diff --git a/_webi/releases.js b/_webi/releases.js
index ecbc959..707efcf 100644
--- a/_webi/releases.js
+++ b/_webi/releases.js
@@ -13,7 +13,9 @@ Releases.get = async function (pkgdir) {
   try {
     get = require(path.join(pkgdir, 'releases.js'));
   } catch (e) {
-    throw new Error('no releases.js for', pkgdir.split(/[\/\\]+/).pop());
+    let err = new Error('no releases.js for', pkgdir.split(/[\/\\]+/).pop());
+    err.code = 'E_NO_RELEASE';
+    throw err;
   }
 
   let all = await get(request);
diff --git a/_webi/serve-installer.js b/_webi/serve-installer.js
index 337be57..2d914f1 100644
--- a/_webi/serve-installer.js
+++ b/_webi/serve-installer.js
@@ -11,14 +11,9 @@ var getReleases = require('./transform-releases.js');
 
 var installersDir = path.join(__dirname, '..');
 
-module.exports = async function serveInstaller(
-  baseurl,
-  ua,
-  pkg,
-  tag,
-  ext,
-  formats,
-) {
+serveInstaller.serveInstaller = serveInstaller;
+module.exports = serveInstaller;
+async function serveInstaller(baseurl, ua, pkg, tag, ext, formats) {
   // TODO put some of this in a middleware? or common function?
 
   var ver = tag.replace(/^v/, '');
@@ -89,4 +84,4 @@ module.exports = async function serveInstaller(
     return Releases.renderPowerShell(pkgdir, rel, opts);
   }
   return Releases.renderBash(pkgdir, rel, opts);
-};
+}
diff --git a/_webi/transform-releases.js b/_webi/transform-releases.js
index 3d1fa02..81789d3 100644
--- a/_webi/transform-releases.js
+++ b/_webi/transform-releases.js
@@ -88,16 +88,27 @@ async function getCachedReleases(pkg) {
     // workaround for request timeout seeming to not work
     let complete = false;
     await Promise.race([
-      Releases.get(pkgdir).then(function (all) {
-        // Note: it is possible for slightly older data
-        // to replace slightly newer data, but this is better
-        // than being in a cycle where release updates _always_
-        // take longer than expected.
-        //console.debug('DOWNLOADED NEW "%s" releases', pkg);
-        cache[pkg].updatedAt = Date.now();
-        cache[pkg].all = all;
-        complete = true;
-      }),
+      Releases.get(pkgdir)
+        .then(function (all) {
+          // Note: it is possible for slightly older data
+          // to replace slightly newer data, but this is better
+          // than being in a cycle where release updates _always_
+          // take longer than expected.
+          //console.debug('DOWNLOADED NEW "%s" releases', pkg);
+          cache[pkg].updatedAt = Date.now();
+          cache[pkg].all = all;
+          complete = true;
+        })
+        .catch(function (err) {
+          if ('E_NO_RELEASE' === err.code) {
+            cache[pkg].updatedAt = Date.now();
+            cache[pkg].all = { download: '', releases: [] };
+            complete = true;
+            return;
+          }
+
+          throw err;
+        }),
       sleep(5000).then(function () {
         if (complete) {
           return;