diff --git a/src/browser/BrowserFunc.ts b/src/browser/BrowserFunc.ts
index ef86609..c772457 100644
--- a/src/browser/BrowserFunc.ts
+++ b/src/browser/BrowserFunc.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import { Counters, DashboardData, MorePromotion, PromotionalItem } from '../inte
 import { QuizData } from '../interface/QuizData'
 import { AppUserData } from '../interface/AppUserData'
 import { EarnablePoints } from '../interface/Points'
+import { logError } from '../util/Logger'
 
 
 export default class BrowserFunc {
@@ -148,7 +149,7 @@ export default class BrowserFunc {
                 
                 // Force a navigation retry once before failing hard
                 await this.goHome(target)
-                await target.waitForLoadState('domcontentloaded', { timeout: TIMEOUTS.VERY_LONG }).catch(() => {})
+                await target.waitForLoadState('domcontentloaded', { timeout: TIMEOUTS.VERY_LONG }).catch(logError('BROWSER-FUNC', 'Dashboard recovery load failed', this.bot.isMobile))
                 await this.bot.utils.wait(this.bot.isMobile ? TIMEOUTS.LONG : TIMEOUTS.MEDIUM)
                 
                 scriptContent = await this.extractDashboardScript(target)
diff --git a/src/browser/BrowserUtil.ts b/src/browser/BrowserUtil.ts
index 7944b19..48ed8d8 100644
--- a/src/browser/BrowserUtil.ts
+++ b/src/browser/BrowserUtil.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { Page } from 'rebrowser-playwright'
 import { load } from 'cheerio'
 import { MicrosoftRewardsBot } from '../index'
+import { logError } from '../util/Logger'
 
 type DismissButton = { selector: string; label: string; isXPath?: boolean }
 
@@ -80,7 +81,7 @@ export default class BrowserUtil {
             const visible = await loc.first().isVisible({ timeout: 200 }).catch(() => false)
             if (!visible) return false
 
-            await loc.first().click({ timeout: 500 }).catch(() => {})
+            await loc.first().click({ timeout: 500 }).catch(logError('BROWSER-UTIL', `Failed to click ${btn.label}`, this.bot.isMobile))
             this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'DISMISS-ALL-MESSAGES', `Dismissed: ${btn.label}`)
             return true
         } catch {
@@ -97,14 +98,14 @@ export default class BrowserUtil {
 
             const rejectBtn = overlay.locator(reject)
             if (await rejectBtn.first().isVisible().catch(() => false)) {
-                await rejectBtn.first().click({ timeout: 500 }).catch(() => {})
+                await rejectBtn.first().click({ timeout: 500 }).catch(logError('BROWSER-UTIL', 'Overlay reject click failed', this.bot.isMobile))
                 this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'DISMISS-ALL-MESSAGES', 'Dismissed: Overlay Reject')
                 return 1
             }
 
             const acceptBtn = overlay.locator(accept)
             if (await acceptBtn.first().isVisible().catch(() => false)) {
-                await acceptBtn.first().click({ timeout: 500 }).catch(() => {})
+                await acceptBtn.first().click({ timeout: 500 }).catch(logError('BROWSER-UTIL', 'Overlay accept click failed', this.bot.isMobile))
                 this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'DISMISS-ALL-MESSAGES', 'Dismissed: Overlay Accept')
                 return 1
             }
@@ -124,12 +125,12 @@ export default class BrowserUtil {
 
             const closeBtn = dialog.locator(closeButtons).first()
             if (await closeBtn.isVisible({ timeout: 200 }).catch(() => false)) {
-                await closeBtn.click({ timeout: 500 }).catch(() => {})
+                await closeBtn.click({ timeout: 500 }).catch(logError('BROWSER-UTIL', 'Streak dialog close failed', this.bot.isMobile))
                 this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'DISMISS-ALL-MESSAGES', 'Dismissed: Streak Protection Dialog Button')
                 return 1
             }
 
