diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ab5638ec..dcd90548 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -63,6 +63,8 @@
 - `start.sh` is intentionally ignored by Git (`.gitignore`) so server secrets are not committed.
 - Use `start.example.sh` as the tracked template and keep real credentials in environment variables (or `.env` on the server).
 - Startup scripts parse `.env` with the `dotenv` parser (not shell `source`), so values containing spaces are handled safely.
-- Startup scripts run patch helpers before boot (`scripts/patch-lightningcss.mjs`, `scripts/patch-endpoint-media-scope.mjs`, `scripts/patch-endpoint-files-upload-route.mjs`).
+- Startup scripts run patch helpers before boot (`scripts/patch-lightningcss.mjs`, `scripts/patch-endpoint-media-scope.mjs`, `scripts/patch-endpoint-files-upload-route.mjs`, `scripts/patch-frontend-serviceworker-file.mjs`, `scripts/patch-conversations-collection-guards.mjs`).
 - The media scope patch fixes a known upstream issue where file uploads can fail if the token scope is `create update delete` without explicit `media`.
-- The files upload route patch fixes browser multi-upload by posting to `/files/upload` (session-authenticated) instead of direct `/media` calls without bearer token.
\ No newline at end of file
+- The files upload route patch fixes browser multi-upload by posting to `/files/upload` (session-authenticated) instead of direct `/media` calls without bearer token.
+- The frontend serviceworker patch ensures `@indiekit/frontend/lib/serviceworker.js` exists at runtime to avoid ENOENT in the offline/service worker route.
+- The conversations guard patch prevents `Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'find')` when the `conversation_items` collection is temporarily unavailable.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 91c4af2a..676b6364 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
   "description": "",
   "main": "index.js",
   "scripts": {
-    "postinstall": "node scripts/patch-lightningcss.mjs && node scripts/patch-endpoint-media-scope.mjs && node scripts/patch-endpoint-files-upload-route.mjs",
-    "serve": "node scripts/patch-lightningcss.mjs && node scripts/patch-endpoint-media-scope.mjs && node scripts/patch-endpoint-files-upload-route.mjs && node node_modules/@indiekit/indiekit/bin/cli.js serve --config indiekit.config.mjs",
+    "postinstall": "node scripts/patch-lightningcss.mjs && node scripts/patch-endpoint-media-scope.mjs && node scripts/patch-endpoint-files-upload-route.mjs && node scripts/patch-frontend-serviceworker-file.mjs && node scripts/patch-conversations-collection-guards.mjs",
+    "serve": "node scripts/patch-lightningcss.mjs && node scripts/patch-endpoint-media-scope.mjs && node scripts/patch-endpoint-files-upload-route.mjs && node scripts/patch-frontend-serviceworker-file.mjs && node scripts/patch-conversations-collection-guards.mjs && node node_modules/@indiekit/indiekit/bin/cli.js serve --config indiekit.config.mjs",
     "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
   },
   "keywords": [],
diff --git a/scripts/patch-conversations-collection-guards.mjs b/scripts/patch-conversations-collection-guards.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9c4a3697
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/patch-conversations-collection-guards.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+import { access, readFile, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+
+const candidates = [
+  "node_modules/@rmdes/indiekit-endpoint-conversations/lib/storage/conversation-items.js",
+  "node_modules/@indiekit/indiekit/node_modules/@rmdes/indiekit-endpoint-conversations/lib/storage/conversation-items.js",
+];
+
+const oldBlock = `function getCollection(application) {
+  return application.collections.get("conversation_items");
+}`;
+
+const newBlock = `const emptyCursor = {
+  sort() {
+    return this;
+  },
+  skip() {
+    return this;
+  },
+  limit() {
+    return this;
+  },
+  async toArray() {
+    return [];
+  },
+};
+
+const emptyCollection = {
