diff --git a/docs/FONT_MANAGER.md b/docs/FONT_MANAGER.md
index 74fab255..e6691dd7 100644
--- a/docs/FONT_MANAGER.md
+++ b/docs/FONT_MANAGER.md
@@ -2,8 +2,10 @@
 
 > **Picking a size automatically:** if you want the *largest font that fits
 > a given area* rather than a fixed size, use the adaptive layout system's
-> font ladders (`self.layout.fit_text(...)`) which resolve through this
-> FontManager — see [ADAPTIVE_LAYOUT.md](ADAPTIVE_LAYOUT.md).
+> font ladders, which resolve through this FontManager. `BasePlugin`
+> subclasses get this as `self.layout.fit_text(...)`; other code can build
+> a `LayoutContext(width, height, font_manager)` directly — see
+> [ADAPTIVE_LAYOUT.md](ADAPTIVE_LAYOUT.md).
 
 ## Overview
 
diff --git a/docs/PLUGIN_DEVELOPMENT_GUIDE.md b/docs/PLUGIN_DEVELOPMENT_GUIDE.md
index bcb637a3..01ef6029 100644
--- a/docs/PLUGIN_DEVELOPMENT_GUIDE.md
+++ b/docs/PLUGIN_DEVELOPMENT_GUIDE.md
@@ -2,10 +2,13 @@
 
 This guide explains how to set up a development workflow for plugins that are maintained in separate Git repositories while still being able to test them within the LEDMatrix project.
 
-> **Rendering guidance:** plugins are expected to read the display size
-> dynamically and lay themselves out for any panel. The adaptive layout
-> system ([ADAPTIVE_LAYOUT.md](ADAPTIVE_LAYOUT.md)) provides the shared
-> helpers for that — fonts, images, and composite layouts that scale.
+> **Rendering guidance:** plugins should read the display size dynamically
+> (`self.display_manager.matrix.width/height`) rather than hardcoding one
+> panel. For plugins that want to *scale* their layout to any panel, the
+> opt-in adaptive layout system ([ADAPTIVE_LAYOUT.md](ADAPTIVE_LAYOUT.md))
+> provides the shared helpers — fonts, images, and composite layouts that
+> scale. Existing plugins keep their classic rendering unless they adopt
+> those APIs; nothing migrates automatically.
 
 ## Overview
 
diff --git a/scripts/dev_server.py b/scripts/dev_server.py
index 105f42a8..86195533 100644
--- a/scripts/dev_server.py
+++ b/scripts/dev_server.py
@@ -276,14 +276,20 @@ def api_render():
 
     try:
         plugin_dir, manifest, config, mock_data, skip_update = _parse_render_request(data)
-    except LookupError as e:
-        return jsonify({'error': str(e)}), 404
+    except LookupError:
+        return jsonify({'error': f"Plugin not found: {data['plugin_id']}"}), 404
+    except Exception:
+        # Bad manifest.json / schema / fixture — details go to the dev's
+        # console, not the HTTP response
+        app.logger.exception('render request preparation failed')
+        return jsonify({'error': 'Could not prepare render request; see server log'}), 400
 
     try:
         result = _render_once(data['plugin_id'], plugin_dir, manifest, config,
                               mock_data, width, height, skip_update)
-    except Exception as e:
-        return jsonify({'error': f'Failed to load plugin: {e}'}), 500
+    except Exception:
+        app.logger.exception('plugin load failed during render')
+        return jsonify({'error': 'Failed to load plugin; see server log'}), 500
     return jsonify(result)
 
 
@@ -321,18 +327,22 @@ def api_render_matrix():
 
     try:
         plugin_dir, manifest, config, mock_data, skip_update = _parse_render_request(data)
-    except LookupError as e:
-        return jsonify({'error': str(e)}), 404
+    except LookupError:
+        return jsonify({'error': f"Plugin not found: {data['plugin_id']}"}), 404
+    except Exception:
+        app.logger.exception('render request preparation failed')
+        return jsonify({'error': 'Could not prepare render request; see server log'}), 400
 
     results = []
     for w, h in parsed_sizes:
         try:
             results.append(_render_once(data['plugin_id'], plugin_dir, manifest,
                                         config, mock_data, w, h, skip_update))
-        except Exception as e:
+        except Exception:
+            app.logger.exception('plugin load failed during %dx%d render', w, h)
             results.append({'image': None, 'width': w, 'height': h,
                             'render_time_ms': 0,
-                            'errors': [f'Failed to load plugin: {e}'],
+                            'errors': ['Failed to load plugin; see server log'],
                             'warnings': []})
     return jsonify({'results': results})