-            await page.keyboard.press('Escape').catch(() => {})
+            await page.keyboard.press('Escape').catch(logError('BROWSER-UTIL', 'Streak dialog Escape failed', this.bot.isMobile))
             this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'DISMISS-ALL-MESSAGES', 'Dismissed: Streak Protection Dialog Escape')
             return 1
         } catch {
@@ -153,7 +154,7 @@ export default class BrowserUtil {
             // Click the Next button
             const nextBtn = page.locator(nextButton).first()
             if (await nextBtn.isVisible({ timeout: 500 }).catch(() => false)) {
-                await nextBtn.click({ timeout: 1000 }).catch(() => {})
+                await nextBtn.click({ timeout: 1000 }).catch(logError('BROWSER-UTIL', 'Terms update next button click failed', this.bot.isMobile))
                 this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'DISMISS-ALL-MESSAGES', 'Dismissed: Terms Update Dialog (Next)')
                 // Wait a bit for navigation
                 await page.waitForTimeout(1000)
diff --git a/src/functions/Login.ts b/src/functions/Login.ts
index 624b813..de0ed42 100644
--- a/src/functions/Login.ts
+++ b/src/functions/Login.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import { MicrosoftRewardsBot } from '../index'
 import { OAuth } from '../interface/OAuth'
 import { Retry } from '../util/Retry'
 import { LoginState, LoginStateDetector } from '../util/LoginStateDetector'
+import { logError } from '../util/Logger'
 
 // -------------------------------
 // Constants / Tunables
@@ -243,7 +244,7 @@ export class Login {
     const homeUrl = 'https://rewards.bing.com/'
     try {
       await page.goto(homeUrl)
-      await page.waitForLoadState('domcontentloaded').catch(()=>{})
+      await page.waitForLoadState('domcontentloaded').catch(logError('LOGIN', 'DOMContentLoaded timeout', this.bot.isMobile))
       await this.bot.browser.utils.reloadBadPage(page)
       await this.bot.utils.wait(250)
 
@@ -384,7 +385,10 @@ export class Login {
       this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'LOGIN', 'Email prefilled')
     }
     const next = await page.waitForSelector(SELECTORS.submitBtn, { timeout: 2000 }).catch(()=>null)
-    if (next) { await next.click().catch(()=>{}); this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'LOGIN', 'Submitted email') }
+    if (next) { 
+      await next.click().catch(e => this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'LOGIN', `Email submit click failed: ${e}`, 'warn'))
+      this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'LOGIN', 'Submitted email') 
+    }
   }
 
   private async inputPasswordOr2FA(page: Page, password: string) {
@@ -394,7 +398,10 @@ export class Login {
     
     // Some flows require switching to password first
     const switchBtn = await page.waitForSelector('#idA_PWD_SwitchToPassword', { timeout: 1500 }).catch(()=>null)
-    if (switchBtn) { await switchBtn.click().catch(()=>{}); await this.bot.utils.wait(1000) }
+    if (switchBtn) { 
+      await switchBtn.click().catch(e => this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'LOGIN', `Switch to password failed: ${e}`, 'warn'))
+      await this.bot.utils.wait(1000) 
+    }
 
     // Early TOTP check - if totpSecret is configured, check for TOTP challenge before password
     if (this.currentTotpSecret) {
@@ -429,7 +436,10 @@ export class Login {
     await page.fill(SELECTORS.passwordInput, '')
     await page.fill(SELECTORS.passwordInput, password)
     const submit = await page.waitForSelector(SELECTORS.submitBtn, { timeout: 2000 }).catch(()=>null)
-    if (submit) { await submit.click().catch(()=>{}); this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'LOGIN', 'Password submitted') }
+    if (submit) { 
+      await submit.click().catch(e => this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'LOGIN', `Password submit failed: ${e}`, 'warn'))
+      this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'LOGIN', 'Password submitted') 
+    }
   }
 
