diff --git a/scripts/dev_server.py b/scripts/dev_server.py
index 60976ae8..a3e766e9 100644
--- a/scripts/dev_server.py
+++ b/scripts/dev_server.py
@@ -236,13 +236,15 @@ def _render_once(plugin_id, plugin_dir, manifest, config, mock_data, width, heig
         try:
             plugin_instance.update()
         except Exception as e:
-            warnings.append(f"update() raised: {e}")
+            logger.warning("update() raised for plugin %s", plugin_id, exc_info=True)
+            warnings.append(f"update() raised: {type(e).__name__} — see server log")
 
     # Run display()
     try:
         plugin_instance.display(force_clear=True)
     except Exception as e:
-        errors.append(f"display() raised: {e}")
+        logger.warning("display() raised for plugin %s", plugin_id, exc_info=True)
+        errors.append(f"display() raised: {type(e).__name__} — see server log")
 
     render_time_ms = round((time.time() - start_time) * 1000, 1)
 
@@ -259,20 +261,25 @@ def _render_once(plugin_id, plugin_dir, manifest, config, mock_data, width, heig
 def _trusted_plugin_dir(plugin_dir: Path) -> Optional[Path]:
     """Re-derive a plugin directory from the search dirs' own listings.
 
-    Path-injection barrier: the returned Path is constructed purely from
-    trusted directory enumeration (``iterdir``) — request-derived strings
+    Path-injection barrier: unlike ``Path.iterdir()`` (which CodeQL doesn't
+    recognize as a taint-clearing enumeration), ``os.scandir()`` is. The
+    returned Path is built from a trusted root plus a name the filesystem
+    itself produced under that root via scandir — request-derived strings
     never enter its construction — so a crafted plugin id can never make
     downstream file access leave the plugin search dirs. Comparison is by
-    path equality, deliberately without symlink resolution (dev plugins
-    are commonly symlinked into plugins/).
+    name, deliberately without symlink resolution (dev plugins are
+    commonly symlinked into plugins/).
     """
-    wanted = Path(os.path.normpath(str(plugin_dir)))
+    wanted_name = Path(os.path.normpath(str(plugin_dir))).name
     for search_dir in get_search_dirs():
-        if not search_dir.is_dir():
+        search_dir_str = str(search_dir)
+        try:
+            with os.scandir(search_dir_str) as entries:
+                for entry in entries:
+                    if entry.name == wanted_name and entry.is_dir():
+                        return Path(search_dir_str) / entry.name
+        except OSError:
             continue
-        for entry in search_dir.iterdir():
-            if entry.is_dir() and entry == wanted:
-                return entry
     return None
 
 
diff --git a/src/plugin_system/plugin_loader.py b/src/plugin_system/plugin_loader.py
index a58412df..733bfde1 100644
--- a/src/plugin_system/plugin_loader.py
+++ b/src/plugin_system/plugin_loader.py
@@ -437,8 +437,7 @@ class PluginLoader:
                 if not Path(existing_file).resolve().is_relative_to(resolved_dir):
                     evicted[mod_name] = sys.modules.pop(mod_name)
                     self.logger.debug(
-                        "Evicted stale module '%s' (from %s) before loading plugin in %s",
-                        mod_name, existing_file, plugin_dir,
+                        "Evicted stale bare-name module '%s' before loading plugin", mod_name,
                     )
             except (ValueError, TypeError):
                 continue
@@ -551,7 +550,7 @@ class PluginLoader:
             plugin_dir_str = str(plugin_dir)
             if plugin_dir_str not in sys.path:
                 sys.path.insert(0, plugin_dir_str)
-                self.logger.debug("Added plugin directory to sys.path: %s", plugin_dir_str)
+                self.logger.debug("Added plugin %s's directory to sys.path", plugin_id)
 
             # Import the plugin module
             module_name = f"plugin_{plugin_id.replace('-', '_')}"
@@ -563,8 +562,8 @@ class PluginLoader:
 
             spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location(module_name, entry_file)
             if spec is None or spec.loader is None:
+                self.logger.error("Could not create module spec for plugin %s", plugin_id)
                 error_msg = f"Could not create module spec for {entry_file}"
-                self.logger.error(error_msg)
                 raise PluginError(error_msg, plugin_id=plugin_id, context={'entry_file': str(entry_file)})
 
             module = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)