diff --git a/packages/jupyter-ai/jupyter_ai/chat_handlers/base.py b/packages/jupyter-ai/jupyter_ai/chat_handlers/base.py
index 268e2af76..da7a3a650 100644
--- a/packages/jupyter-ai/jupyter_ai/chat_handlers/base.py
+++ b/packages/jupyter-ai/jupyter_ai/chat_handlers/base.py
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ def handle_api_key_exc(self, e: Exception, message: HumanChatMessage):
         if hasattr(self.config_manager, "lm_provider"):
             name = getattr(self.config_manager.lm_provider, "name", "")
             provider_name = f" {name}" if name else ""
-        response = f"Oops! There's a problem with your{provider_name} API key. Please update your{provider_name} API key in the chat settings."
+        response = f"Oops! There's a problem connecting to {provider_name}. Please update your {provider_name} API key in the chat settings."
         self.reply(response, message)
 
     async def _default_handle_exc(self, e: Exception, message: HumanChatMessage):