diff --git a/services/discord-gateway/src/app/bootstrap.ts b/services/discord-gateway/src/app/bootstrap.ts
index f366c32..c01d169 100644
--- a/services/discord-gateway/src/app/bootstrap.ts
+++ b/services/discord-gateway/src/app/bootstrap.ts
@@ -222,7 +222,10 @@ export async function initializeDiscordGateway() {
     await initializeDatabase();
     logger.info("PostgreSQL database initialized");
   } catch (err) {
-    logger.error({ error: err }, "Failed to initialize database");
+    logger.error(
+      { err, errorMsg: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err) },
+      "Failed to initialize database",
+    );
     throw new DatabaseError(
       `Database initialization failed: ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)}`,
     );
@@ -267,7 +270,10 @@ export async function initializeDiscordGateway() {
   });
 
   client.on("error", (err) => {
-    logger.error({ error: err }, "Client error");
+    logger.error(
+      { err, errorMsg: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err) },
+      "Client error",
+    );
   });
 
   process.on("SIGINT", () => {
@@ -298,7 +304,14 @@ export async function initializeDiscordGateway() {
       );
       return;
     }
-    logger.error({ error: err }, "Uncaught exception");
+    logger.error(
+      {
+        err,
+        errorMsg: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err),
+        stack: err?.stack,
+      },
+      "Uncaught exception",
+    );
     gracefulShutdown("uncaughtException");
   });
 
diff --git a/services/discord-gateway/src/goLive/prepareStream.ts b/services/discord-gateway/src/goLive/prepareStream.ts
index a5a4af6..2c490c2 100644
--- a/services/discord-gateway/src/goLive/prepareStream.ts
+++ b/services/discord-gateway/src/goLive/prepareStream.ts
@@ -234,6 +234,10 @@ export function prepareStream(
     }
   }
 
+  // Safety: proc may error before playStream attaches a demux listener on
+  // `output`. A no-op listener here prevents an unhandled 'error' event
+  // on the PassThrough from crashing the gateway on ffmpeg spawn failure.
+  output.on("error", () => {});
   proc.stdout?.pipe(output);
   proc.stderr?.on("data", () => {
     /* swallow ffmpeg stderr */
diff --git a/services/discord-gateway/src/modules/voice-recording/screenShareController.ts b/services/discord-gateway/src/modules/voice-recording/screenShareController.ts
index f12de4e..fa66b43 100644
--- a/services/discord-gateway/src/modules/voice-recording/screenShareController.ts
+++ b/services/discord-gateway/src/modules/voice-recording/screenShareController.ts
@@ -93,11 +93,11 @@ export class ScreenShareController {
           const timer = setTimeout(() => {
             cleanup();
             destroyInput();
-            tee.destroy(
-              new Error(
-                "Screen input produced no data within 12s — merge likely failed",
-              ),
-            );
+            // Listeners were just removed by cleanup() — destroying tee WITH
+            // an error would emit "error" on an unlistened PassThrough and
+            // surface as an unhandled 'error' event (crash). Destroy
+            // silently; the error lives in the rejection only.
+            tee.destroy();
             reject(
               new Error(
                 "Screen input produced no data within 12s — merge likely failed",
@@ -131,6 +131,11 @@ export class ScreenShareController {
           tee.once("end", onEnd);
         });
 
+        // Safety net: cleanup() removes the once() listeners on timeout/error,
+        // but a late error event from input.pipe(tee) can still fire on an
+        // unlistened PassThrough and crash the gateway (unhandled 'error').
+        // A permanent no-op listener guarantees the event is always swallowed.
+        tee.on("error", () => {});
         // Pass the tee onward — the encoder consumes the same buffered
         // stream, so no data from the merge is lost.
         return tee;