@@ -154,21 +154,21 @@
     ((> *api-process-request-count* 20) ;; 20)
      (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "WARNING: api:execute-requests received an overloaded message.")
      (set! *server-overloaded* #t)
      (vector #f (vector #f 'overloaded))) ;; the inner vector is what gets returned. nope, don't know why. please refactor!
     (else  
-     (let* ((cmd-in            (vector-ref dat 0))
+     (let* ((cmd-in            (common:safe-vector-ref dat 0 'nocmd))
             (cmd               (if (symbol? cmd-in)
 				   cmd-in
 				   (string->symbol cmd-in)))
-            (params            (vector-ref dat 1))
+            (params            (common:safe-vector-ref dat 1 '()))
             (start-t           (current-milliseconds))
             (readonly-mode     (dbr:dbstruct-read-only dbstruct))
             (readonly-command  (member cmd api:read-only-queries))
             (writecmd-in-readonly-mode (and readonly-mode (not readonly-command)))
             (foo               (begin
-                                 (common:telemetry-log (conc "api-in:"(->string cmd))
+                                 #;(common:telemetry-log (conc "api-in:"(->string cmd))
                                                        payload: `((params . ,params)))
                                  
                                  #t))
             (res    
              (if writecmd-in-readonly-mode
@@ -175,10 +175,12 @@
                  (conc "attempt to run write command "cmd" on a read-only database")
                  (case cmd
                    ;;===============================================
                    ;; READ/WRITE QUERIES
                    ;;===============================================
+
+		   ((nocmd)                         '(#f "All broken!"))
 
                    ((get-keys-write)                        (db:get-keys dbstruct)) ;; force a dummy "write" query to force server; for debug in -repl
                    
                    ;; SERVERS
                    ((start-server)                    (apply server:kind-run params))
@@ -359,16 +361,16 @@
 			 start-t)))
 	 (hash-table-set! *db-api-call-time* cmd
 			  (cons delta-t (hash-table-ref/default *db-api-call-time* cmd '()))))
        (if writecmd-in-readonly-mode
            (begin
-             (common:telemetry-log (conc "api-out:"(->string cmd))
+             #;(common:telemetry-log (conc "api-out:"(->string cmd))
                                    payload: `((params . ,params)
                                               (ok-res . #t)))
 	     (vector #f res))
            (begin
-             (common:telemetry-log (conc "api-out:"(->string cmd))
+             #;(common:telemetry-log (conc "api-out:"(->string cmd))
                                    payload: `((params . ,params)
                                               (ok-res . #f)))
              (vector #t res))))))))
 
 ;; http-server  send-response
@@ -381,12 +383,12 @@
   (set! *api-process-request-count* (+ *api-process-request-count* 1))
   (let* ((cmd     ($ 'cmd))
 	 (paramsj ($ 'params))
 	 (params  (db:string->obj paramsj transport: 'http)) ;; incoming data from the POST (or is it a GET?)
 	 (resdat  (api:execute-requests dbstruct (vector cmd params))) ;; process the request, resdat = #( flag result )
-	 (success (vector-ref resdat 0))
-	 (res     (vector-ref resdat 1))) ;; (vector flag payload), get the payload, ignore the flag (why?)
+	 (success (common:safe-vector-ref resdat 0 #f))
+	 (res     (common:safe-vector-ref resdat 1 #f))) ;; (vector flag payload), get the payload, ignore the flag (why?)
     (if (not success)
 	(debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "ERROR: success flag is #f for " cmd " with params " params))
     (if (> *api-process-request-count* *max-api-process-requests*)
 	(set! *max-api-process-requests* *api-process-request-count*))
     (set! *api-process-request-count* (- *api-process-request-count* 1))