   // --------------- 2FA Handling ---------------
@@ -462,10 +472,10 @@ export class Login {
           const resend = await page.waitForSelector('button[aria-describedby="pushNotificationsTitle errorDescription"]', { timeout: 1500 }).catch(()=>null)
           if (!resend) break
           await this.bot.utils.wait(60000)
-          await resend.click().catch(()=>{})
+          await resend.click().catch(logError('LOGIN', 'Resend click failed', this.bot.isMobile))
         }
       }
-      await page.click('button[aria-describedby="confirmSendTitle"]').catch(()=>{})
+      await page.click('button[aria-describedby="confirmSendTitle"]').catch(logError('LOGIN', 'Confirm send click failed', this.bot.isMobile))
       await this.bot.utils.wait(1500)
       try {
         const el = await page.waitForSelector('#displaySign, div[data-testid="displaySign"]>span', { timeout: 2000 })
@@ -484,7 +494,7 @@ export class Login {
       } catch {
         this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'LOGIN', 'Authenticator code expired – refreshing')
         const retryBtn = await page.waitForSelector(SELECTORS.passkeyPrimary, { timeout: 3000 }).catch(()=>null)
-        if (retryBtn) await retryBtn.click().catch(()=>{})
+        if (retryBtn) await retryBtn.click().catch(logError('LOGIN-AUTH', 'Refresh button click failed', this.bot.isMobile))
         const refreshed = await this.fetchAuthenticatorNumber(page)
         if (!refreshed) { this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'LOGIN', 'Could not refresh authenticator code', 'warn'); return }
         numberToPress = refreshed
@@ -584,9 +594,9 @@ export class Login {
       // Use unified selector system
       const submit = await this.findFirstVisibleLocator(page, Login.TOTP_SELECTORS.submit)
       if (submit) {
-        await submit.click().catch(()=>{})
+        await submit.click().catch(logError('LOGIN-TOTP', 'Auto-submit click failed', this.bot.isMobile))
       } else {
-        await page.keyboard.press('Enter').catch(()=>{})
+        await page.keyboard.press('Enter').catch(logError('LOGIN-TOTP', 'Auto-submit Enter failed', this.bot.isMobile))
       }
       this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile, 'LOGIN', 'Submitted TOTP automatically')
     } catch (error) {
@@ -747,7 +757,7 @@ export class Login {
     for (const sel of selectors) {
       const loc = page.locator(sel).first()
       if (await loc.isVisible().catch(() => false)) {
-        await loc.click().catch(()=>{})
+        await loc.click().catch(logError('LOGIN', `Click failed for selector: ${sel}`, this.bot.isMobile))
         return true
       }
     }
@@ -1017,7 +1027,7 @@ export class Login {
       const text = (await skipBtn.textContent() || '').trim()
       // Check if it's actually a skip button (could be other secondary buttons)
       if (/skip|later|not now|non merci|pas maintenant/i.test(text)) {
-        await skipBtn.click().catch(()=>{})
+        await skipBtn.click().catch(logError('LOGIN-PASSKEY', 'Skip button click failed', this.bot.isMobile))
         did = true
         this.logPasskeyOnce('data-testid secondaryButton')
       }
@@ -1028,7 +1038,11 @@ export class Login {
       const biometric = await page.waitForSelector(SELECTORS.biometricVideo, { timeout: 500 }).catch(()=>null)
       if (biometric) {
         const btn = await page.$(SELECTORS.passkeySecondary)
-        if (btn) { await btn.click().catch(()=>{}); did = true; this.logPasskeyOnce('video heuristic') }
+        if (btn) { 
+          await btn.click().catch(logError('LOGIN-PASSKEY', 'Video heuristic click failed', this.bot.isMobile))
+          did = true
+          this.logPasskeyOnce('video heuristic') 
+        }
       }
     }
     
@@ -1039,11 +1053,17 @@ export class Login {
       const primBtn = await page.waitForSelector(SELECTORS.passkeyPrimary, { timeout: 500 }).catch(()=>null)
       const title = (titleEl ? (await titleEl.textContent()) : '')?.trim() || ''
       const looksLike = /sign in faster|passkey|fingerprint|face|pin|empreinte|visage|windows hello|hello/i.test(title)
-      if (looksLike && secBtn) { await secBtn.click().catch(()=>{}); did = true; this.logPasskeyOnce('title heuristic '+title) }
+      if (looksLike && secBtn) { 
+        await secBtn.click().catch(logError('LOGIN-PASSKEY', 'Title heuristic click failed', this.bot.isMobile))
+        did = true
+        this.logPasskeyOnce('title heuristic '+title) 
+      }
       else if (!did && secBtn && primBtn) {
         const text = (await secBtn.textContent()||'').trim()
         if (/skip for now|not now|later|passer|plus tard/i.test(text)) { 
-          await secBtn.click().catch(()=>{}); did = true; this.logPasskeyOnce('secondary button text') 
+          await secBtn.click().catch(logError('LOGIN-PASSKEY', 'Secondary button text click failed', this.bot.isMobile))
+          did = true
+          this.logPasskeyOnce('secondary button text') 
         }
       }
     }
@@ -1051,7 +1071,11 @@ export class Login {
     // Priority 4: XPath fallback (includes Windows Hello specific patterns)
     if (!did) {
       const textBtn = await page.locator('xpath=//button[contains(normalize-space(.),"Skip for now") or contains(normalize-space(.),"Not now") or contains(normalize-space(.),"Passer") or contains(normalize-space(.),"No thanks")]').first()
-      if (await textBtn.isVisible().catch(()=>false)) { await textBtn.click().catch(()=>{}); did = true; this.logPasskeyOnce('xpath fallback') }
+      if (await textBtn.isVisible().catch(()=>false)) { 
+        await textBtn.click().catch(logError('LOGIN-PASSKEY', 'XPath fallback click failed', this.bot.isMobile))
+        did = true
+        this.logPasskeyOnce('xpath fallback') 
+      }
     }
     
