diff --git a/server/granthi_link.py b/server/granthi_link.py
index 3701c43..59aa0ff 100644
--- a/server/granthi_link.py
+++ b/server/granthi_link.py
@@ -80,6 +80,9 @@ TEST_MODE_ENV = "GRANTHI_LINK_ALLOW_TEST_MODE"
 
 # Sentinel: create_user hit a 409 (someone else created the login first).
 USER_CREATE_CONFLICT = object()
+# Sentinel: the address already belongs to another forge account, which is a
+# 409 the caller can act on -- not a 502 that reads like the service is down.
+EMAIL_IN_USE = object()
 
 LOGIN_SAFE = re.compile(r"[^a-zA-Z0-9._-]+")
 
@@ -292,6 +295,14 @@ def check_config_perms(path, euid=None):
 # Identity map: zitadel sub -> gitea login (JSON, 0600, atomic writes)
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+def _email_in_use_message(login, userinfo):
+    email = userinfo.get("email") or "your address"
+    return (f"cannot create the account '{login}': {email} already belongs to "
+            f"a different account on this forge. If that other account is "
+            f"yours, an operator must bind your identity to it; if it is not, "
+            f"use a different address.")
+
+
 class IdentityStore:
     """Persistent map of Zitadel `sub` -> Gitea login binding records.
 
@@ -677,6 +688,14 @@ class LinkService:
             headers=self._admin_hdr(), body=body)
         if status == 409:
             return USER_CREATE_CONFLICT
+        if status == 422 and "e-mail already in use" in str(resp).lower():
+            # The address belongs to a DIFFERENT forge account. Reported as its
+            # own case because the generic path turns it into a bare 502, and
+            # "502" sends the person looking for an outage when the real answer
+            # is "that address is already somebody's account here". Hit live on
+            # 2026-08-23: an operator moved an email onto another account and
+            # the next sign-in failed with nothing but the number.
+            return EMAIL_IN_USE
         if status != 201:
             return f"gitea admin user create failed (HTTP {status}): {resp}"
         return None
@@ -733,6 +752,8 @@ class LinkService:
                                  "was not created by this service; refusing "
                                  "to re-create"}, None
                 err = self.create_user(login, userinfo)
+                if err is EMAIL_IN_USE:
+                    return 409, {"error": _email_in_use_message(login, userinfo)}, None
                 if err and err is not USER_CREATE_CONFLICT:
                     return 502, {"error": err}, None
                 LOG.info("re-created service-managed gitea user %s", login)
@@ -758,6 +779,8 @@ class LinkService:
                     return 409, {"error": "login exists and is not linked "
                                           "to this identity"}, None
                 LOG.info("user %s created concurrently; continuing", login)
+            elif err is EMAIL_IN_USE:
+                return 409, {"error": _email_in_use_message(login, userinfo)}, None
             elif err:
                 return 502, {"error": err}, None
             else:
diff --git a/tests/test_server.py b/tests/test_server.py
index 98be554..bc3ee0b 100644
--- a/tests/test_server.py
+++ b/tests/test_server.py
@@ -77,6 +77,10 @@ class StubUpstream(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
         if self.path == "/api/v1/admin/users":
             if body["username"] in st["users"]:
                 return self._json(409, {"message": "user already exists"})
+            if body.get("email") in st["users"].values():
+                # real Gitea: emails are unique across accounts
+                return self._json(422, {"message":
+                    f"e-mail already in use [email: {body['email']}]"})
             st["users"][body["username"]] = body["email"]
             st["created"].append(body)
             return self._json(201, {"login": body["username"]})
@@ -1001,6 +1005,34 @@ class TestInviteSurvivesAFailedGrant(ServiceTestBase):
         self.assertEqual([g["repo"] for g in self.svc.state.peek_invites("dan@x.test")],
                          ["alice/reports"])
 
+
+class TestDuplicateEmailIsExplained(ServiceTestBase):
+    """A 502 sends someone looking for an outage. The real answer is that the
+    address already belongs to another account here -- say so. (Hit live on
+    2026-08-23 when an operator moved an email onto a different account.)"""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        super().setUp()
+        self.enable_test_mode()
+        # an existing account already holds the address
+        StubUpstream.state["users"]["existing"] = "taken@x.test"
+
+    def test_it_is_a_409_that_names_the_problem(self):
+        status, resp = self.stub_link("s-new", "brandnew", email="taken@x.test",
+                                      verified=True, device_id="dev-x")
+        self.assertEqual(status, 409, resp)
+        msg = resp["error"]
+        self.assertIn("taken@x.test", msg)
+        self.assertIn("already belongs to a different account", msg)
+        self.assertIn("brandnew", msg)          # names the login it tried
+        self.assertNotIn("502", msg)
+
+    def test_a_normal_create_is_unaffected(self):
+        status, resp = self.stub_link("s-ok", "fresh", email="fresh@x.test",
+                                      verified=True, device_id="dev-y")
+        self.assertEqual(status, 200, resp)
+        self.assertIn("token", resp)
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()