diff --git a/src/commands/showPanel.tsx b/src/commands/showPanel.tsx
index 02e9311..2d7e26f 100644
--- a/src/commands/showPanel.tsx
+++ b/src/commands/showPanel.tsx
@@ -33,48 +33,58 @@ export async function showPanel(
         retainContextWhenHidden: true,
       },
     );
+    // Get a reference to the active editor (before the focus is switched to our newly created webview)
+    // firstEditor = vscode.window.activeTextEditor!;
 
     messageHandler.panel.webview.onDidReceiveMessage(
       (message: MessageType) => messageHandler.handleMessage(context, message),
       undefined,
       context.subscriptions,
     );
-  }
 
-  const iframeUrl = new URL(route ?? "/playground", config.frontendBaseUrl)
-    .href;
+    messageHandler.panel.onDidDispose(() => {
+      console.log("Panel disposed, clearing message handler panel");
+      messageHandler.panel = null;
+    });
+
+    const iframeUrl = new URL(route ?? "/playground", config.frontendBaseUrl)
+      .href;
 
-  setWebviewContent(
-    messageHandler.panel,
-    context,
-    // NOTE: This is not React code, but our FakeReact!
-    <div
-      // Account for some unexplainable margin
-      // @ts-expect-error: Our FakeReact doesn't modify the style attribute
-      style="width: 100%; height: calc(100vh - 10px)"
-    >
-      <iframe
-        id={FRONTEND_ELEMENT_ID}
-        src={iframeUrl}
-        width="100%"
-        height="100%"
-        // @ts-ignore
-        frameborder="0"
-        allowfullscreen
-      ></iframe>
-    </div>,
-  );
+    setWebviewContent(
+      messageHandler.panel,
+      context,
+      // NOTE: This is not React code, but our FakeReact!
+      <div
+        // Account for some unexplainable margin
+        // @ts-expect-error: Our FakeReact doesn't modify the style attribute
+        style="width: 100%; height: calc(100vh - 10px)"
+      >
+        <iframe
+          id={FRONTEND_ELEMENT_ID}
+          src={iframeUrl}
+          width="100%"
+          height="100%"
+          // @ts-ignore
+          frameborder="0"
+          allowfullscreen
+        ></iframe>
+      </div>,
+    );
 
-  messageHandler.panel.iconPath = SOURCE_ACADEMY_ICON_URI;
+    messageHandler.panel.iconPath = SOURCE_ACADEMY_ICON_URI;
+  }
 }
 
-export async function sendToFrontendWrapped(message: MessageType) {
-  sendToFrontend(messageHandler.panel, message);
-  // TODO: This returning of status code shouldn't be necessary after refactor
+export function sendToFrontendWrapped(message: MessageType): boolean {
   if (!messageHandler.panel) {
-    console.error("ERROR: panel is not set");
     return false;
   }
-  sendToFrontend(messageHandler.panel, message);
-  return true;
+  try {
+    sendToFrontend(messageHandler.panel, message);
+    return true;
+  } catch (err) {
+    console.error("Failed to send message to webview", err);
+    messageHandler.panel = null;
+    return false;
+  }
 }
diff --git a/src/extension.ts b/src/extension.ts
index 1b0f2a9..e1b3ea2 100644
--- a/src/extension.ts
+++ b/src/extension.ts
@@ -14,22 +14,51 @@ export let client: LanguageClient;
 
 export let SOURCE_ACADEMY_ICON_URI: vscode.Uri;
 
+// Shared output channel for logging diagnostic messages
+let outputChannel: vscode.OutputChannel;
+
 // This method is called when your extension is activated
 // Your extension is activated the very first time the command is executed
 export function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext) {
+  // Initialise output channel early so all parts can use it
+  outputChannel = vscode.window.createOutputChannel("Source Academy");
+  context.subscriptions.push(outputChannel);
+
+  // Validate user-provided settings up-front
+  try {
+    new URL(config.frontendBaseUrl);
+  } catch {
+    vscode.window.showErrorMessage(
+      "Source Academy: Invalid Frontend URL in settings (source-academy.frontendBaseUrl).",
+    );
+  }
   setupTreeView(context);
   registerAllCommands(context);
 
   context.subscriptions.push(setupStatusBar(context));
 
