diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 66ee5a9e..3bb6b7a0 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@
 
 ### Features
 
+- feat(errors): expose `isOwnInstance` to `createCustomError`'s `constructCb` and skip redundant stack captures
+  - `constructCb` now receives a 3rd argument, `isOwnInstance`, which is `true` when the class is the leaf-most type actually being instantiated and `false` when its constructor is only running as a base-class step for a subclass further down an inheritance chain
+  - The internal `Error.captureStackTrace` call is now gated by the same check, so it only fires once per instance (at the leaf-most class) instead of redundantly at every level of a chain
+  - Lets custom error hierarchies with their own per-level stack-capture logic skip that work except at the leaf
+
 ### Bug Fixes
 
 # v0.15.0 May 29th, 2026
diff --git a/lib/src/helpers/customError.ts b/lib/src/helpers/customError.ts
index b9ef350f..d5fd43e5 100644
--- a/lib/src/helpers/customError.ts
+++ b/lib/src/helpers/customError.ts
@@ -53,7 +53,13 @@ function  _setName(baseClass: any, name: string) {
  * @group Error
  * @param name - The name of the Custom Error
  * @param constructCb - [Optional] An optional callback function to call when a
- * new Custom Error instance is being created.
+ * new Custom Error instance is being created. The 3rd argument (since v0.16.0), `isOwnInstance`, is `true`
+ * when this class is the leaf-most (most-derived) type actually being instantiated (eg. `new ThisClass()`),
+ * and `false` when this class's own constructor is only running because it is a base class of some other
+ * custom error further down an inheritance chain (eg. `new SomeSubClass()`, where `SomeSubClass` was created
+ * via `createCustomError(..., ThisClass)`). Use this to skip work - such as your own stack-trace capture -
+ * that only the leaf-most instance actually needs, since a base class's own construction step runs (and
+ * would otherwise redo that work) for every instance of every one of its subclasses too.
  * @param errorBase - [Optional] (since v0.9.6) The error class to extend for this class, defaults to Error.
  * @param superArgsFn - [Optional] (since v0.13.0) An optional function that receives the constructor arguments and
  * returns the arguments to pass to the base class constructor. When not provided all constructor
@@ -151,16 +157,20 @@ function  _setName(baseClass: any, name: string) {
 /*#__NO_SIDE_EFFECTS__*/
 export function createCustomError<T extends ErrorConstructor = CustomErrorConstructor, B extends ErrorConstructor = ErrorConstructor>(
     name: string,
-    constructCb?: ((self: any, args: IArguments) => void) | null,
+    constructCb?: ((self: any, args: IArguments, isOwnInstance?: boolean) => void) | null,
     errorBase?: B,
     superArgsFn?: ((args: IArguments) => ArrayLike<any>) | null): T {
 
     let theBaseClass = errorBase || Error;
     let orgName = theBaseClass[PROTOTYPE][NAME];
     let captureFn = Error.captureStackTrace;
-    return _createCustomError<T>(name, function (this: any) {
+    return _createCustomError<T>(name, function _ctor(this: any) {
         let _this = this;
         let theArgs = arguments;
+        // this[CONSTRUCTOR] always resolves (via the prototype chain) to the leaf-most class
+        // actually being instantiated, so comparing it against ourselves tells us whether we're
+        // that leaf class or just being invoked as a base class for a child further down the chain
+        let isOwnInstance = _this[CONSTRUCTOR] === _ctor;
         try {
             safe(_setName, [theBaseClass, name]);
             let _self = fnApply(theBaseClass, _this, superArgsFn ? superArgsFn(theArgs) : ArrSlice[CALL](theArgs)) || _this;
@@ -172,12 +182,14 @@ export function createCustomError<T extends ErrorConstructor = CustomErrorConstr
                 }
             }
 
-            // Make sure we only capture our stack details
-            captureFn && captureFn(_self, _this[CONSTRUCTOR]);
-    
+            // Only capture the stack once, at the leaf-most class being instantiated - the
+            // constructorOpt target is always the same leaf class, so capturing at every level
+            // of a base class chain would just repeat the same work
+            isOwnInstance && captureFn && captureFn(_self, _this[CONSTRUCTOR]);
+
             // Run the provided construction function
-            constructCb && constructCb(_self, theArgs);
-    
+            constructCb && constructCb(_self, theArgs, isOwnInstance);
+
             return _self;
         } finally {
             safe(_setName, [theBaseClass, orgName]);
diff --git a/lib/test/src/common/helpers/throw.test.ts b/lib/test/src/common/helpers/throw.test.ts
index 0239c3e9..6ec0a224 100644
--- a/lib/test/src/common/helpers/throw.test.ts
+++ b/lib/test/src/common/helpers/throw.test.ts
@@ -7,11 +7,14 @@
  */
 
