diff --git a/client/metatags.lua b/client/metatags.lua
index 6826a13e..aa6839b1 100644
--- a/client/metatags.lua
+++ b/client/metatags.lua
@@ -41,81 +41,88 @@ end
 add_meta_tag("og:site_name", server_info.config.name)
 add_meta_tag("og:url", ngx.var.external_host_url .. ngx.var.request_uri_path)
 
-if ngx.var.request_uri_path:match('^/$') then -- Site root
-  add_meta_tag("og:type", "website")
-  add_meta_tag("og:title", server_info.config.name)
-  add_meta_tag("twitter:title", server_info.config.name)
-  -- if there's a featured post, let's use that as the image
-  if server_info.featuredPost then
-    local post_info = server_info.featuredPost
-    -- NOTE this is different from the normal Post tags,
-    -- notably we avoid setting the article type, author, time, etc
-    local og_media_prefix
-    if post_info.type == "image" then
-      og_media_prefix = "og:image"
-      add_meta_tag("twitter:card", "summary_large_image")
-      add_meta_tag("twitter:image", ngx.var.external_host_url .. '/' .. post_info.contentUrl)
-    elseif post_info.type == "video" then
-      og_media_prefix = "og:video"
-      -- some sites don't preview video, so at least provide a thumbnail
-      add_meta_tag("og:image", ngx.var.external_host_url .. '/' .. post_info.thumbnailUrl)
+local function generate_meta_tags ()
+  if ngx.var.request_uri_path:match('^/$') then -- Site root
+    add_meta_tag("og:type", "website")
+    add_meta_tag("og:title", server_info.config.name)
+    add_meta_tag("twitter:title", server_info.config.name)
+    -- if there's a featured post, let's use that as the image
+    if server_info.featuredPost then
+      local post_info = server_info.featuredPost
+      -- NOTE this is different from the normal Post tags,
+      -- notably we avoid setting the article type, author, time, etc
+      local og_media_prefix
+      if post_info.type == "image" then
+        og_media_prefix = "og:image"
+        add_meta_tag("twitter:card", "summary_large_image")
+        add_meta_tag("twitter:image", ngx.var.external_host_url .. '/' .. post_info.contentUrl)
+      elseif post_info.type == "video" then
+        og_media_prefix = "og:video"
+        -- some sites don't preview video, so at least provide a thumbnail
+        add_meta_tag("og:image", ngx.var.external_host_url .. '/' .. post_info.thumbnailUrl)
+      end
+      add_meta_tag(og_media_prefix..":url", ngx.var.external_host_url .. '/' .. post_info.contentUrl)
+      add_meta_tag(og_media_prefix..":width", post_info.canvasWidth)
+      add_meta_tag(og_media_prefix..":height", post_info.canvasHeight)
     end
-    add_meta_tag(og_media_prefix..":url", ngx.var.external_host_url .. '/' .. post_info.contentUrl)
-    add_meta_tag(og_media_prefix..":width", post_info.canvasWidth)
-    add_meta_tag(og_media_prefix..":height", post_info.canvasHeight)
-  end
-elseif ngx.var.request_uri_path:match('^/post/([0-9]+)/?$') then -- Post metadata
-  -- check if posts are accessible to anonymous users:
-  if server_info.config.privileges["posts:view"] == "anonymous" then
-    add_meta_tag("og:type", "article")
-    local post_info = cjson.decode((ngx.location.capture("/_internal_api"..ngx.var.request_uri_path)).body)
-    add_meta_tag("og:title", server_info.config.name .. " - Post " .. post_info.id)
-    add_meta_tag("twitter:title", server_info.config.name .. " - Post " .. post_info.id)
-    add_meta_tag("article:published_time", post_info.creationTime)
-    local og_media_prefix
-    if post_info.type == "image" then
-      og_media_prefix = "og:image"
-      add_meta_tag("twitter:card", "summary_large_image")
-      add_meta_tag("twitter:image", ngx.var.external_host_url .. '/' .. post_info.contentUrl)
-    elseif post_info.type == "video" then
-      og_media_prefix = "og:video"
-      add_meta_tag("twitter:card", "player")
-      add_meta_tag("twitter:player:width", post_info.canvasWidth)
-      add_meta_tag("twitter:player:height", post_info.canvasHeight)
-      -- some sites don't preview video, so at least provide a thumbnail
-      add_meta_tag("og:image", ngx.var.external_host_url .. '/' .. post_info.thumbnailUrl)
-    end
-    add_meta_tag(og_media_prefix..":url", ngx.var.external_host_url .. '/' .. post_info.contentUrl)
