diff --git a/tinygrad/viz/js/index.js b/tinygrad/viz/js/index.js
index cba93c1c25..884c52f211 100644
--- a/tinygrad/viz/js/index.js
+++ b/tinygrad/viz/js/index.js
@@ -717,7 +717,7 @@ async function main() {
         const div = d3.create("div").style("background", cycleColors(colorScheme.CATEGORICAL, s.idx)).style("width", "24px").style("height", "100%");
         return [s.label.trim(), div.node()];
       })).node());
-    } else root.appendChild(codeBlock(ret.src, ret.lang));
+    } else root.appendChild(codeBlock(ret.src, ret.lang || "txt"));
     return document.querySelector("#custom").replaceChildren(root);
   }
   // ** UOp view (default)
diff --git a/tinygrad/viz/serve.py b/tinygrad/viz/serve.py
index 7bdef738e1..22a8e1e423 100755
--- a/tinygrad/viz/serve.py
+++ b/tinygrad/viz/serve.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
 import multiprocessing, pickle, difflib, os, threading, json, time, sys, webbrowser, socket, argparse, socketserver, functools, codecs, io, struct
-import subprocess, ctypes, pathlib
+import subprocess, ctypes, pathlib, traceback
 from contextlib import redirect_stdout
 from decimal import Decimal
 from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler
@@ -194,12 +194,21 @@ def mem_layout(dev_events:list[tuple[int, int, float, DevEvent]], start_ts:int,
   return struct.pack("<BIQ", 1, len(events), peak)+b"".join(events) if events else None
 
 def load_sqtt(profile:list[ProfileEvent]) -> None:
-  from extra.sqtt.roc import decode
-  rctx = decode(profile)
-  steps = [{"name":x[0], "depth":0, "data":{"rows":[(e.inst, e.hit, e.lat, e.stall, str(e.typ).split("_")[-1]) for e in x[1].values()],
-                                            "cols":["Instruction", "Hit Count", "Latency", "Stall", "Type"], "summary":[]},
-            "query":f"/render?ctx={len(ctxs)}&step={i}&fmt=counters"} for i,x in enumerate(rctx.wave_events.items())]
-  if steps: ctxs.append({"name":"Counters", "steps":steps})
+  from tinygrad.runtime.ops_amd import ProfileSQTTEvent
+  if not (sqtt_events:=[e for e in profile if isinstance(e, ProfileSQTTEvent)]): return None
+  def err(name:str, msg:str|None=None) -> None:
+    step = {"name":name, "data":{"src":msg or traceback.format_exc()}, "depth":0, "query":f"/render?ctx={len(ctxs)}&step=0&fmt=counters"}
+    return ctxs.append({"name":"Counters", "steps":[step]})
+  try: from extra.sqtt.roc import decode
+  except Exception: return err("DECODER IMPORT ISSUE")
+  try:
+    rctx = decode(profile)
+    steps = [{"name":x[0], "depth":0, "data":{"rows":[(e.inst, e.hit, e.lat, e.stall, str(e.typ).split("_")[-1]) for e in x[1].values()],
+                                              "cols":["Instruction", "Hit Count", "Latency", "Stall", "Type"], "summary":[]},
+              "query":f"/render?ctx={len(ctxs)}&step={i}&fmt=counters"} for i,x in enumerate(rctx.wave_events.items())]
+    if not steps: return err("EMPTY SQTT OUTPUT", f"{len(sqtt_events)} SQTT events recorded, none got decoded")
+  except Exception: return err("DECODER ERROR")
+  ctxs.append({"name":"Counters", "steps":steps})
 
 def get_profile(profile:list[ProfileEvent]) -> bytes|None:
   # start by getting the time diffs
@@ -210,9 +219,7 @@ def get_profile(profile:list[ProfileEvent]) -> bytes|None:
   for device in device_ts_diffs:
     d = device.split(":")[0]
     if d == "AMD": device_decoders[d] = load_sqtt
-  for fxn in device_decoders.values():
-    try: fxn(profile)
-    except Exception: continue
+  for fxn in device_decoders.values(): fxn(profile)
   # map events per device
   dev_events:dict[str, list[tuple[int, int, float, DevEvent]]] = {}
   markers:list[ProfilePointEvent] = []