diff --git a/codec-haproxy/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/haproxy/HAProxyMessageDecoder.java b/codec-haproxy/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/haproxy/HAProxyMessageDecoder.java
index 04c744811f..df2a663e89 100644
--- a/codec-haproxy/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/haproxy/HAProxyMessageDecoder.java
+++ b/codec-haproxy/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/haproxy/HAProxyMessageDecoder.java
@@ -355,16 +355,16 @@ public class HAProxyMessageDecoder extends ByteToMessageDecoder {
         fail(ctx, "header length (" + length + ") exceeds the allowed maximum (" + maxLength + ')', null);
     }
 
-    private void fail(final ChannelHandlerContext ctx, String errMsg, Throwable t) {
+    private void fail(final ChannelHandlerContext ctx, String errMsg, Exception e) {
         finished = true;
         ctx.close(); // drop connection immediately per spec
         HAProxyProtocolException ppex;
-        if (errMsg != null && t != null) {
-            ppex = new HAProxyProtocolException(errMsg, t);
+        if (errMsg != null && e != null) {
+            ppex = new HAProxyProtocolException(errMsg, e);
         } else if (errMsg != null) {
             ppex = new HAProxyProtocolException(errMsg);
-        } else if (t != null) {
-            ppex = new HAProxyProtocolException(t);
+        } else if (e != null) {
+            ppex = new HAProxyProtocolException(e);
         } else {
             ppex = new HAProxyProtocolException();
         }
diff --git a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v4/Socks4ClientDecoder.java b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v4/Socks4ClientDecoder.java
index f3c627d8b7..6f69939762 100755
--- a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v4/Socks4ClientDecoder.java
+++ b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v4/Socks4ClientDecoder.java
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ public class Socks4ClientDecoder extends ReplayingDecoder<State> {
         }
     }
 
-    private void fail(List<Object> out, Throwable cause) {
+    private void fail(List<Object> out, Exception cause) {
         if (!(cause instanceof DecoderException)) {
             cause = new DecoderException(cause);
         }
diff --git a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v4/Socks4ServerDecoder.java b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v4/Socks4ServerDecoder.java
index f31181e934..bcfec54922 100755
--- a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v4/Socks4ServerDecoder.java
+++ b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v4/Socks4ServerDecoder.java
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ public class Socks4ServerDecoder extends ReplayingDecoder<State> {
         }
     }
 
-    private void fail(List<Object> out, Throwable cause) {
+    private void fail(List<Object> out, Exception cause) {
         if (!(cause instanceof DecoderException)) {
             cause = new DecoderException(cause);
         }
diff --git a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5CommandRequestDecoder.java b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5CommandRequestDecoder.java
index 5ec0683c90..eab1b1579e 100644
--- a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5CommandRequestDecoder.java
+++ b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5CommandRequestDecoder.java
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ public class Socks5CommandRequestDecoder extends ReplayingDecoder<State> {
         }
     }
 
-    private void fail(List<Object> out, Throwable cause) {
+    private void fail(List<Object> out, Exception cause) {
         if (!(cause instanceof DecoderException)) {
             cause = new DecoderException(cause);
         }
diff --git a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5CommandResponseDecoder.java b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5CommandResponseDecoder.java
index 82a16162d9..e3ac387623 100644
--- a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5CommandResponseDecoder.java
+++ b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5CommandResponseDecoder.java
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ public class Socks5CommandResponseDecoder extends ReplayingDecoder<State> {
         }
     }
 
-    private void fail(List<Object> out, Throwable cause) {
+    private void fail(List<Object> out, Exception cause) {
         if (!(cause instanceof DecoderException)) {
             cause = new DecoderException(cause);
         }
diff --git a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5InitialRequestDecoder.java b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5InitialRequestDecoder.java
index 0ff9646a46..f9a663a9a0 100644
--- a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5InitialRequestDecoder.java
+++ b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5InitialRequestDecoder.java
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ public class Socks5InitialRequestDecoder extends ReplayingDecoder<State> {
         }
     }
 
