diff --git a/packages/playwright/src/isomorphic/teleReceiver.ts b/packages/playwright/src/isomorphic/teleReceiver.ts
index 3a9a34e391..15feb60370 100644
--- a/packages/playwright/src/isomorphic/teleReceiver.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright/src/isomorphic/teleReceiver.ts
@@ -124,9 +124,9 @@ export type JsonEvent = {
 };
 
 type TeleReporterReceiverOptions = {
-  mergeProjects: boolean;
-  mergeTestCases: boolean;
-  resolvePath: (rootDir: string, relativePath: string) => string;
+  mergeProjects?: boolean;
+  mergeTestCases?: boolean;
+  resolvePath?: (rootDir: string, relativePath: string) => string;
   configOverrides?: Pick<reporterTypes.FullConfig, 'configFile' | 'quiet' | 'reportSlowTests' | 'reporter'>;
   clearPreviousResultsWhenTestBegins?: boolean;
 };
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ export class TeleReporterReceiver {
   private _rootDir!: string;
   private _config!: reporterTypes.FullConfig;
 
-  constructor(reporter: Partial<ReporterV2>, options: TeleReporterReceiverOptions) {
+  constructor(reporter: Partial<ReporterV2>, options: TeleReporterReceiverOptions = {}) {
     this._rootSuite = new TeleSuite('', 'root');
     this._options = options;
     this._reporter = reporter;
@@ -388,7 +388,7 @@ export class TeleReporterReceiver {
   private _absolutePath(relativePath?: string): string | undefined {
     if (relativePath === undefined)
       return;
-    return this._options.resolvePath(this._rootDir, relativePath);
+    return this._options.resolvePath ? this._options.resolvePath(this._rootDir, relativePath) : this._rootDir + '/' + relativePath;
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/playwright/src/runner/DEPS.list b/packages/playwright/src/runner/DEPS.list
index 828f2307e9..cdf6044844 100644
--- a/packages/playwright/src/runner/DEPS.list
+++ b/packages/playwright/src/runner/DEPS.list
@@ -8,4 +8,5 @@
 ../util.ts
 ../utilsBundle.ts
 ../isomorphic/folders.ts
+../isomorphic/teleReceiver.ts
 ../fsWatcher.ts
diff --git a/packages/playwright/src/runner/testServer.ts b/packages/playwright/src/runner/testServer.ts
index 19a43beed0..0809bd43d7 100644
--- a/packages/playwright/src/runner/testServer.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright/src/runner/testServer.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import type { TraceViewerRedirectOptions, TraceViewerServerOptions } from 'playw
 import type { TestRunnerPluginRegistration } from '../plugins';
 import { serializeError } from '../util';
 import { cacheDir } from '../transform/compilationCache';
+import { baseFullConfig } from '../isomorphic/teleReceiver';
 
 const originalStdoutWrite = process.stdout.write;
 const originalStderrWrite = process.stderr.write;
@@ -147,7 +148,10 @@ class TestServerDispatcher implements TestServerInterface {
     const { reporter, report } = await this._collectingReporter();
     const { config, error } = await this._loadConfig();
     if (!config) {
+      // Produce dummy config when it has an error.
+      reporter.onConfigure(baseFullConfig);
       reporter.onError(error!);
+      await reporter.onExit();
       return { status: 'failed', report };
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/teleSuiteUpdater.ts b/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/teleSuiteUpdater.ts
index a766627af3..a2fbb4e39a 100644
--- a/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/teleSuiteUpdater.ts
+++ b/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/teleSuiteUpdater.ts
@@ -115,11 +115,7 @@ export class TeleSuiteUpdater {
         this._options.onUpdate();
       },
 
-      onError: (error: reporterTypes.TestError) => {
-        this.loadErrors.push(error);
-        this._options.onError?.(error);
-        this._options.onUpdate();
-      },
+      onError: (error: reporterTypes.TestError) => this._handleOnError(error),
 
       printsToStdio: () => {
         return false;
@@ -133,6 +129,17 @@ export class TeleSuiteUpdater {
     };
   }
 
