diff --git a/python/examples/dining_philosophers.py b/python/examples/dining_philosophers.py
index c520ba0ae..4d6cb5d01 100644
--- a/python/examples/dining_philosophers.py
+++ b/python/examples/dining_philosophers.py
@@ -44,9 +44,10 @@
 from enum import auto, Enum
 from typing import Any, cast
 
+import monarch.actor
 from monarch._src.actor.actor_mesh import ActorMesh
 from monarch._src.actor.host_mesh import _spawn_admin
-from monarch.actor import Actor, current_rank, endpoint, this_host
+from monarch.actor import Actor, current_rank, endpoint, MeshFailure, this_host
 from monarch.distributed_telemetry.actor import start_telemetry
 
 
@@ -76,13 +77,19 @@ async def _request_chopsticks(self) -> None:
         left, right = self._chopstick_indices()
         self.left_status = ChopstickStatus.REQUESTED
         self.right_status = ChopstickStatus.REQUESTED
-        await self.waiter.request_chopsticks.call_one(self.rank, left, right)
+        try:
+            await self.waiter.request_chopsticks.call_one(self.rank, left, right)
+        except Exception:
+            print(f"philosopher {self.rank}: waiter unreachable, stopping", flush=True)
 
     async def _release_chopsticks(self) -> None:
         left, right = self._chopstick_indices()
         self.left_status = ChopstickStatus.NONE
         self.right_status = ChopstickStatus.NONE
-        await self.waiter.release_chopsticks.call_one(left, right)
+        try:
+            await self.waiter.release_chopsticks.call_one(left, right)
+        except Exception:
+            print(f"philosopher {self.rank}: waiter unreachable, stopping", flush=True)
 
     @endpoint
     async def start(self, waiter: Any) -> None:
@@ -154,12 +161,21 @@ async def release_chopsticks(self, left: int, right: int) -> None:
 NUM_PHILOSOPHERS = 5
 
 
+def _swallow_fault(failure: MeshFailure) -> None:
+    """Prevent unhandled actor faults from crashing the process."""
+    print(f"[fault suppressed] {str(failure)[:120]}...", flush=True)
+
+
 async def async_main(
     dashboard: bool = False,
     dashboard_port: int = 8265,
     kill_waiter_after: float | None = None,
 ) -> None:
     telemetry_url = None
+    monarch.actor.unhandled_fault_hook = (
+        _swallow_fault  # pyre-ignore[9]: monkey-patching module hook
+    )
+
     if dashboard:
         _, telemetry_url = start_telemetry(
             include_dashboard=True, dashboard_port=dashboard_port
@@ -203,6 +219,10 @@ async def async_main(
             await asyncio.sleep(kill_waiter_after)
             print("Killing the waiter...")
             cast(ActorMesh[Waiter], waiter).stop().get()
+            print(
+                "\nWaiter killed. Dashboard still running — press Ctrl+C to exit.",
+                flush=True,
+            )
         await asyncio.sleep(float("inf"))
     except (KeyboardInterrupt, asyncio.CancelledError):
         pass