diff --git a/app/[locale]/blog/[slug]/page.tsx b/app/[locale]/blog/[slug]/page.tsx
index 2f378fa1..394f83a5 100644
--- a/app/[locale]/blog/[slug]/page.tsx
+++ b/app/[locale]/blog/[slug]/page.tsx
@@ -134,11 +134,14 @@ export default async function BlogPost({ params }: BlogPostProps) {
                 </Heading>
                 <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-6 text-white/80 text-sm md:text-base font-medium">
                   <time dateTime={post.frontmatter.date} suppressHydrationWarning>
-                    {new Date(post.frontmatter.date).toLocaleDateString(locale || 'de', {
-                      year: 'numeric',
-                      month: 'long',
-                      day: 'numeric',
-                    })}
+                    {new Date(post.frontmatter.date).toLocaleDateString(
+                      locale === 'en' ? 'en-US' : 'de-DE',
+                      {
+                        year: 'numeric',
+                        month: 'long',
+                        day: 'numeric',
+                      },
+                    )}
                   </time>
                   <span className="w-1 h-1 bg-white/30 rounded-full" />
                   <span>{getReadingTime(rawTextContent)} min read</span>
@@ -171,11 +174,14 @@ export default async function BlogPost({ params }: BlogPostProps) {
             </Heading>
             <div className="flex items-center gap-6 text-text-primary/80 font-medium">
               <time dateTime={post.frontmatter.date} suppressHydrationWarning>
-                {new Date(post.frontmatter.date).toLocaleDateString(locale || 'de', {
-                  year: 'numeric',
-                  month: 'long',
-                  day: 'numeric',
-                })}
+                {new Date(post.frontmatter.date).toLocaleDateString(
+                  locale === 'en' ? 'en-US' : 'de-DE',
+                  {
+                    year: 'numeric',
+                    month: 'long',
+                    day: 'numeric',
+                  },
+                )}
               </time>
               <span className="w-1 h-1 bg-neutral-400 rounded-full" />
               <span>{getReadingTime(rawTextContent)} min read</span>
diff --git a/app/[locale]/blog/page.tsx b/app/[locale]/blog/page.tsx
index 2144da2c..c12e171e 100644
--- a/app/[locale]/blog/page.tsx
+++ b/app/[locale]/blog/page.tsx
@@ -198,11 +198,14 @@ export default async function BlogIndex({ params }: BlogIndexProps) {
 
                       <div className="flex items-center gap-3 text-xs md:text-sm font-bold text-white/80 mb-3 tracking-widest uppercase">
                         <time dateTime={post.frontmatter.date} suppressHydrationWarning>
-                          {new Date(post.frontmatter.date).toLocaleDateString(locale || 'de', {
-                            year: 'numeric',
-                            month: 'long',
-                            day: 'numeric',
-                          })}
+                          {new Date(post.frontmatter.date).toLocaleDateString(
+                            locale === 'en' ? 'en-US' : 'de-DE',
+                            {
+                              year: 'numeric',
+                              month: 'long',
+                              day: 'numeric',
+                            },
+                          )}
                         </time>
                       </div>
 
diff --git a/app/stats/api/send/route.ts b/app/stats/api/send/route.ts
index 3acd30f4..3f94b7f8 100644
--- a/app/stats/api/send/route.ts
+++ b/app/stats/api/send/route.ts
@@ -24,14 +24,34 @@ export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
       return NextResponse.json({ status: 'ignored_in_dev' }, { status: 200 });
     }
 
-    const body = await request.json();
+    let body;
+    try {
+      body = await request.json();
+    } catch (parseError) {
+      logger.warn('Received malformed or empty JSON in analytics proxy');
+      return NextResponse.json({ status: 'ignored_bad_payload' }, { status: 200 });
+    }
+
+    if (!body || typeof body !== 'object') {
+      logger.warn('Received invalid body type in analytics proxy', { type: typeof body });
+      return NextResponse.json({ status: 'ignored_invalid_body' }, { status: 200 });
+    }
+
     const { type, payload } = body;
 
