diff --git a/first_time_install.sh b/first_time_install.sh
index 44eed9240..4b87b5c0c 100644
--- a/first_time_install.sh
+++ b/first_time_install.sh
@@ -227,8 +227,8 @@ wait_for_apt_lock() {
     done
 }
 
-apt_update() { wait_for_apt_lock; retry apt update; }
-apt_install() { wait_for_apt_lock; retry apt install -y "$@"; }
+apt_update() { wait_for_apt_lock; retry apt-get -o DPkg::Lock::Timeout=180 update; }
+apt_install() { wait_for_apt_lock; retry apt-get -o DPkg::Lock::Timeout=180 install -y "$@"; }
 apt_remove() { apt-get remove -y "$@" || true; }
 
 check_network() {
@@ -857,24 +857,30 @@ if [ "$_SKIP_BUILD" = "1" ]; then
     echo "rgbmatrix already installed${_skip_suffix}; skipping build (set RPI_RGB_FORCE_REBUILD=1 to force rebuild)."
 else
     # Ensure rpi-rgb-led-matrix submodule is initialized
+    # Wrapper used with retry(): removes any partial clone dir before each attempt
+    # so git clone doesn't fail with "destination path already exists".
+    _clone_rpi_rgb() {
+        rm -rf "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master"
+        git clone https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix.git rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master
+    }
     if [ ! -d "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master" ]; then
         echo "rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master not found. Initializing git submodule..."
         cd "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR"
-        
+
         # Try to initialize submodule if .gitmodules exists
         if [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/.gitmodules" ] && grep -q "rpi-rgb-led-matrix" "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/.gitmodules"; then
             echo "Initializing rpi-rgb-led-matrix submodule..."
             if ! retry git submodule update --init --recursive rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master; then
                 echo "⚠ Submodule init failed, cloning directly from GitHub..."
-                retry git clone https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix.git rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master
+                retry _clone_rpi_rgb
             fi
         else
             # Fallback: clone directly if submodule not configured
             echo "Submodule not configured, cloning directly from GitHub..."
-            retry git clone https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix.git rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master
+            retry _clone_rpi_rgb
         fi
     fi
-    
+
     # Build and install rpi-rgb-led-matrix Python bindings
     if [ -d "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master" ]; then
         # Check if submodule is properly initialized (not empty)
@@ -885,7 +891,7 @@ else
             if [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/.gitmodules" ] && grep -q "rpi-rgb-led-matrix" "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/.gitmodules"; then
                 retry git submodule update --init --recursive rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master
             else
-                retry git clone https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix.git rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master
+                retry _clone_rpi_rgb
             fi
         fi
 
diff --git a/scripts/install_dependencies_apt.py b/scripts/install_dependencies_apt.py
index 08a09822c..a03d0243c 100644
--- a/scripts/install_dependencies_apt.py
+++ b/scripts/install_dependencies_apt.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 import warnings
 from collections import deque
 from pathlib import Path
+from typing import List, Tuple
 
 # How many trailing lines of a failed command's output to keep for the
 # end-of-run failure summary. Keeps the root cause near the end of the log,
@@ -17,7 +18,7 @@
 ERROR_TAIL_LINES = 15
 
 
-def _run(cmd):
+def _run(cmd: List[str]) -> Tuple[bool, str]:
     """Run a command, streaming combined stdout/stderr to a temp file.
 
     Returns (success, output) instead of raising, so callers can report
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ def _run(cmd):
     return result.returncode == 0, '\n'.join(tail)
 
 
-def install_via_apt(package_name):
+def install_via_apt(package_name: str) -> Tuple[bool, str]:
     """Try to install a package via apt. Returns (success, output)."""
     # Map pip package names to apt package names
     apt_package_map = {
@@ -59,7 +60,7 @@ def install_via_apt(package_name):
     apt_package = apt_package_map.get(package_name, f'python3-{package_name}')
 
     print(f"Trying to install {apt_package} via apt...")
-    success, output = _run(['sudo', 'apt', 'install', '-y', apt_package])
+    success, output = _run(['sudo', 'apt-get', '-o', 'DPkg::Lock::Timeout=180', 'install', '-y', apt_package])
     if success:
         print(f"Successfully installed {apt_package} via apt")
         return True, ""
@@ -68,7 +69,7 @@ def install_via_apt(package_name):
     return False, output
 
 
-def install_via_pip(package_name):
+def install_via_pip(package_name: str) -> Tuple[bool, str]:
     """Install a package via pip with --break-system-packages and --prefer-binary.
 
