fix(public): distinguish unavailable data from empty results and missing pages

src/app/(site)/guilds/[id]/forum/[threadId]/page.tsx

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { getTranslations } from "next-intl/server";
 import type { CSSProperties } from "react";
 import { replyToThread } from "@/actions/social";
 import Link from "@/components/link";
+import { PublicLoadError } from "@/components/public/load-error";
 import { ContentCard, EmptyState } from "@/components/public/ui";
 import { auth } from "@/lib/auth";
 import {
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@ import {
 	User,
 } from "@/lib/db";
 import { formatDate } from "@/lib/format-date";
+import { publicReadFailure } from "@/lib/services/public-read";
 
 type SearchParams = Promise<{ replied?: string; error?: string }>;
 
@@ -60,6 +62,8 @@ export default async function GuildForumThreadPage({
 		pinned: number | null;
 		openerId: number | null;
 	} | null = null;
+	let postsFailed = false;
+	let authorsFailed = false;
 	let posts: {
 		id: number;
 		userId: number;
@@ -96,9 +100,15 @@ export default async function GuildForumThreadPage({
 		]);
 		guild = guildRow;
 		thread = threadRow;
-	} catch {
-		guild = null;
-		thread = null;
+	} catch (error) {
+		publicReadFailure("guild.thread")(error);
+		return (
+			<main className="page-grid">
+				<ContentCard>
+					<PublicLoadError href={`/guilds/${guildId}/forum/${threadId}`} />
+				</ContentCard>
+			</main>
+		);
 	}
 
 	if (!guild || !thread) notFound();
@@ -122,7 +132,9 @@ export default async function GuildForumThreadPage({
 				asc(GuildsForumsComments.createdAt),
 				asc(GuildsForumsComments.id),
 			);
-	} catch {
+	} catch (error) {
+		publicReadFailure("guild.posts")(error);
+		postsFailed = true;
 		posts = [];
 	}
 
@@ -137,7 +149,9 @@ export default async function GuildForumThreadPage({
 					.from(User)
 					.where(inArray(User.id, authorIds))
 			: [];
-	} catch {
+	} catch (error) {
+		publicReadFailure("guild.post-authors")(error);
+		authorsFailed = true;
 		users = [];
 	}
 	const usernameById = new Map(users.map((u) => [u.id, u.username]));
@@ -195,10 +209,17 @@ export default async function GuildForumThreadPage({
 			<ContentCard
 				icon="📝"
 				title={t("postsTitle")}
-				subtitle={t("postsSubtitle", { count: posts.length })}
-				padded={posts.length === 0}
+				subtitle={
+					postsFailed ? undefined : t("postsSubtitle", { count: posts.length })
+				}
+				padded={posts.length === 0 || authorsFailed}
 			>
-				{posts.length === 0 ? (
+				{authorsFailed && (
+					<PublicLoadError href={`/guilds/${guild.id}/forum/${thread.id}`} />
+				)}
+				{postsFailed ? (
+					<PublicLoadError href={`/guilds/${guild.id}/forum/${thread.id}`} />
+				) : posts.length === 0 ? (
 					<EmptyState icon="📝">{t("postsEmpty")}</EmptyState>
 				) : (
 					<ul

src/app/(site)/guilds/[id]/forum/page.tsx

@@ -3,9 +3,11 @@ import { notFound } from "next/navigation";
 import { getTranslations } from "next-intl/server";
 import type { CSSProperties } from "react";
 import Link from "@/components/link";
+import { PublicLoadError } from "@/components/public/load-error";
 import { ContentCard, EmptyState } from "@/components/public/ui";
 import { db, Guilds, GuildsForumsThreads, User } from "@/lib/db";
 import { formatDate } from "@/lib/format-date";
+import { publicReadFailure } from "@/lib/services/public-read";
 
 type SearchParams = Promise<{ posted?: string }>;
 
@@ -49,7 +51,7 @@ export default async function GuildForumPage({
 	const guildId = Number(id);
 	if (!Number.isInteger(guildId) || guildId <= 0) notFound();
 
-	// Guild header (read-only). A DB hiccup degrades to notFound rather than 500.
+	// Missing guilds and unavailable guild data have distinct outcomes.
 	let guild: { id: number; name: string; badge: string } | null = null;
 	try {
 		const [row] = await db
@@ -62,13 +64,22 @@ export default async function GuildForumPage({
 			.where(eq(Guilds.id, guildId))
 			.limit(1);
 		guild = row ?? null;
-	} catch {
-		guild = null;
+	} catch (error) {
+		publicReadFailure("guild.forum")(error);
+		return (
+			<main className="page-grid">
+				<ContentCard>
+					<PublicLoadError href={`/guilds/${guildId}/forum`} />
+				</ContentCard>
+			</main>
+		);
 	}
 
 	if (!guild) notFound();
 
 	// Threads for this guild. Pinned first, then most-recently active.
+	let threadsFailed = false;
+	let authorsFailed = false;
 	let threads: ThreadRow[] = [];
 	try {
 		threads = await db
@@ -95,7 +106,9 @@ export default async function GuildForumPage({
 				desc(GuildsForumsThreads.id),
 			)
 			.limit(100);
-	} catch {
+	} catch (error) {
+		publicReadFailure("guild.threads")(error);
+		threadsFailed = true;
 		threads = [];
 	}
 
@@ -113,7 +126,9 @@ export default async function GuildForumPage({
 					.from(User)
 					.where(inArray(User.id, openerIds))
 			: [];
-	} catch {
+	} catch (error) {
+		publicReadFailure("guild.thread-authors")(error);
+		authorsFailed = true;
 		users = [];
 	}
 
