diff --git a/frontend/src/client/projects-detail.ts b/frontend/src/client/projects-detail.ts
index f9c889d..acc5c3b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/client/projects-detail.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/client/projects-detail.ts
@@ -867,9 +867,17 @@ function renderHeader() {
 }
 
 function renderEvents() {
-  const list = document.getElementById("project-events-list")!;
-  const empty = document.getElementById("project-events-empty")!;
+  // Slice 1 of t-paliad-171 replaced the legacy <ul#project-events-list>
+  // markup with <div#project-smart-timeline>. The renderEvents() call sites
+  // weren't pruned in the same commit, so this function is still invoked
+  // but its DOM targets no longer exist. Return early instead of crashing —
+  // a null deref here halts main() before initTabs() runs, which is what
+  // made the Verlauf tab feel "stuck" (t-paliad-172). Slice 2 will remove
+  // the orphan call sites entirely.
+  const list = document.getElementById("project-events-list");
+  const empty = document.getElementById("project-events-empty");
   const moreWrap = document.getElementById("project-events-loadmore-wrap");
+  if (!list || !empty) return;
   if (events.length === 0) {
     list.innerHTML = "";
     empty.style.display = "block";