diff --git a/dist-persist/wbstack/src/Info/GlobalSet.php b/dist-persist/wbstack/src/Info/GlobalSet.php
index 491b4cf52..cd749d580 100644
--- a/dist-persist/wbstack/src/Info/GlobalSet.php
+++ b/dist-persist/wbstack/src/Info/GlobalSet.php
@@ -2,10 +2,13 @@
 
 namespace WBStack\Info;
 
+class GlobalSetException extends \Exception {}
+
 /**
  * A class for setting a global holding a WBStackInfo object.
  * This includes lookup of the data for the global from cache or API.
  */
+
 class GlobalSet {
 
     /**
@@ -24,9 +27,10 @@ public static function forDomain($requestDomain) {
 
         $info = self::getCachedOrFreshInfo($requestDomain);
 
-        if($info === null) {
-            $notFound = new \Exception("No wiki was found for domain $requestDomain", 404);
-            throw $notFound;
+        if ($info === null) {
+            throw new GlobalSetException(
+                "No wiki was found for domain $requestDomain", 404,
+            );
         }
 
         self::setGlobal($info);
@@ -71,7 +75,14 @@ private static function getCachedOrFreshInfo( $requestDomain ) {
         // TODO create an APC lock saying this proc is going to get fresh data?
         // TODO in reality all of this needs to change...
 
-        $info = self::getInfoFromApi( $requestDomain );
+        try {
+            $info = self::getInfoFromApi( $requestDomain );
+        } catch (GlobalSetException $ex) {
+            if ($ex->getCode() !== 404) {
+                throw $ex;
+            }
+            $info = null;
+        }
 
         // Cache positive results for 10 seconds, negative for 2
         $ttl = $info ? 10 : 2;
@@ -124,12 +135,11 @@ private static function getInfoFromApi( $requestDomain ) {
         $response = curl_exec($client);
         $responseCode = intval(curl_getinfo($client, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE));
 
-        if ($responseCode === 404) {
-            return null;
-        }
-
         if ($responseCode > 299) {
-            throw new \Exception("Unexpected status code $responseCode from Platform API for domain $requestDomain.", $responseCode);
+            throw new GlobalSetException(
+                "Unexpected status code $responseCode from Platform API for domain $requestDomain.",
+                $responseCode,
+            );
         }
 
         $info = WBStackInfo::newFromJsonString($response, $requestDomain);
diff --git a/dist-persist/wbstack/src/Shim/Web.php b/dist-persist/wbstack/src/Shim/Web.php
index 65000f177..f11c557d4 100644
--- a/dist-persist/wbstack/src/Shim/Web.php
+++ b/dist-persist/wbstack/src/Shim/Web.php
@@ -5,10 +5,15 @@
 // Try and get the wiki info or fail
 try {
     \WBStack\Info\GlobalSet::forDomain($_SERVER['SERVER_NAME']);
-} catch (Exception $ex) {
+} catch (\WBStack\Info\GlobalSetException $ex) {
     http_response_code($ex->getCode());
-    echo "You have requested the domain: " . $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] . ". But that wiki can not currently be loaded.\n";
-    echo "It may never have existed, it might now be deleted, or there was a server error.\n";
+    echo "You have requested the domain: " . $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] . ". But that wiki can not currently be loaded.".PHP_EOL;
+    if ($ex->getCode() === 404) {
+        echo "It may never have existed or it might now be deleted.".PHP_EOL;
+    } else {
+        echo "There was a server error in the platform API.".PHP_EOL;
+    }
+    echo $ex->getMessage();
     die(1);
 }
 
diff --git a/dist/wbstack/src/Info/GlobalSet.php b/dist/wbstack/src/Info/GlobalSet.php
index 491b4cf52..cd749d580 100644
--- a/dist/wbstack/src/Info/GlobalSet.php
+++ b/dist/wbstack/src/Info/GlobalSet.php
@@ -2,10 +2,13 @@
 
 namespace WBStack\Info;
 
+class GlobalSetException extends \Exception {}
+
 /**
  * A class for setting a global holding a WBStackInfo object.
  * This includes lookup of the data for the global from cache or API.
  */
+
 class GlobalSet {
 
     /**
@@ -24,9 +27,10 @@ public static function forDomain($requestDomain) {
 
         $info = self::getCachedOrFreshInfo($requestDomain);
 
-        if($info === null) {
-            $notFound = new \Exception("No wiki was found for domain $requestDomain", 404);
-            throw $notFound;
+        if ($info === null) {
+            throw new GlobalSetException(
+                "No wiki was found for domain $requestDomain", 404,
+            );
         }
 
         self::setGlobal($info);
@@ -71,7 +75,14 @@ private static function getCachedOrFreshInfo( $requestDomain ) {
         // TODO create an APC lock saying this proc is going to get fresh data?
         // TODO in reality all of this needs to change...
 
-        $info = self::getInfoFromApi( $requestDomain );
+        try {
+            $info = self::getInfoFromApi( $requestDomain );
+        } catch (GlobalSetException $ex) {
+            if ($ex->getCode() !== 404) {
+                throw $ex;
+            }
+            $info = null;
+        }
 
         // Cache positive results for 10 seconds, negative for 2
         $ttl = $info ? 10 : 2;
@@ -124,12 +135,11 @@ private static function getInfoFromApi( $requestDomain ) {
         $response = curl_exec($client);
         $responseCode = intval(curl_getinfo($client, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE));
 
-        if ($responseCode === 404) {
-            return null;
-        }
-
         if ($responseCode > 299) {
-            throw new \Exception("Unexpected status code $responseCode from Platform API for domain $requestDomain.", $responseCode);
+            throw new GlobalSetException(
+                "Unexpected status code $responseCode from Platform API for domain $requestDomain.",
+                $responseCode,
+            );
         }
 
         $info = WBStackInfo::newFromJsonString($response, $requestDomain);
diff --git a/dist/wbstack/src/Shim/Web.php b/dist/wbstack/src/Shim/Web.php
index 65000f177..f11c557d4 100644
--- a/dist/wbstack/src/Shim/Web.php
+++ b/dist/wbstack/src/Shim/Web.php
@@ -5,10 +5,15 @@
 // Try and get the wiki info or fail
 try {
     \WBStack\Info\GlobalSet::forDomain($_SERVER['SERVER_NAME']);
-} catch (Exception $ex) {
+} catch (\WBStack\Info\GlobalSetException $ex) {
     http_response_code($ex->getCode());
-    echo "You have requested the domain: " . $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] . ". But that wiki can not currently be loaded.\n";
-    echo "It may never have existed, it might now be deleted, or there was a server error.\n";
+    echo "You have requested the domain: " . $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] . ". But that wiki can not currently be loaded.".PHP_EOL;
+    if ($ex->getCode() === 404) {
+        echo "It may never have existed or it might now be deleted.".PHP_EOL;
+    } else {
+        echo "There was a server error in the platform API.".PHP_EOL;
+    }
+    echo $ex->getMessage();
     die(1);
 }