@@ -134,7 +149,11 @@ export default async function GuildForumPage({
 			<ContentCard
 				icon="🗣️"
 				title={t("forumTitle", { guild: guild.name || t("unnamedGuild") })}
-				subtitle={`${threads.length} ${threads.length === 1 ? t("threadSingular") : t("threadPlural")}`}
+				subtitle={
+					threadsFailed
+						? undefined
+						: `${threads.length} ${threads.length === 1 ? t("threadSingular") : t("threadPlural")}`
+				}
 				action={
 					<Link
 						href={`/guilds/${guild.id}/forum/new`}
@@ -145,8 +164,13 @@ export default async function GuildForumPage({
 				}
 			/>
 
-			<ContentCard padded={threads.length === 0}>
-				{threads.length === 0 ? (
+			<ContentCard padded={threads.length === 0 || authorsFailed}>
+				{authorsFailed && (
+					<PublicLoadError href={`/guilds/${guild.id}/forum`} />
+				)}
+				{threadsFailed ? (
+					<PublicLoadError href={`/guilds/${guild.id}/forum`} />
+				) : threads.length === 0 ? (
 					<EmptyState icon="🗣️">{t("empty")}</EmptyState>
 				) : (
 					<table>

src/app/(site)/guilds/[id]/page.tsx

@@ -2,10 +2,12 @@ import { asc, eq, inArray } from "drizzle-orm";
 import { notFound } from "next/navigation";
 import { getTranslations } from "next-intl/server";
 import Link from "@/components/link";
+import { PublicLoadError } from "@/components/public/load-error";
 import { ContentCard, EmptyState, StatBlock } from "@/components/public/ui";
 import { UserAvatarThumbnail } from "@/components/shared/user-avatar-thumbnail";
 import { db, Guilds, GuildsMembers, User } from "@/lib/db";
 import { formatDate } from "@/lib/format-date";
+import { publicReadFailure } from "@/lib/services/public-read";
 
 type GuildView = {
 	id: number;
@@ -50,14 +52,22 @@ export default async function GuildPage({
 			.where(eq(Guilds.id, guildId))
 			.limit(1);
 		guild = row ?? null;
-	} catch {
-		guild = null;
+	} catch (error) {
+		publicReadFailure("guild.detail")(error);
+		return (
+			<main className="page-grid">
+				<ContentCard>
+					<PublicLoadError href={`/guilds/${guildId}`} />
+				</ContentCard>
+			</main>
+		);
 	}
 
 	if (!guild) notFound();
 
 	// Members come from guilds_members; there is no relation in the schema, so we
 	// join the users table manually by id.
+	let membersFailed = false;
 	let memberRows: { userId: number; memberSince: number }[] = [];
 	try {
 		memberRows = await db
@@ -69,7 +79,9 @@ export default async function GuildPage({
 			.where(eq(GuildsMembers.guildId, guild.id))
 			.orderBy(asc(GuildsMembers.memberSince))
 			.limit(200);
-	} catch {
+	} catch (error) {
+		publicReadFailure("guild.members")(error);
+		membersFailed = true;
 		memberRows = [];
 	}
 
@@ -93,7 +105,9 @@ export default async function GuildPage({
 					.from(User)
 					.where(inArray(User.id, memberIds))
 			: [];
-	} catch {
+	} catch (error) {
+		publicReadFailure("guild.member-users")(error);
+		membersFailed = true;
 		users = [];
 	}
 
@@ -159,7 +173,7 @@ export default async function GuildPage({
 				<div className="stat-grid" style={{ marginTop: "1.1rem" }}>
 					<StatBlock
 						icon="👥"
-						value={members.length}
+						value={membersFailed ? "—" : members.length}
 						label={
 							members.length === 1 ? t("memberSingular") : t("memberPlural")
 						}
@@ -185,11 +199,18 @@ export default async function GuildPage({
 			<ContentCard
 				icon="👥"
 				title={t("membersTitle")}
-				subtitle={`${members.length} ${members.length === 1 ? t("memberLowerSingular") : t("memberLowerPlural")}`}
-				padded={members.length === 0}
+				subtitle={
+					membersFailed
+						? undefined
+						: `${members.length} ${members.length === 1 ? t("memberLowerSingular") : t("memberLowerPlural")}`
+				}
+				padded={members.length === 0 || membersFailed}
 			>
+				{membersFailed && <PublicLoadError href={`/guilds/${guild.id}`} />}
 				{members.length === 0 ? (
-					<EmptyState icon="👥">{t("noMembers")}</EmptyState>
+					membersFailed ? null : (
+						<EmptyState icon="👥">{t("noMembers")}</EmptyState>
+					)
 				) : (
 					<div className="card-grid sm-2 lg-3" style={{ padding: "1rem" }}>
 						{members.map((m) => (

src/app/(site)/guilds/page.tsx

@@ -2,9 +2,11 @@ import { desc } from "drizzle-orm";
 import type { Metadata } from "next";
 import { getTranslations } from "next-intl/server";
 import Link from "@/components/link";
+import { PublicLoadError } from "@/components/public/load-error";
 import { ContentCard, EmptyState } from "@/components/public/ui";
 import { db, Guilds } from "@/lib/db";
 import { excerpt } from "@/lib/format";
+import { publicReadFailure } from "@/lib/services/public-read";
 
 export async function generateMetadata(): Promise<Metadata> {
 	const t = await getTranslations("pages.guilds");
@@ -26,7 +28,7 @@ type GuildCard = {
 	badge: string;
 };
 
-async function getGuilds(): Promise<GuildCard[]> {
+async function getGuilds(): Promise<GuildCard[] | null> {
 	try {
 		return await db
 			.select({
@@ -38,8 +40,8 @@ async function getGuilds(): Promise<GuildCard[]> {
 			.from(Guilds)
 			.orderBy(desc(Guilds.id))
 			.limit(40);
-	} catch {
-		return [];
+	} catch (error) {
+		return publicReadFailure("guilds")(error);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -51,8 +53,10 @@ export default async function GuildsPage() {
 		<main className="page-grid">
 			<ContentCard icon="🚪" title={t("title")} subtitle={t("subtitle")} />
 
-			<ContentCard padded={guilds.length === 0}>
-				{guilds.length === 0 ? (
+			<ContentCard padded={!guilds?.length}>
+				{guilds === null ? (
+					<PublicLoadError href="/guilds" />
+				) : guilds.length === 0 ? (
 					<EmptyState icon="🚪">{t("empty")}</EmptyState>
 				) : (
 					<div className="card-grid sm-2 lg-3" style={{ padding: "1rem" }}>

src/app/(site)/me/page.tsx

@@ -267,7 +267,11 @@ export default async function MePage({
 						actionLabel={t("allFriends")}
 						bodyClassName="p-5"
 					>
-						{onlineFriends.length === 0 ? (
+						{data.friendsUnavailable ? (
+							<p role="status" className="muted">
+								{t("loadError")}
+							</p>
+						) : onlineFriends.length === 0 ? (
 							<p className="muted">{t("noOnlineFriends")}</p>
 						) : (
 							<div className={styles.friends}>
@@ -324,13 +328,22 @@ export default async function MePage({
 							{[
 								{
 									label: t("achievements"),
-									value: format.number(userSettings?.achievementScore ?? 0),
+									value: data.userSettingsUnavailable
+										? "—"
+										: format.number(userSettings?.achievementScore ?? 0),
 								},
 								{
 									label: t("respects"),
-									value: format.number(userSettings?.respectsReceived ?? 0),
+									value: data.userSettingsUnavailable
+										? "—"
+										: format.number(userSettings?.respectsReceived ?? 0),
+								},
+								{
+									label: t("friends"),
+									value: data.friendsUnavailable
+										? "—"
+										: format.number(friendCount),
 								},
-								{ label: t("friends"), value: format.number(friendCount) },
 								{ label: t("lastLogin"), value: date(user.lastLogin) },
 							].map((stat) => (
 								<div key={stat.label}>
@@ -400,7 +413,11 @@ export default async function MePage({
 						</details>
 					</SurfaceCard>
 					<SurfaceCard title={t("badges")} bodyClassName="p-5">
-						{badges.length === 0 ? (
+						{data.badgesUnavailable ? (
+							<p role="status" className="muted">
+								{t("loadError")}
+							</p>
+						) : badges.length === 0 ? (
 							<p className="muted">{t("noBadges")}</p>
 						) : (
 							<div className={styles.badges}>

src/app/(site)/page.tsx

@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ import { headers } from "next/headers";
 import Image from "next/image";
 import { redirect } from "next/navigation";
 import { getTranslations } from "next-intl/server";
+import { PublicLoadError } from "@/components/public/load-error";
+import { publicReadFailure } from "@/lib/services/public-read";
 
 export const metadata: Metadata = {
 	title: "Home",
@@ -53,34 +55,36 @@ async function getHotelData() {
 					.from(User)
 					.where(eq(User.online, "1"))
 					.then((rows) => rows[0]?.total ?? 0),
-			).catch(() => 0),
+			).catch(publicReadFailure("home.online")),
 			cached("total_users", 300_000, () =>
 				db
 					.select({ total: count() })
 					.from(User)
 					.then((rows) => rows[0]?.total ?? 0),
-			).catch(() => 0),
+			).catch(publicReadFailure("home.users")),
 			cached("total_rooms", 300_000, () =>
 				db
 					.select({ total: count() })
 					.from(Rooms)
 					.then((rows) => rows[0]?.total ?? 0),
-			).catch(() => 0),
-			getNewsList(4),
+			).catch(publicReadFailure("home.rooms")),
+			getNewsList(4, { throwOnError: true }).catch(
+				publicReadFailure("home.news"),
+			),
 			cached("home_online_users", 15_000, () =>
 				db
 					.select({ username: User.username, look: User.look })
 					.from(User)
 					.where(eq(User.online, "1"))
 					.limit(12),
-			).catch(() => []),
+			).catch(publicReadFailure("home.recent-users")),
 			cached("home_recent_photos", 60_000, () =>
 				db
 					.select({ id: CameraWeb.id, url: CameraWeb.url })
 					.from(CameraWeb)
 					.orderBy(desc(CameraWeb.timestamp))
 					.limit(4),
-			).catch(() => []),
+			).catch(publicReadFailure("home.photos")),
 		]);
 
 	return {
@@ -100,6 +104,7 @@ export default async function Home() {
 	if (session?.user?.id) redirect("/me");
 
 	const tp = await getTranslations("pages.home");
+	const te = await getTranslations("publicData");
 	const th = await getTranslations("header");
 	const {
 		hotelName,
@@ -251,7 +256,11 @@ export default async function Home() {
 								<span className="animate-ping absolute inline-flex h-full w-full rounded-full bg-primary opacity-75" />
 								<span className="relative inline-flex rounded-full h-2 w-2 bg-primary" />
 							</span>
-							<LiveOnlineCount initial={online} hotelName={hotelName} />
+							{online === null ? (
+								<span>{te("unavailable")}</span>
+							) : (
+								<LiveOnlineCount initial={online} hotelName={hotelName} />
+							)}
 						</div>
 						<h1
 							className="text-2xl font-black leading-[1.05] tracking-tight mb-2 sm:text-3xl md:text-5xl lg:text-6xl"
@@ -368,7 +377,7 @@ export default async function Home() {
 							live: true,
 						},
 						{
-							value: articles.length,
+							value: articles?.length ?? null,
 							label: tp("statsArticles"),
 							icon: "/assets/images/icons/article.gif",
 							live: false,
@@ -379,7 +388,9 @@ export default async function Home() {
 							className="relative p-3 sm:p-5 text-center transition-all duration-300 hover:-translate-y-1 hover:shadow-lg"
 						>
 							<div className="mb-0.5 text-2xl sm:text-3xl font-black tracking-tight md:text-4xl">
-								{s.live ? (
+								{s.value === null ? (
+									<span className="text-base">{te("unavailable")}</span>
+								) : s.live ? (
 									<LiveOnlineCounter initial={s.value} />
 								) : (
 									<AnimatedCounter value={s.value} />
@@ -415,36 +426,42 @@ export default async function Home() {
 						/>
 					</SurfaceCard>
 
