diff --git a/pyplugins/apis/send_hypercall.py b/pyplugins/apis/send_hypercall.py
index 9000e6cbc..df8850fed 100644
--- a/pyplugins/apis/send_hypercall.py
+++ b/pyplugins/apis/send_hypercall.py
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ def __init__(self) -> None:
             self.logger.setLevel("DEBUG")
         self.registered_events: Dict[str, Callable[...,
                                                    Tuple[int, Union[str, bytes]]]] = {}
+        self._unhandled_warned: set = set()
         plugins.subscribe(
             plugins.Events, "igloo_send_hypercall", self.on_send_hypercall)
 
@@ -157,7 +158,17 @@ def on_send_hypercall(self, cpu: Any, buf_addr: int,
         # Simulate command
         cb = self.registered_events.get(cmd)
         if cb is None:
-            self.logger.error(f"Unregistered send_hypercall command {cmd}")
+            # Guest-side init scripts fire some hypercalls (e.g. readiness,
+            # core_pattern_lock) best-effort: a config generated by an older
+            # penguin may not load the plugin that subscribes to them. That is
+            # benign, so warn once per command instead of erroring every boot.
+            if cmd not in self._unhandled_warned:
+                self._unhandled_warned.add(cmd)
+                self.logger.warning(
+                    f"No subscriber for send_hypercall command {cmd!r}; "
+                    f"if this project predates the plugin that handles it, "
+                    f"add that plugin to the config or regenerate the config"
+                )
             return
 
         cb_to_call = resolve_bound_method_from_class(cb)
diff --git a/pyplugins/interventions/core_pattern_guard.py b/pyplugins/interventions/core_pattern_guard.py
index 58c48fdbc..afc26a101 100644
--- a/pyplugins/interventions/core_pattern_guard.py
+++ b/pyplugins/interventions/core_pattern_guard.py
@@ -15,8 +15,11 @@
 but never writes through to the original .data target, so the global keeps
 the value the init script put there.
 
-No-op when core.shared_dir is unset -- there's nowhere to mirror dumps to,
-and the init script's hypercall won't fire either.
+Dormant when core.shared_dir is unset: the init script only fires the
+hypercall when SHARED_DIR is in the guest env. We subscribe unconditionally
+anyway so a stray core_pattern_lock (e.g. env.SHARED_DIR set by hand without
+core.shared_dir) is honored instead of tripping send_hypercall's
+"Unregistered send_hypercall command" error.
 """
 
 from penguin import Plugin, plugins
@@ -66,10 +69,6 @@ def proc_handler(self, ptregs, ctl, write, buffer, lenp, ppos_ptr):
 
 class CorePatternGuard(Plugin):
     def __init__(self):
-        conf = self.get_arg("conf") or {}
-        if not conf.get("core", {}).get("shared_dir"):
-            return
-
         self._registered = False
         plugins.send_hypercall.subscribe("core_pattern_lock", self._on_lock)
 
diff --git a/pyplugins/testing/verifier.py b/pyplugins/testing/verifier.py
index dcc652fdb..6da63b3ac 100644
--- a/pyplugins/testing/verifier.py
+++ b/pyplugins/testing/verifier.py
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ def get_test_case_output(self, name, kind):
     def check_test_cases(self):
         results = {}
         test_cases = []
-        for name in self.conditions:
+        for name in self.conditions or {}:
             test_type = self.conditions[name]["type"]
             test = getattr(self, f"test_{test_type}", None)
             if test is None: