diff --git a/.changeset/fresh-guests-knock.md b/.changeset/fresh-guests-knock.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..19db1582ae4e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fresh-guests-knock.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@sveltejs/kit': minor
+---
+
+feat: add helper to identify `ActionFailure` objects
diff --git a/packages/kit/src/exports/index.js b/packages/kit/src/exports/index.js
index 32fb827dc629..5454a2e15e31 100644
--- a/packages/kit/src/exports/index.js
+++ b/packages/kit/src/exports/index.js
@@ -190,3 +190,12 @@ export function fail(status, data) {
 	// @ts-expect-error unique symbol missing
 	return new ActionFailure(status, data);
 }
+
+/**
+ * Checks whether this is an action failure thrown by {@link fail}.
+ * @param {unknown} e The object to check.
+ * @return {e is import('./public.js').ActionFailure}
+ */
+export function isActionFailure(e) {
+	return e instanceof ActionFailure;
+}
diff --git a/packages/kit/types/index.d.ts b/packages/kit/types/index.d.ts
index c943a2bc7179..237b3e3ff57e 100644
--- a/packages/kit/types/index.d.ts
+++ b/packages/kit/types/index.d.ts
@@ -1826,6 +1826,11 @@ declare module '@sveltejs/kit' {
 	 * @param data Data associated with the failure (e.g. validation errors)
 	 * */
 	export function fail<T extends Record<string, unknown> | undefined = undefined>(status: number, data: T): ActionFailure<T>;
+	/**
+	 * Checks whether this is an action failure thrown by {@link fail}.
+	 * @param e The object to check.
+	 * */
+	export function isActionFailure(e: unknown): e is ActionFailure<undefined>;
 	export type LessThan<TNumber extends number, TArray extends any[] = []> = TNumber extends TArray['length'] ? TArray[number] : LessThan<TNumber, [...TArray, TArray['length']]>;
 	export type NumericRange<TStart extends number, TEnd extends number> = Exclude<TEnd | LessThan<TEnd>, LessThan<TStart>>;
 	export const VERSION: string;