 import { assert } from "@nevware21/tripwire-chai";
+import * as sinon from "sinon";
 import { isError, objToString } from "../../../../src/helpers/base";
 import { createCustomError, CustomErrorConstructor, throwUnsupported } from "../../../../src/helpers/customError";
 import { dumpObj } from "../../../../src/helpers/diagnostics";
 import { throwError, throwTypeError } from "../../../../src/helpers/throw";
 
+const _hasCaptureStackTrace = !!(Error as any).captureStackTrace;
+
 
 function _expectThrow<T extends Error = Error>(cb: () => never, message: string): T {
     try {
@@ -380,5 +383,77 @@ describe("throw helpers", () => {
             assert.equal(err.message, "hello", "Message is set correctly");
         });
     });
+
+    describe("createCustomError internal stack capture optimization", () => {
+        it("captures the stack only once for a multi-level chain", () => {
+            if (!_hasCaptureStackTrace) {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            let captureSpy = sinon.spy(Error as any, "captureStackTrace");
+            try {
+                let Level1 = createCustomError("Level1CaptureTest");
+                let Level2 = createCustomError("Level2CaptureTest", null, Level1);
+                let Level3 = createCustomError("Level3CaptureTest", null, Level2);
+
+                captureSpy.resetHistory();
+                let err = new (Level3 as any)("boom");
+                assert.ok(isError(err), "isError returns true");
+                assert.equal(captureSpy.callCount, 1, "Expected exactly one automatic capture, for the leaf-most class");
+            } finally {
+                captureSpy.restore();
+            }
+        });
+    });
+
+    describe("createCustomError constructCb isOwnInstance argument", () => {
+        it("is true when the class is instantiated directly with no base chain", () => {
+            let seen: (boolean | undefined)[] = [];
+            let MyError = createCustomError("IsOwnInstanceDirectTest", (self, args, isOwnInstance) => {
+                seen.push(isOwnInstance);
+            });
+
+            new (MyError as any)("boom");
+            assert.deepEqual(seen, [true], "constructCb should see isOwnInstance === true");
+        });
+
+        it("is false for base classes and true only for the leaf-most class in a chain", () => {
+            let calls: { name: string; isOwnInstance: boolean | undefined }[] = [];
+
+            let Level1 = createCustomError("IsOwnInstanceLevel1Test", (self, args, isOwnInstance) => {
+                calls.push({ name: "Level1", isOwnInstance });
+            });
+            let Level2 = createCustomError("IsOwnInstanceLevel2Test", (self, args, isOwnInstance) => {
+                calls.push({ name: "Level2", isOwnInstance });
+            }, Level1);
+            let Level3 = createCustomError("IsOwnInstanceLevel3Test", (self, args, isOwnInstance) => {
+                calls.push({ name: "Level3", isOwnInstance });
+            }, Level2);
+
+            let err = new (Level3 as any)("boom");
+            assert.ok(isError(err), "isError returns true");
+
+            assert.equal(calls.length, 3, "Every level's constructCb should still run");
+            assert.equal(calls[0].name, "Level1", "Level1's own constructCb runs first (innermost base call)");
+            assert.equal(calls[0].isOwnInstance, false, "Level1 is only running as a base class here");
+            assert.equal(calls[1].name, "Level2");
+            assert.equal(calls[1].isOwnInstance, false, "Level2 is only running as a base class here");
+            assert.equal(calls[2].name, "Level3");
+            assert.equal(calls[2].isOwnInstance, true, "Level3 is the leaf-most class actually being instantiated");
+        });
+
+        it("the same base class sees isOwnInstance true when instantiated directly and false when used as a base", () => {
+            let baseCalls: (boolean | undefined)[] = [];
+            let Base = createCustomError("IsOwnInstanceBaseTest", (self, args, isOwnInstance) => {
+                baseCalls.push(isOwnInstance);
+            });
+            let Leaf = createCustomError("IsOwnInstanceLeafTest", null, Base);
+
+            new (Base as any)("direct");
+            new (Leaf as any)("via-subclass");
+
+            assert.deepEqual(baseCalls, [ true, false ], "Base sees true when it's the leaf, false when acting as a base class for Leaf");
+        });
+    });
 });