diff --git a/service/lane/update-meta/src/main/kotlin/vdi/lane/meta/UpdateMetaTriggerHandlerImpl.kt b/service/lane/update-meta/src/main/kotlin/vdi/lane/meta/UpdateMetaTriggerHandlerImpl.kt
index bd5754c9..3f294d49 100644
--- a/service/lane/update-meta/src/main/kotlin/vdi/lane/meta/UpdateMetaTriggerHandlerImpl.kt
+++ b/service/lane/update-meta/src/main/kotlin/vdi/lane/meta/UpdateMetaTriggerHandlerImpl.kt
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ internal class UpdateMetaTriggerHandlerImpl(
           kc.fetchMessages(config.kafkaRouterConfig.updateMetaTriggerMessageKey)
             .forEach {
               log.info("Received install-meta job for dataset {}/{} from source {}", it.userID, it.datasetID, it.eventSource)
-              wp.submit { updateMeta(dm, kr, it) }
+              wp.submit { tryUpdateMeta(dm, kr, it) }
             }
         }
       }
@@ -81,9 +81,13 @@ internal class UpdateMetaTriggerHandlerImpl(
     confirmShutdown()
   }
 
-  private suspend fun updateMeta(dm: DatasetManager, kr: KafkaRouter, msg: EventMessage) {
+  private suspend fun tryUpdateMeta(dm: DatasetManager, kr: KafkaRouter, msg: EventMessage) {
     try {
       updateMeta(dm, msg.userID, msg.datasetID)
+    } catch (e: PluginException) {
+      e.log(log::error)
+    } catch (e: Throwable) {
+      PluginException.installMeta("N/A", "N/A", msg.userID, msg.datasetID, cause = e).log(log::error)
     } finally {
       if (msg.eventSource != EventSource.FullReconciler)
         kr.sendReconciliationTrigger(msg.userID, msg.datasetID, msg.eventSource)
@@ -154,10 +158,27 @@ internal class UpdateMetaTriggerHandlerImpl(
     val ph = PluginHandlers[datasetMeta.type.name, datasetMeta.type.version]!!
 
     datasetMeta.projects
-      .forEach { projectID -> updateTargetMeta(ph, datasetMeta, metaTimestamp, datasetID, projectID, userID) }
+      .forEach { projectID -> tryUpdateTargetMeta(ph, datasetMeta, metaTimestamp, datasetID, projectID, userID) }
 
     timer.observeDuration()
   }
+  
+  private suspend fun tryUpdateTargetMeta(
+    ph: PluginHandler,
+    meta: VDIDatasetMeta,
+    metaTimestamp: OffsetDateTime,
+    datasetID: DatasetID,
+    projectID: ProjectID,
+    userID: UserID,
+  ) {
+    try {
+      updateTargetMeta(ph, meta, metaTimestamp, datasetID, projectID, userID)
+    } catch (e: PluginException) {
+      throw e
+    } catch (e: Throwable) {
+      throw PluginException.installMeta(ph.displayName, projectID, userID, datasetID, cause = e)
+    }
+  }
 
   private suspend fun updateTargetMeta(
     ph: PluginHandler,
@@ -172,8 +193,7 @@ internal class UpdateMetaTriggerHandlerImpl(
       return
     }
 
-    val appDb = appDB.accessor(projectID)
-    if (appDb == null) {
+    val appDb = appDB.accessor(projectID) or {
       log.info("skipping dataset {}/{}, project {} update meta due to target being disabled", userID, datasetID, projectID)
       return
     }
@@ -247,7 +267,7 @@ internal class UpdateMetaTriggerHandlerImpl(
     val result = try {
       ph.client.postInstallMeta(datasetID, projectID, meta)
     } catch (e: Throwable){
-      throw PluginRequestException("install-meta", ph.displayName, projectID, userID, datasetID, e)
+      throw PluginRequestException.installMeta(ph.displayName, projectID, userID, datasetID, cause = e)
     }
 
     Metrics.MetaUpdates.count.labels(meta.type.name, meta.type.version, result.responseCode.toString()).inc()