diff --git a/cmd/root.go b/cmd/root.go
index e950480..12e9ae2 100644
--- a/cmd/root.go
+++ b/cmd/root.go
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ func initLogger() *zap.SugaredLogger {
 	}
 
 	log := zap.Must(logCfg.Build())
+	_ = zap.ReplaceGlobals(log) // make the logger accessible globally by zap.L() (sugared with zap.S())
 	return log.Sugar()
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/inventory/device_components.go b/internal/inventory/device_components.go
index 27e34cf..52c1f67 100644
--- a/internal/inventory/device_components.go
+++ b/internal/inventory/device_components.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package inventory
 import (
 	"context"
 	"database/sql"
+	"encoding/json"
 
 	"github.com/bmc-toolbox/common"
 	rivets "github.com/metal-toolbox/rivets/types"
@@ -10,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/volatiletech/null/v8"
 	"github.com/volatiletech/sqlboiler/v4/boil"
 	"github.com/volatiletech/sqlboiler/v4/queries/qm"
+	"go.uber.org/zap"
 
 	"github.com/metal-toolbox/fleetdb/internal/dbtools"
 	"github.com/metal-toolbox/fleetdb/internal/metrics"
@@ -211,10 +213,21 @@ func componentsFromDatabase(ctx context.Context, exec boil.ContextExecutor,
 
 	var comps []*rivets.Component
 
+	var ute *json.UnmarshalTypeError
 	for _, rec := range records {
 		// attributes/firmware/status might not be stored because it was missing in the original data.
 		attr, err := retrieveComponentAttributes(ctx, exec, rec.ID, getAttributeNamespace(inband))
-		if err != nil {
+		switch {
+		case err == nil, errors.Is(err, sql.ErrNoRows):
+		case errors.As(err, &ute):
+			// attributes are a bit of the wild-west. if the JSON we stored doesn't deserialize
+			// cleanly into an attributes structure, just complain about it but don't stop.
+			zap.L().With(
+				zap.String("server.id", deviceID),
+				zap.String("component.id", rec.ID),
+				zap.String("component.type", rec.Name.String),
+			).Warn("bad json attributes")
+		default:
 			return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "retrieving "+rec.Name.String+"-"+rec.ID+" attributes"+":"+err.Error())
 		}
 
diff --git a/internal/inventory/device_components_test.go b/internal/inventory/device_components_test.go
index d97a7b9..9759d96 100644
--- a/internal/inventory/device_components_test.go
+++ b/internal/inventory/device_components_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ package inventory
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/bmc-toolbox/common"
@@ -277,4 +278,70 @@ func TestComposeComponentRecords(t *testing.T) {
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 		require.Len(t, comps, 1)
 	})
+	t.Run("nonconforming existing data", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// write an attribute record that doesn't have rivets.ComponentAttribute as a basis
+		srvUUID := mustCreateServerRecord(t, db, "bad-attribute-json")
+
+		var inband bool
+		attributeNS := getAttributeNamespace(inband)
+
+		slug := common.SlugBIOS
+
+		orig := &rivets.Component{
+			// this can be any real slug, but *must* be a real slug, otherwise
+			// we will panic on the slug -> type-id lookup.
+			Name:   slug,
+			Vendor: "the-vendor",
+			Serial: "some-serial-number",
+			Firmware: &common.Firmware{
+				Installed: "old-version",
+			},
+			Status: &common.Status{
+				State:  "OK",
+				Health: "decent",
+			},
+		}
+
+		tx := db.MustBegin()
+		err := composeRecords(context.TODO(), tx, orig, inband, srvUUID.String())
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		_ = tx.Commit()
+
+		// add the crazy attribute record
+		compRecs, err := models.ServerComponents(
+			models.ServerComponentWhere.Name.EQ(null.StringFrom(slug)),
+			models.ServerComponentWhere.ServerID.EQ(srvUUID.String()),
+		).All(context.TODO(), db)
+
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		require.Len(t, compRecs, 1)
+		// get id and inject attributes
+		compID := compRecs[0].ID
+		badData := []map[string]string{
+			{
+				"msg": "this is not a rivets component attributes structure",
+			},
+			{
+				"msg": "this is also not a rivets component attributes structure",
+			},
+		}
+		payload, err := json.Marshal(badData)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		err = updateAnyAttribute(context.TODO(), db, false, compID, attributeNS, payload)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		// be pedantic and validate that there is an attribute record
+		attrs, err := models.Attributes(
+			models.AttributeWhere.ServerComponentID.EQ(null.StringFrom(compID)),
+			models.AttributeWhere.Namespace.EQ(attributeNS),
+		).All(context.TODO(), db)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		require.Len(t, attrs, 1)
+
+		// now ask for this component via the API
+		comps, err := componentsFromDatabase(context.TODO(), db, inband, srvUUID.String())
+		require.NoError(t, err, "received error with type %T", err)
+		require.Len(t, comps, 1)
+	})
 }