diff --git a/pkg/models/context.go b/pkg/models/context.go
index eaf1bbf2871..c6099f423cc 100644
--- a/pkg/models/context.go
+++ b/pkg/models/context.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package models
 
 import (
+	"errors"
 	"net/http"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -10,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/org"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/user"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/setting"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/util/errutil"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/web"
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
 )
@@ -86,6 +88,61 @@ func (ctx *ReqContext) JsonApiErr(status int, message string, err error) {
 	ctx.JSON(status, resp)
 }
 
+// WriteErr writes an error response based on errutil.Error.
+// If provided error is not errutil.Error a 500 response is written.
+func (ctx *ReqContext) WriteErr(err error) {
+	ctx.writeErrOrFallback(http.StatusInternalServerError, http.StatusText(http.StatusInternalServerError), err)
+}
+
+// WriteErrOrFallback uses the information in an errutil.Error if available
+// and otherwise falls back to the status and message provided as arguments.
+func (ctx *ReqContext) WriteErrOrFallback(status int, message string, err error) {
+	ctx.writeErrOrFallback(status, message, err)
+}
+
+func (ctx *ReqContext) writeErrOrFallback(status int, message string, err error) {
+	data := make(map[string]interface{})
+	traceID := tracing.TraceIDFromContext(ctx.Req.Context(), false)
+
+	if err != nil {
+		data["traceID"] = traceID
+
+		var logMessage string
+		logger := ctx.Logger.Warn
+
+		var gfErr *errutil.Error
+		if errors.As(err, gfErr) {
+			logger = gfErr.LogLevel.LogFunc(ctx.Logger)
+			publicErr := gfErr.Public()
+
+			// need to manually set these fields because we want to include the trace id
+			data["extra"] = publicErr.Extra
+			data["message"] = publicErr.Message
+			data["messageId"] = publicErr.MessageID
+			data["statusCode"] = publicErr.StatusCode
+		} else {
+			if message != "" {
+				logMessage = message
+			} else {
+				logMessage = http.StatusText(status)
+				data["message"] = logMessage
+			}
+
+			if status == http.StatusInternalServerError {
+				logger = ctx.Logger.Error
+			}
+		}
+
+		logger(logMessage, "error", err, "remote_addr", ctx.RemoteAddr(), "traceID", traceID)
+	}
+
+	if _, ok := data["message"]; !ok && message != "" {
+		data["message"] = message
+	}
+
+	ctx.JSON(status, data)
+}
+
 func (ctx *ReqContext) HasUserRole(role org.RoleType) bool {
 	return ctx.OrgRole.Includes(role)
 }
diff --git a/pkg/services/contexthandler/auth_jwt.go b/pkg/services/contexthandler/auth_jwt.go
index debc247aa95..4386471c12d 100644
--- a/pkg/services/contexthandler/auth_jwt.go
+++ b/pkg/services/contexthandler/auth_jwt.go
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ func (h *ContextHandler) initContextWithJWT(ctx *models.ReqContext, orgId int64)
 		*ctx.Req = *ctx.Req.WithContext(newCtx)
 
 		if err != nil {
-			writeErr(ctx, err)
+			ctx.WriteErr(err)
 			return true
 		}
 
diff --git a/pkg/services/contexthandler/contexthandler.go b/pkg/services/contexthandler/contexthandler.go
index 1f84d4484f3..8c04274892c 100644
--- a/pkg/services/contexthandler/contexthandler.go
+++ b/pkg/services/contexthandler/contexthandler.go
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/user"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/setting"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/util"
-	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/util/errutil"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/web"
 )
 
@@ -287,7 +286,7 @@ func (h *ContextHandler) initContextWithAPIKey(reqContext *models.ReqContext) bo
 		*reqContext.Req = *reqContext.Req.WithContext(ctx)
 
 		if err != nil {
-			writeErr(reqContext, err)
+			reqContext.WriteErr(err)
 			return true
 		}
 
@@ -416,7 +415,7 @@ func (h *ContextHandler) initContextWithBasicAuth(reqContext *models.ReqContext,
 		*reqContext.Req = *reqContext.Req.WithContext(ctx)
 
 		if err != nil {
-			writeErr(reqContext, err)
+			reqContext.WriteErr(err)
 			return true
 		}
 
@@ -640,7 +639,7 @@ func (h *ContextHandler) initContextWithRenderAuth(reqContext *models.ReqContext
 		}
 
 		if err != nil {
-			writeErr(reqContext, err)
+			reqContext.WriteErr(err)
 			return true
 		}
 
@@ -724,7 +723,8 @@ func (h *ContextHandler) initContextWithAuthProxy(reqContext *models.ReqContext,
 		}
 
 		if err != nil {
-			writeErr(reqContext, err)
+			reqContext.WriteErr(err)
+			return true
 		}
 
 		ctx := WithAuthHTTPHeader(reqContext.Req.Context(), h.Cfg.AuthProxyHeaderName)
@@ -829,16 +829,6 @@ func (h *ContextHandler) initContextWithAuthProxy(reqContext *models.ReqContext,
 	return true
 }
 
-// writeErr will write error response based on errutil.Error.
-func writeErr(c *models.ReqContext, err error) {
-	grfErr := &errutil.Error{}
-	if !errors.As(err, grfErr) {
-		c.JsonApiErr(http.StatusInternalServerError, "", err)
-		return
-	}
-	c.JsonApiErr(grfErr.Reason.Status().HTTPStatus(), grfErr.Public().Message, err)
-}
-
 type authHTTPHeaderListContextKey struct{}
 
 var authHTTPHeaderListKey = authHTTPHeaderListContextKey{}