+    if (!type || !payload) {
+      logger.warn('Received incomplete analytics payload', { 
+        hasType: !!type, 
+        hasPayload: !!payload 
+      });
+      return NextResponse.json({ status: 'ignored_incomplete_payload' }, { status: 200 });
+    }
+
     // Inject the secret websiteId from server config
     const websiteId = config.analytics.umami.websiteId;
     if (!websiteId) {
       logger.warn('Umami tracking received but no Website ID configured on server');
-      return NextResponse.json({ status: 'ignored' }, { status: 200 });
+      return NextResponse.json({ status: 'ignored_no_config' }, { status: 200 });
     }
 
     // Prepare the enhanced payload with the secret ID
diff --git a/components/JsonLd.tsx b/components/JsonLd.tsx
index 042f4093..150ebd08 100644
--- a/components/JsonLd.tsx
+++ b/components/JsonLd.tsx
@@ -7,16 +7,14 @@ interface JsonLdProps {
 
 export default function JsonLd({ id, data }: JsonLdProps) {
   // If data is provided, use it. Otherwise, use the default Organization + WebSite schema.
-  const schemaData = data || [
+  const rawData = data || [
     {
       '@context': 'https://schema.org',
       '@type': 'Organization',
       name: 'KLZ Cables',
       url: 'https://klz-cables.com',
       logo: 'https://klz-cables.com/logo-blue.svg',
-      sameAs: [
-        'https://www.linkedin.com/company/klz-cables',
-      ],
+      sameAs: ['https://www.linkedin.com/company/klz-cables'],
       description: 'Premium Cable Solutions for Renewable Energy and Infrastructure.',
       address: {
         '@type': 'PostalAddress',
@@ -36,15 +34,32 @@ export default function JsonLd({ id, data }: JsonLdProps) {
         },
         'query-input': 'required name=search_term_string',
       },
-    }
+    },
   ];
 
+  // Harden schema items: Ensure each item is an object and has @context
+  const schemaData = (Array.isArray(rawData) ? rawData : [rawData])
+    .filter((item): item is WithContext<Thing> => {
+      // Basic sanity check: must be an object and not null
+      return typeof item === 'object' && item !== null;
+    })
+    .map((item) => {
+      // Ensure @context is present and correctly typed for consumer libraries
+      if (!item['@context']) {
+        return {
+          ...item,
+          '@context': 'https://schema.org',
+        };
+      }
+      return item;
+    });
+
   return (
     <script
       id={id}
       type="application/ld+json"
       dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{
-        __html: JSON.stringify(schemaData),
+        __html: JSON.stringify(schemaData.length === 1 ? schemaData[0] : schemaData),
       }}
     />
   );
diff --git a/components/home/RecentPosts.tsx b/components/home/RecentPosts.tsx
index 02111a09..0d44fe09 100644
--- a/components/home/RecentPosts.tsx
+++ b/components/home/RecentPosts.tsx
@@ -74,11 +74,14 @@ export default async function RecentPosts({ locale, data }: RecentPostsProps) {
                       suppressHydrationWarning
                       className="px-3 py-1 text-white/80 text-[10px] md:text-xs font-bold uppercase tracking-widest border border-white/20 rounded-full bg-white/10 backdrop-blur-md"
                     >
-                      {new Date(post.frontmatter.date).toLocaleDateString(locale || 'de', {
-                        year: 'numeric',
-                        month: 'short',
-                        day: 'numeric',
-                      })}
+                      {new Date(post.frontmatter.date).toLocaleDateString(
+                        locale === 'en' ? 'en-US' : 'de-DE',
+                        {
+                          year: 'numeric',
+                          month: 'short',
+                          day: 'numeric',
+                        },
+                      )}
                     </time>
                     {(new Date(post.frontmatter.date) > new Date() ||
                       post.frontmatter.public === false) && (
diff --git a/lib/config.ts b/lib/config.ts
index 150b913a..3cbac033 100644
--- a/lib/config.ts
+++ b/lib/config.ts
@@ -66,8 +66,8 @@ function createConfig() {
       port: env.MAIL_PORT,
       user: env.MAIL_USERNAME,
       pass: env.MAIL_PASSWORD,
-      from: env.MAIL_FROM,
-      recipients: env.MAIL_RECIPIENTS,
+      from: env.MAIL_FROM || 'KLZ Cables <postmaster@mg.mintel.me>',
+      recipients: env.MAIL_RECIPIENTS || 'info@klz-cables.com',
     },
     infraCMS: {
       url: env.INFRA_DIRECTUS_URL,
diff --git a/middleware.ts b/middleware.ts
index 62cd5429..e2c8ebe1 100644
--- a/middleware.ts
+++ b/middleware.ts
@@ -14,8 +14,12 @@ export default async function middleware(request: NextRequest) {
   const { method, url, headers } = request;
   const { pathname } = request.nextUrl;
 