-					{recentUsers.length > 0 && (
-						<SurfaceCard
-							title={tp("recentUsers")}
-							icon="/assets/images/icons/navigation/goody.png"
-							actionHref="/community"
-							actionLabel={tp("allUsers")}
-							bodyClassName="p-3.5 sm:p-4"
-						>
-							<div className="grid grid-cols-4 gap-1.5 sm:gap-2">
-								{recentUsers.map((u) => (
-									<div
-										key={u.username}
-										className="flex flex-col items-center gap-0.5 rounded-lg px-1 py-1.5 transition-colors hover:bg-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--color-primary)_5%,transparent)]"
-									>
-										<UserAvatarThumbnail
-											figure={u.look}
-											alt={u.username}
-											options={{ direction: 2 }}
-											className="rounded-md"
-										/>
-										<span
-											className="max-w-[64px] truncate text-center text-[9px] sm:text-[10px] font-bold leading-tight"
-											style={{ color: "var(--color-text-readable)" }}
-										>
-											{u.username}
-										</span>
-									</div>
-								))}
-							</div>
+					{recentUsers === null ? (
+						<SurfaceCard title={tp("recentUsers")} bodyClassName="p-4">
+							<PublicLoadError href="/" />
 						</SurfaceCard>
+					) : (
+						recentUsers.length > 0 && (
+							<SurfaceCard
+								title={tp("recentUsers")}
+								icon="/assets/images/icons/navigation/goody.png"
+								actionHref="/community"
+								actionLabel={tp("allUsers")}
+								bodyClassName="p-3.5 sm:p-4"
+							>
+								<div className="grid grid-cols-4 gap-1.5 sm:gap-2">
+									{recentUsers.map((u) => (
+										<div
+											key={u.username}
+											className="flex flex-col items-center gap-0.5 rounded-lg px-1 py-1.5 transition-colors hover:bg-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--color-primary)_5%,transparent)]"
+										>
+											<UserAvatarThumbnail
+												figure={u.look}
+												alt={u.username}
+												options={{ direction: 2 }}
+												className="rounded-md"
+											/>
+											<span
+												className="max-w-[64px] truncate text-center text-[9px] sm:text-[10px] font-bold leading-tight"
+												style={{ color: "var(--color-text-readable)" }}
+											>
+												{u.username}
+											</span>
+										</div>
+									))}
+								</div>
+							</SurfaceCard>
+						)
 					)}
 				</Reveal>
 
@@ -456,7 +473,9 @@ export default async function Home() {
 						actionHref="/news"
 						actionLabel={tp("allNews")}
 					>
-						{articles.length > 0 ? (
+						{articles === null ? (
+							<PublicLoadError href="/" />
+						) : articles.length > 0 ? (
 							<div className="grid grid-cols-1 gap-3 sm:grid-cols-2 sm:gap-4">
 								{articles.slice(0, 4).map((a) => (
 									<Link
@@ -517,36 +536,42 @@ export default async function Home() {
 			</div>
 
 			{/* ── Recent photos ── */}
-			{recentPhotos.length > 0 && (
-				<Reveal>
-					<SurfaceCard
-						title={tp("recentPhotos")}
-						icon="/assets/images/icons/camera.png"
-					>
-						<div className="mx-auto grid max-w-md grid-cols-4 gap-2">
-							{recentPhotos.slice(0, 4).map((p) => (
-								<Link
-									key={p.id}
-									href="/photos"
-									className="block aspect-square overflow-hidden rounded-xl border transition-all duration-200 hover:shadow-md hover:scale-[1.02]"
-									style={{
-										borderColor:
-											"color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-text-muted) 8%, transparent)",
-									}}
-								>
-									<Image
-										src={p.url}
-										alt=""
-										width={200}
-										height={200}
-										className="h-full w-full object-cover"
-										unoptimized
-									/>
-								</Link>
-							))}
-						</div>
-					</SurfaceCard>
-				</Reveal>
+			{recentPhotos === null ? (
+				<SurfaceCard title={tp("recentPhotos")} bodyClassName="p-4">
+					<PublicLoadError href="/" />
+				</SurfaceCard>
+			) : (
+				recentPhotos.length > 0 && (
+					<Reveal>
+						<SurfaceCard
+							title={tp("recentPhotos")}
+							icon="/assets/images/icons/camera.png"
+						>
+							<div className="mx-auto grid max-w-md grid-cols-4 gap-2">
+								{recentPhotos.slice(0, 4).map((p) => (
+									<Link
+										key={p.id}
+										href="/photos"
+										className="block aspect-square overflow-hidden rounded-xl border transition-all duration-200 hover:shadow-md hover:scale-[1.02]"
+										style={{
+											borderColor:
+												"color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-text-muted) 8%, transparent)",
+										}}
+									>
+										<Image
+											src={p.url}
+											alt=""
+											width={200}
+											height={200}
+											className="h-full w-full object-cover"
+											unoptimized
+										/>
+									</Link>
+								))}
+							</div>
+						</SurfaceCard>
+					</Reveal>
+				)
 			)}
 		</div>
 	);

src/app/(site)/photos/page.tsx

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { desc } from "drizzle-orm";
 import type { Metadata } from "next";
 import { getTranslations } from "next-intl/server";
+import { PublicLoadError } from "@/components/public/load-error";
 import {
 	type LightboxPhoto,
 	PhotoLightbox,
@@ -9,6 +10,7 @@ import { ContentCard, EmptyState } from "@/components/public/ui";
 import { cached } from "@/lib/cache";
 import { CameraWeb, db } from "@/lib/db";
 import { formatDate } from "@/lib/format-date";
+import { publicReadFailure } from "@/lib/services/public-read";
 
 export async function generateMetadata(): Promise<Metadata> {
 	const t = await getTranslations("pages.photos");
@@ -34,18 +36,18 @@ type Photo = {
 export default async function PhotosPage() {
 	const t = await getTranslations("pages.photos");
 
