diff --git a/lib/game/save.test.ts b/lib/game/save.test.ts
index 35d702c..1f16627 100644
--- a/lib/game/save.test.ts
+++ b/lib/game/save.test.ts
@@ -550,6 +550,20 @@ describe('snapshot task queue (world / system / crew)', () => {
   // buildWorldFixture (4a): a save (seed '42') + Origin (s0, current) / Outpost (s1) +
   // Alder (p0) / Basalt (p1) + the route pair — no crew, no tasks; this block adds its own.
 
+  // insertTaskRow JSON-encodes its arguments, so the corruption tests seed raw strings straight
+  // into the tasks table (same row shape, no encoding) to reach states the encoder can't.
+  async function insertRawTaskRow(
+    db: GameDb,
+    over: { type: string; payload: string; helpers: string; leadCrewId: number; duration: number; remaining: number; status: string; queuedAtTurn: number },
+  ): Promise<number> {
+    const [save] = await db.db.select().from(schema.saves).limit(1)
+    const [row] = await db.db
+      .insert(schema.tasks)
+      .values({ saveId: save.id, ...over })
+      .returning({ id: schema.tasks.id })
+    return row.id
+  }
+
   it('empty queue → every GET snapshot carries tasks: []', async () => {
     const { db } = await freshFile()
     await buildWorldFixture(db)
@@ -585,6 +599,41 @@ describe('snapshot task queue (world / system / crew)', () => {
     expect(snap.tasks).toHaveLength(1)
     expect(snap.tasks[0].type).toBe('EXPLORE') // the DONE row is filtered out, not reordered to the back
   })
+
+  it('a corrupted payload degrades to targetLabel `unknown` — the snapshot still builds', async () => {
+    const { db } = await freshFile()
+    const f = await buildWorldFixture(db)
+    const [c1, c2] = await addCrew(db, 2)
+    const badId = await insertRawTaskRow(db, { type: 'EXPLORE', payload: 'not-json', helpers: '[]', leadCrewId: c1, duration: 1, remaining: 1, status: 'ACTIVE', queuedAtTurn: 2 })
+    const exploreId = await insertTaskRow(db, { type: 'EXPLORE', payload: { planetId: f.p0 }, leadCrewId: c2, helpers: [], duration: 1, remaining: 1, status: 'ACTIVE', queuedAtTurn: 3 })
+    const snap = await getWorldState(db) // must not throw out of the read
+    expect(snap.tasks).toEqual([
+      { id: badId, type: 'EXPLORE', targetLabel: 'unknown', leadName: 'CREW 1', helperNames: [], remaining: 1 },
+      { id: exploreId, type: 'EXPLORE', targetLabel: 'Alder', leadName: 'CREW 2', helperNames: [], remaining: 1 }, // the well-formed sibling still resolves
+    ])
+  })
+
+  it('a corrupted helpers blob degrades to helperNames [] — no throw', async () => {
+    const { db } = await freshFile()
+    const f = await buildWorldFixture(db)
+    const [c1] = await addCrew(db, 1)
+    const badId = await insertRawTaskRow(db, { type: 'JUMP', payload: JSON.stringify({ systemId: f.sys1, hops: 1 }), helpers: '[not-json', leadCrewId: c1, duration: 1, remaining: 1, status: 'ACTIVE', queuedAtTurn: 3 })
+    const snap = await getWorldState(db)
+    expect(snap.tasks).toEqual([
+      { id: badId, type: 'JUMP', targetLabel: 'Outpost', leadName: 'CREW 1', helperNames: [], remaining: 1 },
+    ])
+  })
+
+  it('a corrupted type string degrades to targetLabel `unknown` — no throw', async () => {
+    const { db } = await freshFile()
+    const f = await buildWorldFixture(db)
+    const [c1] = await addCrew(db, 1)
+    const badId = await insertRawTaskRow(db, { type: 'TELEPORT', payload: JSON.stringify({ systemId: f.sys1, hops: 1 }), helpers: '[]', leadCrewId: c1, duration: 1, remaining: 1, status: 'ACTIVE', queuedAtTurn: 3 })
+    const snap = await getWorldState(db)
+    expect(snap.tasks).toEqual([
+      { id: badId, type: 'TELEPORT', targetLabel: 'unknown', leadName: 'CREW 1', helperNames: [], remaining: 1 },
+    ])
+  })
 })
 