-  // Explicit bypass for infrastructure and Payload CMS routes to avoid locale redirects/interception
+  // Explicit bypass for infrastructure, Payload CMS, and Server Actions
+  // Next-Action header is present for all Next.js Server Actions
+  const isServerAction = headers.has('next-action');
+
   if (
+    isServerAction ||
     pathname.startsWith('/admin') ||
     pathname.startsWith('/api') ||
     pathname.startsWith('/stats') ||
@@ -55,10 +59,12 @@ export default async function middleware(request: NextRequest) {
     // Only create a new request for GET/HEAD to avoid consuming the body stream on POST/PUT
     // This resolves the "failed to pipe response" error (160k occurrences in GlitchTip)
     if (['GET', 'HEAD'].includes(request.method)) {
+      // Clone headers to ensure all Next.js internal headers (like router state) are preserved
+      const clonedHeaders = new Headers(request.headers);
+      
       effectiveRequest = new NextRequest(urlObj, {
-        headers: request.headers,
+        headers: clonedHeaders,
         method: request.method,
-        // No body for GET/HEAD
       });
 
       if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production' || !process.env.CI) {
diff --git a/scripts/check-forms.ts b/scripts/check-forms.ts
index bd1ef579..83237ba3 100644
--- a/scripts/check-forms.ts
+++ b/scripts/check-forms.ts
@@ -103,8 +103,10 @@ async function main() {
     console.log(`\n🧪 Testing Contact Form on: ${contactUrl}`);
     await page.goto(contactUrl, { waitUntil: 'networkidle0', timeout: 30000 });
 
-    // Ensure React has hydrated completely
-    await page.waitForNetworkIdle({ idleTime: 1000, timeout: 15000 }).catch(() => {});
+    // Ensure React has hydrated completely - CI runners can be slow
+    console.log(`   ⏳ Waiting for hydration (5s)...`);
+    await page.evaluate(() => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 5000)));
+    await page.waitForNetworkIdle({ idleTime: 1000, timeout: 20000 }).catch(() => {});
 
     // Ensure form is visible and interactive
     try {
@@ -129,18 +131,32 @@ async function main() {
     // Give state a moment to settle
     await page.evaluate(() => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 500)));
 
-    console.log(`   Submitting Contact Form...`);
-
-    // Explicitly click submit and wait for navigation/state-change
-    await Promise.all([
-      page.waitForSelector('[role="alert"]', { timeout: 15000 }),
-      page.click('button[type="submit"]'),
-    ]);
+    console.log(`   ⏳ Waiting for alert selector (30s)...`);
+    try {
+      // Explicitly click submit and wait for navigation/state-change
+      await Promise.all([
+        page.waitForSelector('[role="alert"]', { timeout: 30000 }),
+        page.click('button[type="submit"]'),
+      ]);
+    } catch (e) {
+      console.error(`❌ Timeout waiting for [role="alert"]. Dumping page content:`);
+      const bodyHTML = await page.evaluate(() => document.body.innerHTML.slice(0, 1000));
+      console.log(`💻 PAGE BODY (partial): ${bodyHTML}`);
+      throw e;
+    }
 
     const alertText = await page.$eval('[role="alert"]', (el) => el.textContent);
-    console.log(`   Alert text: ${alertText}`);
+    console.log(`   🔔 Alert text: ${alertText}`);
 