-	let photos: Photo[] = [];
+	let photos: Photo[] | null = [];
 	try {
 		photos = await cached("photos:grid", 60_000, async () =>
 			db.select().from(CameraWeb).orderBy(desc(CameraWeb.timestamp)).limit(48),
 		);
-	} catch {
-		photos = [];
+	} catch (error) {
+		photos = publicReadFailure("photos")(error);
 	}
 
 	// Pre-shape for the client lightbox: translate captions server-side so the
 	// client component stays free of i18n/db dependencies.
-	const items: LightboxPhoto[] = photos.map((p) => ({
+	const items: LightboxPhoto[] = (photos ?? []).map((p) => ({
 		id: String(p.id),
 		url: p.url,
 		alt: t("photoAlt", { id: p.userId }),
@@ -58,7 +60,9 @@ export default async function PhotosPage() {
 			<ContentCard icon="📸" title={t("title")} subtitle={t("subtitle")} />
 
 			<ContentCard padded={items.length === 0}>
-				{items.length === 0 ? (
+				{photos === null ? (
+					<PublicLoadError href="/photos" />
+				) : items.length === 0 ? (
 					<EmptyState icon="📸">{t("noPhotos")}</EmptyState>
 				) : (
 					<PhotoLightbox photos={items} />

src/app/(site)/rankings/page.tsx

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { desc } from "drizzle-orm";
 import type { Metadata } from "next";
 import { getTranslations } from "next-intl/server";
 import Link from "@/components/link";
+import { PublicLoadError } from "@/components/public/load-error";
 import {
 	ContentCard,
 	EmptyState,
@@ -12,6 +13,7 @@ import { CurrencyIcon } from "@/components/shared/currency-icon";
 import { UserAvatarThumbnail } from "@/components/shared/user-avatar-thumbnail";
 import { cached } from "@/lib/cache";
 import { db, User } from "@/lib/db";
+import { publicReadFailure } from "@/lib/services/public-read";
 
 export async function generateMetadata(): Promise<Metadata> {
 	const t = await getTranslations("pages.rankings");
@@ -36,7 +38,7 @@ type TopUser = {
 
 export default async function RankingsPage() {
 	const t = await getTranslations("pages.rankings");
-	let users: TopUser[] = [];
+	let users: TopUser[] | null = [];
 	try {
 		users = await cached("rankings:top", 60_000, async () =>
 			db
@@ -51,16 +53,18 @@ export default async function RankingsPage() {
 				.orderBy(desc(User.credits))
 				.limit(12),
 		);
-	} catch {
-		users = [];
+	} catch (error) {
+		users = publicReadFailure("rankings")(error);
 	}
 
 	return (
 		<main className="page-grid">
 			<ContentCard icon="🏆" title={t("title")} subtitle={t("subtitle")} />
 
-			<ContentCard padded={users.length === 0}>
-				{users.length === 0 ? (
+			<ContentCard padded={!users?.length}>
+				{users === null ? (
+					<PublicLoadError href="/rankings" />
+				) : users.length === 0 ? (
 					<EmptyState icon="🏆">{t("emptyState")}</EmptyState>
 				) : (
 					<div className="card-grid sm-2 lg-3" style={{ padding: "1rem" }}>

src/app/(site)/staff/page.tsx

@@ -2,10 +2,12 @@ import { asc, desc, eq, gte } from "drizzle-orm";
 import type { Metadata } from "next";
 import { getTranslations } from "next-intl/server";
 import Link from "@/components/link";
+import { PublicLoadError } from "@/components/public/load-error";
 import { ProfileImage } from "@/components/shared/profile-image";
 import { SurfaceCard } from "@/components/surface-card";
 import { db, User, WebsiteTeams } from "@/lib/db";
 import { avatarImageUrl } from "@/lib/format";
+import { publicReadFailure } from "@/lib/services/public-read";
 import { siteSettings } from "@/lib/services/site-settings";
 import styles from "./staff.module.css";
 
@@ -22,21 +24,6 @@ export async function generateMetadata(): Promise<Metadata> {
 	};
 }
 
-type StaffMember = {
-	username: string;
-	look: string;
-	rank: number;
-	motto: string;
-};
-
-type Team = {
-	id: string;
-	rankName: string;
-	badge: string | null;
-	jobDescription: string | null;
-	staffColor: string;
-};
-
 export default async function StaffPage() {
 	const t = await getTranslations("pages.staff");
 	const minStaffRank =
@@ -55,7 +42,7 @@ export default async function StaffPage() {
 			.where(gte(User.rank, minStaffRank))
 			.orderBy(desc(User.rank), asc(User.username))
 			.limit(100)
-			.catch((): StaffMember[] | null => null),
+			.catch(publicReadFailure("staff.members")),
 		db
 			.select({
 				id: WebsiteTeams.id,
@@ -68,7 +55,7 @@ export default async function StaffPage() {
 			.where(eq(WebsiteTeams.hiddenRank, false))
 			.orderBy(asc(WebsiteTeams.id))
 			.then((rows) => rows.map((row) => ({ ...row, id: String(row.id) })))
-			.catch((): Team[] => []),
+			.catch(publicReadFailure("staff.teams")),
 	]);
 