     --break-system-packages allows pip to install into the system Python on
@@ -105,7 +106,7 @@ def install_via_pip(package_name):
 }
 
 
-def check_package_installed(package_name):
+def check_package_installed(package_name: str) -> bool:
     """Check if a package is already installed."""
     import_name = IMPORT_NAME_MAP.get(package_name, package_name)
     # Suppress deprecation warnings when checking if packages are installed
@@ -119,7 +120,7 @@ def check_package_installed(package_name):
             return False
 
 
-def print_failure_summary(failed_packages, failure_details):
+def print_failure_summary(failed_packages: List[str], failure_details: dict) -> None:
     print("\n" + "=" * 60)
     print("DEPENDENCY INSTALLATION FAILURES - DETAILS")
     print("=" * 60)
@@ -208,7 +209,7 @@ def main():
             if setup_py.exists():
                 # Try installing - use regular install, not editable mode
                 # This is optional for web interface and should already be installed in Step 6
-                ok, output = _run([sys.executable, '-m', 'pip', 'install', '--break-system-packages', '--ignore-installed', str(rgbmatrix_path)])
+                ok, output = _run([sys.executable, '-m', 'pip', 'install', '--break-system-packages', str(rgbmatrix_path)])
                 if ok:
                     print("rgbmatrix module installed successfully")
                 else:
diff --git a/web_interface/blueprints/api_v3.py b/web_interface/blueprints/api_v3.py
index dba3d1c83..bfa86ddb6 100644
--- a/web_interface/blueprints/api_v3.py
+++ b/web_interface/blueprints/api_v3.py
@@ -1682,7 +1682,13 @@ def execute_system_action():
             })
         elif action == 'install_plugin_requirements':
             active_pm = getattr(api_v3, 'plugin_manager', None)
-            plugins_dir = Path(active_pm.plugins_dir) if active_pm else PROJECT_ROOT / 'plugin-repos'
+            if active_pm:
+                plugins_dir = Path(active_pm.plugins_dir)
+            else:
+                _cm = getattr(api_v3, 'config_manager', None)
+                _cfg = _cm.load_config() if _cm else {}
+                _dir_name = _cfg.get('plugin_system', {}).get('plugins_directory', 'plugin-repos')
+                plugins_dir = Path(_dir_name) if os.path.isabs(_dir_name) else PROJECT_ROOT / _dir_name
             results = []
             if plugins_dir.exists():
                 for p in sorted(plugins_dir.iterdir()):
@@ -4619,6 +4625,49 @@ def ensure_array_defaults(config_dict, schema_props, prefix=''):
         if 'application/json' in content_type:
             schema = schema_mgr.load_schema(plugin_id, use_cache=False)
 
