diff --git a/docs/ADVANCED_FEATURES.md b/docs/ADVANCED_FEATURES.md
index f01d79e5..b7c266d7 100644
--- a/docs/ADVANCED_FEATURES.md
+++ b/docs/ADVANCED_FEATURES.md
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ JSON is optional.
 | `target_fps` | `125` | Target frame rate |
 | `buffer_ahead` | `2` | Number of plugins buffered ahead |
 
-This table is a subset — `display.vegas_scroll` supports 29 keys in
+This table is a subset — `display.vegas_scroll` supports 30 keys in
 total. See the full list in
 [CONFIG_REFERENCE.md](CONFIG_REFERENCE.md#displayvegas_scroll--continuous-scroll-mode).
 
diff --git a/docs/PLUGIN_API_REFERENCE.md b/docs/PLUGIN_API_REFERENCE.md
index a8036f27..4045c50b 100644
--- a/docs/PLUGIN_API_REFERENCE.md
+++ b/docs/PLUGIN_API_REFERENCE.md
@@ -201,8 +201,10 @@ def get_vegas_priority_weight(self):
 
 The weight is per *plugin*, not per game: a scoreboard showing four live games
 still occupies one slot at a time and rotates its own games within it. Values
-are clamped to 1–10 by the caller, and an exception here is caught and
-treated as weight 1 rather than breaking the rotation.
+are clamped to 1–10 by the caller. An exception here is caught and logged, and
+the core then falls back to its own live-content check — so a plugin whose
+weight calculation is broken still gets `live_weight` for a game that really
+is live, rather than being demoted to 1.
 
 Only consulted when the user has set `vegas_scroll.live_in_ticker`. With the
 default (`false`) live content preempts Vegas entirely and there is no ticker
diff --git a/src/plugin_system/base_plugin.py b/src/plugin_system/base_plugin.py
index bd51f820..dbe14a49 100644
--- a/src/plugin_system/base_plugin.py
+++ b/src/plugin_system/base_plugin.py
@@ -587,6 +587,10 @@ class BasePlugin(ABC):
         within that slot; this controls how often the plugin itself comes
         round.
 
+        Raising is safe: the core logs it and falls back to its own
+        live-content check, so a broken weight calculation costs the plugin
+        the favorite distinction but not the live boost.
+
         Returns:
             Slots per cycle (clamped to 1..10 by the caller), or None to
             defer to the core's own live-content weighting.
diff --git a/src/vegas_mode/config.py b/src/vegas_mode/config.py
index 415908fb..f1039f5b 100644
--- a/src/vegas_mode/config.py
+++ b/src/vegas_mode/config.py
@@ -236,6 +236,9 @@ class VegasModeConfig:
             'lead_in_width': self.lead_in_width,
             'plugins_per_cycle': self.plugins_per_cycle,
             'max_plugin_width_ratio': self.max_plugin_width_ratio,
+            'live_in_ticker': self.live_in_ticker,
+            'live_weight': self.live_weight,
+            'favorite_live_weight': self.favorite_live_weight,
             'overflow_mode': self.overflow_mode,
             'plugin_order': self.plugin_order,
             'excluded_plugins': list(self.excluded_plugins),
@@ -403,6 +406,15 @@ class VegasModeConfig:
 
