diff --git a/src/core/stream.js b/src/core/stream.js
index b8a77e7..92d8664 100644
--- a/src/core/stream.js
+++ b/src/core/stream.js
@@ -72,6 +72,17 @@ export function parseExceptionText(text) {
   return text;
 }
 
+/**
+ * The 0-based caret offset a ClickHouse error points at, or null. CH syntax
+ * errors carry "failed at position N (token): …" where N is 1-based and relative
+ * to the query string (newlines counted as one char), so it maps straight onto
+ * the editor text. Used to jump the caret to a format/parse error. Pure.
+ */
+export function parseErrorPos(msg) {
+  const m = /\bposition (\d+)/i.exec(String(msg || ''));
+  return m ? Math.max(0, parseInt(m[1], 10) - 1) : null;
+}
+
 /**
  * True when a non-OK response body indicates an expired/invalid JWT. CH
  * returns HTTP 500 with `token_verification_exception` for a bad token, which
diff --git a/src/ui/app.js b/src/ui/app.js
index de41cc7..0dda99f 100644
--- a/src/ui/app.js
+++ b/src/ui/app.js
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import { decodeJwtPayload, isTokenExpired } from '../core/jwt.js';
 import { sqlString, inferQueryName, shortVersion, userShortName, withStatementBreak, detectSqlFormat, isExplain } from '../core/format.js';
 import { resolveTarget } from '../core/target.js';
 import { toTSV, toCSV } from '../core/export.js';
-import { newResult, applyStreamLine } from '../core/stream.js';
+import { newResult, applyStreamLine, parseErrorPos } from '../core/stream.js';
 import { encodeShare } from '../core/share.js';
 import { assembleReferenceData, buildCompletions } from '../core/completions.js';
 import { generatePKCE, randomState } from '../core/pkce.js';
@@ -445,20 +445,33 @@ export function createApp(env = {}) {
   }
   app.setRunBtn = setRunBtn;
 
