diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 82891a09..edd2da8f 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/openconfig/goyang v1.6.0
 	github.com/openconfig/ygot v0.34.0
 	github.com/prometheus/client_golang v1.23.2
-	github.com/scrapli/scrapligo v1.4.0
+	github.com/scrapli/scrapligo v1.4.1
 	github.com/sdcio/cache v0.0.38
 	github.com/sdcio/logger v0.0.3
 	github.com/sdcio/schema-server v0.0.34
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 4f8192a6..1a81efae 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -181,8 +181,8 @@ github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.16.1/go.mod h1:teAbpZRB1iIAJYREa1LsoWUXykVXA1KlT
 github.com/rogpeppe/go-internal v1.14.1 h1:UQB4HGPB6osV0SQTLymcB4TgvyWu6ZyliaW0tI/otEQ=
 github.com/rogpeppe/go-internal v1.14.1/go.mod h1:MaRKkUm5W0goXpeCfT7UZI6fk/L7L7so1lCWt35ZSgc=
 github.com/russross/blackfriday/v2 v2.1.0/go.mod h1:+Rmxgy9KzJVeS9/2gXHxylqXiyQDYRxCVz55jmeOWTM=
-github.com/scrapli/scrapligo v1.4.0 h1:gF7bIiRHT/aB1zTu9PYIK9R2A/gXr4fF/CKUyyWaNq4=
-github.com/scrapli/scrapligo v1.4.0/go.mod h1:pOWxVyPsQRrWTrkoSSDg05tjOqtWfLffAZtAsCc0w3M=
+github.com/scrapli/scrapligo v1.4.1 h1:D0lg2xusZKbKnzy9l0yT7ly/D2rgqab12yZvEXNim0U=
+github.com/scrapli/scrapligo v1.4.1/go.mod h1:pOWxVyPsQRrWTrkoSSDg05tjOqtWfLffAZtAsCc0w3M=
 github.com/sdcio/cache v0.0.38 h1:8meykZC/DAgzKI+R3GtZvTs0/OXWRCeNN5mxVKG0Ba8=
 github.com/sdcio/cache v0.0.38/go.mod h1:PHJd4pTmfFZBLdPohtXJAVBNmAKhhKdZHTi3MejGrk0=
 github.com/sdcio/goyang v1.6.2-2 h1:qfeUKBmoKpiKAruuEc3+V8wgHKP/n1jRDEnTy23knV8=
diff --git a/pkg/datastore/target/netconf/sync.go b/pkg/datastore/target/netconf/sync.go
index e8d1fc57..075b7676 100644
--- a/pkg/datastore/target/netconf/sync.go
+++ b/pkg/datastore/target/netconf/sync.go
@@ -70,7 +70,12 @@ func (s *NetconfSyncImpl) Start() error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	go func() { _ = s.internalSync(req) }()
+	go func() {
+		err = s.internalSync(req)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Error(err, "failed syncing")
+		}
+	}()
 
 	go func() {
 		ticker := time.NewTicker(s.config.Interval)
diff --git a/pkg/tree/ops/utils.go b/pkg/tree/ops/utils.go
index f3818d54..5f8cb6b9 100644
--- a/pkg/tree/ops/utils.go
+++ b/pkg/tree/ops/utils.go
@@ -22,6 +22,14 @@ func getListEntrySortFunc(parent api.Entry) func(a, b api.Entry) int {
 			aLvSlice := GetHighestPrecedence(achild, false, true, true)
 			bLvSlice := GetHighestPrecedence(bchild, false, true, true)
 
+			// A key leaf can legitimately end up without any LeafVariant (e.g. a
+			// structural/placeholder entry created while navigating the tree without
+			// a value ever being set for it). We cannot compare such entries, so treat
+			// them as equal on this key, just like the "doesn't exist" case above.
+			if len(aLvSlice) == 0 || len(bLvSlice) == 0 {
+				return 0
+			}
+
 			aEntry := aLvSlice[0]
 			bEntry := bLvSlice[0]
 
diff --git a/pkg/tree/ops/utils_test.go b/pkg/tree/ops/utils_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..45efacc7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/tree/ops/utils_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+package ops_test
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"runtime"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/sdcio/data-server/pkg/pool"
+	"github.com/sdcio/data-server/pkg/tree"
+	"github.com/sdcio/data-server/pkg/tree/api"
+	"github.com/sdcio/data-server/pkg/tree/ops"
+	"github.com/sdcio/data-server/pkg/utils/testhelper"
+	sdcpb "github.com/sdcio/sdc-protos/sdcpb"
+	"go.uber.org/mock/gomock"
+)
+
+// TestToJson_ListEntryKeyWithoutLeafVariant reproduces a panic scenario where a
+// list entry's key leaf exists in the tree (e.g. as a structural/placeholder
+// entry created while navigating the tree) but never got a LeafVariant assigned
+// to it and has no active children either. Sorting such list entries for JSON
+// rendering used to index into an empty slice returned by GetHighestPrecedence,
+// causing an "index out of range [0] with length 0" panic. ToJson must instead
+// treat such incomparable entries as equal and render without panicking.
+func TestToJson_ListEntryKeyWithoutLeafVariant(t *testing.T) {
+	mockCtrl := gomock.NewController(t)
+	defer mockCtrl.Finish()
+
+	scb, err := testhelper.GetSchemaClientBound(t, mockCtrl)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	tc := tree.NewTreeContext(scb, pool.NewSharedTaskPool(ctx, runtime.GOMAXPROCS(0)))
+	root, err := tree.NewTreeRoot(ctx, tc)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Create two list entries purely via structural navigation (no updates / no
+	// LeafVariants applied), leaving the "name" key entries valueless, similar to
+	// how a placeholder path can end up in the tree without ever carrying data.
+	for _, name := range []string{"ethernet-1/1", "ethernet-1/2"} {
+		keyNode, err := ops.GetOrCreateChilds(ctx, root.Entry, &sdcpb.Path{
+			Elem: []*sdcpb.PathElem{
+				sdcpb.NewPathElem("interface", map[string]string{"name": name}),
+			},
+		})
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		// Attach the "name" key leaf entry structurally, without ever adding a
+		// LeafVariant to it.
+		if _, err := api.NewEntry(ctx, keyNode, "name", tc); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	if err := root.FinishInsertionPhase(ctx); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Must not panic.
+	if _, err := ops.ToJson(ctx, root.Entry, false); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ToJson() returned unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+}