 describe('backfill (old saves)', () => {
diff --git a/lib/game/save.ts b/lib/game/save.ts
index 2170838..9d645a4 100644
--- a/lib/game/save.ts
+++ b/lib/game/save.ts
@@ -223,26 +223,32 @@ async function taskQueue(db: GameDb): Promise<QueueDto[]> {
   const techName = new Map(tech.map((t): [number, string] => [t.id, t.name]))
   const crewName = (id: number) => crew.find((c) => c.id === id)?.name ?? 'unknown'
 
+  // Corrupted-row tolerance: every JSON read goes through a guarded parse — a malformed
+  // payload / helpers / type degrades to `unknown` / [] instead of throwing out of this
+  // pure read (one bad row must not 500 the /api/world, /api/system and /api/crew routes).
+  const parse = <T>(raw: string): T | null => { try { return JSON.parse(raw) as T } catch { return null } }
+  const parseHelpers = (raw: string): number[] => { const v = parse<unknown>(raw); return Array.isArray(v) ? (v as number[]) : [] }
+
   // targetLabel from the 4a payload shapes, per type (the Task interface in tasks.ts): the
   // target's display name (the jump destination, the scanned body, the researched tech), the
   // ship system's name with the verb suffixed for upgrade/expand, and the SHIP_TYPES string
-  // as-is for a build (its label lives in the payload, so it never misses). A deleted lookup
-  // target falls back to `unknown`.
+  // as-is for a build. A deleted lookup target, a malformed payload, or a missing field
+  // falls back to `unknown`.
   const labelFor: Record<TaskType, (payload: string) => string> = {
-    JUMP: (payload) => systemName.get((JSON.parse(payload) as { systemId: number }).systemId) ?? 'unknown',
-    EXPLORE: (payload) => planetName.get((JSON.parse(payload) as { planetId: number }).planetId) ?? 'unknown',
-    SHIP_UPGRADE: (payload) => `${systemName.get((JSON.parse(payload) as { systemId: number }).systemId) ?? 'unknown'} — upgrade`,
-    SHIP_EXPAND: (payload) => `${systemName.get((JSON.parse(payload) as { systemId: number }).systemId) ?? 'unknown'} — expand`,
-    SHIP_BUILD: (payload) => (JSON.parse(payload) as { type: string }).type,
-    RESEARCH: (payload) => techName.get((JSON.parse(payload) as { techId: number }).techId) ?? 'unknown',
+    JUMP: (payload) => { const p = parse<{ systemId: number }>(payload); return p ? (systemName.get(p.systemId) ?? 'unknown') : 'unknown' },
+    EXPLORE: (payload) => { const p = parse<{ planetId: number }>(payload); return p ? (planetName.get(p.planetId) ?? 'unknown') : 'unknown' },
+    SHIP_UPGRADE: (payload) => { const p = parse<{ systemId: number }>(payload); return p ? `${systemName.get(p.systemId) ?? 'unknown'} — upgrade` : 'unknown' },
+    SHIP_EXPAND: (payload) => { const p = parse<{ systemId: number }>(payload); return p ? `${systemName.get(p.systemId) ?? 'unknown'} — expand` : 'unknown' },
+    SHIP_BUILD: (payload) => parse<{ type: string }>(payload)?.type ?? 'unknown',
+    RESEARCH: (payload) => { const p = parse<{ techId: number }>(payload); return p ? (techName.get(p.techId) ?? 'unknown') : 'unknown' },
   }
 
   const queue = taskRows.map((t) => ({
     id: t.id,
     type: t.type as TaskType,
-    targetLabel: labelFor[t.type as TaskType](t.payload),
+    targetLabel: labelFor[t.type as TaskType]?.(t.payload) ?? 'unknown',
     leadName: crewName(t.leadCrewId),
-    helperNames: (JSON.parse(t.helpers) as number[]).map(crewName),
+    helperNames: parseHelpers(t.helpers).map(crewName),
     remaining: t.remaining,
     status: t.status as TaskStatus,
     queuedAtTurn: t.queuedAtTurn,