 	return (
@@ -131,32 +118,38 @@ export default async function StaffPage() {
 					</ul>
 				)}
 			</section>
-			{teams.length > 0 && (
-				<section aria-labelledby="staff-teams">
-					<h2 id="staff-teams" className={styles.heading}>
-						{t("ranksTitle")}
-					</h2>
-					<p className={styles.subtitle}>{t("ranksSubtitle")}</p>
-					<ul className={styles.grid}>
-						{teams.map((team) => (
-							<li key={team.id}>
-								<SurfaceCard className={styles.team}>
-									<span
-										className={styles.accent}
-										style={{
-											backgroundColor: /^#[0-9a-f]{6}$/i.test(team.staffColor)
-												? team.staffColor
-												: "var(--color-primary)",
-										}}
-										aria-hidden="true"
-									/>
-									<h3>{team.rankName}</h3>
-									{team.jobDescription && <p>{team.jobDescription}</p>}
-								</SurfaceCard>
-							</li>
-						))}
-					</ul>
-				</section>
+			{teams === null ? (
+				<SurfaceCard className={styles.notice}>
+					<PublicLoadError href="/staff" />
+				</SurfaceCard>
+			) : (
+				teams.length > 0 && (
+					<section aria-labelledby="staff-teams">
+						<h2 id="staff-teams" className={styles.heading}>
+							{t("ranksTitle")}
+						</h2>
+						<p className={styles.subtitle}>{t("ranksSubtitle")}</p>
+						<ul className={styles.grid}>
+							{teams.map((team) => (
+								<li key={team.id}>
+									<SurfaceCard className={styles.team}>
+										<span
+											className={styles.accent}
+											style={{
+												backgroundColor: /^#[0-9a-f]{6}$/i.test(team.staffColor)
+													? team.staffColor
+													: "var(--color-primary)",
+											}}
+											aria-hidden="true"
+										/>
+										<h3>{team.rankName}</h3>
+										{team.jobDescription && <p>{team.jobDescription}</p>}
+									</SurfaceCard>
+								</li>
+							))}
+						</ul>
+					</section>
+				)
 			)}
 		</main>
 	);

src/components/public/load-error.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+"use client";
+import { useTranslations } from "next-intl";
+
+export function PublicLoadError({ href }: { href: string }) {
+	const t = useTranslations("publicData");
+	return (
+		<div role="alert" className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-3">
+			<p>{t("loadError")}</p>
+			<a href={href} className="btn btn-outline">
+				{t("retry")}
+			</a>
+		</div>
+	);
+}

