diff --git a/compiler/apps/playground/components/AccordionWindow.tsx b/compiler/apps/playground/components/AccordionWindow.tsx
index 311bf2590dc0e..a239bb13465eb 100644
--- a/compiler/apps/playground/components/AccordionWindow.tsx
+++ b/compiler/apps/playground/components/AccordionWindow.tsx
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ export default function AccordionWindow(props: {
   tabsOpen: Set<string>;
   setTabsOpen: (newTab: Set<string>) => void;
   changedPasses: Set<string>;
-  isFailure: boolean;
 }): React.ReactElement {
   return (
     <div className="flex-1 min-w-[550px] sm:min-w-0">
@@ -36,7 +35,6 @@ export default function AccordionWindow(props: {
               tabsOpen={props.tabsOpen}
               setTabsOpen={props.setTabsOpen}
               hasChanged={props.changedPasses.has(name)}
-              isFailure={props.isFailure}
             />
           );
         })}
@@ -51,7 +49,6 @@ function AccordionWindowItem({
   tabsOpen,
   setTabsOpen,
   hasChanged,
-  isFailure,
 }: {
   name: string;
   tabs: TabsRecord;
@@ -61,7 +58,7 @@ function AccordionWindowItem({
   isFailure: boolean;
 }): React.ReactElement {
   const id = useId();
-  const isShow = isFailure ? name === 'Output' : tabsOpen.has(name);
+  const isShow = tabsOpen.has(name);
 
   const transitionName = `accordion-window-item-${id}`;
 
diff --git a/compiler/apps/playground/components/Editor/Output.tsx b/compiler/apps/playground/components/Editor/Output.tsx
index 8c22ca35fc977..573ded92fc9ae 100644
--- a/compiler/apps/playground/components/Editor/Output.tsx
+++ b/compiler/apps/playground/components/Editor/Output.tsx
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ import {
   useState,
   Suspense,
   unstable_ViewTransition as ViewTransition,
+  unstable_addTransitionType as addTransitionType,
+  startTransition,
 } from 'react';
 import AccordionWindow from '../AccordionWindow';
 import TabbedWindow from '../TabbedWindow';
@@ -35,6 +37,7 @@ import {BabelFileResult} from '@babel/core';
 import {
   CONFIG_PANEL_TRANSITION,
   TOGGLE_INTERNALS_TRANSITION,
+  EXPAND_ACCORDION_TRANSITION,
 } from '../../lib/transitionTypes';
 import {LRUCache} from 'lru-cache';
 
@@ -265,8 +268,22 @@ function OutputContent({store, compilerOutput}: Props): JSX.Element {
    * Update the active tab back to the output or errors tab when the compilation state
    * changes between success/failure.
    */
-
+  const [previousOutputKind, setPreviousOutputKind] = useState(
+    compilerOutput.kind,
+  );
   const isFailure = compilerOutput.kind !== 'ok';
+
+  if (compilerOutput.kind !== previousOutputKind) {
+    setPreviousOutputKind(compilerOutput.kind);
+    if (isFailure) {
+      startTransition(() => {
+        addTransitionType(EXPAND_ACCORDION_TRANSITION);
+        setTabsOpen(prev => new Set(prev).add('Output'));
+        setActiveTab('Output');
+      });
+    }
+  }
+
   const changedPasses: Set<string> = new Set(['Output', 'HIR']); // Initial and final passes should always be bold
   let lastResult: string = '';
   for (const [passName, results] of compilerOutput.results) {
@@ -295,8 +312,6 @@ function OutputContent({store, compilerOutput}: Props): JSX.Element {
           tabs={tabs}
           activeTab={activeTab}
           onTabChange={setActiveTab}
-          // Display the Output tab on compilation failure
-          activeTabOverride={isFailure ? 'Output' : undefined}
         />
       </ViewTransition>
     );
@@ -315,7 +330,6 @@ function OutputContent({store, compilerOutput}: Props): JSX.Element {
         tabsOpen={tabsOpen}
         tabs={tabs}
         changedPasses={changedPasses}
-        isFailure={isFailure}
       />
     </ViewTransition>
   );
diff --git a/compiler/apps/playground/components/TabbedWindow.tsx b/compiler/apps/playground/components/TabbedWindow.tsx
index ceeb122dd33c5..30b7caa127f09 100644
--- a/compiler/apps/playground/components/TabbedWindow.tsx
+++ b/compiler/apps/playground/components/TabbedWindow.tsx
@@ -17,15 +17,11 @@ export default function TabbedWindow({
   tabs,
   activeTab,
   onTabChange,
-  activeTabOverride,
 }: {
   tabs: Map<string, React.ReactNode>;
   activeTab: string;
   onTabChange: (tab: string) => void;
-  activeTabOverride?: string;
 }): React.ReactElement {
-  const currentActiveTab = activeTabOverride ? activeTabOverride : activeTab;
-
   const id = useId();
   const transitionName = `tab-highlight-${id}`;
 
@@ -41,7 +37,7 @@ export default function TabbedWindow({
       <div className="flex flex-col h-full max-w-full">
         <div className="flex p-2 flex-shrink-0">
           {Array.from(tabs.keys()).map(tab => {
-            const isActive = currentActiveTab === tab;
+            const isActive = activeTab === tab;
             return (
               <button
                 key={tab}
@@ -77,7 +73,7 @@ export default function TabbedWindow({
           })}
         </div>
         <div className="flex-1 overflow-hidden w-full h-full">
-          {tabs.get(currentActiveTab)}
+          {tabs.get(activeTab)}
         </div>
       </div>
     </div>