diff --git a/pkg/generate/code/set_resource.go b/pkg/generate/code/set_resource.go
index 25fc08f7..92649f8f 100644
--- a/pkg/generate/code/set_resource.go
+++ b/pkg/generate/code/set_resource.go
@@ -858,7 +858,7 @@ func requiredFieldGuardContructor(
 	indent := strings.Repeat("\t", indentLevel)
 	out := fmt.Sprintf("%stmp, ok := %s[\"%s\"]\n", indent, sourceVarName, requiredField)
 	out += fmt.Sprintf("%sif !ok {\n", indent)
-	out += fmt.Sprintf("%s\treturn ackerrors.MissingNameIdentifier\n", indent)
+	out += fmt.Sprintf("%s\treturn ackerrors.NewTerminalError(fmt.Errorf(\"required field missing: %s\"))\n", indent, requiredField)
 	out += fmt.Sprintf("%s}\n", indent)
 	return out
 }
diff --git a/pkg/generate/code/set_resource_test.go b/pkg/generate/code/set_resource_test.go
index 01140511..b833ea67 100644
--- a/pkg/generate/code/set_resource_test.go
+++ b/pkg/generate/code/set_resource_test.go
@@ -1802,7 +1802,7 @@ func TestSetResource_EKS_Cluster_PopulateResourceFromAnnotation(t *testing.T) {
 	expected := `
 	tmp, ok := fields["name"]
 	if !ok {
-		return ackerrors.MissingNameIdentifier
+		return ackerrors.NewTerminalError(fmt.Errorf("required field missing: name"))
 	}
 	r.ko.Spec.Name = &tmp
 
@@ -1825,7 +1825,7 @@ func TestSetResource_SageMaker_ModelPackage_PopulateResourceFromAnnotation(t *te
 	expected := `
 	tmp, ok := identifier["arn"]
 	if !ok {
-		return ackerrors.MissingNameIdentifier
+		return ackerrors.NewTerminalError(fmt.Errorf("required field missing: arn"))
 	}
 
 	if r.ko.Status.ACKResourceMetadata == nil {
@@ -1852,7 +1852,7 @@ func TestSetResource_APIGWV2_ApiMapping_PopulateResourceFromAnnotation(t *testin
 	expected := `
 	tmp, ok := fields["apiMappingID"]
 	if !ok {
-		return ackerrors.MissingNameIdentifier
+		return ackerrors.NewTerminalError(fmt.Errorf("required field missing: apiMappingID"))
 	}
 	r.ko.Status.APIMappingID = &tmp