diff --git a/ledger/error/src/main/scala/com/daml/error/utils/ErrorDetails.scala b/ledger/error/src/main/scala/com/daml/error/utils/ErrorDetails.scala
index 67385cf08d..d773154d63 100644
--- a/ledger/error/src/main/scala/com/daml/error/utils/ErrorDetails.scala
+++ b/ledger/error/src/main/scala/com/daml/error/utils/ErrorDetails.scala
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ object ErrorDetails {
       case ErrorInfoDetail(errorCodeId, _) => errorCodeId == errorCode.id
       case _ => false
     }
-    val matchesMessagePrefix = e.getStatus.getDescription.startsWith(errorCode.id)
+    val matchesMessagePrefix = Option(e.getStatus.getDescription).exists(_.startsWith(errorCode.id))
     val matchesStatusCode = errorCode.category.grpcCode.contains(e.getStatus.getCode)
     matchesErrorCodeId && matchesMessagePrefix && matchesStatusCode
   }
diff --git a/ledger/error/src/test/suite/scala/com/daml/error/utils/ErrorDetailsSpec.scala b/ledger/error/src/test/suite/scala/com/daml/error/utils/ErrorDetailsSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..532738eb1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ledger/error/src/test/suite/scala/com/daml/error/utils/ErrorDetailsSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2022 Digital Asset (Switzerland) GmbH and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+package com.daml.error.utils
+
+import com.daml.error.ErrorCategory.BackgroundProcessDegradationWarning
+import com.daml.error.definitions.LedgerApiErrors
+import com.daml.error.{DamlContextualizedErrorLogger, ErrorClass, ErrorCode}
+import io.grpc.{Status, StatusRuntimeException}
+import org.scalatest.flatspec.AnyFlatSpec
+import org.scalatest.matchers.should.Matchers
+
+class ErrorDetailsSpec extends AnyFlatSpec with Matchers {
+
+  private val errorLogger = DamlContextualizedErrorLogger.forTesting(getClass)
+
+  behavior of classOf[ErrorDetails.type].getName
+
+  it should "correctly match exception to error codes " in {
+    val securitySensitive =
+      LedgerApiErrors.AuthorizationChecks.Unauthenticated.MissingJwtToken()(errorLogger).asGrpcError
+    val notSecuritySensitive = LedgerApiErrors.AdminServices.UserNotFound
+      .Reject(_operation = "operation123", userId = "userId123")(errorLogger)
+      .asGrpcError
+
+    ErrorDetails.matches(
+      securitySensitive,
+      LedgerApiErrors.AuthorizationChecks.Unauthenticated,
+    ) shouldBe false
+    ErrorDetails.matches(
+      notSecuritySensitive,
+      LedgerApiErrors.AdminServices.UserNotFound,
+    ) shouldBe true
+    ErrorDetails.matches(
+      new StatusRuntimeException(Status.ABORTED),
+      LedgerApiErrors.AdminServices.UserNotFound,
+    ) shouldBe false
+    ErrorDetails.matches(new Exception, LedgerApiErrors.AdminServices.UserNotFound) shouldBe false
+
+    object NonGrpcErrorCode
+        extends ErrorCode(
+          id = "NON_GRPC_ERROR_CODE_123",
+          BackgroundProcessDegradationWarning,
+        )(ErrorClass.root())
+    NonGrpcErrorCode.category.grpcCode shouldBe empty
+    ErrorDetails.matches(
+      new StatusRuntimeException(Status.ABORTED),
+      NonGrpcErrorCode,
+    ) shouldBe false
+  }
+}
diff --git a/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/services/UserManagementService.scala b/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/services/UserManagementService.scala
index 08ad7c103e..d288cb0b03 100644
--- a/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/services/UserManagementService.scala
+++ b/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/services/UserManagementService.scala
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 package com.daml.ledger.api.benchtool.services
 
 import com.daml.error.definitions.LedgerApiErrors
+import com.daml.error.utils.ErrorDetails
 import com.daml.ledger.api.benchtool.AuthorizationHelper
 import com.daml.ledger.api.v1.admin.user_management_service.{
   CreateUserRequest,
@@ -32,9 +33,7 @@ class UserManagementService(channel: Channel, authorizationToken: Option[String]
     val rights = userRights(observerPartyNames, signatoryPartyName)
     createUser(userId, rights).recoverWith {
       case e: StatusRuntimeException
-          if e.getStatus.getDescription.startsWith(
-            LedgerApiErrors.AdminServices.UserAlreadyExists.id
-          ) =>
+          if ErrorDetails.matches(e, LedgerApiErrors.AdminServices.UserAlreadyExists) =>
         logger.info(
           s"Benchmark user already exists (received error: ${e.getStatus.getDescription}) so granting rights the existing user."
         )
diff --git a/ledger/ledger-api-tests/infrastructure/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/testtool/infrastructure/participant/UserManagementTestContext.scala b/ledger/ledger-api-tests/infrastructure/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/testtool/infrastructure/participant/UserManagementTestContext.scala
index d24ce3041f..d42f53f549 100644
--- a/ledger/ledger-api-tests/infrastructure/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/testtool/infrastructure/participant/UserManagementTestContext.scala
+++ b/ledger/ledger-api-tests/infrastructure/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/testtool/infrastructure/participant/UserManagementTestContext.scala
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ package com.daml.ledger.api.testtool.infrastructure.participant
 import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap
 
 import com.daml.error.definitions.LedgerApiErrors
+import com.daml.error.utils.ErrorDetails
 import com.daml.ledger.api.testtool.infrastructure.LedgerServices
 import com.daml.ledger.api.v1.admin.user_management_service.UserManagementServiceGrpc.UserManagementService
 import com.daml.ledger.api.v1.admin.user_management_service.{
@@ -15,7 +16,6 @@ import com.daml.ledger.api.v1.admin.user_management_service.{
   DeleteUserResponse,
   User,
 }
-import io.grpc.StatusRuntimeException
 
 import scala.concurrent.{ExecutionContext, Future}
 
@@ -70,10 +70,7 @@ trait UserManagementTestContext {
           )
           .map(_ => ())
           .recover {
-            case e: StatusRuntimeException
-                if e.getStatus.getDescription.startsWith(
-                  LedgerApiErrors.AdminServices.UserNotFound.id
-                ) =>
+            case e if ErrorDetails.matches(e, LedgerApiErrors.AdminServices.UserNotFound) =>
               ()
           }
       )