diff --git a/server/src/plugin/plugin-host-api.ts b/server/src/plugin/plugin-host-api.ts
index c2305fadd..7e16b838a 100644
--- a/server/src/plugin/plugin-host-api.ts
+++ b/server/src/plugin/plugin-host-api.ts
@@ -146,7 +146,9 @@ export class PluginHostAPI extends PluginAPIManagedListeners implements PluginAP
                 throw new Error(`providerId state not found for device ${p._id}`);
             return state.value === provider._id;
         });
-        const devices = deviceManifest.devices || [];
+        if (!deviceManifest.devices)
+            throw new Error(`onDevicesChanged called without devices for provider ${deviceManifest.providerNativeId}`);
+        const devices = deviceManifest.devices;
         const newIds = devices.map(device => device.nativeId);
         const toRemove = existing.filter(e => e.nativeId && !newIds.includes(e.nativeId));
 
diff --git a/server/src/services/cluster-fork.ts b/server/src/services/cluster-fork.ts
index 0773d15cb..7847bcb37 100644
--- a/server/src/services/cluster-fork.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/cluster-fork.ts
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ export class ClusterForkService {
         const fork: ClusterForkParam = await worker.fork;
 
         const forkResultPromise = fork(options.runtime!, runtimeWorkerOptions, peerLiveness, getZip);
-        options.id! ||= this.runtime.findPluginDevice(runtimeWorkerOptions.packageJson.name)!._id;
+        options.id! ||= this.runtime.findPluginDevice(runtimeWorkerOptions.packageJson.name)?._id;
 
         // the server is responsible for killing the forked process when the requestor is killed.
         // minimizes lifecycle management duplication in python and node.