src/lib/public-pages-errors.test.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,239 @@
+import { createTranslator, NextIntlClientProvider } from "next-intl";
+import { renderToStaticMarkup } from "react-dom/server";
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import GuildThread from "@/app/(site)/guilds/[id]/forum/[threadId]/page";
+import GuildForum from "@/app/(site)/guilds/[id]/forum/page";
+import GuildDetail from "@/app/(site)/guilds/[id]/page";
+import messages from "@/messages/en.json";
+
+const state = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+	fail: new Set<string>(),
+	rows: {} as Record<string, unknown[]>,
+	log: vi.fn(),
+}));
+vi.mock("next/navigation", () => ({
+	notFound: () => {
+		throw Error("NOT_FOUND");
+	},
+}));
+vi.mock("@/lib/auth", () => ({ auth: async () => null }));
+vi.mock("@/actions/social", () => ({ replyToThread: async () => {} }));
+vi.mock("@/lib/logger", () => ({ logger: { error: state.log } }));
+vi.mock("@/lib/cache", () => ({
+	cached: (_key: string, _ttl: number, load: () => unknown) => load(),
+}));
+vi.mock("@/lib/services/site-settings", () => ({
+	siteSettings: { get: async () => "7" },
+}));
+vi.mock("next-intl/server", () => ({
+	getTranslations: async (
+		namespace:
+			| "pages.staff"
+			| "pages.rankings"
+			| "pages.photos"
+			| "pages.guilds"
+			| "pages.guild"
+			| "pages.guildForum"
+			| "pages.guildForumThread",
+	) => createTranslator({ locale: "en", messages, namespace }),
+}));
+vi.mock("@/components/shared/profile-image", () => ({
+	ProfileImage: () => null,
+}));
+vi.mock("@/components/shared/user-avatar-thumbnail", () => ({
+	UserAvatarThumbnail: () => null,
+}));
+vi.mock("@/components/public/photo-lightbox", () => ({
+	PhotoLightbox: () => null,
+}));
+vi.mock("@/lib/db", async () => {
+	const schema = await import("@/db/schema");
+	const { getTableName } = await import("drizzle-orm");
+	return {
+		...schema,
+		db: {
+			select: () => {
+				let name = "";
+				const load = async () => {
+					if (state.fail.has(name)) throw Error("fixture unavailable");
+					if (state.rows[name]) return state.rows[name];
+					return name === "users"
+						? [
+								{
+									username: "Available member",
+									look: "",
+									rank: 7,
+									motto: "Hello",
+									credits: 100,
+									online: "1",
+								},
+							]
+						: [];
+				};
+				const query = {
+					from: (table: Parameters<typeof getTableName>[0]) => {
+						name = getTableName(table);
+						return query;
+					},
+					where: () => query,
+					orderBy: () => query,
+					limit: () => query,
+					// biome-ignore lint/suspicious/noThenProperty: models Drizzle lazy query execution
+					then: (...args: Parameters<ReturnType<typeof load>["then"]>) =>
+						load().then(...args),
+					catch: (...args: Parameters<ReturnType<typeof load>["catch"]>) =>
+						load().catch(...args),
+				};
+				return query;
+			},
+		},
+	};
+});
+
+import Guilds from "@/app/(site)/guilds/page";
+import Photos from "@/app/(site)/photos/page";
+import Rankings from "@/app/(site)/rankings/page";
+import Staff from "@/app/(site)/staff/page";
+import { publicReadFailure } from "@/lib/services/public-read";
+
+const copy = {
+	loadError: "Section unavailable",
+	retry: "Retry",
+	unavailable: "Unavailable",
+};
+async function render(page: () => Promise<React.ReactNode>) {
+	return renderToStaticMarkup(
+		<NextIntlClientProvider
+			locale="en"
+			messages={{ ...messages, publicData: copy }}
+		>
+			{await page()}
+		</NextIntlClientProvider>,
+	);
+}
+describe("public page read failures", () => {
+	beforeEach(() => {
+		state.fail.clear();
+		state.rows = {};
+		state.log.mockClear();
+	});
+	it.each([
+		[Rankings, "users"],
+		[Photos, "camera_web"],
+		[Guilds, "guilds"],
+	] as const)(
+		"shows failure and retry instead of empty results",
+		async (page, table) => {
+			state.fail.add(table);
+			const html = await render(page);
+			expect(html).toContain('role="alert"');
+			expect(html).toContain("Section unavailable");
+			expect(html).toContain("Retry");
+			expect(state.log).toHaveBeenCalled();
+		},
+	);
+	it.each([Photos, Guilds])(
+		"keeps genuine empty results distinct",
+		async (page) => {
+			const html = await render(page);
+			expect(html).not.toContain('role="alert"');
+			expect(state.log).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+		},
+	);
+	it("preserves staff members when team metadata fails", async () => {
+		state.fail.add("website_teams");
+		const html = await render(Staff);
+		expect(html).toContain("Available member");
+		expect(html).toContain("Section unavailable");
+		expect(state.log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+			expect.any(String),
+			expect.objectContaining({ section: "staff.teams" }),
+		);
+	});
+	it("returns null and logs section context without changing successful values", async () => {
+		const fail = publicReadFailure("home.news");
+		const error = Error("unavailable");
+		expect(await Promise.reject(error).catch(fail)).toBeNull();
+		expect(await Promise.resolve([]).catch(fail)).toEqual([]);
+		expect(await Promise.resolve(0).catch(fail)).toBe(0);
+		expect(state.log).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+	});
+});
+
+const detailPages = [
+	() => GuildDetail({ params: Promise.resolve({ id: "1" }) }),
+	() =>
+		GuildForum({
+			params: Promise.resolve({ id: "1" }),
+			searchParams: Promise.resolve({}),
+		}),
+	() =>
+		GuildThread({
+			params: Promise.resolve({ id: "1", threadId: "2" }),
+			searchParams: Promise.resolve({}),
+		}),
+];
+describe("guild detail failures", () => {
+	beforeEach(() => {
+		state.fail.clear();
+		state.log.mockClear();
+		state.rows = {
+			guilds: [
+				{
+					id: 1,
+					name: "Available guild",
+					description: "Community",
+					badge: "",
+					userId: 7,
+					dateCreated: 1000,
+				},
+			],
+			guilds_forums_threads: [
+				{
+					id: 2,
+					subject: "Available thread",
+					locked: 0,
+					pinned: 0,
+					openerId: 7,
+					postsCount: 1,
+					createdAt: 1000,
+					updatedAt: 1000,
+				},
+			],
+			guilds_forums_comments: [
+				{ id: 3, userId: 7, message: "Available post", createdAt: 1000 },
+			],
+		};
+	});
+	it.each(detailPages)(
+		"shows database failures without claiming a missing guild",
+		async (page) => {
+			state.fail.add("guilds");
+			const html = await render(page);
+			expect(html).toContain("Section unavailable");
+		},
+	);
+	it.each(detailPages)("keeps real missing guilds as 404", async (page) => {
+		state.rows.guilds = [];
+		await expect(render(page)).rejects.toThrow("NOT_FOUND");
+	});
+	it("keeps guild metadata when members fail and avoids a false zero", async () => {
+		state.fail.add("guilds_members");
+		const html = await render(detailPages[0]);
+		expect(html).toContain("Available guild");
+		expect(html).toContain("Section unavailable");
+		expect(html).toContain("—");
+	});
+	it("keeps forum threads when author names fail", async () => {
+		state.fail.add("users");
+		const html = await render(detailPages[1]);
+		expect(html).toContain("Available thread");
+		expect(html).toContain("Section unavailable");
+	});
+	it("keeps the thread header when posts fail", async () => {
+		state.fail.add("guilds_forums_comments");
+		const html = await render(detailPages[2]);
+		expect(html).toContain("Available thread");
+		expect(html).toContain("Section unavailable");
+	});
+});

src/lib/services/news-list.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import { beforeEach, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+const state = vi.hoisted(() => ({ fail: false }));
+vi.mock("@/lib/logger", () => ({ logger: { error: vi.fn() } }));
+vi.mock("@/lib/services/news-cache", () => ({
+	cacheNews: async () => {
+		if (state.fail) throw Error("unavailable");
+		return [];
+	},
+}));
+vi.mock("@/lib/db", async () => ({ ...(await import("@/db/schema")), db: {} }));
+
+import { getNewsList } from "./news-list";
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+	state.fail = false;
+});
+it("preserves an empty successful list in strict mode", async () => {
+	expect(await getNewsList(4, { throwOnError: true })).toEqual([]);
+});
+it("lets the homepage distinguish a failed news section", async () => {
+	state.fail = true;
+	await expect(getNewsList(4, { throwOnError: true })).rejects.toThrow(
+		"unavailable",
+	);
+});
+it("preserves the legacy fallback for other callers", async () => {
+	state.fail = true;
+	expect(await getNewsList(4)).toEqual([]);
+});

src/lib/services/news-list.ts

@@ -26,12 +26,15 @@ const CACHE_KEY = "news_list";
 const FETCH_LIMIT = 30;
 
