diff --git a/apps/client/src/common/api/apiUtils.ts b/apps/client/src/common/api/apiUtils.ts
index 091e05fef..420257057 100644
--- a/apps/client/src/common/api/apiUtils.ts
+++ b/apps/client/src/common/api/apiUtils.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,15 @@ import { nowInMillis } from '../utils/time';
 export function maybeAxiosError(error: unknown) {
   if (axios.isAxiosError(error)) {
     const statusText = (error as AxiosError).response?.statusText ?? '';
-    const data = (error as AxiosError).response?.data ?? '';
+    let data = (error as AxiosError).response?.data ?? '';
+    if (typeof data === 'object') {
+      // TODO: use error instead, when migrated
+      if ('message' in data) {
+        data = JSON.stringify(data.message);
+      } else {
+        data = JSON.stringify(data);
+      }
+    }
     return `${statusText}: ${data}`;
   } else {
     return error as string;
diff --git a/packages/utils/src/externals/deepmerge.ts b/packages/utils/src/externals/deepmerge.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..23bc35e07
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/utils/src/externals/deepmerge.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+// evaluating the library, we re-export to make it easy to detach
+export { deepmerge } from 'deepmerge-ts';
diff --git a/packages/utils/src/validate-events/validateEvent.test.ts b/packages/utils/src/validate-events/validateEvent.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8958150a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/utils/src/validate-events/validateEvent.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import { EndAction, TimerType } from 'ontime-types';
+import { expect } from 'vitest';
+
+import { validateEndAction, validateTimerType } from './validateEvent';
+
+describe('validateEndAction()', () => {
+  it('recognises a string representation of an action', () => {
+    const endAction = validateEndAction('load-next');
+    expect(endAction).toBe(EndAction.LoadNext);
+  });
+  it('returns fallback otherwise', () => {
+    const emptyAction = validateEndAction('', EndAction.Stop);
+    const invalidAction = validateEndAction('this-does-not-exist', EndAction.PlayNext);
+    expect(emptyAction).toBe(EndAction.Stop);
+    expect(invalidAction).toBe(EndAction.PlayNext);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('validateTimerType()', () => {
+  it('recognises a string representation of an action', () => {
+    const timerType = validateTimerType('time-to-end');
+    expect(timerType).toBe(TimerType.TimeToEnd);
+  });
+  it('returns fallback otherwise', () => {
+    const emptyType = validateTimerType('', TimerType.Clock);
+    const invalidType = validateTimerType('this-does-not-exist', TimerType.CountDown);
+    expect(emptyType).toBe(TimerType.Clock);
+    expect(invalidType).toBe(TimerType.CountDown);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/utils/src/validate-events/validateEvent.ts b/packages/utils/src/validate-events/validateEvent.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..536acae63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/utils/src/validate-events/validateEvent.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+import { EndAction, TimerType } from 'ontime-types';
+
+export function validateEndAction(maybeAction: unknown, fallback = EndAction.None) {
+  if (typeof maybeAction !== 'string') {
+    return fallback;
+  }
+
+  const isAction = Object.values(EndAction).includes(maybeAction as EndAction);
+  if (isAction) {
+    return maybeAction as EndAction;
+  }
+  return fallback;
+}
+
+export function validateTimerType(maybeTimerType: unknown, fallback = TimerType.CountDown) {
+  if (typeof maybeTimerType !== 'string') {
+    return fallback;
+  }
+
+  const isTimerType = Object.values(TimerType).includes(maybeTimerType as TimerType);
+  if (isTimerType) {
+    return maybeTimerType as TimerType;
+  }
+  return fallback;
+}