diff --git a/common/src/main/java/org/figuramc/figura/gui/screens/WardrobeScreen.java b/common/src/main/java/org/figuramc/figura/gui/screens/WardrobeScreen.java
index a67ad1b16..d369c58ee 100644
--- a/common/src/main/java/org/figuramc/figura/gui/screens/WardrobeScreen.java
+++ b/common/src/main/java/org/figuramc/figura/gui/screens/WardrobeScreen.java
@@ -27,6 +27,11 @@
 import java.util.List;
 
 public class WardrobeScreen extends AbstractPanelScreen {
+    private static final Component DEBUG_MOTD_FALLBACK = Component.literal("No motd could be loaded.\n\n")
+            .append("Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.\n")
+                    .withStyle(ChatFormatting.GRAY)
+            .append(Component.literal("(This is only visible in debug mode)")
+                    .withStyle(ChatFormatting.DARK_GRAY, ChatFormatting.ITALIC));
 
     private Label panic;
 
@@ -46,7 +51,7 @@ protected void init() {
         // screen
         Minecraft minecraft = Minecraft.getInstance();
         int middle = width / 2;
-        int panels = Math.min(width / 3, 256) - 8;
+        int panels = getPanels();
 
         int modelBgSize = Math.min(width - panels * 2 - 16, height - 96);
         panels = Math.max((width - modelBgSize) / 2 - 8, panels);
@@ -174,10 +179,11 @@ protected void init() {
         addRenderableOnly(infoWidget = new AvatarInfoWidget(this.width - panels - 4, 56, panels, back.getY() - 60));
 
         // backend MOTD
-        int motdHeight = back.getY() - (infoWidget.getY() + infoWidget.getHeight()) - 28;
-        if (NetworkStuff.motd != null && motdHeight > 32) {
-            addRenderableWidget(motdWidget = new BackendMotdWidget(this.width - panels, infoWidget.getY() + infoWidget.getHeight() + 2, panels - 8, motdHeight, NetworkStuff.motd, Minecraft.getInstance().font));
+        if (motdWidget != null) {
+            removeWidget(motdWidget);
+            motdWidget = null;
         }
+        updateMotdWidget();
 
         // panic warning - always added last, on top
         addRenderableWidget(panic = new Label(
@@ -188,6 +194,29 @@ protected void init() {
         panic.setVisible(false);
     }
 
+    private int getPanels() {
+        return Math.min(width / 3, 256) - 8;
+    }
+
+    private void updateMotdWidget() {
+        int panels = getPanels();
+
+        int width = panels - 8;
+        int height = back.getY() - (infoWidget.getY() + infoWidget.getHeight()) - 30;
+        if (motdWidget == null) {
+            Component motd = NetworkStuff.motd == null ? DEBUG_MOTD_FALLBACK : NetworkStuff.motd;
+            if (!FiguraMod.debugModeEnabled() && motd == DEBUG_MOTD_FALLBACK) {
+                return;
+            }
+            motdWidget = addRenderableWidget(new BackendMotdWidget(this.width - panels, infoWidget.getY() + infoWidget.getHeight() + 24, width, height, motd, Minecraft.getInstance().font));
+        }  else {
+            motdWidget.setWidth(width);
+            motdWidget.setHeight(height);
+        }
+
+        motdWidget.visible = motdWidget.shouldRender();
+    }
+
     @Override
     public void tick() {
         // children tick
@@ -201,10 +230,7 @@ public void tick() {
         upload.setActive(NetworkStuff.canUpload() && !AvatarManager.localUploaded && (avatar = AvatarManager.getAvatarForPlayer(FiguraMod.getLocalPlayerUUID())) != null && avatar.nbt != null && avatar.loaded);
         delete.setActive(NetworkStuff.isConnected() && AvatarManager.localUploaded);
 
-        if (motdWidget != null) {
-            motdWidget.setY(infoWidget.getY() + infoWidget.getHeight() + 2);
-            motdWidget.setHeight(back.getY() - (infoWidget.getY() + infoWidget.getHeight()) - 28);
-        }
+        updateMotdWidget();
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/common/src/main/java/org/figuramc/figura/gui/widgets/BackendMotdWidget.java b/common/src/main/java/org/figuramc/figura/gui/widgets/BackendMotdWidget.java
index e0dfbf336..944025a1a 100644
--- a/common/src/main/java/org/figuramc/figura/gui/widgets/BackendMotdWidget.java
+++ b/common/src/main/java/org/figuramc/figura/gui/widgets/BackendMotdWidget.java
@@ -79,4 +79,8 @@ protected void updateWidgetNarration(NarrationElementOutput builder) {
     public void setHeight(int height) {
         this.height = height;
     }
+
+    public boolean shouldRender() {
+        return getScrollBarHeight() > 0 && this.height >= 48;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/common/src/main/resources/figura.accesswidener b/common/src/main/resources/figura.accesswidener
index af103063e..6ad179d55 100644
--- a/common/src/main/resources/figura.accesswidener
+++ b/common/src/main/resources/figura.accesswidener
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ accessible class net/minecraft/client/gui/screens/inventory/BookEditScreen$LineI
 
 accessible method net/minecraft/client/renderer/RenderType create (Ljava/lang/String;Lcom/mojang/blaze3d/vertex/VertexFormat;Lcom/mojang/blaze3d/vertex/VertexFormat$Mode;ILnet/minecraft/client/renderer/RenderType$CompositeState;)Lnet/minecraft/client/renderer/RenderType$CompositeRenderType;
 accessible method net/minecraft/client/renderer/RenderType create (Ljava/lang/String;Lcom/mojang/blaze3d/vertex/VertexFormat;Lcom/mojang/blaze3d/vertex/VertexFormat$Mode;IZZLnet/minecraft/client/renderer/RenderType$CompositeState;)Lnet/minecraft/client/renderer/RenderType$CompositeRenderType;
+accessible method net/minecraft/client/gui/components/AbstractScrollWidget getScrollBarHeight ()I
 
 accessible method net/minecraft/client/gui/Font renderText (Ljava/lang/String;FFIZLorg/joml/Matrix4f;Lnet/minecraft/client/renderer/MultiBufferSource;Lnet/minecraft/client/gui/Font$DisplayMode;II)F
-extendable method net/minecraft/client/gui/Font renderText (Ljava/lang/String;FFIZLorg/joml/Matrix4f;Lnet/minecraft/client/renderer/MultiBufferSource;Lnet/minecraft/client/gui/Font$DisplayMode;II)F
\ No newline at end of file
+extendable method net/minecraft/client/gui/Font renderText (Ljava/lang/String;FFIZLorg/joml/Matrix4f;Lnet/minecraft/client/renderer/MultiBufferSource;Lnet/minecraft/client/gui/Font$DisplayMode;II)F