diff --git a/bindings/python-cffi/notmuch2/_build.py b/bindings/python-cffi/notmuch2/_build.py
index f712b6c5..24df939e 100644
--- a/bindings/python-cffi/notmuch2/_build.py
+++ b/bindings/python-cffi/notmuch2/_build.py
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ ffibuilder.cdef(
         NOTMUCH_STATUS_NO_CONFIG,
         NOTMUCH_STATUS_NO_DATABASE,
         NOTMUCH_STATUS_DATABASE_EXISTS,
+        NOTMUCH_STATUS_BAD_QUERY_SYNTAX,
         NOTMUCH_STATUS_LAST_STATUS
     } notmuch_status_t;
     typedef enum {
diff --git a/bindings/python-cffi/notmuch2/_errors.py b/bindings/python-cffi/notmuch2/_errors.py
index 9301073e..f55cc96b 100644
--- a/bindings/python-cffi/notmuch2/_errors.py
+++ b/bindings/python-cffi/notmuch2/_errors.py
@@ -56,6 +56,8 @@ class NotmuchError(Exception):
                 NoDatabaseError,
             capi.lib.NOTMUCH_STATUS_DATABASE_EXISTS:
                 DatabaseExistsError,
+            capi.lib.NOTMUCH_STATUS_BAD_QUERY_SYNTAX:
+                QuerySyntaxError,
         }
         return types[status]
 
@@ -103,6 +105,7 @@ class IllegalArgumentError(NotmuchError): pass
 class NoConfigError(NotmuchError): pass
 class NoDatabaseError(NotmuchError): pass
 class DatabaseExistsError(NotmuchError): pass
+class QuerySyntaxError(NotmuchError): pass
 
 class ObjectDestroyedError(NotmuchError):
     """The object has already been destroyed and it's memory freed.
diff --git a/lib/database.cc b/lib/database.cc
index 31794900..7eb0de79 100644
--- a/lib/database.cc
+++ b/lib/database.cc
@@ -309,6 +309,8 @@ notmuch_status_to_string (notmuch_status_t status)
 	return "No database found";
     case NOTMUCH_STATUS_DATABASE_EXISTS:
 	return "Database exists, not recreated";
+    case NOTMUCH_STATUS_BAD_QUERY_SYNTAX:
+	return "Syntax error in query";
     default:
     case NOTMUCH_STATUS_LAST_STATUS:
 	return "Unknown error status value";
diff --git a/lib/notmuch.h b/lib/notmuch.h
index 2f1ee951..546643e8 100644
--- a/lib/notmuch.h
+++ b/lib/notmuch.h
@@ -220,6 +220,10 @@ typedef enum _notmuch_status {
      * Database exists, so not (re)-created
      */
     NOTMUCH_STATUS_DATABASE_EXISTS,
+    /**
+     * Syntax error in query
+     */
+    NOTMUCH_STATUS_BAD_QUERY_SYNTAX,
     /**
      * Not an actual status value. Just a way to find out how many
      * valid status values there are.