+        # JSON path: fix numeric-keyed dicts that should be arrays.
+        # JS dotToNested() converts feeds.custom_feeds.0.name → {'0': {name:...}}
+        # instead of [{name:...}]. The form-data path has fix_array_structures for this;
+        # mirror that logic here for JSON submissions.
+        if 'application/json' in content_type and schema and 'properties' in schema:
+            def _fix_json_arrays(cfg, props):
+                for k, ps in props.items():
+                    if not isinstance(cfg, dict) or k not in cfg:
+                        continue
+                    pt = ps.get('type')
+                    val = cfg[k]
+                    if pt == 'array':
+                        items_schema = ps.get('items', {})
+                        item_type = items_schema.get('type')
+                        if isinstance(val, dict):
+                            keys = list(val.keys())
+                            if keys and all(str(x).isdigit() for x in keys):
+                                sorted_keys = sorted(keys, key=lambda x: int(str(x)))
+                                arr = [val[sk] for sk in sorted_keys]
+                                if item_type in ('integer', 'number'):
+                                    converted = []
+                                    for v in arr:
+                                        if isinstance(v, str):
+                                            try:
+                                                converted.append(int(v) if item_type == 'integer' else float(v))
+                                            except (ValueError, TypeError):
+                                                converted.append(v)
+                                        else:
+                                            converted.append(v)
+                                    arr = converted
+                                cfg[k] = arr
+                            elif not keys:
+                                cfg[k] = []
+                        # Recurse into each element when items are objects with properties,
+                        # covering both freshly-converted and already-list values.
+                        if item_type == 'object' and 'properties' in items_schema:
+                            for elem in (cfg[k] if isinstance(cfg[k], list) else []):
+                                if isinstance(elem, dict):
+                                    _fix_json_arrays(elem, items_schema['properties'])
+                    elif pt == 'object' and 'properties' in ps and isinstance(val, dict):
+                        _fix_json_arrays(val, ps['properties'])
+            _fix_json_arrays(plugin_config, schema['properties'])
+
         # PRE-PROCESSING: Preserve 'enabled' state if not in request
         # This prevents overwriting the enabled state when saving config from a form that doesn't include the toggle
         if 'enabled' not in plugin_config:
diff --git a/web_interface/static/v3/js/widgets/custom-feeds.js b/web_interface/static/v3/js/widgets/custom-feeds.js
index 15a0c3806..62ed412b5 100644
--- a/web_interface/static/v3/js/widgets/custom-feeds.js
+++ b/web_interface/static/v3/js/widgets/custom-feeds.js
@@ -54,15 +54,18 @@
                 const logoIdInput = row.querySelector('input[name*=".logo.id"]');
                 
                 if (nameInput && urlInput) {
-                    feeds.push({
+                    const feedObj = {
                         name: nameInput.value,
                         url: urlInput.value,
-                        enabled: enabledInput ? enabledInput.checked : true,
-                        logo: logoPathInput || logoIdInput ? {
+                        enabled: enabledInput ? enabledInput.checked : true
+                    };
+                    if (logoPathInput || logoIdInput) {
+                        feedObj.logo = {
                             path: logoPathInput ? logoPathInput.value : '',
                             id: logoIdInput ? logoIdInput.value : ''
-                        } : null
-                    });
+                        };
+                    }
+                    feeds.push(feedObj);
                 }
             });
             
diff --git a/web_interface/templates/v3/partials/tools.html b/web_interface/templates/v3/partials/tools.html
index bf4cf0a52..3e249988c 100644
--- a/web_interface/templates/v3/partials/tools.html
+++ b/web_interface/templates/v3/partials/tools.html
@@ -229,7 +229,14 @@ <h2 class="text-lg font-semibold text-gray-900">Services</h2>
             headers: {'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
             body: JSON.stringify({action})
         })
-        .then(r => r.json())
+        .then(r => {
+            if (!r.ok) {
+                return r.json()
+                    .then(d => Promise.reject(new Error(d.message || `HTTP ${r.status}`)))
+                    .catch(() => Promise.reject(new Error(`HTTP ${r.status}`)));
+            }
+            return r.json();
+        })
         .then(data => {
             const ok = data.status === 'success';
             showResult(
@@ -274,6 +281,7 @@ <h2 class="text-lg font-semibold text-gray-900">Services</h2>
                     return;
                 }
 
+
                 const dirtyBadge = d.dirty
                     ? '<span class="inline-flex items-center px-2 py-0.5 rounded text-xs font-medium bg-yellow-100 text-yellow-800">dirty</span>'
                     : '<span class="inline-flex items-center px-2 py-0.5 rounded text-xs font-medium bg-green-100 text-green-800">clean</span>';