diff --git a/include/sdbusplus/exception.hpp b/include/sdbusplus/exception.hpp
index 90e735e..65f85c1 100644
--- a/include/sdbusplus/exception.hpp
+++ b/include/sdbusplus/exception.hpp
@@ -22,6 +22,12 @@
     virtual int get_errno() const noexcept;
 };
 
+/** base exception class for all errors created by the sdbus++ generator */
+struct generated_exception : public exception
+{
+    int get_errno() const noexcept override;
+};
+
 /** base exception class for all errors generated by sdbusplus itself. */
 struct internal_exception : public exception
 {};
diff --git a/src/exception.cpp b/src/exception.cpp
index 640454a..4fa5135 100644
--- a/src/exception.cpp
+++ b/src/exception.cpp
@@ -19,6 +19,11 @@
     return EIO;
 }
 
+int generated_exception::get_errno() const noexcept
+{
+    return EIO;
+}
+
 SdBusError::SdBusError(int error, const char* prefix, SdBusInterface* intf) :
     error(SD_BUS_ERROR_NULL), intf(intf)
 {
diff --git a/tools/sdbusplus/templates/error.hpp.mako b/tools/sdbusplus/templates/error.hpp.mako
index a64eac0..8ef5da3 100644
--- a/tools/sdbusplus/templates/error.hpp.mako
+++ b/tools/sdbusplus/templates/error.hpp.mako
@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@
 {
 
     % for e in error.errors:
-struct ${e.name} final : public sdbusplus::exception_t
+struct ${e.name} final :
+        public sdbusplus::exception::generated_exception
 {
     static constexpr auto errName = "${error.name}.Error.${e.name}";
     static constexpr auto errDesc =