diff --git a/packages/core/src/chat.ts b/packages/core/src/chat.ts
index 507e2af9be..eec013baf8 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/chat.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/chat.ts
@@ -1049,7 +1049,7 @@ export function tracePromptResult(
     trace: MarkdownTrace,
     resp: { text?: string }
 ) {
-    const { text } = resp
+    const { text } = resp || {}
 
     // try to sniff the output type
     const language = JSON5TryParse(text)
diff --git a/packages/sample/genaisrc/front-matter.genai.mjs b/packages/sample/genaisrc/front-matter.genai.mjs
index be8acd8eeb..c2fa58a398 100644
--- a/packages/sample/genaisrc/front-matter.genai.mjs
+++ b/packages/sample/genaisrc/front-matter.genai.mjs
@@ -4,8 +4,7 @@ script({
         "Update or generate SEO-optimized front matter for a markdown file.",
     group: "samples",
     system: ["system", "system.files"],
-    maxTokens: 2000,
-    temperature: 0,
+    temperature: 0.5,
     model: "large",
 })