+  find() {
+    return emptyCursor;
+  },
+  aggregate() {
+    return { toArray: async () => [] };
+  },
+  async countDocuments() {
+    return 0;
+  },
+  async findOneAndUpdate() {
+    return null;
+  },
+  async deleteMany() {
+    return { deletedCount: 0 };
+  },
+  async createIndex() {
+    return null;
+  },
+};
+
+function getCollection(application) {
+  return application?.collections?.get?.("conversation_items") || emptyCollection;
+}`;
+
+async function exists(path) {
+  try {
+    await access(path);
+    return true;
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+let checked = 0;
+let patched = 0;
+
+for (const filePath of candidates) {
+  if (!(await exists(filePath))) {
+    continue;
+  }
+
+  checked += 1;
+  const source = await readFile(filePath, "utf8");
+
+  if (source.includes("const emptyCollection = {")) {
+    continue;
+  }
+
+  if (!source.includes(oldBlock)) {
+    continue;
+  }
+
+  const updated = source.replace(oldBlock, newBlock);
+  await writeFile(filePath, updated, "utf8");
+  patched += 1;
+}
+
+if (checked === 0) {
+  console.log("[postinstall] No conversations storage files found");
+} else if (patched === 0) {
+  console.log("[postinstall] conversations storage guards already patched");
+} else {
+  console.log(`[postinstall] Patched conversations storage guards in ${patched} file(s)`);
+}
diff --git a/scripts/patch-frontend-serviceworker-file.mjs b/scripts/patch-frontend-serviceworker-file.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f22c28d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/patch-frontend-serviceworker-file.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+import { access, mkdir, readFile, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import path from "node:path";
+
+const expected = "node_modules/@indiekit/frontend/lib/serviceworker.js";
+const candidates = [
+  "node_modules/@rmdes/indiekit-frontend/lib/serviceworker.js",
+  "node_modules/@indiekit/indiekit/node_modules/@indiekit/frontend/lib/serviceworker.js",
+  "node_modules/@indiekit/endpoint-posts/node_modules/@indiekit/frontend/lib/serviceworker.js",
+  "node_modules/@rmdes/indiekit-endpoint-conversations/node_modules/@indiekit/frontend/lib/serviceworker.js",
+  "node_modules/@rmdes/indiekit-endpoint-webmention-io/node_modules/@indiekit/frontend/lib/serviceworker.js",
+];
+
+const fallback = `const APP_VERSION = "APP_VERSION";
+
+self.addEventListener("install", (event) => {
+  event.waitUntil(self.skipWaiting());
+});
+
+self.addEventListener("activate", (event) => {
+  event.waitUntil(self.clients.claim());
+});
+
+self.addEventListener("fetch", () => {});
+`;
+
+async function exists(filePath) {
+  try {
+    await access(filePath);
+    return true;
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+if (await exists(expected)) {
+  console.log("[postinstall] frontend serviceworker already present");
+  process.exit(0);
+}
+
+let sourcePath = null;
+for (const candidate of candidates) {
+  if (await exists(candidate)) {
+    sourcePath = candidate;
+    break;
+  }
+}
+
+await mkdir(path.dirname(expected), { recursive: true });
+
+if (sourcePath) {
+  const content = await readFile(sourcePath, "utf8");
+  await writeFile(expected, content, "utf8");
+  console.log(`[postinstall] Restored frontend serviceworker from ${sourcePath}`);
+} else {
+  await writeFile(expected, fallback, "utf8");
+  console.log("[postinstall] Created fallback frontend serviceworker");
+}
diff --git a/start.example.sh b/start.example.sh
index ad713a81..c609f797 100644
--- a/start.example.sh
+++ b/start.example.sh
@@ -38,5 +38,7 @@ export NODE_ENV="${NODE_ENV:-production}"
 /usr/local/bin/node scripts/patch-lightningcss.mjs
 /usr/local/bin/node scripts/patch-endpoint-media-scope.mjs
 /usr/local/bin/node scripts/patch-endpoint-files-upload-route.mjs
+/usr/local/bin/node scripts/patch-frontend-serviceworker-file.mjs
+/usr/local/bin/node scripts/patch-conversations-collection-guards.mjs
 
 exec /usr/local/bin/node node_modules/@indiekit/indiekit/bin/cli.js serve --config indiekit.config.mjs