     // Priority 4.5: Windows Hello specific detection
@@ -1070,7 +1094,7 @@ export class Login {
         for (const pattern of skipPatterns) {
           const btn = await page.locator(pattern).first()
           if (await btn.isVisible().catch(() => false)) {
-            await btn.click().catch(() => {})
+            await btn.click().catch(logError('LOGIN-PASSKEY', 'Windows Hello skip failed', this.bot.isMobile))
             did = true
             this.logPasskeyOnce('Windows Hello skip')
             break
@@ -1082,14 +1106,22 @@ export class Login {
     // Priority 5: Close button fallback
     if (!did) {
       const close = await page.$('#close-button')
-      if (close) { await close.click().catch(()=>{}); did = true; this.logPasskeyOnce('close button') }
+      if (close) { 
+        await close.click().catch(logError('LOGIN-PASSKEY', 'Close button fallback failed', this.bot.isMobile))
+        did = true
+        this.logPasskeyOnce('close button') 
+      }
     }
 
     // KMSI prompt
     const kmsi = await page.waitForSelector(SELECTORS.kmsiVideo, { timeout: 400 }).catch(()=>null)
     if (kmsi) {
       const yes = await page.$(SELECTORS.passkeyPrimary)
-      if (yes) { await yes.click().catch(()=>{}); did = true; this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile,'LOGIN-KMSI','Accepted KMSI prompt') }
+      if (yes) { 
+        await yes.click().catch(logError('LOGIN-KMSI', 'KMSI accept click failed', this.bot.isMobile))
+        did = true
+        this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile,'LOGIN-KMSI','Accepted KMSI prompt') 
+      }
     }
 
     if (!did && context === 'main') {
@@ -1140,9 +1172,9 @@ export class Login {
       this.bot.compromisedModeActive = true
       this.bot.compromisedReason = 'sign-in-blocked'
       this.startCompromisedInterval()
-      await this.bot.engageGlobalStandby('sign-in-blocked', email).catch(()=>{})
+      await this.bot.engageGlobalStandby('sign-in-blocked', email).catch(logError('LOGIN-SECURITY', 'Global standby engagement failed', this.bot.isMobile))
       // Open security docs for immediate guidance (best-effort)
-      await this.openDocsTab(page, docsUrl).catch(()=>{})
+      await this.openDocsTab(page, docsUrl).catch(logError('LOGIN-SECURITY', 'Failed to open docs tab', this.bot.isMobile))
       return true
     } catch { return false }
   }
@@ -1250,8 +1282,8 @@ export class Login {
         this.bot.compromisedModeActive = true
         this.bot.compromisedReason = 'recovery-mismatch'
         this.startCompromisedInterval()
-        await this.bot.engageGlobalStandby('recovery-mismatch', email).catch(()=>{})
-        await this.openDocsTab(page, docsUrl).catch(()=>{})
+        await this.bot.engageGlobalStandby('recovery-mismatch', email).catch(logError('LOGIN-RECOVERY', 'Global standby failed', this.bot.isMobile))
+        await this.openDocsTab(page, docsUrl).catch(logError('LOGIN-RECOVERY', 'Failed to open docs tab', this.bot.isMobile))
       } else {
         const mode = observedPrefix.length === 1 ? 'lenient' : 'strict'
         this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile,'LOGIN-RECOVERY',`Recovery OK (${mode}): ${extracted} matches ${matchRef.prefix2}**@${matchRef.domain}`)
@@ -1263,7 +1295,7 @@ export class Login {
     try {
       const link = await page.locator('xpath=//span[@role="button" and (contains(translate(normalize-space(.),"ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ","abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz"),"use your password") or contains(translate(normalize-space(.),"ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ","abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz"),"utilisez votre mot de passe"))]').first()
       if (await link.isVisible().catch(()=>false)) {
-        await link.click().catch(()=>{})
+        await link.click().catch(logError('LOGIN', 'Use password link click failed', this.bot.isMobile))
         await this.bot.utils.wait(800)
         this.bot.log(this.bot.isMobile,'LOGIN','Clicked "Use your password" link')
       }
@@ -1335,6 +1367,6 @@ export class Login {
         body.isFidoSupported = false
         route.continue({ postData: JSON.stringify(body) })
       } catch { route.continue() }
-    }).catch(()=>{})
+    }).catch(logError('LOGIN-FIDO', 'Route interception setup failed', this.bot.isMobile))
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/functions/Workers.ts b/src/functions/Workers.ts
index dce02e9..14a6874 100644
--- a/src/functions/Workers.ts
+++ b/src/functions/Workers.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { MicrosoftRewardsBot } from '../index'
 import JobState from '../util/JobState'
 import { Retry } from '../util/Retry'
 import { AdaptiveThrottler } from '../util/AdaptiveThrottler'
+import { logError } from '../util/Logger'
 