         if 'enabled' in vegas_config:
             self.enabled = vegas_config['enabled']
+        if 'live_in_ticker' in vegas_config:
+            self.live_in_ticker = bool(vegas_config['live_in_ticker'])
+        # Clamped exactly as from_config does: a weight below 1 would drop the
+        # plugin from the rotation, and a huge one starves everything else.
+        if 'live_weight' in vegas_config:
+            self.live_weight = max(1, min(10, int(vegas_config['live_weight'])))
+        if 'favorite_live_weight' in vegas_config:
+            self.favorite_live_weight = max(
+                1, min(10, int(vegas_config['favorite_live_weight'])))
         if 'scroll_speed' in vegas_config:
             self.scroll_speed = float(vegas_config['scroll_speed'])
         if 'separator_width' in vegas_config:
diff --git a/src/vegas_mode/stream_manager.py b/src/vegas_mode/stream_manager.py
index 87c8e6d0..080aa9ec 100644
--- a/src/vegas_mode/stream_manager.py
+++ b/src/vegas_mode/stream_manager.py
@@ -441,6 +441,11 @@ class StreamManager:
                 if declared is not None:
                     return max(1, min(10, int(declared)))
         except Exception:
+            # Deliberately falls through to the core's own live check rather
+            # than demoting to 1. The plugin's weight calculation is broken,
+            # but has_live_priority() and has_live_content() are separate
+            # methods guarded separately below -- a plugin that genuinely has
+            # a live game should still get live_weight for it.
             logger.exception("[%s] get_vegas_priority_weight() failed", plugin_id)
 
         try:
diff --git a/test/test_vegas_live_weighting.py b/test/test_vegas_live_weighting.py
index 3c4dac49..73fe4b26 100644
--- a/test/test_vegas_live_weighting.py
+++ b/test/test_vegas_live_weighting.py
@@ -23,23 +23,33 @@ from src.vegas_mode.stream_manager import StreamManager
 
 
 class FakePlugin:
-    def __init__(self, live=False, declared=None, raises=False):
+    """A plugin that can fail in each place independently.
+
+    hook_raises and live_raises are separate because they mean different
+    things: a broken weight calculation should still leave the core's own
+    live-content check usable, while a plugin that cannot answer whether it is
+    live at all has nothing left to fall back on.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, live=False, declared=None, raises=False,
+                 hook_raises=False, live_raises=False):
         self._live = live
         self._declared = declared
-        self._raises = raises
+        self._hook_raises = hook_raises or raises
+        self._live_raises = live_raises or raises
         self.enabled = True
 
     def has_live_priority(self):
-        if self._raises:
-            raise RuntimeError("plugin blew up")
+        if self._live_raises:
+            raise RuntimeError("cannot say whether I am live")
         return self._live
 
     def has_live_content(self):
         return self._live
 
     def get_vegas_priority_weight(self):
-        if self._raises:
-            raise RuntimeError("plugin blew up")
+        if self._hook_raises:
+            raise RuntimeError("weight calculation blew up")
         return self._declared
 
 
@@ -91,10 +101,29 @@ class TestWeightsComeFromTheRightPlace:
         assert sm._plugin_weight('a') == 10
         assert sm._plugin_weight('b') == 1
 
-    def test_a_plugin_that_raises_does_not_break_the_rotation(self):
+    def test_a_plugin_that_raises_everywhere_weighs_one(self):
         sm = _manager({'bad': FakePlugin(raises=True)})
         assert sm._plugin_weight('bad') == 1
 
+    def test_a_broken_hook_still_earns_the_live_boost(self):
+        # The hook is only how a plugin asks for *more* than live_weight.
+        # Losing it should cost the favorite distinction, not the live boost:
+        # has_live_priority/has_live_content are separate and still work.
+        sm = _manager({'mlb': FakePlugin(live=True, hook_raises=True)},
+                      live_weight=4)
+        assert sm._plugin_weight('mlb') == 4
+
+    def test_a_broken_hook_on_a_quiet_plugin_weighs_one(self):
+        sm = _manager({'clock': FakePlugin(live=False, hook_raises=True)},
+                      live_weight=4)
+        assert sm._plugin_weight('clock') == 1
+
+    def test_a_plugin_that_cannot_say_whether_it_is_live_weighs_one(self):
+        # Nothing left to fall back on, so no boost.
+        sm = _manager({'mlb': FakePlugin(live=True, live_raises=True)},
+                      live_weight=4)
+        assert sm._plugin_weight('mlb') == 1
+
     def test_an_unknown_plugin_weighs_one(self):
         assert _manager({})._plugin_weight('ghost') == 1