diff --git a/cmd/gadfly/main.go b/cmd/gadfly/main.go
index caf41d7..3718c56 100644
--- a/cmd/gadfly/main.go
+++ b/cmd/gadfly/main.go
@@ -233,6 +233,16 @@ func runSpecialists(mdl llm.Model, fsTools *repoFS, base string, specialists []S
 		go func(i int, sp Specialist) {
 			defer wg.Done()
 			defer func() { <-sem }()
+			// A panic in one lens must not crash the whole binary (which would
+			// kill every other lens's output) or leave this lens stuck at
+			// "running" on the status board. Recover, record it as an errored
+			// result, and mark the lens finished so the board can complete.
+			defer func() {
+				if r := recover(); r != nil {
+					results[i] = specialistResult{spec: sp, out: fmt.Sprintf("⚠️ This reviewer panicked: %v", r), verdict: verdictUnknown, errored: true}
+					sw.set(sp.Name, lensFinished, "", true)
+				}
+			}()
 			sw.set(sp.Name, lensRunning, "", false)
 			out, errored := reviewWithSpecialist(mdl, fsTools, base, sp, task, diff)
 			v := parseVerdict(out)
diff --git a/entrypoint.sh b/entrypoint.sh
index f53a670..23649b3 100644
--- a/entrypoint.sh
+++ b/entrypoint.sh
@@ -178,6 +178,14 @@ review_one() {
   PROVIDER=ollama MODEL="$1" GADFLY_BIN="/usr/local/bin/gadfly" GADFLY_REPO_DIR="$REPO_DIR" \
     GADFLY_STATUS_FILE="$sf" \
     bash "${SCRIPTS_DIR}/run.sh" || log "model $1 failed (continuing)"
+  # If the binary never wrote real status (run.sh skipped it: empty diff, no key,
+  # binary missing), the pre-seed stays {started:0, done:false} and the board
+  # would show this model "waiting to start" forever and never reach N/N. Mark
+  # such a never-started file done so the board can complete. The binary stamps a
+  # nonzero `started`, so that reliably distinguishes "ran" from "skipped".
+  if [ -n "$sf" ] && [ -f "$sf" ] && [ "$(jq -r '.started // 0' "$sf" 2>/dev/null)" = "0" ]; then
+    tmp="$(jq '.done = true' "$sf" 2>/dev/null)" && printf '%s' "$tmp" > "$sf"
+  fi
 }
 
 # Normalize the model list (trim, drop blanks) into MODEL_LIST.
diff --git a/scripts/status-board.sh b/scripts/status-board.sh
index 1da535b..f207a1d 100755
--- a/scripts/status-board.sh
+++ b/scripts/status-board.sh
@@ -29,6 +29,11 @@ set -uo pipefail
 : "${GADFLY_STATUS_DIR:?GADFLY_STATUS_DIR required}"
 
 POLL="${GADFLY_STATUS_POLL_SECS:-12}"
+# Guard against a non-numeric poll interval: with `set -uo pipefail` (no set -e)
+# a bad `sleep "$POLL"` would fail silently and the `while :` loop would spin,
+# hammering the Gitea API. Coerce anything non-integer (or <1) back to 12.
+case "$POLL" in ''|*[!0-9]*) POLL=12 ;; esac
+[ "$POLL" -ge 1 ] 2>/dev/null || POLL=12
 DONE_FILE="${GADFLY_STATUS_DIR}/.done"
 MARKER="<!-- gadfly-status-board -->"
 API_TIMEOUT="--connect-timeout 20 --max-time 30"