-  // Pretty-print the editor's SQL via ClickHouse's formatQuery(), in place.
+  // Pretty-print the editor's SQL via ClickHouse's formatQuery(), in place. The
+  // raw (untrimmed) SQL is sent so a syntax error's reported position maps 1:1
+  // onto the editor text. On error we show it persistently in the results panel
+  // and jump the caret to the offending token; a later successful format clears
+  // that error. Success never touches real run results.
   async function formatQuery() {
-    const sql = (app.activeTab().sql || '').trim();
-    if (!sql) return;
+    const raw = app.activeTab().sql || '';
+    if (!raw.trim()) return;
     await ensureConfig();
     if (!(await getToken())) { chCtx.onSignedOut(); return; }
+    const tab = app.activeTab();
     try {
-      const json = await ch.queryJson(chCtx, 'SELECT formatQuery(' + sqlString(sql) + ') AS q FORMAT JSON');
+      const json = await ch.queryJson(chCtx, 'SELECT formatQuery(' + sqlString(raw) + ') AS q FORMAT JSON');
       const q = (json.data && json.data[0] && json.data[0].q) || '';
       // Terminate so the caret lands past the last token — otherwise the input
       // event from the replace re-opens autocomplete on the trailing word.
       if (q) replaceEditor(app, withStatementBreak(q));
+      if (tab.result && tab.result.formatError) { tab.result = null; renderResults(app); } // clear a prior format error
     } catch (e) {
-      flashToast('Format failed: ' + String((e && e.message) || e), { document: doc });
+      const msg = String((e && e.message) || e);
+      tab.result = newResult('Table');
+      tab.result.error = msg;
+      tab.result.formatError = true; // a format error, not a run result (so success can clear just this)
+      app.state.resultView = 'table';
+      renderResults(app);
+      const pos = parseErrorPos(msg);
+      if (pos != null) app.dom.editorRevealCaret(pos);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/ui/editor.js b/src/ui/editor.js
index 0f3983b..b1cffe9 100644
--- a/src/ui/editor.js
+++ b/src/ui/editor.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { h, zoomScale } from './dom.js';
 import { tokenize, maskFromTokens } from '../core/sql-highlight.js';
 import { buildMarkSegments } from '../core/editor-marks.js';
 import { matchBracketAt, bracketEdit } from '../core/editor-brackets.js';
-import { caretXY, offsetFromXY } from '../core/editor-geometry.js';
+import { caretXY, caretLineCol, offsetFromXY } from '../core/editor-geometry.js';
 import { createSearch } from './editor-search.js';
 import { createComplete } from './editor-complete.js';
 import { createIntel } from './editor-intel.js';
@@ -324,6 +324,19 @@ export function mountEditor(app, container) {
   app.dom.editorComplete = complete;
   app.dom.editorIntel = intel;
   app.dom.editorSync = sync;
+  // Move the caret to a character offset and scroll its line into view — used to
+  // jump to a format/parse error position (#format-error).
+  app.dom.editorRevealCaret = (pos) => {
+    const p = Math.max(0, Math.min(pos | 0, ta.value.length));
+    ta.focus();
+    ta.selectionStart = ta.selectionEnd = p;
+    complete.hide();
+    const top = PAD_Y + caretLineCol(ta.value, p).line * LINE_HEIGHT_PX;
+    if (top < ta.scrollTop) ta.scrollTop = Math.max(0, top - LINE_HEIGHT_PX);
+    else if (top + LINE_HEIGHT_PX > ta.scrollTop + ta.clientHeight) ta.scrollTop = top + LINE_HEIGHT_PX - ta.clientHeight;
+    syncScroll();
+    paintMarks();
+  };
   sync();
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/app.test.js b/tests/unit/app.test.js
index b310bc7..057d644 100644
--- a/tests/unit/app.test.js
+++ b/tests/unit/app.test.js
@@ -399,15 +399,32 @@ describe('formatQuery', () => {
     await app.actions.formatQuery();
     expect(app.root.querySelector('.login-screen')).not.toBeNull();
   });
-  it('surfaces a format failure without changing the editor', async () => {
+  it('shows a format error persistently in the results panel and moves the caret to it', async () => {
     const { app } = appFor([
-      [(u, sql) => /formatQuery/.test(sql), resp({ ok: false, status: 500, text: '{"exception":"DB::Exception: syntax"}' })],
+      [(u, sql) => /formatQuery/.test(sql), resp({ ok: false, status: 500, text: '{"exception":"Code: 62. DB::Exception: Syntax error: failed at position 8 (BEWEEN): BEWEEN 2. Expected one of: BETWEEN, …. (SYNTAX_ERROR)"}' })],
     ]);
-    app.activeTab().sql = 'select 1';
-    app.dom.editorTextarea.value = 'select 1';
+    app.activeTab().sql = 'select x BEWEEN 2';
+    app.dom.editorTextarea.value = 'select x BEWEEN 2';
     await app.actions.formatQuery();
-    expect(app.dom.editorTextarea.value).toBe('select 1'); // unchanged
-    expect(document.body.querySelector('.share-toast')).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(app.dom.editorTextarea.value).toBe('select x BEWEEN 2'); // editor unchanged
+    const err = app.root.querySelector('.results-error');
+    expect(err).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(err.textContent).toContain('Code: 62. DB::Exception: Syntax error: failed at position 8 (BEWEEN): BEWEEN 2. Expected one of: BETWEEN, …. (SYNTAX_ERROR)'); // full original message, untruncated
+    expect(app.dom.editorTextarea.selectionStart).toBe(7); // caret jumped to the offending token (pos 8 → offset 7)
+    expect(app.activeTab().result.formatError).toBe(true);
+  });
+  it('a later successful format clears a prior format error', async () => {
+    const { app } = appFor([
+      [(u, sql) => /BEWEEN/.test(sql), resp({ ok: false, status: 500, text: '{"exception":"Syntax error: failed at position 8 (BEWEEN): x. Expected one of: foo"}' })],
+      [(u, sql) => /formatQuery/.test(sql), resp({ json: { data: [{ q: 'SELECT 1' }] } })],
+    ]);
+    app.activeTab().sql = 'select x BEWEEN 2';
+    await app.actions.formatQuery();
+    expect(app.root.querySelector('.results-error')).not.toBeNull();
+    app.activeTab().sql = 'select 1'; // fixed
+    await app.actions.formatQuery();
+    expect(app.root.querySelector('.results-error')).toBeNull(); // error cleared
+    expect(app.activeTab().result).toBeNull();
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/editor.test.js b/tests/unit/editor.test.js
index b6020a0..c21a87f 100644
--- a/tests/unit/editor.test.js
+++ b/tests/unit/editor.test.js
@@ -873,3 +873,26 @@ describe('signature help + hover docs (#27)', () => {
     });
   });
 });
+
+describe('editorRevealCaret (jump to a format-error position)', () => {
+  it('sets the caret to the offset, clamps out-of-range, and scrolls the line into view', () => {
+    const app = makeApp();
+    mountEditor(app, document.createElement('div'));
+    const ta = app.dom.editorTextarea;
+    ta.value = 'line0\nline1\nline2\nline3';
+    // a caret below the viewport scrolls down to reveal it
+    ta.scrollTop = 0;
+    app.dom.editorRevealCaret(20); // on the last line
+    expect(ta.selectionStart).toBe(20);
+    expect(ta.selectionEnd).toBe(20);
+    expect(ta.scrollTop).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    // a caret above the viewport scrolls back up
+    ta.scrollTop = 1000;
+    app.dom.editorRevealCaret(0);
+    expect(ta.selectionStart).toBe(0);
+    expect(ta.scrollTop).toBe(0);
+    // an out-of-range offset clamps to the end
+    app.dom.editorRevealCaret(99999);
+    expect(ta.selectionStart).toBe(ta.value.length);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/tests/unit/stream.test.js b/tests/unit/stream.test.js
index ce3f349..d135512 100644
--- a/tests/unit/stream.test.js
+++ b/tests/unit/stream.test.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
 import {
   newResult, applyStreamLine, splitBuffer, parseExceptionText, isAuthExpiredBody,
-  authDeniedMessage,
+  authDeniedMessage, parseErrorPos,
 } from '../../src/core/stream.js';
 
 describe('newResult', () => {
@@ -81,6 +81,18 @@ describe('parseExceptionText', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('parseErrorPos', () => {
+  it('returns the 0-based caret offset from "position N" (1-based in the message)', () => {
+    expect(parseErrorPos('Syntax error: failed at position 18 (BEWEEN): …')).toBe(17);
+    expect(parseErrorPos('failed at position 1 (x)')).toBe(0);
+  });
+  it('returns null when no position is present', () => {
+    expect(parseErrorPos('Some other DB::Exception')).toBeNull();
+    expect(parseErrorPos('')).toBeNull();
+    expect(parseErrorPos(null)).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
+
 describe('isAuthExpiredBody', () => {
   it('detects token verification failures', () => {
     expect(isAuthExpiredBody('... token_verification_exception ...')).toBe(true);