diff --git a/ehr/resources/reports/schemas/study/Pedigree/Pedigree.r b/ehr/resources/reports/schemas/study/Pedigree/Pedigree.r
index 913dee95d..6a3532be7 100644
--- a/ehr/resources/reports/schemas/study/Pedigree/Pedigree.r
+++ b/ehr/resources/reports/schemas/study/Pedigree/Pedigree.r
@@ -300,7 +300,19 @@ if ((nrow(labkey.data) == 0) | (all(is.na(labkey.data$dam)) & all(is.na(labkey.d
         png(filename="${imgout:png_pedigree}", width = plotWidth, height=plotHeight);
         par(xpd=TRUE);
 
-        plot(ptemp, align=T, width=15, symbolsize=symSize, cex=cexSize, col=fixedPed$colors, mar=c(4.1,3.5,4.1,3.8))
+        # kinship2's QP-based alignment (align=TRUE) can fail with "constraints are inconsistent,
+        # no solution!" on deep/looped pedigrees. Fall back to the unaligned layout in that case so
+        # the report still renders rather than aborting.
+        tryCatch(
+            plot(ptemp, align=TRUE, width=15, symbolsize=symSize, cex=cexSize, col=fixedPed$colors, mar=c(4.1,3.5,4.1,3.8)),
+            error = function(e) {
+                # Only the QP alignment failure is recoverable by dropping alignment; re-raise anything else.
+                if (!grepl("constraints are inconsistent", conditionMessage(e), fixed = TRUE))
+                    stop(e)
+                message("Pedigree alignment failed (", conditionMessage(e), "); retrying with align=FALSE.")
+                plot(ptemp, align=FALSE, width=15, symbolsize=symSize, cex=cexSize, col=fixedPed$colors, mar=c(4.1,3.5,4.1,3.8))
+            }
+        )
         mtext("Unknown animals are marked with xxs ## or xxd ## where ## is a randomly generated unique number. This identifier is used only in this plot and is re-generated each time the plot is rendered.",
             side = 1, font = 3, cex = 0.95)
         leg.txt <- c("Male", "Female", "Deceased")
diff --git a/ehr/resources/web/ehr/window/SaveTemplateWindow.js b/ehr/resources/web/ehr/window/SaveTemplateWindow.js
index 665939bc9..deaa4555c 100644
--- a/ehr/resources/web/ehr/window/SaveTemplateWindow.js
+++ b/ehr/resources/web/ehr/window/SaveTemplateWindow.js
@@ -202,21 +202,25 @@ Ext4.define('EHR.window.SaveTemplateWindow', {
 
         var tn = this.down('#templateName').getValue();
         var rows = [];
+        var noFieldsSelected = false;
 
         this.down('#theForm').items.each(function(tab){
             var radioGroup = tab.down('#recordSelector');
             var selections = radioGroup.getValue()[radioGroup.down('[name]').name];
+
+            if (selections == 'none')
+                return;
+
             var fields = tab.down('#fieldSelector').getValue().fields;
 
-            if (!fields.length)
+            if (!fields || !fields.length){
+                noFieldsSelected = true;
                 return;
+            }
 
             if (!(fields instanceof Array))  // single elements aren't wrapped in an array
                 fields = [fields];
 
-            if (selections == 'none')
-                return;
-
             var store = Ext4.StoreMgr.get(tab.storeId);
 
             var records = [];
@@ -249,7 +253,7 @@ Ext4.define('EHR.window.SaveTemplateWindow', {
 
         if (!rows.length){
             Ext4.Msg.hide();
-            Ext4.Msg.alert('Error', "No records selected");
+            Ext4.Msg.alert('Error', noFieldsSelected ? "At least one field is required and none are selected. Note: The field can be blank." : "No records selected");
             return;
         }