diff --git a/frontend/src/app/components/address/address-preview.component.ts b/frontend/src/app/components/address/address-preview.component.ts
index 37ee44e2e..c0f6fff81 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/components/address/address-preview.component.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/components/address/address-preview.component.ts
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ export class AddressPreviewComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
                 this.isLoadingAddress = false;
                 this.error = err;
                 console.log(err);
-                this.openGraphService.waitOver('address-data');
+                this.openGraphService.fail('address-data');
                 return of(null);
               })
             );
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ export class AddressPreviewComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
           console.log(error);
           this.error = error;
           this.isLoadingAddress = false;
-          this.openGraphService.waitOver('address-data');
+          this.openGraphService.fail('address-data');
         }
       );
   }
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/components/block/block-preview.component.ts b/frontend/src/app/components/block/block-preview.component.ts
index dd8ca170f..f1c7216e1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/components/block/block-preview.component.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/components/block/block-preview.component.ts
@@ -80,8 +80,8 @@ export class BlockPreviewComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
               }),
               catchError((err) => {
                 this.error = err;
-                this.openGraphService.waitOver('block-data');
-                this.openGraphService.waitOver('block-viz');
+                this.openGraphService.fail('block-data');
+                this.openGraphService.fail('block-viz');
                 return of(null);
               }),
             );
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ export class BlockPreviewComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
         .pipe(
           catchError((err) => {
             this.overviewError = err;
-            this.openGraphService.waitOver('block-viz');
+            this.openGraphService.fail('block-viz');
             return of([]);
           }),
           switchMap((transactions) => {
@@ -136,8 +136,8 @@ export class BlockPreviewComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
     (error) => {
       this.error = error;
       this.isLoadingOverview = false;
-      this.openGraphService.waitOver('block-viz');
-      this.openGraphService.waitOver('block-data');
+      this.openGraphService.fail('block-viz');
+      this.openGraphService.fail('block-data');
       if (this.blockGraph) {
         this.blockGraph.destroy();
       }
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/services/opengraph.service.ts b/frontend/src/app/services/opengraph.service.ts
index 9ed57b9e8..dc62db0f3 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/services/opengraph.service.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/services/opengraph.service.ts
@@ -93,11 +93,18 @@ export class OpenGraphService {
     }
   }
 
+  fail(event) {
+    if (this.previewLoadingEvents[event]) {
+      this.metaService.updateTag({ property: 'og:preview:fail', content: 'fail'});
+    }
+  }
+
   resetLoading() {
     this.previewLoadingEvents = {};
     this.previewLoadingCount = 0;
     this.metaService.removeTag("property='og:preview:loading'");
     this.metaService.removeTag("property='og:preview:ready'");
+    this.metaService.removeTag("property='og:preview:fail'");
     this.metaService.removeTag("property='og:meta:ready'");
   }
 
diff --git a/unfurler/src/index.ts b/unfurler/src/index.ts
index d97bd652d..81edd9325 100644
--- a/unfurler/src/index.ts
+++ b/unfurler/src/index.ts
@@ -102,10 +102,20 @@ class Server {
       }
 
       const waitForReady = await page.$('meta[property="og:preview:loading"]');
+      let success = true;
       if (waitForReady != null) {
-        await page.waitForSelector('meta[property="og:preview:ready"]', { timeout: config.PUPPETEER.RENDER_TIMEOUT || 3000 });
+        success = await Promise.race([
+          page.waitForSelector('meta[property="og:preview:ready"]', { timeout: config.PUPPETEER.RENDER_TIMEOUT || 3000 }).then(() => true),
+          page.waitForSelector('meta[property="og:preview:fail"]', { timeout: config.PUPPETEER.RENDER_TIMEOUT || 3000 }).then(() => false)
+        ])
+      }
+      if (success) {
+        const screenshot = await page.screenshot();
+        return screenshot;
+      } else {
+        console.log(`failed to render page preview for ${action} due to client-side error. probably requested an invalid ID`);
+        page.repairRequested = true;
       }
-      return page.screenshot();
     } catch (e) {
       console.log(`failed to render page for ${action}`, e instanceof Error ? e.message : e);
       page.repairRequested = true;
@@ -118,11 +128,11 @@ class Server {
       const img = await this.cluster?.execute({ url: this.mempoolHost + path, path: path, action: 'screenshot' });
 
       if (!img) {
-        throw new Error('failed to render preview image');
+        res.status(500).send('failed to render page preview');
+      } else {
+        res.contentType('image/png');
+        res.send(img);
       }
-
-      res.contentType('image/png');
-      res.send(img);
     } catch (e) {
       console.log(e);
       res.status(500).send(e instanceof Error ? e.message : e);