+  processGlobalReport(report: any[]) {
+    const receiver = new TeleReporterReceiver({
+      onConfigure: (c: reporterTypes.FullConfig) => {
+        this.config = c;
+      },
+      onError: (error: reporterTypes.TestError) => this._handleOnError(error)
+    });
+    for (const message of report)
+      receiver.dispatch(message);
+  }
+
   processListReport(report: any[]) {
     // Save test results and reset all projects, the results will be restored after
     // new project structure is built.
@@ -150,6 +157,12 @@ export class TeleSuiteUpdater {
     this._receiver.dispatch(message)?.catch(() => {});
   }
 
+  private _handleOnError(error: reporterTypes.TestError) {
+    this.loadErrors.push(error);
+    this._options.onError?.(error);
+    this._options.onUpdate();
+  }
+
   asModel(): TestModel {
     return {
       rootSuite: this.rootSuite || new TeleSuite('', 'root'),
diff --git a/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/uiModeView.tsx b/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/uiModeView.tsx
index 03abb468ab..93ae4d9577 100644
--- a/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/uiModeView.tsx
+++ b/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/uiModeView.tsx
@@ -172,24 +172,29 @@ export const UIModeView: React.FC<{}> = ({
     setIsLoading(true);
     setWatchedTreeIds({ value: new Set() });
     (async () => {
-      await testServerConnection.initialize({
-        interceptStdio: true,
-        watchTestDirs: true
-      });
-      const { status } = await testServerConnection.runGlobalSetup({});
-      if (status !== 'passed')
-        return;
-      const result = await testServerConnection.listTests({ projects: queryParams.projects, locations: queryParams.args });
-      teleSuiteUpdater.processListReport(result.report);
+      try {
+        await testServerConnection.initialize({
+          interceptStdio: true,
+          watchTestDirs: true
+        });
+        const { status, report } = await testServerConnection.runGlobalSetup({});
+        teleSuiteUpdater.processGlobalReport(report);
+        if (status !== 'passed')
+          return;
 
-      testServerConnection.onListChanged(updateList);
-      testServerConnection.onReport(params => {
-        teleSuiteUpdater.processTestReportEvent(params);
-      });
-      setIsLoading(false);
+        const result = await testServerConnection.listTests({ projects: queryParams.projects, locations: queryParams.args });
+        teleSuiteUpdater.processListReport(result.report);
 
-      const { hasBrowsers } = await testServerConnection.checkBrowsers({});
-      setHasBrowsers(hasBrowsers);
+        testServerConnection.onListChanged(updateList);
+        testServerConnection.onReport(params => {
+          teleSuiteUpdater.processTestReportEvent(params);
+        });
+
+        const { hasBrowsers } = await testServerConnection.checkBrowsers({});
+        setHasBrowsers(hasBrowsers);
+      } finally {
+        setIsLoading(false);
+      }
     })();
     return () => {
       clearTimeout(throttleTimer);
diff --git a/tests/playwright-test/ui-mode-test-setup.spec.ts b/tests/playwright-test/ui-mode-test-setup.spec.ts
index 7a5ce3f084..08857d5508 100644
--- a/tests/playwright-test/ui-mode-test-setup.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/playwright-test/ui-mode-test-setup.spec.ts
@@ -84,6 +84,17 @@ test('should teardown on sigint', async ({ runUITest, nodeVersion }) => {
   ]);
 });
 
+test('should show errors in config', async ({ runUITest }) => {
+  const { page } = await runUITest({
+    'playwright.config.ts': `
+      import { defineConfig, devices } from '@playwright/test';
+      throw new Error("URL is empty")
+    `,
+  });
+  await page.getByText('playwright.config.ts').click();
+  await expect(page.getByText('Error: URL is empty')).toBeInViewport();
+});
+
 const testsWithSetup = {
   'playwright.config.ts': `
     import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';