-  client = activateLspClient(context);
+  try {
+    client = activateLspClient(context);
+  } catch (e: any) {
+    vscode.window.showErrorMessage(
+      "Source Academy: Failed to start language server – " + (e?.message ?? e),
+    );
+    outputChannel.appendLine(String(e?.stack ?? e));
+    throw e; // rethrow so VS Code knows activation failed
+  }
 
   // const info = {
   //   "file:///home/heyzec/.sourceacademy/playground_1.js": { chapter: 4 },
   // };
   const info = context.globalState.get("info") ?? {};
 
-  client.sendRequest("source/publishInfo", info);
+  try {
+    client.sendRequest("source/publishInfo", info);
+  } catch (e: any) {
+    outputChannel.appendLine(
+      "Error sending initial info to language server: " + String(e),
+    );
+  }
 
   SOURCE_ACADEMY_ICON_URI = vscode.Uri.joinPath(
     context.extensionUri,
diff --git a/src/utils/messageHandler.tsx b/src/utils/messageHandler.tsx
index 3dd25a9..1f45b5f 100644
--- a/src/utils/messageHandler.tsx
+++ b/src/utils/messageHandler.tsx
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ export class MessageHandler {
             this.mcqPanel = vscode.window.createWebviewPanel(
               "mcq-question-panel",
               `MCQ`,
-              vscode.ViewColumn.One,
+              vscode.ViewColumn.Two,
               { enableScripts: true, retainContextWhenHidden: true },
             );
 
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ export class MessageHandler {
               {ReactDOMServer.renderToString(activePanel)}
             </div>,
           );
-          this.mcqPanel.reveal(vscode.ViewColumn.One);
+          this.mcqPanel.reveal(vscode.ViewColumn.Two);
 
           break;
         }
@@ -173,9 +173,9 @@ export class MessageHandler {
             this.panel?.reveal(vscode.ViewColumn.Two);
           }
           break;
-      case MessageTypeNames.LoginWithBrowser:
-        const { route } = message;
-        vscode.env.openExternal(vscode.Uri.parse(route));
+        case MessageTypeNames.LoginWithBrowser:
+          const { route } = message;
+          vscode.env.openExternal(vscode.Uri.parse(route));
       }
       console.log(`${Date.now()} Finish handleMessage: ${message.type}`);
     }
diff --git a/src/webview/components/SourceAcademy.tsx b/src/webview/components/SourceAcademy.tsx
index 6a8c22b..ad96e80 100644
--- a/src/webview/components/SourceAcademy.tsx
+++ b/src/webview/components/SourceAcademy.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
  * It simply relays messages between the VSC Extension context and the Frontend iframe context.
  */
 //
-import React, { useEffect } from "react";
+import React, { useEffect, useState, useCallback } from "react";
 import Messages, { MessageType, MessageTypeNames } from "../../utils/messages";
 import { FRONTEND_ELEMENT_ID } from "../../constants";
 
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ function initialListener(event: MessageEvent) {
     event.origin === message.frontendOrigin
   ) {
     frontendBaseUrl = event.origin;
+
     relayToExtension(message);
     window.addEventListener("message", messageListener);
     return;
@@ -51,14 +52,6 @@ function messageListener(event: MessageEvent) {
 }
 
 const SourceAcademy: React.FC = () => {
-  useEffect(() => {
-    window.addEventListener("message", initialListener);
-    return () => {
-      window.removeEventListener("message", initialListener);
-      window.removeEventListener("message", messageListener);
-    };
-  }, []);
-
   useEffect(() => {
     // TODO: Hacky way to update mcq panel, standard onClick handlers don't work
     const highlightSelection = (