diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/agents/multi_agent_chat/main_agent/runtime/factory.py b/surfsense_backend/app/agents/multi_agent_chat/main_agent/runtime/factory.py
index 630455694..d0354aca3 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/app/agents/multi_agent_chat/main_agent/runtime/factory.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/agents/multi_agent_chat/main_agent/runtime/factory.py
@@ -129,7 +129,16 @@ async def create_multi_agent_chat_deep_agent(
     }
 
     _t0 = time.perf_counter()
-    mcp_tools_by_agent = await load_mcp_tools_by_connector(db_session, search_space_id)
+    try:
+        mcp_tools_by_agent = await load_mcp_tools_by_connector(db_session, search_space_id)
+    except Exception as e:
+        # Degrade to builtins-only rather than aborting the turn: a transient
+        # DB or MCP-server hiccup should not deny the user a response.
+        logging.warning(
+            "MCP tool discovery failed; subagents will run without MCP tools this turn: %s",
+            e,
+        )
+        mcp_tools_by_agent = {}
     _perf_log.info(
         "[create_agent] load_mcp_tools_by_connector in %.3fs (%d buckets)",
         time.perf_counter() - _t0,
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/agents/multi_agent_chat/middleware/stack.py b/surfsense_backend/app/agents/multi_agent_chat/middleware/stack.py
index f894acc7e..6d8faa3f4 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/app/agents/multi_agent_chat/middleware/stack.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/agents/multi_agent_chat/middleware/stack.py
@@ -126,8 +126,12 @@ def build_main_agent_deepagent_middleware(
             [s["name"] for s in subagents_registry],
         )
     except Exception:
-        logging.exception("Subagents registry build failed")
-        raise
+        # Degrade to general-purpose-only rather than aborting the turn:
+        # one bad subagent dep should not deny the user a response.
+        logging.exception(
+            "Subagents registry build failed; falling back to general-purpose only"
+        )
+        subagents_registry = []
 
     subagents: list[SubAgent] = [general_purpose_subagent, *subagents_registry]