diff --git a/channel.go b/channel.go
index feafd9a6b..872261e6d 100644
--- a/channel.go
+++ b/channel.go
@@ -143,10 +143,10 @@ func (ch *channel) recv() (messageHeader, []byte, error) {
 }
 
 func (ch *channel) send(streamID uint32, t messageType, flags uint8, p []byte) error {
-	// TODO: Error on send rather than on recv
-	//if len(p) > messageLengthMax {
-	//	return status.Errorf(codes.InvalidArgument, "refusing to send, message length %v exceed maximum message size of %v", len(p), messageLengthMax)
-	//}
+	if len(p) > messageLengthMax {
+		return OversizedMessageError(len(p))
+	}
+
 	if err := writeMessageHeader(ch.bw, ch.hwbuf[:], messageHeader{Length: uint32(len(p)), StreamID: streamID, Type: t, Flags: flags}); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/channel_test.go b/channel_test.go
index de8b66d38..9eab63148 100644
--- a/channel_test.go
+++ b/channel_test.go
@@ -89,21 +89,19 @@ func TestReadWriteMessage(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestMessageOversize(t *testing.T) {
 	var (
-		w, r     = net.Pipe()
-		wch, rch = newChannel(w), newChannel(r)
-		msg      = bytes.Repeat([]byte("a message of massive length"), 512<<10)
-		errs     = make(chan error, 1)
+		w, _ = net.Pipe()
+		wch  = newChannel(w)
+		msg  = bytes.Repeat([]byte("a message of massive length"), 512<<10)
+		errs = make(chan error, 1)
 	)
 
 	go func() {
-		if err := wch.send(1, 1, 0, msg); err != nil {
-			errs <- err
-		}
+		errs <- wch.send(1, 1, 0, msg)
 	}()
 
-	_, _, err := rch.recv()
+	err := <-errs
 	if err == nil {
-		t.Fatalf("error expected reading with small buffer")
+		t.Fatalf("sending oversized message expected to fail")
 	}
 
 	status, ok := status.FromError(err)
@@ -114,12 +112,4 @@ func TestMessageOversize(t *testing.T) {
 	if status.Code() != codes.ResourceExhausted {
 		t.Fatalf("expected grpc status code: %v != %v", status.Code(), codes.ResourceExhausted)
 	}
-
-	select {
-	case err := <-errs:
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatal(err)
-		}
-	default:
-	}
 }
diff --git a/errors.go b/errors.go
index ec14b7952..632dbe8bd 100644
--- a/errors.go
+++ b/errors.go
@@ -16,7 +16,12 @@
 
 package ttrpc
 
-import "errors"
+import (
+	"errors"
+
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/status"
+)
 
 var (
 	// ErrProtocol is a general error in the handling the protocol.
@@ -32,3 +37,44 @@ var (
 	// ErrStreamClosed is when the streaming connection is closed.
 	ErrStreamClosed = errors.New("ttrpc: stream closed")
 )
+
+// OversizedMessageErr is used to indicate refusal to send an oversized message.
+// It wraps a ResourceExhausted grpc Status together with the offending message
+// length.
+type OversizedMessageErr struct {
+	messageLength int
+	err           error
+}
+
+// OversizedMessageError returns an OversizedMessageErr error for the given message
+// length if it exceeds the allowed maximum. Otherwise a nil error is returned.
+func OversizedMessageError(messageLength int) error {
+	if messageLength <= messageLengthMax {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	return &OversizedMessageErr{
+		messageLength: messageLength,
+		err:           status.Errorf(codes.ResourceExhausted, "message length %v exceed maximum message size of %v", messageLength, messageLengthMax),
+	}
+}
+
+// Error returns the error message for the corresponding grpc Status for the error.
+func (e *OversizedMessageErr) Error() string {
+	return e.err.Error()
+}
+
+// Unwrap returns the corresponding error with our grpc status code.
+func (e *OversizedMessageErr) Unwrap() error {
+	return e.err
+}
+
+// RejectedLength retrieves the rejected message length which triggered the error.
+func (e *OversizedMessageErr) RejectedLength() int {
+	return e.messageLength
+}
+
+// MaximumLength retrieves the maximum allowed message length that triggered the error.
+func (*OversizedMessageErr) MaximumLength() int {
+	return messageLengthMax
+}