diff --git a/web/rx.lua b/web/rx.lua
index 2ebcc52..c9e5c8b 100644
--- a/web/rx.lua
+++ b/web/rx.lua
@@ -52,8 +52,14 @@ recv_loop = function()
 		url = beerchat.url,
 		timeout = 30,
 	}, function(res)
-		if res.succeeded and res.code == 200 then
+		if res.succeeded and res.code == 200 and res.data then
 			local data = minetest.parse_json(res.data)
+			if not data then
+				minetest.log("error", "[beerchat] content parsing error: " .. dump(res.data))
+				minetest.after(5, recv_loop)
+				return
+			end
+
 			if #data > 0 then
 				-- array received
 				for _, item in ipairs(data) do