 export class Workers {
     public bot: MicrosoftRewardsBot
@@ -204,7 +205,7 @@ export class Workers {
     }
 
     private async prepareActivityPage(page: Page, selector: string, throttle: AdaptiveThrottler): Promise<void> {
-        await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle', { timeout: 10000 }).catch(() => {})
+        await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle', { timeout: 10000 }).catch(logError('WORKERS', 'Network idle wait failed', this.bot.isMobile))
         await this.bot.browser.utils.humanizePage(page)
         await this.applyThrottle(throttle, 1200, 2600)
     }
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 743ab26..54bb08b 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -120,10 +120,16 @@ export class MicrosoftRewardsBot {
         
         // Run comprehensive startup validation
         const validator = new StartupValidator()
-        await validator.validate(this.config, this.accounts)
+        try {
+            await validator.validate(this.config, this.accounts)
+        } catch (error) {
+            // Critical validation errors prevent startup
+            const errorMsg = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)
+            log('main', 'VALIDATION', `Fatal validation error: ${errorMsg}`, 'error')
+            throw error // Re-throw to stop execution
+        }
         
-        // Always continue - validation is informative, not blocking
-        // This allows users to proceed even with warnings or minor issues
+        // Validation passed - continue with initialization
         
         // Initialize job state
         if (this.config.jobState?.enabled !== false) {
diff --git a/src/util/Logger.ts b/src/util/Logger.ts
index 14f8609..8367e58 100644
--- a/src/util/Logger.ts
+++ b/src/util/Logger.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,18 @@ import { DISCORD } from '../constants'
 
 const WEBHOOK_USERNAME = 'MS Rewards - Live Logs'
 
+/**
+ * Safe error logger for catch blocks
+ * Use in .catch() to log errors without breaking flow
+ * @example await action().catch(logError('ACTION', 'Failed to do something'))
+ */
+export function logError(title: string, message: string, isMobile: boolean | 'main' = 'main') {
+    return (error: unknown) => {
+        const errMsg = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)
+        log(isMobile, title, `${message}: ${errMsg}`, 'warn')
+    }
+}
+
 type WebhookBuffer = {
     lines: string[]
     sending: boolean
diff --git a/src/util/StartupValidator.ts b/src/util/StartupValidator.ts
index 8f379ca..d77842e 100644
--- a/src/util/StartupValidator.ts
+++ b/src/util/StartupValidator.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ interface ValidationError {
   message: string
   fix?: string
   docsLink?: string
+  blocking?: boolean // If true, prevents bot startup
 }
 
 export class StartupValidator {
@@ -19,8 +20,8 @@ export class StartupValidator {
 
   /**
    * Run all validation checks before starting the bot.
-   * Always returns true - validation is informative, not blocking.
-   * Displays errors and warnings but lets execution continue.
+   * Throws ValidationError if critical (blocking) errors are found.
+   * Displays errors and warnings to help users fix configuration issues.
    */
   async validate(config: Config, accounts: Account[]): Promise<boolean> {
     log('main', 'STARTUP', 'Running configuration validation...')
@@ -40,8 +41,15 @@ export class StartupValidator {
     // Display results (await to respect the delay)
     await this.displayResults()
 
-    // Always return true - validation is informative only
-    // Users can proceed even with errors (they might be false positives)
+    // Check for blocking errors
+    const blockingErrors = this.errors.filter(e => e.blocking === true)
+    if (blockingErrors.length > 0) {
+      const errorMsg = `Validation failed with ${blockingErrors.length} critical error(s). Fix configuration before proceeding.`
+      log('main', 'VALIDATION', errorMsg, 'error')
+      throw new Error(errorMsg)
+    }
+
+    // Non-blocking errors and warnings allow execution to continue
     return true
   }
 
