diff --git a/src/content/config.ts b/src/content/config.ts
index 1d81e8e..6a67f0c 100644
--- a/src/content/config.ts
+++ b/src/content/config.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { readdirSync } from 'node:fs';
-import { defineCollection, reference, z } from 'astro:content';
+import { defineCollection, z } from 'astro:content';
 import { glob } from 'astro/loaders';
 
 // Topic ids come from the data files themselves, so post frontmatter is
@@ -31,7 +31,9 @@ const posts = defineCollection({
     z.object({
       title: z.string(),
       summary: z.string(),
-      authors: z.array(reference('authors')).min(1),
+      // Plain author handles, resolved defensively at render (see lib/posts.ts):
+      // a missing profile falls back to Guest rather than failing the build.
+      authors: z.array(z.string()).min(1),
       date: z.coerce.date(),
       readMin: z.number().int().positive(),
       // Display name is derived from topicId via topicName(); kept optional for
@@ -62,7 +64,7 @@ const tools = defineCollection({
       tag: z.enum(['Live', 'Beta', 'Experimental', 'Soon']),
       icon: z.string().optional(),
       thumbnail: z.union([image(), z.string().url()]).optional(),
-      authors: z.array(reference('authors')).optional(),
+      authors: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
       topics: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
       tags: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
       repo: z.string().url().optional(),
diff --git a/src/lib/posts.ts b/src/lib/posts.ts
index da14b82..aa5b103 100644
--- a/src/lib/posts.ts
+++ b/src/lib/posts.ts
@@ -1,15 +1,42 @@
 // Server-only post helpers (astro:content cannot be bundled into client scripts —
 // keep this module out of anything imported by <script> code; taxonomy lives in data.ts).
-import { getEntries, type CollectionEntry } from 'astro:content';
+import { getEntry, type CollectionEntry } from 'astro:content';
+
+type AuthorData = CollectionEntry<'authors'>['data'];
+
+// A resolved author is shaped like an authors-collection entry, but is produced
+// defensively: a handle with no profile never throws, it degrades to Guest.
+export type ResolvedAuthor = { id: string; data: AuthorData };
 
 export type PostWithAuthors = CollectionEntry<'posts'> & {
-  authors: CollectionEntry<'authors'>[];
+  authors: ResolvedAuthor[];
+};
+
+const SYNTHETIC_GUEST: ResolvedAuthor = {
+  id: 'guest',
+  data: { name: 'Guest Contributor', role: 'contributor' } as AuthorData,
 };
 
+// Resolve one handle to an author. Missing profile → Guest, with a build-time
+// warning so a broken reference is visible in logs without breaking the build.
+async function resolveAuthor(handle: string): Promise<ResolvedAuthor> {
+  const entry = await getEntry('authors', handle);
+  if (entry) return { id: entry.id, data: entry.data };
+  console.warn(`[authors] no profile for "${handle}" — falling back to Guest.`);
+  const guest = await getEntry('authors', 'guest');
+  return guest ? { id: guest.id, data: guest.data } : SYNTHETIC_GUEST;
+}
+
+export async function resolveAuthors(handles: string[] = []): Promise<ResolvedAuthor[]> {
+  return Promise.all(handles.map(resolveAuthor));
+}
+
 export async function resolvePostAuthors(
   posts: CollectionEntry<'posts'>[],
 ): Promise<PostWithAuthors[]> {
-  return Promise.all(posts.map(async (p) => ({ ...p, authors: await getEntries(p.data.authors) })));
+  return Promise.all(
+    posts.map(async (p) => ({ ...p, authors: await resolveAuthors(p.data.authors) })),
+  );
 }
 
 export function authorNames(post: PostWithAuthors): string {
diff --git a/src/pages/authors/[handle]/articles/[...page].astro b/src/pages/authors/[handle]/articles/[...page].astro
index e0a23f2..0da5950 100644
--- a/src/pages/authors/[handle]/articles/[...page].astro
+++ b/src/pages/authors/[handle]/articles/[...page].astro
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ export const getStaticPaths = (async ({ paginate }) => {
   const all = await getCollection('posts', ({ data }) => !data.draft);
   const paths = [];
   for (const author of authors) {
-    const matching = all.filter((p) => p.data.authors.some((ref) => ref.id === author.id));
+    const matching = all.filter((p) => p.data.authors.some((h) => h === author.id));
     const posts = (await resolvePostAuthors(matching)).sort(sortPostsByDate);
     paths.push(
       ...paginate(posts, { params: { handle: author.id }, pageSize: 20, props: { author } }),
diff --git a/src/pages/authors/[handle]/index.astro b/src/pages/authors/[handle]/index.astro
index ed732c3..20401d8 100644
--- a/src/pages/authors/[handle]/index.astro
+++ b/src/pages/authors/[handle]/index.astro
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ const { author } = Astro.props;
 const RECENT_LIMIT = 5;
 