-    add_meta_tag(og_media_prefix..":width", post_info.canvasWidth)
-    add_meta_tag(og_media_prefix..":height", post_info.canvasHeight)
-    -- user is not present for anonymous uploads:
-    if post_info.user then
-      add_meta_tag("article:author", post_info.user.name)
-    end
-  else
-    -- no permission to retrieve post data
-    add_meta_tag("og:title", server_info.config.name .. " - Login required")
-  end
-elseif ngx.var.request_uri_path:match('^/user/([^/]+)/?$') then -- User metadata
-  local username = ngx.var.request_uri_path:match('^/user/([^/]+)/?$')
-  add_meta_tag("og:title", server_info.config.name .. " - " .. username)
-  add_meta_tag("og:type", "profile")
-  -- check for permission to access user profiles
-  if server_info.config.privileges["users:view"] == "anonymous" then
-    local user_info = cjson.decode((ngx.location.capture("/_internal_api/user/"..username)).body)
-    add_meta_tag("profile:username", user_info.name)
-    local avatar_url
-    avatar_url = user_info.avatarUrl
-    if avatar_url:match("^https?://") then
-      add_meta_tag("og:image", avatar_url)
+  elseif ngx.var.request_uri_path:match('^/post/([0-9]+)/?$') then -- Post metadata
+    -- check if posts are accessible to anonymous users:
+    if server_info.config.privileges["posts:view"] == "anonymous" then
+      add_meta_tag("og:type", "article")
+      local post_info = cjson.decode((ngx.location.capture("/_internal_api"..ngx.var.request_uri_path)).body)
+      add_meta_tag("og:title", server_info.config.name .. " - Post " .. post_info.id)
+      add_meta_tag("twitter:title", server_info.config.name .. " - Post " .. post_info.id)
+      add_meta_tag("article:published_time", post_info.creationTime)
+      local og_media_prefix
+      if post_info.type == "video" then
+        og_media_prefix = "og:video"
+        add_meta_tag("twitter:card", "player")
+        add_meta_tag("twitter:player:width", post_info.canvasWidth)
+        add_meta_tag("twitter:player:height", post_info.canvasHeight)
+        -- some sites don't preview video, so at least provide a thumbnail
+        add_meta_tag("og:image", ngx.var.external_host_url .. '/' .. post_info.thumbnailUrl)
+      else
+        og_media_prefix = "og:image"
+        add_meta_tag("twitter:card", "summary_large_image")
+        add_meta_tag("twitter:image", ngx.var.external_host_url .. '/' .. post_info.contentUrl)
+      end
+      add_meta_tag(og_media_prefix..":url", ngx.var.external_host_url .. '/' .. post_info.contentUrl)
+      add_meta_tag(og_media_prefix..":width", post_info.canvasWidth)
+      add_meta_tag(og_media_prefix..":height", post_info.canvasHeight)
+      -- user is not present for anonymous uploads:
+      if post_info.user then
+        add_meta_tag("article:author", post_info.user.name)
+      end
     else
-      add_meta_tag("og:image", ngx.var.external_host_url .. '/' .. avatar_url)
+      -- no permission to retrieve post data
+      add_meta_tag("og:title", server_info.config.name .. " - Login required")
+    end
+  elseif ngx.var.request_uri_path:match('^/user/([^/]+)/?$') then -- User metadata
+    local username = ngx.var.request_uri_path:match('^/user/([^/]+)/?$')
+    add_meta_tag("og:title", server_info.config.name .. " - " .. username)
+    add_meta_tag("og:type", "profile")
+    -- check for permission to access user profiles
+    if server_info.config.privileges["users:view"] == "anonymous" then
+      local user_info = cjson.decode((ngx.location.capture("/_internal_api/user/"..username)).body)
+      add_meta_tag("profile:username", user_info.name)
+      local avatar_url
+      avatar_url = user_info.avatarUrl
+      if avatar_url:match("^https?://") then
+        add_meta_tag("og:image", avatar_url)
+      else
+        add_meta_tag("og:image", ngx.var.external_host_url .. '/' .. avatar_url)
+      end
+    else
+      -- no permission to view user data
     end
-  else
-    -- no permission to view user data
   end
 end
 
+local status, err = pcall(generate_meta_tags)
+if not status then
+  ngx.log(ngx.STDERR, "Failed to generate meta tags: "..tostring(err))
+end
+
 -- Once tags have been generated, write them and then finish the response
 ngx.print(additional_tags)
 ngx.print(after_content)