diff --git a/htlcswitch/failure.go b/htlcswitch/failure.go
index 4352d267..1f8e8f6e 100644
--- a/htlcswitch/failure.go
+++ b/htlcswitch/failure.go
@@ -9,6 +9,22 @@ import (
 	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/lnwire"
 )
 
+// ClearTextError is an interface which is implemented by errors that occur
+// when we know the underlying wire failure message. These errors are the
+// opposite to opaque errors which are onion-encrypted blobs only understandable
+// to the initiating node. ClearTextErrors are used when we fail a htlc at our
+// node, or one of our initiated payments failed and we can decrypt the onion
+// encrypted error fully.
+type ClearTextError interface {
+	error
+
+	// WireMessage extracts a valid wire failure message from an internal
+	// error which may contain additional metadata (which should not be
+	// exposed to the network). This value may be nil in the case where
+	// an unknown wire error is returned by one of our peers.
+	WireMessage() lnwire.FailureMessage
+}
+
 // ForwardingError wraps an lnwire.FailureMessage in a struct that also
 // includes the source of the error.
 type ForwardingError struct {
@@ -22,7 +38,20 @@ type ForwardingError struct {
 	// order to provide context specific error details.
 	ExtraMsg string
 
-	lnwire.FailureMessage
+	// msg is the wire message associated with the error. This value may
+	// be nil in the case where we fail to decode failure message sent by
+	// a peer.
+	msg lnwire.FailureMessage
+}
+
+// WireMessage extracts a valid wire failure message from an internal
+// error which may contain additional metadata (which should not be
+// exposed to the network). This value may be nil in the case where
+// an unknown wire error is returned by one of our peers.
+//
+// Note this is part of the ClearTextError interface.
+func (f *ForwardingError) WireMessage() lnwire.FailureMessage {
+	return f.msg
 }
 
 // Error implements the built-in error interface. We use this method to allow
@@ -30,13 +59,11 @@ type ForwardingError struct {
 // returned.
 func (f *ForwardingError) Error() string {
 	if f.ExtraMsg == "" {
-		return fmt.Sprintf(
-			"%v@%v", f.FailureMessage, f.FailureSourceIdx,
-		)
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%v@%v", f.msg, f.FailureSourceIdx)
 	}
 
 	return fmt.Sprintf(
-		"%v@%v: %v", f.FailureMessage, f.FailureSourceIdx, f.ExtraMsg,
+		"%v@%v: %v", f.msg, f.FailureSourceIdx, f.ExtraMsg,
 	)
 }
 
@@ -47,7 +74,7 @@ func NewForwardingError(failure lnwire.FailureMessage, index int,
 
 	return &ForwardingError{
 		FailureSourceIdx: index,
-		FailureMessage:   failure,
+		msg:              failure,
 		ExtraMsg:         extraMsg,
 	}
 }
diff --git a/htlcswitch/link_test.go b/htlcswitch/link_test.go
index 9efe89dc..0bee5271 100644
--- a/htlcswitch/link_test.go
+++ b/htlcswitch/link_test.go
@@ -579,7 +579,7 @@ func TestExitNodeTimelockPayloadMismatch(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected a ForwardingError, instead got: %T", err)
 	}
 
-	switch ferr.FailureMessage.(type) {
+	switch ferr.WireMessage().(type) {
 	case *lnwire.FailFinalIncorrectCltvExpiry:
 	default:
 		t.Fatalf("incorrect error, expected incorrect cltv expiry, "+
@@ -679,7 +679,7 @@ func TestLinkForwardTimelockPolicyMismatch(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected a ForwardingError, instead got: %T", err)
 	}
 
-	switch ferr.FailureMessage.(type) {
+	switch ferr.WireMessage().(type) {
 	case *lnwire.FailIncorrectCltvExpiry:
 	default:
 		t.Fatalf("incorrect error, expected incorrect cltv expiry, "+
@@ -737,7 +737,7 @@ func TestLinkForwardFeePolicyMismatch(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected a ForwardingError, instead got: %T", err)
 	}
 
-	switch ferr.FailureMessage.(type) {
+	switch ferr.WireMessage().(type) {
 	case *lnwire.FailFeeInsufficient:
 	default:
 		t.Fatalf("incorrect error, expected fee insufficient, "+
@@ -795,7 +795,7 @@ func TestLinkForwardMinHTLCPolicyMismatch(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected a ForwardingError, instead got: %T", err)
 	}
 
-	switch ferr.FailureMessage.(type) {
+	switch ferr.WireMessage().(type) {
 	case *lnwire.FailAmountBelowMinimum:
 	default:
 		t.Fatalf("incorrect error, expected amount below minimum, "+
@@ -862,7 +862,7 @@ func TestLinkForwardMaxHTLCPolicyMismatch(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected a ForwardingError, instead got: %T", err)
 	}
 
-	switch ferr.FailureMessage.(type) {
+	switch ferr.WireMessage().(type) {
 	case *lnwire.FailTemporaryChannelFailure:
 	default:
 		t.Fatalf("incorrect error, expected temporary channel failure, "+
@@ -968,7 +968,7 @@ func TestUpdateForwardingPolicy(t *testing.T) {
 	if !ok {
 		t.Fatalf("expected a ForwardingError, instead got (%T): %v", err, err)
 	}
-	switch ferr.FailureMessage.(type) {
+	switch ferr.WireMessage().(type) {
 	case *lnwire.FailFeeInsufficient:
 	default:
 		t.Fatalf("expected FailFeeInsufficient instead got: %v", err)
@@ -1008,7 +1008,7 @@ func TestUpdateForwardingPolicy(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected a ForwardingError, instead got (%T): %v",
 			err, err)
 	}
-	switch ferr.FailureMessage.(type) {
+	switch ferr.WireMessage().(type) {
 	case *lnwire.FailTemporaryChannelFailure:
 	default:
 		t.Fatalf("expected TemporaryChannelFailure, instead got: %v",
@@ -1253,9 +1253,9 @@ func TestChannelLinkMultiHopUnknownNextHop(t *testing.T) {
 	if !ok {
 		t.Fatalf("expected ForwardingError")
 	}
-	if _, ok = fErr.FailureMessage.(*lnwire.FailUnknownNextPeer); !ok {
+	if _, ok = fErr.WireMessage().(*lnwire.FailUnknownNextPeer); !ok {
 		t.Fatalf("wrong error has been received: %T",
-			fErr.FailureMessage)
+			fErr.WireMessage())
 	}
 
 	// Wait for Alice to receive the revocation.
@@ -1369,7 +1369,7 @@ func TestChannelLinkMultiHopDecodeError(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected a ForwardingError, instead got: %T", err)
 	}
 
-	switch ferr.FailureMessage.(type) {
+	switch ferr.WireMessage().(type) {
 	case *lnwire.FailInvalidOnionVersion:
 	default:
 		t.Fatalf("wrong error have been received: %v", err)
@@ -1462,7 +1462,7 @@ func TestChannelLinkExpiryTooSoonExitNode(t *testing.T) {
 			err, err)
 	}
 
-	switch ferr.FailureMessage.(type) {
+	switch ferr.WireMessage().(type) {
 	case *lnwire.FailIncorrectDetails:
 	default:
 		t.Fatalf("expected incorrect_or_unknown_payment_details, "+
@@ -1524,7 +1524,7 @@ func TestChannelLinkExpiryTooSoonMidNode(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected a ForwardingError, instead got: %T: %v", err, err)
 	}
 
-	switch ferr.FailureMessage.(type) {
+	switch ferr.WireMessage().(type) {
 	case *lnwire.FailExpiryTooSoon:
 	default:
 		t.Fatalf("incorrect error, expected final time lock too "+
@@ -5636,7 +5636,7 @@ func TestChannelLinkCanceledInvoice(t *testing.T) {
 	if !ok {
 		t.Fatalf("expected ForwardingError, but got %v", err)
 	}
-	_, ok = fErr.FailureMessage.(*lnwire.FailIncorrectDetails)
+	_, ok = fErr.WireMessage().(*lnwire.FailIncorrectDetails)
 	if !ok {
 		t.Fatalf("expected unknown payment hash, but got %v", err)
 	}
@@ -6221,8 +6221,8 @@ func assertFailureCode(t *testing.T, err error, code lnwire.FailCode) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected ForwardingError but got %T", err)
 	}
 
-	if fErr.FailureMessage.Code() != code {
+	if fErr.WireMessage().Code() != code {
 		t.Fatalf("expected %v but got %v",
-			code, fErr.FailureMessage.Code())
+			code, fErr.WireMessage().Code())
 	}
 }
diff --git a/htlcswitch/switch_test.go b/htlcswitch/switch_test.go
index 28493c83..7f78bfe4 100644
--- a/htlcswitch/switch_test.go
+++ b/htlcswitch/switch_test.go
@@ -2179,10 +2179,10 @@ func TestUpdateFailMalformedHTLCErrorConversion(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 
 		fwdingErr := err.(*ForwardingError)
-		failureMsg := fwdingErr.FailureMessage
+		failureMsg := fwdingErr.WireMessage()
 		if _, ok := failureMsg.(*lnwire.FailInvalidOnionKey); !ok {
 			t.Fatalf("expected onion failure instead got: %v",
-				fwdingErr.FailureMessage)
+				fwdingErr.WireMessage())
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -2448,7 +2448,7 @@ func TestInvalidFailure(t *testing.T) {
 		if fErr.FailureSourceIdx != 2 {
 			t.Fatal("unexpected error source index")
 		}
-		if fErr.FailureMessage != nil {
+		if fErr.WireMessage() != nil {
 			t.Fatal("expected empty failure message")
 		}
 
diff --git a/lnrpc/routerrpc/router_server.go b/lnrpc/routerrpc/router_server.go
index ba23a079..f761883c 100644
--- a/lnrpc/routerrpc/router_server.go
+++ b/lnrpc/routerrpc/router_server.go
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ func marshallError(sendError error) (*Failure, error) {
 		return nil, sendError
 	}
 
-	switch onionErr := fErr.FailureMessage.(type) {
+	switch onionErr := fErr.WireMessage().(type) {
 
 	case *lnwire.FailIncorrectDetails:
 		response.Code = Failure_INCORRECT_OR_UNKNOWN_PAYMENT_DETAILS
diff --git a/routing/router.go b/routing/router.go
index d09383e9..0b2ab284 100644
--- a/routing/router.go
+++ b/routing/router.go
@@ -1917,7 +1917,7 @@ func (r *ChannelRouter) processSendError(paymentID uint64, rt *route.Route,
 		return &internalErrorReason
 	}
 
-	failureMessage := fErr.FailureMessage
+	failureMessage := fErr.WireMessage()
 	failureSourceIdx := fErr.FailureSourceIdx
 
 	// Apply channel update if the error contains one. For unknown
diff --git a/routing/router_test.go b/routing/router_test.go
index f62473a3..53eaee8f 100644
--- a/routing/router_test.go
+++ b/routing/router_test.go
@@ -3320,7 +3320,7 @@ func TestSendToRouteStructuredError(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected forwarding error")
 	}
 
-	if _, ok := fErr.FailureMessage.(*lnwire.FailFeeInsufficient); !ok {
+	if _, ok := fErr.WireMessage().(*lnwire.FailFeeInsufficient); !ok {
 		t.Fatalf("expected fee insufficient error")
 	}