diff --git a/src/app/api/local-coding/stats/route.ts b/src/app/api/local-coding/stats/route.ts
index c1e5cd4e..be722998 100644
--- a/src/app/api/local-coding/stats/route.ts
+++ b/src/app/api/local-coding/stats/route.ts
@@ -40,12 +40,11 @@ export async function GET(req: NextRequest) {
     .order("date", { ascending: false });
 
   if (error) {
-    // Table may not exist in all deployments — degrade gracefully
-    return Response.json({
-      dailyData: [],
-      totals: { totalSeconds: 0, totalDays: 0, avgSecondsPerDay: 0 },
-      hasData: false,
-    });
+    console.error("Failed to fetch local coding stats:", error);
+    return Response.json(
+      { error: "Failed to fetch local coding stats" },
+      { status: 500 }
+    );
   }
 
   if (!sessions || sessions.length === 0) {