diff --git a/services/extractor/event_classifier.py b/services/extractor/event_classifier.py
index 17bc4a4..52c8552 100644
--- a/services/extractor/event_classifier.py
+++ b/services/extractor/event_classifier.py
@@ -291,13 +291,30 @@ def _parse_classification_response(
 
     cleaned = _strip_markdown_fences(raw_json)
     cleaned = _repair_json(cleaned)
+
+    # DEBUG: log raw vs cleaned to diagnose persistent list issue
+    logger.info(
+        "Classification parse debug doc=%s raw_len=%d cleaned_len=%d raw_start=%s cleaned_start=%s",
+        document_id, len(raw_json), len(cleaned),
+        repr(raw_json[:300]), repr(cleaned[:300]),
+    )
+
     data = json.loads(cleaned)
 
-    # Model sometimes wraps the object in a list — unwrap it
-    if isinstance(data, list) and len(data) == 1 and isinstance(data[0], dict):
-        data = data[0]
+    # Model sometimes wraps the object in a single-element list — unwrap it
+    if isinstance(data, list):
+        if len(data) == 1 and isinstance(data[0], dict):
+            data = data[0]
+        elif len(data) == 0:
+            raise ValueError(
+                f"Empty list from model for document {document_id}. "
+                f"Raw output ({len(raw_json)} chars): {raw_json[:500]}"
+            )
     if not isinstance(data, dict):
-        raise ValueError(f"Expected a JSON object, got {type(data).__name__}")
+        raise ValueError(
+            f"Expected a JSON object, got {type(data).__name__} for document {document_id}. "
+            f"Raw output ({len(raw_json)} chars): {raw_json[:500]}"
+        )
 
     confidence = data.get("confidence", 0.5)
     if isinstance(confidence, (int, float)):
@@ -613,7 +630,7 @@ async def classify_global_event(
 
                 return event
 
-            except (json.JSONDecodeError, KeyError, TypeError) as exc:
+            except (json.JSONDecodeError, KeyError, TypeError, ValueError) as exc:
                 last_error = f"parse_error: {exc}"
                 logger.warning(
                     "Classification parse error for doc %s attempt %d: %s",