 const allRaw = await getCollection('posts', ({ data }) => !data.draft);
-const matching = allRaw.filter((p) => p.data.authors.some((ref) => ref.id === author.id));
+const matching = allRaw.filter((p) => p.data.authors.some((h) => h === author.id));
 const posts = (await resolvePostAuthors(matching)).sort(sortPostsByDate);
 const recent = posts.slice(0, RECENT_LIMIT);
 
diff --git a/src/pages/authors/index.astro b/src/pages/authors/index.astro
index db8f9af..856542c 100644
--- a/src/pages/authors/index.astro
+++ b/src/pages/authors/index.astro
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ const posts = await getCollection('posts', ({ data }) => !data.draft);
 
 const contributors = authors
   .map((author) => {
-    const authorPosts = posts.filter((p) => p.data.authors.some((ref) => ref.id === author.id));
+    const authorPosts = posts.filter((p) => p.data.authors.some((h) => h === author.id));
     const lastDate = authorPosts.reduce<Date | null>((acc, p) => {
       const d = p.data.date;
       return !acc || d > acc ? d : acc;
diff --git a/src/pages/blog/[slug].astro b/src/pages/blog/[slug].astro
index 1d3ea88..d71cc40 100644
--- a/src/pages/blog/[slug].astro
+++ b/src/pages/blog/[slug].astro
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
-import { getCollection, getEntries, render } from 'astro:content';
+import { getCollection, render } from 'astro:content';
+import { resolveAuthors } from '@/lib/posts';
 import type { CollectionEntry } from 'astro:content';
 import { Image } from 'astro:assets';
 import BaseLayout from '@/layouts/BaseLayout.astro';
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ const { Content } = await render(post);
 // Match remark-math's triggers ($$…$$ or $…$) so a stray '$' (prices, shell) doesn't pull in KaTeX CSS.
 const hasMath = /\$\$[\s\S]+?\$\$|\$[^\n$]+?\$/.test(post.body ?? '');
 
-const authors = await getEntries(post.data.authors);
+const authors = await resolveAuthors(post.data.authors);
 const authorNames = authors.map((a) => a.data.name).join(', ');
 
 const all = await getCollection('posts', ({ data }) => !data.draft);
diff --git a/src/pages/og/post/[slug].png.ts b/src/pages/og/post/[slug].png.ts
index 77670f3..009f4ef 100644
--- a/src/pages/og/post/[slug].png.ts
+++ b/src/pages/og/post/[slug].png.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import type { APIRoute } from 'astro';
-import { getCollection, getEntries } from 'astro:content';
+import { getCollection } from 'astro:content';
+import { resolveAuthors } from '@/lib/posts';
 import type { CollectionEntry } from 'astro:content';
 import { readFileSync } from 'fs';
 import { join } from 'path';
@@ -76,7 +77,7 @@ async function coverDataUrl(post: CollectionEntry<'posts'>): Promise<string | un
 export const GET: APIRoute = async ({ props }) => {
   const { post } = props as { post: CollectionEntry<'posts'> };
   return pngResponseWithFallback(async () => {
-    const authors = await getEntries(post.data.authors);
+    const authors = await resolveAuthors(post.data.authors);
     const cover = await coverDataUrl(post);
     return generateOgPng(
       {
diff --git a/src/pages/playground/[tool].astro b/src/pages/playground/[tool].astro
index d5210bb..2b0f33f 100644
--- a/src/pages/playground/[tool].astro
+++ b/src/pages/playground/[tool].astro
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 ---
-import { getCollection, getEntries, render } from 'astro:content';
+import { getCollection, render } from 'astro:content';
 import type { CollectionEntry } from 'astro:content';
 import BaseLayout from '@/layouts/BaseLayout.astro';
 import { mdxComponents } from '@/components/MDXComponents.tsx';
+import { resolveAuthors } from '@/lib/posts';
 import { SITE } from '@/lib/site';
 
 export async function getStaticPaths() {
@@ -20,7 +21,7 @@ interface Props {
 const { tool } = Astro.props;
 const { Content } = await render(tool);
 
-const authors = tool.data.authors ? await getEntries(tool.data.authors) : [];
+const authors = await resolveAuthors(tool.data.authors);
 const canonical = `${SITE.url}/playground/${tool.id}`;
 const ogImage = `/og/tool/${tool.id}.png`;