diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/errors.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/errors.ts
index 1e2ad8d850a82be..6024ff85ee93321 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/errors.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/errors.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,26 @@ import {
 } from 'src/core/server';
 import { appContextService } from './services';
 
+interface ESClientError {
+  statusCode: number;
+  message: string;
+  body: string;
+  path: string;
+  query: string | undefined;
+  response: string;
+}
+
+const isESClientError = (error: any): error is ESClientError => {
+  return (
+    'statusCode' in error &&
+    'message' in error &&
+    'body' in error &&
+    'path' in error &&
+    'query' in error &&
+    'response' in error
+  );
+};
+
 export class IngestManagerError extends Error {
   constructor(message?: string) {
     super(message);
@@ -21,7 +41,7 @@ export class IngestManagerError extends Error {
   }
 }
 
-export const getHTTPResponseCode = (error: IngestManagerError): number => {
+export const getHTTPResponseCode = (error: any): number => {
   switch (true) {
     case error instanceof RegistryConnectionError:
       return 502; // Bad Gateway
@@ -51,6 +71,15 @@ export interface IngestErrorHandlerParams {
 
 export const defaultIngestErrorHandler: IngestErrorHandler = async ({ error, response }) => {
   const logger = appContextService.getLogger();
+  if (isESClientError(error)) {
+    logger.error(error);
+    const message = `HTTP ${error.statusCode} response from ES at ${error.path}: ${error.message}`;
+    return response.customError({
+      statusCode: error.statusCode,
+      body: { message },
+    });
+  }
+
   if (error instanceof IngestManagerError) {
     logger.error(error.message);
     return response.customError({
@@ -65,6 +94,7 @@ export const defaultIngestErrorHandler: IngestErrorHandler = async ({ error, res
       body: { message: error.output.payload.message },
     });
   }
+
   logger.error(error);
   return response.customError({
     statusCode: 500,
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/routes/epm/handlers.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/routes/epm/handlers.ts
index 0f99b880b3141f4..7613f684d015b6f 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/routes/epm/handlers.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/routes/epm/handlers.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ import {
   getLimitedPackages,
   getInstallationObject,
 } from '../../services/epm/packages';
-import { IngestManagerError, getHTTPResponseCode, defaultIngestErrorHandler } from '../../errors';
+import { IngestManagerError, defaultIngestErrorHandler } from '../../errors';
 import { splitPkgKey } from '../../services/epm/registry';
 
 export const getCategoriesHandler: RequestHandler<
@@ -155,14 +155,10 @@ export const installPackageHandler: RequestHandler<
     };
     return response.ok({ body });
   } catch (e) {
+    const defaultResult = await defaultIngestErrorHandler({ error: e, response });
     if (e instanceof IngestManagerError) {
-      logger.error(e);
-      return response.customError({
-        statusCode: getHTTPResponseCode(e),
-        body: { message: e.message },
-      });
+      return defaultResult;
     }
-
     // if there is an unknown server error, uninstall any package assets
     try {
       const installedPkg = await getInstallationObject({ savedObjectsClient, pkgName });
@@ -173,11 +169,7 @@ export const installPackageHandler: RequestHandler<
     } catch (error) {
       logger.error(`could not remove failed installation ${error}`);
     }
-    logger.error(e);
-    return response.customError({
-      statusCode: 500,
-      body: { message: e.message },
-    });
+    return defaultResult;
   }
 };
 
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/elasticsearch/ingest_pipeline/install.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/elasticsearch/ingest_pipeline/install.ts
index 44e4eddfbbe6a71..1ec0898ad7dd06e 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/elasticsearch/ingest_pipeline/install.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/elasticsearch/ingest_pipeline/install.ts
@@ -156,7 +156,10 @@ async function installPipeline({
     body: pipeline.contentForInstallation,
   };
   if (pipeline.extension === 'yml') {
-    callClusterParams.headers = { ['Content-Type']: 'application/yaml' };
+    callClusterParams.headers = {
+      'Content-Type': 'application/yaml',
+      Accept: 'application/json',
+    };
   }
 
   // This uses the catch-all endpoint 'transport.request' because we have to explicitly
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/packages/install.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/packages/install.ts
index e49dbe8f0b5d4ed..96680cafbd21182 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/packages/install.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/packages/install.ts
@@ -146,11 +146,12 @@ export async function installPackage({
   }
   const installIndexPatternPromise = installIndexPatterns(savedObjectsClient, pkgName, pkgVersion);
   const kibanaAssets = await getKibanaAssets(paths);
-  if (installedPkg)
+  if (installedPkg) {
     await deleteKibanaSavedObjectsAssets(
       savedObjectsClient,
       installedPkg.attributes.installed_kibana
     );
+  }
   // save new kibana refs before installing the assets
   const installedKibanaAssetsRefs = await saveKibanaAssetsRefs(
     savedObjectsClient,
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/registry/requests.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/registry/requests.ts
index 83d0a64260afb13..0a2e062f8b25f17 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/registry/requests.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_manager/server/services/epm/registry/requests.ts
@@ -53,8 +53,12 @@ export async function getResponse(url: string): Promise<Response> {
     });
     return response;
   } catch (error) {
-    // throw same error type whether isSystemError (after max retry attempts) or something else
-    throw new RegistryConnectionError(error);
+    // isSystemError here means we didn't succeed after max retries
+    if (isSystemError(error)) {
+      throw new RegistryConnectionError(error);
+    } else {
+      throw error;
+    }
   }
 }