diff --git a/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClient.cpp b/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClient.cpp
index a1a2b7c1b5..ce724d7368 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClient.cpp
+++ b/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClient.cpp
@@ -82,6 +82,9 @@ AssignmentClient::AssignmentClient(Assignment::Type requestAssignmentType, QStri
     }
 
     _assignmentServerSocket = HifiSockAddr(_assignmentServerHostname, assignmentServerPort, true);
+    if (_assignmentServerSocket.isNull()) {
+        qCCritical(assignment_client) << "PAGE: Couldn't resolve domain server address" << _assignmentServerHostname;
+    }
     _assignmentServerSocket.setObjectName("AssignmentServer");
     nodeList->setAssignmentServerSocket(_assignmentServerSocket);
 
@@ -183,16 +186,21 @@ void AssignmentClient::sendAssignmentRequest() {
             // we want to check again for the local domain-server port in case the DS has restarted
             quint16 localAssignmentServerPort;
             if (nodeList->getLocalServerPortFromSharedMemory(DOMAIN_SERVER_LOCAL_PORT_SMEM_KEY, localAssignmentServerPort)) {
-                if (localAssignmentServerPort != _assignmentServerSocket.getPort()) {
-                    qCDebug(assignment_client) << "Port for local assignment server read from shared memory is"
-                        << localAssignmentServerPort;
+                if (localAssignmentServerPort == 0) {
+                    qCWarning(assignment_client) << "ALERT: Server port from shared memory is 0";
+                } else {
+                    if (localAssignmentServerPort != _assignmentServerSocket.getPort()) {
+                        qCDebug(assignment_client) << "Port for local assignment server read from shared memory is"
+                            << localAssignmentServerPort;
 
-                    _assignmentServerSocket.setPort(localAssignmentServerPort);
-                    nodeList->setAssignmentServerSocket(_assignmentServerSocket);
+                        _assignmentServerSocket.setPort(localAssignmentServerPort);
+                        nodeList->setAssignmentServerSocket(_assignmentServerSocket);
+                    }
                 }
             } else {
-                qCWarning(assignment_client) << "Failed to read local assignment server port from shared memory"
-                    << "- will send assignment request to previous assignment server socket.";
+                qCWarning(assignment_client) << "ALERT: Failed to read local assignment server port from shared memory ("
+                    << DOMAIN_SERVER_LOCAL_PORT_SMEM_KEY
+                    << ")- will send assignment request to previous assignment server socket.";
             }
         }
 
@@ -250,7 +258,7 @@ void AssignmentClient::handleCreateAssignmentPacket(QSharedPointer<ReceivedMessa
         // Starts an event loop, and emits workerThread->started()
         workerThread->start();
     } else {
-        qCWarning(assignment_client) << "Received an assignment that could not be unpacked. Re-requesting.";
+        qCWarning(assignment_client) << "ALERT: Received an assignment that could not be unpacked. Re-requesting.";
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/assignment-client/src/AssignmentFactory.cpp b/assignment-client/src/AssignmentFactory.cpp
index 405039d833..ef7da35030 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/AssignmentFactory.cpp
+++ b/assignment-client/src/AssignmentFactory.cpp
@@ -24,7 +24,9 @@
 ThreadedAssignment* AssignmentFactory::unpackAssignment(ReceivedMessage& message) {
 
     quint8 packedType;
-    message.peekPrimitive(&packedType);
+    if (message.readPrimitive(&packedType) != sizeof(packedType)) {
+        return nullptr;
+    }
 
     Assignment::Type unpackedType = (Assignment::Type) packedType;
 
diff --git a/libraries/networking/src/LimitedNodeList.cpp b/libraries/networking/src/LimitedNodeList.cpp
index ecf2218e2f..e1b373db89 100644
--- a/libraries/networking/src/LimitedNodeList.cpp
+++ b/libraries/networking/src/LimitedNodeList.cpp
@@ -1329,7 +1329,8 @@ void LimitedNodeList::putLocalPortIntoSharedMemory(const QString key, QObject* p
 
         qCDebug(networking) << "Wrote local listening port" << localPort << "to shared memory at key" << key;
     } else {
-        qWarning() << "ALERT: Failed to create and attach to shared memory to share local port with assignment-client children.";
+        qWarning() << "ALERT: Failed to create and attach to shared memory to share local port with assignment-client children:"
+            << sharedPortMem->errorString();
     }
 }
 
@@ -1337,7 +1338,8 @@ void LimitedNodeList::putLocalPortIntoSharedMemory(const QString key, QObject* p
 bool LimitedNodeList::getLocalServerPortFromSharedMemory(const QString key, quint16& localPort) {
     QSharedMemory sharedMem(key);
     if (!sharedMem.attach(QSharedMemory::ReadOnly)) {
-        qCWarning(networking) << "Could not attach to shared memory at key" << key;
+        qCWarning(networking) << "Could not attach to shared memory at key" << key
+            << ":" << sharedMem.errorString();
         return false;
     } else {
         sharedMem.lock();