# \[Bug\]: Backend startup crashes leave desktop blank with no visible error · Issue \#10517 · pingdotgg/t3code

[View on GitCafe](https://git.cafe/pingdotgg/t3code/issues/10517)

Repository: [pingdotgg/t3code](https://git.cafe/pingdotgg/t3code)

Visibility: public

State: backlog

Priority: 0

## Description

[Discussion and activity](https://git.cafe/pingdotgg/t3code/issues/10517)

---

### Before submitting
- [x] I searched existing issues and did not find a duplicate of this specific failure.
- [x] I included enough detail to reproduce or investigate the problem.

### Area
apps/desktop

### Steps to reproduce
1. Launch desktop with a backend that fails during startup (observed: a missing SQLite column).
2. The backend exits repeatedly before it can serve the renderer.

### Expected behavior
Show a backend-independent startup error with the failure reason and a way to retry or open/copy logs.

### Actual behavior
Completely black window. Electron DevTools has no useful error; Network shows a failed `t3code://app` request. Restarting/reinstalling does not explain the failure.

Production serves the initial UI through the backend. `DesktopWindow.ts` swallows `loadURL()` rejection and only logs `did-fail-load`; backend restart handling keeps retrying without a visible terminal failure state. Frontend error handling cannot run because the page never loads.

Related: #9239 reports a Linux credential-store startup stall; this is a confirmed backend process crash on macOS.

### Impact
Blocks work completely

### Version or commit
`0.0.39` and `0.0.40-nightly.20260907.1346`

### Environment
macOS 26.6.2 (also occurred before the macOS update), Electron desktop.

### Logs or stack traces
```text
Error: no such column: branch_pull_request_json
backend child exits with code=1
ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:3773
```

The database error is a separate cause; this issue concerns the absence of visible diagnostics when startup fails.