One embodiment provides a system that facilitates processing of error-condition information associated with a content-centric network (CCN) message transmitted over a network. During operation, the system receives, by a first node, a packet that corresponds to a CCN message, where a name for the CCN message is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier (HSVLI) which comprises contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level. Responsive to determining that the CCN message triggers an error condition, the system generates an interest return message by pre-pending a data structure to the CCN message, where the data structure indicates the error condition. The system transmits the interest return message to a second node.