diff --git a/pkg/hs/urbit-king/lib/Urbit/King/Main.hs b/pkg/hs/urbit-king/lib/Urbit/King/Main.hs
index e7518731b..9dbb71822 100644
--- a/pkg/hs/urbit-king/lib/Urbit/King/Main.hs
+++ b/pkg/hs/urbit-king/lib/Urbit/King/Main.hs
@@ -704,9 +704,13 @@ main = do
       Sys.installHandler sig (Sys.Catch onKillSig) Nothing
 
   setRLimits = do
-    nofiles <- Sys.getResourceLimit Sys.ResourceOpenFiles
+    openFiles <- Sys.getResourceLimit Sys.ResourceOpenFiles
+    let soft = case Sys.hardLimit openFiles of
+          Sys.ResourceLimit lim     -> Sys.ResourceLimit lim
+          Sys.ResourceLimitInfinity -> Sys.ResourceLimit 10240  -- macOS
+          Sys.ResourceLimitUnknown  -> Sys.ResourceLimit 10240
     Sys.setResourceLimit Sys.ResourceOpenFiles
-      nofiles { Sys.softLimit = Sys.ResourceLimit 10240 }
+      openFiles { Sys.softLimit = soft }
 
   verboseLogging :: CLI.Cmd -> Bool
   verboseLogging = \case
diff --git a/pkg/hs/urbit-king/lib/Urbit/Vere/Eyre.hs b/pkg/hs/urbit-king/lib/Urbit/Vere/Eyre.hs
index 7130e79b7..b426009f1 100644
--- a/pkg/hs/urbit-king/lib/Urbit/Vere/Eyre.hs
+++ b/pkg/hs/urbit-king/lib/Urbit/Vere/Eyre.hs
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ eyre env who plan isFake stderr sub = (initialEvents, runHttpServer)
     logInfo "Restarting http server"
     let onFatal = runRIO env $ do
           -- XX instead maybe restart following logic under HSESetConfig below
-          stderr "You've been DDoSed. Please restart your ship."
+          stderr "A web server problem has occurred. Please restart your ship."
           view killKingActionL >>= atomically
     let startAct = startServ who isFake conf plan stderr onFatal sub
     res <- fromEither =<< restartService var startAct kill
diff --git a/pkg/hs/urbit-king/lib/Urbit/Vere/Eyre/Serv.hs b/pkg/hs/urbit-king/lib/Urbit/Vere/Eyre/Serv.hs
index 59186a156..2bd8a2264 100644
--- a/pkg/hs/urbit-king/lib/Urbit/Vere/Eyre/Serv.hs
+++ b/pkg/hs/urbit-king/lib/Urbit/Vere/Eyre/Serv.hs
@@ -264,18 +264,28 @@ startServer typ hos por sok red vLive onFatal = do
         SHLocalhost -> "127.0.0.1"
         SHAnyHostOk -> "*"
 
-  let handler r e
+  let handler r e = do
+        when (isFatal e) $ do
+          runRIO envir $ logError $ display $ msg r e
+          onFatal
+        when (W.defaultShouldDisplayException e) $ do
+          runRIO envir $ logWarn $ display $ msg r e
+
+      isFatal e
         | Just (IOError {ioe_type = ResourceExhausted}) <- fromException e
-        = runRIO envir $ do
-            logError (displayShow e)
-            io onFatal
-        | otherwise = W.defaultOnException r e
+        = True
+        | otherwise = False
+
+      msg r e = case r of
+        Just r  -> "eyre: failed request from " <> (tshow $ W.remoteHost r)
+                <> " for " <> (tshow $ W.rawPathInfo r) <> ": " <> tshow e
+        Nothing -> "eyre: server exception: " <> tshow e
 
   let opts =
         W.defaultSettings
           & W.setHost host
           & W.setPort (fromIntegral por)
-          & W.setTimeout (5 * 60)
+          & W.setTimeout 30
           & W.setOnException handler
 
   -- TODO build Eyre.Site.app in pier, thread through here