-    private void fail(List<Object> out, Throwable cause) {
+    private void fail(List<Object> out, Exception cause) {
         if (!(cause instanceof DecoderException)) {
             cause = new DecoderException(cause);
         }
diff --git a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5InitialResponseDecoder.java b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5InitialResponseDecoder.java
index 9e8d168131..8eb429c634 100644
--- a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5InitialResponseDecoder.java
+++ b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5InitialResponseDecoder.java
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ public class Socks5InitialResponseDecoder extends ReplayingDecoder<State> {
         }
     }
 
-    private void fail(List<Object> out, Throwable cause) {
+    private void fail(List<Object> out, Exception cause) {
         if (!(cause instanceof DecoderException)) {
             cause = new DecoderException(cause);
         }
diff --git a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5PasswordAuthRequestDecoder.java b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5PasswordAuthRequestDecoder.java
index 576c23e078..896c5f5ea3 100644
--- a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5PasswordAuthRequestDecoder.java
+++ b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5PasswordAuthRequestDecoder.java
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ public class Socks5PasswordAuthRequestDecoder extends ReplayingDecoder<State> {
         }
     }
 
-    private void fail(List<Object> out, Throwable cause) {
+    private void fail(List<Object> out, Exception cause) {
         if (!(cause instanceof DecoderException)) {
             cause = new DecoderException(cause);
         }
diff --git a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5PasswordAuthResponseDecoder.java b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5PasswordAuthResponseDecoder.java
index 9c09bf9743..d338bd7009 100644
--- a/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5PasswordAuthResponseDecoder.java
+++ b/codec-socks/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/socksx/v5/Socks5PasswordAuthResponseDecoder.java
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ public class Socks5PasswordAuthResponseDecoder extends ReplayingDecoder<State> {
         }
     }
 
-    private void fail(List<Object> out, Throwable cause) {
+    private void fail(List<Object> out, Exception cause) {
         if (!(cause instanceof DecoderException)) {
             cause = new DecoderException(cause);
         }
diff --git a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/ReplayingDecoder.java b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/ReplayingDecoder.java
index 2e10d1ecdf..3d649437fb 100644
--- a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/ReplayingDecoder.java
+++ b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/ReplayingDecoder.java
@@ -418,7 +418,7 @@ public abstract class ReplayingDecoder<S> extends ByteToMessageDecoder {
             }
         } catch (DecoderException e) {
             throw e;
-        } catch (Throwable cause) {
+        } catch (Exception cause) {
             throw new DecoderException(cause);
         }
     }
diff --git a/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/AbstractSniHandler.java b/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/AbstractSniHandler.java
index 86e7eb25be..44fda4d16e 100644
--- a/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/AbstractSniHandler.java
+++ b/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/AbstractSniHandler.java
@@ -234,8 +234,10 @@ public abstract class AbstractSniHandler<T> extends ByteToMessageDecoder impleme
                             onLookupComplete(ctx, hostname, future);
                         } catch (DecoderException err) {
                             ctx.fireExceptionCaught(err);
-                        } catch (Throwable cause) {
+                        } catch (Exception cause) {
                             ctx.fireExceptionCaught(new DecoderException(cause));
+                        } catch (Throwable cause) {
+                            ctx.fireExceptionCaught(cause);
                         }
                     } finally {
                         if (readPending) {
diff --git a/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/SniHandler.java b/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/SniHandler.java
index ada75ecd7b..cda2bbdce7 100644
--- a/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/SniHandler.java
+++ b/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/SniHandler.java
@@ -100,7 +100,11 @@ public class SniHandler extends AbstractSniHandler<SslContext> {
     protected final void onLookupComplete(ChannelHandlerContext ctx,
                                           String hostname, Future<SslContext> future) throws Exception {
         if (!future.isSuccess()) {
-            throw new DecoderException("failed to get the SslContext for " + hostname, future.cause());
+            final Throwable cause = future.cause();
+            if (cause instanceof Error) {
+                throw (Error) cause;
+            }
+            throw new DecoderException("failed to get the SslContext for " + hostname, cause);
         }
 
         SslContext sslContext = future.getNow();