 /**
- * Shared, cached news list used by both the homepage and the news archive so
+ * Shared, cached news preview list used by the homepage and other widgets so
  * a single "news_list" cache entry serves both routes. Returns at most
  * `limit` rows with `createdAt` normalized to a Date (the cache round-trip
  * serializes timestamps to ISO strings).
  */
-export async function getNewsList(limit: number): Promise<NewsListItem[]> {
+export async function getNewsList(
+	limit: number,
+	options: { throwOnError?: boolean } = {},
+): Promise<NewsListItem[]> {
 	try {
 		const rows = await cacheNews<NewsListRow[]>(CACHE_KEY, TTL_MS, () =>
 			db
@@ -62,6 +65,7 @@ export async function getNewsList(limit: number): Promise<NewsListItem[]> {
 			}))
 			.slice(0, limit);
 	} catch (error) {
+		if (options.throwOnError) throw error;
 		logger.error("Public news query failed", { module: "news", error });
 		return [];
 	}

src/lib/services/user-dashboard.test.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
 const state = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+	fail: false,
 	friends: [] as { id: number; username: string; online: string }[],
 }));
 vi.mock("@/lib/hotel-name", () => ({ resolveHotelName: async () => "Hotel" }));
@@ -30,7 +31,8 @@ vi.mock("@/lib/db", async () => {
 					innerJoin: () => chain,
 					orderBy: () => chain,
 					limit: () => chain,
-					catch: () => Promise.resolve(rows),
+					catch: (fallback: () => unknown) =>
+						Promise.resolve(state.fail ? fallback() : rows),
 					// biome-ignore lint/suspicious/noThenProperty: Drizzle query builders are intentionally awaitable.
 					then: (resolve: (value: unknown[]) => unknown) =>
 						Promise.resolve(rows).then(resolve),
@@ -46,6 +48,17 @@ import { loadUserDashboard } from "./user-dashboard";
 describe("dashboard friendships", () => {
 	beforeEach(() => {
 		state.friends = [];
+		state.fail = false;
+	});
+	it("marks unavailable sections instead of presenting them as empty data", async () => {
+		state.fail = true;
+		const data = await loadUserDashboard(1);
+		expect(data).toMatchObject({
+			friendsUnavailable: true,
+			badgesUnavailable: true,
+			userSettingsUnavailable: true,
+			referralsRows: null,
+		});
 	});
 	it("counts each friend once when both directional rows are returned", async () => {
 		const wait = { id: 2, username: "wait", online: "1" };

src/lib/services/user-dashboard.ts

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { publicReadFailure } from "./public-read";
 import "server-only";
 import { and, asc, count, desc, eq, gt, inArray, or } from "drizzle-orm";
 import {
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@ export async function loadUserDashboard(userId: number) {
 			.from(Rooms)
 			.orderBy(desc(Rooms.id))
 			.limit(6)
-			.catch(() => null),
+			.catch(publicReadFailure("dashboard.rooms")),
 		db
 			.select({
 				badgeCode: UsersBadges.badgeCode,
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ export async function loadUserDashboard(userId: number) {
 			.from(UsersBadges)
 			.where(and(eq(UsersBadges.userId, userId), gt(UsersBadges.slotId, 0)))
 			.orderBy(asc(UsersBadges.slotId))
-			.catch(() => []),
+			.catch(publicReadFailure("dashboard.badges")),
 		db
 			.select({
 				achievementScore: UsersSettings.achievementScore,
@@ -83,19 +84,19 @@ export async function loadUserDashboard(userId: number) {
 			.from(UsersSettings)
 			.where(eq(UsersSettings.userId, userId))
 			.limit(1)
-			.catch(() => []),
+			.catch(publicReadFailure("dashboard.settings")),
 		db
 			.select({ value: count() })
 			.from(MessengerOffline)
 			.where(eq(MessengerOffline.userId, userId))
-			.catch(() => null),
+			.catch(publicReadFailure("dashboard.unread")),
 		db
 			.select({ referralsTotal: UserReferrals.referralsTotal })
 			.from(UserReferrals)
 			.where(eq(UserReferrals.userId, userId))
 			.orderBy(desc(UserReferrals.id))
 			.limit(1)
-			.catch(() => []),
+			.catch(publicReadFailure("dashboard.referrals")),
 		db
 			.select({
 				id: User.id,
@@ -124,7 +125,7 @@ export async function loadUserDashboard(userId: number) {
 					eq(MessengerFriendships.userTwoId, userId),
 				),
 			)
-			.catch(() => []),
+			.catch(publicReadFailure("dashboard.friends")),
 		db
 			.select({ type: UsersCurrency.type, amount: UsersCurrency.amount })
 			.from(UsersCurrency)
@@ -134,13 +135,13 @@ export async function loadUserDashboard(userId: number) {
 					inArray(UsersCurrency.type, [0, 5]),
 				),
 			)
-			.catch(() => null),
+			.catch(publicReadFailure("dashboard.currency")),
 	]);
 
 	// Each friendship can have two directional rows; expose users, not edges.
 	const uniqueFriends = [
 		...new Map(
-			friends
+			(friends ?? [])
 				.filter((friend) => friend.id !== userId)
 				.map((friend) => [friend.id, friend]),
 		).values(),
@@ -155,8 +156,11 @@ export async function loadUserDashboard(userId: number) {
 		currencySettings,
 		alertRaw,
 		recentRooms,
-		badges,
-		userSettingsRows,
+		badges: badges ?? [],
+		badgesUnavailable: badges === null,
+		userSettingsRows: userSettingsRows ?? [],
+		userSettingsUnavailable: userSettingsRows === null,
+		friendsUnavailable: friends === null,
 		friendCountRows: [{ value: uniqueFriends.length }],
 		unreadCountRows,
 		referralsRows,