@@ -51,7 +59,8 @@ export class StartupValidator {
         'accounts',
         'No accounts found in accounts.json',
         'Add at least one account to src/accounts.json or src/accounts.jsonc',
-        'docs/accounts.md'
+        'docs/accounts.md',
+        true // blocking: no accounts = nothing to run
       )
       return
     }
@@ -64,13 +73,17 @@ export class StartupValidator {
         this.addError(
           'accounts',
           `${prefix}: Missing or invalid email address`,
-          'Add a valid email address in the "email" field'
+          'Add a valid email address in the "email" field',
+          undefined,
+          true // blocking: email is required
         )
       } else if (!/@/.test(account.email)) {
         this.addError(
           'accounts',
           `${prefix}: Email format is invalid`,
-          'Email must contain @ symbol (e.g., user@example.com)'
+          'Email must contain @ symbol (e.g., user@example.com)',
+          undefined,
+          true // blocking: invalid email = cannot login
         )
       }
 
@@ -79,7 +92,9 @@ export class StartupValidator {
         this.addError(
           'accounts',
           `${prefix}: Missing or invalid password`,
-          'Add your Microsoft account password in the "password" field'
+          'Add your Microsoft account password in the "password" field',
+          undefined,
+          true // blocking: password is required
         )
       } else if (account.password.length < 4) {
         this.addWarning(
@@ -218,7 +233,9 @@ export class StartupValidator {
       this.addError(
         'config',
         'Global timeout is set to 0',
-        'Set a reasonable timeout value (e.g., "30s", "60s") to prevent infinite hangs'
+        'Set a reasonable timeout value (e.g., "30s", "60s") to prevent infinite hangs',
+        undefined,
+        true // blocking: 0 timeout = infinite hangs guaranteed
       )
     }
 
@@ -368,13 +385,16 @@ export class StartupValidator {
           'network',
           'Webhook enabled but URL is missing',
           'Add webhook URL or set webhook.enabled=false',
-          'docs/config.md'
+          'docs/config.md',
+          true // blocking: enabled but no URL = will crash
         )
       } else if (!config.webhook.url.startsWith('http')) {
         this.addError(
           'network',
           `Invalid webhook URL: ${config.webhook.url}`,
-          'Webhook URL must start with http:// or https://'
+          'Webhook URL must start with http:// or https://',
+          undefined,
+          true // blocking: invalid URL = will crash
         )
       }
     }
@@ -385,7 +405,9 @@ export class StartupValidator {
         this.addError(
           'network',
           'Conclusion webhook enabled but URL is missing',
-          'Add conclusion webhook URL or disable it'
+          'Add conclusion webhook URL or disable it',
+          undefined,
+          true // blocking: enabled but no URL = will crash
         )
       }
     }
@@ -397,7 +419,8 @@ export class StartupValidator {
           'network',
           'NTFY enabled but URL is missing',
           'Add NTFY server URL or set ntfy.enabled=false',
-          'docs/ntfy.md'
+          'docs/ntfy.md',
+          true // blocking: enabled but no URL = will crash
         )
       }
       if (!config.ntfy.topic || config.ntfy.topic.trim() === '') {
@@ -405,7 +428,8 @@ export class StartupValidator {
           'network',
           'NTFY enabled but topic is missing',
           'Add NTFY topic name',
-          'docs/ntfy.md'
+          'docs/ntfy.md',
+          true // blocking: enabled but no topic = will crash
         )
       }
     }
@@ -611,12 +635,12 @@ export class StartupValidator {
     }
   }
 
-  private addError(category: string, message: string, fix?: string, docsLink?: string): void {
-    this.errors.push({ severity: 'error', category, message, fix, docsLink })
+  private addError(category: string, message: string, fix?: string, docsLink?: string, blocking = false): void {
+    this.errors.push({ severity: 'error', category, message, fix, docsLink, blocking })
   }
 
   private addWarning(category: string, message: string, fix?: string, docsLink?: string): void {
-    this.warnings.push({ severity: 'warning', category, message, fix, docsLink })
+    this.warnings.push({ severity: 'warning', category, message, fix, docsLink, blocking: false })
   }
 
   private async displayResults(): Promise<void> {