diff --git a/apps/web/src/app/api/create/calendar/generate/route.ts b/apps/web/src/app/api/create/calendar/generate/route.ts
index 161161d5..f5e8b394 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/app/api/create/calendar/generate/route.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/app/api/create/calendar/generate/route.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
 
     // Generate SVGs using server-side rendering (API routes can use react-dom/server)
     const daysInMonth = getDaysInMonth(year, month)
+    let previewSvg: string | null = null
 
     if (format === 'monthly') {
       // Generate single composite SVG for monthly calendar (prevents multi-page overflow)
@@ -49,6 +50,7 @@ export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
         if (!compositeSvg || compositeSvg.trim().length === 0) {
           throw new Error(`Generated empty composite calendar SVG`)
         }
+        previewSvg = compositeSvg
         writeFileSync(join(tempDir, 'calendar.svg'), compositeSvg)
       } catch (error: any) {
         console.error(`Error generating composite calendar:`, error.message)
@@ -121,18 +123,18 @@ export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
       )
     }
 
-    // Read and return PDF
+    // Read PDF
     const pdfBuffer = readFileSync(pdfPath)
 
     // Clean up temp directory
     rmSync(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
     tempDir = null
 
-    return new NextResponse(pdfBuffer, {
-      headers: {
-        'Content-Type': 'application/pdf',
-        'Content-Disposition': `attachment; filename="calendar-${year}-${String(month).padStart(2, '0')}.pdf"`,
-      },
+    // Return JSON with both PDF and SVG preview
+    return NextResponse.json({
+      pdf: pdfBuffer.toString('base64'),
+      svg: previewSvg,
+      filename: `calendar-${year}-${String(month).padStart(2, '0')}.pdf`,
     })
   } catch (error) {
     console.error('Error generating calendar:', error)
@@ -146,6 +148,17 @@ export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
       }
     }
 
-    return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Failed to generate calendar' }, { status: 500 })
+    // Surface the actual error for debugging
+    const errorMessage = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)
+    const errorStack = error instanceof Error ? error.stack : undefined
+
+    return NextResponse.json(
+      {
+        error: 'Failed to generate calendar',
+        message: errorMessage,
+        ...(process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development' && { stack: errorStack })
+      },
+      { status: 500 }
+    )
   }
 }
diff --git a/apps/web/src/app/create/calendar/page.tsx b/apps/web/src/app/create/calendar/page.tsx
index 574c0933..877d2fac 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/app/create/calendar/page.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/app/create/calendar/page.tsx
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ export default function CalendarCreatorPage() {
   const [format, setFormat] = useState<'monthly' | 'daily'>('monthly')
   const [paperSize, setPaperSize] = useState<'us-letter' | 'a4' | 'a3' | 'tabloid'>('us-letter')
   const [isGenerating, setIsGenerating] = useState(false)
+  const [previewSvg, setPreviewSvg] = useState<string | null>(null)
 
   const handleGenerate = async () => {
     setIsGenerating(true)
@@ -34,21 +35,31 @@ export default function CalendarCreatorPage() {
       })
 
       if (!response.ok) {
-        throw new Error('Failed to generate calendar')
+        const errorData = await response.json().catch(() => ({}))
+        throw new Error(errorData.message || 'Failed to generate calendar')
       }
 
-      const blob = await response.blob()
+      const data = await response.json()
+
+      // Store SVG preview for display
+      if (data.svg) {
+        setPreviewSvg(data.svg)
+      }
+
+      // Convert base64 PDF to blob and trigger download
+      const pdfBytes = Uint8Array.from(atob(data.pdf), c => c.charCodeAt(0))
+      const blob = new Blob([pdfBytes], { type: 'application/pdf' })
       const url = window.URL.createObjectURL(blob)
       const a = document.createElement('a')
       a.href = url
-      a.download = `calendar-${year}-${String(month).padStart(2, '0')}.pdf`
+      a.download = data.filename
       document.body.appendChild(a)
       a.click()
       window.URL.revokeObjectURL(url)
       document.body.removeChild(a)
     } catch (error) {
       console.error('Error generating calendar:', error)
-      alert('Failed to generate calendar. Please try again.')
+      alert(`Failed to generate calendar: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Unknown error'}`)
     } finally {
       setIsGenerating(false)
     }
@@ -122,7 +133,7 @@ export default function CalendarCreatorPage() {
             />
 
             {/* Preview */}
-            <CalendarPreview month={month} year={year} format={format} />
+            <CalendarPreview month={month} year={year} format={format} previewSvg={previewSvg} />
           </div>
         </div>
       </div>