diff --git a/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataAccessLogger.java b/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataAccessLogger.java
index 0e9c806..ed77c5f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataAccessLogger.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataAccessLogger.java
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ public class SecuredDataAccessLogger implements AutoCloseable
          return (thread);
       });
       long interval = runtime.config().getAccessLogFlushIntervalMillis();
-      worker.scheduleWithFixedDelay(this::flush, interval, interval, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
+      worker.scheduleWithFixedDelay(this::scheduledFlush, interval, interval, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
       shutdownHook = new Thread(this::close, "secured-data-access-log-shutdown");
       Runtime.getRuntime().addShutdownHook(shutdownHook);
    }
@@ -332,13 +332,38 @@ public class SecuredDataAccessLogger implements AutoCloseable
 
 
 
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** The worker's tick. An exception would cancel every later run of a
+    ** scheduled task, so a failed drain is logged (value-free) and retried on
+    ** the next tick; the rows stay queued.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   void scheduledFlush()
+   {
+      try
+      {
+         flush();
+      }
+      catch(RuntimeException e)
+      {
+         LOG.warn("Unable to drain the secured-data access log; retrying on the next tick");
+      }
+   }
+
+
+
    /*******************************************************************************
     ** Drain safely both from the worker and explicit test/host shutdown calls.
+    ** An empty queue opens no context: QContext validates an unvalidated
+    ** instance, and the worker starts while the host is still building it.
     *******************************************************************************/
    public void flush()
    {
       synchronized(flushLock)
       {
+         if(queue.isEmpty())
+         {
+            return;
+         }
          QContext.withTemporaryContext(new CapturedContext(instance, new QSystemUserSession(instance)), () ->
          {
             PendingLog pending;
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataClassifications.java b/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataClassifications.java
index 6347380..7c8b178 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataClassifications.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataClassifications.java
@@ -54,7 +54,11 @@ public final class SecuredDataClassifications
       {
          return (DataClassification.valueOf(row.getValueString("classification")));
       }
-      QFieldMetaData field = table.getField(fieldName);
+      ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      // getFields, not getField: a virtual field is not in the map and  //
+      // getField throws, while it still takes the table classification //
+      ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      QFieldMetaData field = table.getFields() == null || fieldName == null ? null : table.getFields().get(fieldName);
       DataClassification classification = field == null ? null : SecuredDataMetadata.classification(table, field);
       return (classification == null ? SecuredDataMetadata.classification(table, null) : classification);
    }
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataAccessLoggerTest.java b/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataAccessLoggerTest.java
index 9e5d1a3..76f2d30 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataAccessLoggerTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataAccessLoggerTest.java
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.exceptions.QPermissionDeniedException;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.data.QRecord;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.QInstance;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.code.QCodeReference;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.tables.QTableMetaData;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.JsonUtils;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
@@ -359,4 +360,31 @@ class SecuredDataAccessLoggerTest
       {
       }
    }
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** The worker starts while the host is still building its instance. An idle
+    ** tick opens no context, so it never validates (or enriches) an unfinished
+    ** instance on the worker thread, and a failing tick is logged instead of
+    ** cancelling every later tick.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void idleTicksNeverValidateAnUnfinishedInstance() throws Exception
+   {
+      setup();
+      SecuredDataRuntime runtime = SecuredDataRuntime.current();
+      QInstance unfinished = SecuredDataTestSupport.base();
+      unfinished.addTable(new QTableMetaData().withName("unfinished").withBackendName("not_registered_yet"));
+      SecuredDataAccessLogger idle = new SecuredDataAccessLogger(unfinished, runtime);
+      try
+      {
+         idle.flush();
+         idle.scheduledFlush();
+         assertThat(unfinished.getHasBeenValidated()).isFalse();
+      }
+      finally
+      {
+         idle.close();
+      }
+   }
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataResolverTest.java b/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataResolverTest.java
index be767dc..1d66bf0 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataResolverTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/secureddata/SecuredDataResolverTest.java
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.context.QContext;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.data.QRecord;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.fields.QFieldMetaData;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.fields.QFieldType;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.fields.QVirtualFieldMetaData;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.tables.QTableMetaData;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
@@ -326,4 +327,22 @@ class SecuredDataResolverTest
       CLOCK.now = NOW.plusSeconds(10);
       assertThat(resolver.isRevealActive("person", "email", 7)).isFalse();
    }
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** A virtual (computed) field is not in getFields, and getField throws for
+    ** it: it resolves through the table classification instead of failing the
+    ** whole read.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void virtualFieldsTakeTheTableClassification() throws Exception
+   {
+      QVirtualFieldMetaData display = new QVirtualFieldMetaData("displayName", QFieldType.STRING);
+      person.withVirtualFields(List.of(display));
+      assertThat(SecuredDataClassifications.effective(person, "displayName")).isNull();
+      assertThat(resolver.resolve(person, display).tier()).isEqualTo(FieldAccessTier.FULL);
+      person.withSupplementalMetaData(new AiTableMetaData().withClassification(DataClassification.PII));
+      assertThat(SecuredDataClassifications.effective(person, "displayName")).isEqualTo(DataClassification.PII);
+      assertThat(resolver.resolve(person, display).tier()).isEqualTo(FieldAccessTier.MASKED);
+   }
 }