-    if (alertText?.includes('Failed') || alertText?.includes('went wrong')) {
+    // Detection robust for both English and German versions
+    const isError = 
+      alertText?.toLowerCase().includes('failed') || 
+      alertText?.toLowerCase().includes('wrong') ||
+      alertText?.toLowerCase().includes('fehlgeschlagen') || 
+      alertText?.toLowerCase().includes('schief gelaufen') ||
+      alertText?.toLowerCase().includes('fehler');
+
+    if (isError) {
       throw new Error(`Form submitted but showed error: ${alertText}`);
     }
 
@@ -156,7 +172,9 @@ async function main() {
     await page.goto(productUrl, { waitUntil: 'networkidle0', timeout: 30000 });
 
     // Ensure React has hydrated completely
-    await page.waitForNetworkIdle({ idleTime: 1000, timeout: 15000 }).catch(() => {});
+    console.log(`   ⏳ Waiting for hydration (5s)...`);
+    await page.evaluate(() => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 5000)));
+    await page.waitForNetworkIdle({ idleTime: 1000, timeout: 20000 }).catch(() => {});
 
     // The product form uses dynamic IDs, so we select by input type in the specific form context
     try {
@@ -179,18 +197,31 @@ async function main() {
     // Give state a moment to settle
     await page.evaluate(() => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 500)));
 
-    console.log(`   Submitting Product Quote Form...`);
-
-    // Submit and wait for success state
-    await Promise.all([
-      page.waitForSelector('[role="alert"]', { timeout: 15000 }),
-      page.click('form button[type="submit"]'),
-    ]);
+    console.log(`   ⏳ Waiting for alert selector (30s)...`);
+    try {
+      // Submit and wait for success state
+      await Promise.all([
+        page.waitForSelector('[role="alert"]', { timeout: 30000 }),
+        page.click('form button[type="submit"]'),
+      ]);
+    } catch (e) {
+      console.error(`❌ Timeout waiting for [role="alert"] on Product page. Dumping content:`);
+      const bodyHTML = await page.evaluate(() => document.body.innerHTML.slice(0, 1000));
+      console.log(`💻 PAGE BODY (partial): ${bodyHTML}`);
+      throw e;
+    }
 
     const alertText = await page.$eval('[role="alert"]', (el) => el.textContent);
-    console.log(`   Alert text: ${alertText}`);
+    console.log(`   🔔 Alert text: ${alertText}`);
 
-    if (alertText?.includes('Failed') || alertText?.includes('went wrong')) {
+    const isError = 
+      alertText?.toLowerCase().includes('failed') || 
+      alertText?.toLowerCase().includes('wrong') ||
+      alertText?.toLowerCase().includes('fehlgeschlagen') || 
+      alertText?.toLowerCase().includes('schief gelaufen') ||
+      alertText?.toLowerCase().includes('fehler');
+
+    if (isError) {
       throw new Error(`Form submitted but showed error: ${alertText}`);
     }
 
diff --git a/scripts/check-today-submissions.ts b/scripts/check-today-submissions.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f377e6f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/check-today-submissions.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import { Client } from 'pg';
+
+async function checkSubmissions() {
+  const client = new Client({
+    connectionString: "postgresql://payload:120in09oenaoinsd9iaidon@127.0.0.1:54322/payload"
+  });
+
+  try {
+    await client.connect();
+    console.log("Connected to database.");
+    
+    const res = await client.query("SELECT * FROM form_submissions WHERE created_at >= '2026-04-12' ORDER BY created_at DESC;");
+    
+    if (res.rows.length === 0) {
+      console.log("No submissions found for today.");
+    } else {
+      console.log(`Found ${res.rows.length} submissions for today:`);
+      res.rows.forEach(row => {
+        console.log(`- [${row.created_at}] ${row.name} (${row.email}): ${row.message.substring(0, 50)}...`);
+      });
+    }
+  } catch (err) {
+    console.error("Database query failed:", err.message);
+  } finally {
+    await client.end();
+  }
+}
+
+checkSubmissions();