = Box::into_raw(Box::new(wasm_trap_t::new(trap.into())));
+        Err(e) => {
+            if e.is::<Trap>() {
+                *trap_ptr = Box::into_raw(Box::new(wasm_trap_t::new(e)));
                 None
+            } else {
+                Some(Box::new(e.into()))
             }
-            Err(e) => Some(Box::new(e.into())),
-        },
+        }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/c-api/src/trap.rs b/crates/c-api/src/trap.rs
index f6881c5454de..55beff06295a 100644
--- a/crates/c-api/src/trap.rs
+++ b/crates/c-api/src/trap.rs
@@ -94,7 +94,11 @@ pub extern "C" fn wasm_trap_origin(raw: &wasm_trap_t) -> Option<Box<wasm_frame_t
 
 #[no_mangle]
 pub extern "C" fn wasm_trap_trace<'a>(raw: &'a wasm_trap_t, out: &mut wasm_frame_vec_t<'a>) {
-    let trace = match raw.error.downcast_ref::<WasmBacktrace>() {
+    error_trace(&raw.error, out)
+}
+
+pub(crate) fn error_trace<'a>(error: &'a Error, out: &mut wasm_frame_vec_t<'a>) {
+    let trace = match error.downcast_ref::<WasmBacktrace>() {
         Some(trap) => trap,
         None => return out.set_buffer(Vec::new()),
     };
@@ -134,20 +138,6 @@ pub extern "C" fn wasmtime_trap_code(raw: &wasm_trap_t, code: &mut i32) -> bool
     true
 }
 
-#[no_mangle]
-pub extern "C" fn wasmtime_trap_exit_status(raw: &wasm_trap_t, status: &mut i32) -> bool {
-    #[cfg(feature = "wasi")]
-    if let Some(exit) = raw.error.downcast_ref::<wasmtime_wasi::I32Exit>() {
-        *status = exit.0;
-        return true;
-    }
-
-    // Squash unused warnings in wasi-disabled builds.
-    drop((raw, status));
-
-    false
-}
-
 #[no_mangle]
 pub extern "C" fn wasm_frame_func_index(frame: &wasm_frame_t<'_>) -> u32 {
     frame.trace.frames()[frame.idx].func_index()