diff --git a/scripts/deploy.mjs b/scripts/deploy.mjs
index 3e9692f..a943e87 100644
--- a/scripts/deploy.mjs
+++ b/scripts/deploy.mjs
@@ -223,12 +223,6 @@ async function createUploader(uploadMode, arweave, jwk) {
   };
 }
 
-async function resolveBlogManifestTxId() {
-  const source = await fs.readFile(sourceConfigPath, "utf8");
-  const match = source.match(/MANIFEST_TX_ID\s*=\s*"([^"]+)"/);
-  return match?.[1] || "";
-}
-
 async function resolveBlogManifestReferenceName() {
   const source = await fs.readFile(sourceConfigPath, "utf8");
   const match = source.match(/MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME\s*=\s*"([^"]+)"/);
@@ -344,8 +338,7 @@ async function fetchPostSlugs(gateway, blogManifestTxId) {
 async function resolvePostSlugs(gateway) {
   const candidates = [
     await getLatestManifestFromReference(gateway),
-    await getLatestManifestFromAo(),
-    await resolveBlogManifestTxId()
+    await getLatestManifestFromAo()
   ].filter(Boolean);
 
   for (const blogManifestTxId of candidates) {
diff --git a/scripts/prerender-meta.mjs b/scripts/prerender-meta.mjs
index eae7361..df6cac7 100644
--- a/scripts/prerender-meta.mjs
+++ b/scripts/prerender-meta.mjs
@@ -12,8 +12,7 @@ const DEFAULTS = {
   BLOG_SITE_URL: "https://hyperzine.xyz",
   BLOG_DEFAULT_DESCRIPTION: "hyperzine",
   ARWEAVE_GATEWAY: "https://arweave.net",
-  MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME: "",
-  MANIFEST_TX_ID: ""
+  MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME: ""
 };
 
 const asObject = (value) => (typeof value === "object" && value !== null ? value : null);
@@ -54,8 +53,7 @@ const parseConfig = async () => {
     BLOG_SITE_URL: pick("BLOG_SITE_URL"),
     BLOG_DEFAULT_DESCRIPTION: pick("BLOG_DEFAULT_DESCRIPTION"),
     ARWEAVE_GATEWAY: pick("ARWEAVE_GATEWAY"),
-    MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME: pick("MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME"),
-    MANIFEST_TX_ID: pick("MANIFEST_TX_ID")
+    MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME: pick("MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME")
   };
 };
 
@@ -121,10 +119,10 @@ const parseManifest = (input) => {
     });
 };
 
-const fetchManifestPosts = async (manifestTxId) => {
+const fetchManifestPosts = async (config, manifestTxId) => {
   if (!manifestTxId) return [];
-  const url = `https://arweave.net/${manifestTxId}`;
-  const response = await fetch(url, { cache: "no-store" });
+  const gateway = (config.ARWEAVE_GATEWAY || DEFAULTS.ARWEAVE_GATEWAY).replace(/\/+$/, "");
+  const response = await fetch(`${gateway}/${manifestTxId}`, { cache: "no-store" });
   if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Manifest fetch failed (${response.status})`);
   const payload = await response.json();
   const posts = parseManifest(payload);
@@ -132,36 +130,17 @@ const fetchManifestPosts = async (manifestTxId) => {
 };
 
 const resolveManifestTxId = async (config) => {
-  if (config.MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME) {
-    try {
-      const names = new ReferenceClient({ gateway: config.ARWEAVE_GATEWAY || DEFAULTS.ARWEAVE_GATEWAY });
-      const value = await names.resolveName(config.MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME);
-      if (typeof value === "string" && value.length > 0) return value;
-      throw new Error(`Reference ${config.MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME} did not resolve to a manifest id`);
-    } catch (error) {
-      console.warn(
-        `[prerender-meta] Falling back to configured manifest; reference ${config.MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME} failed: ${error.message}`
-      );
-    }
-  }
-
-  return config.MANIFEST_TX_ID;
+  if (!config.MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME) return "";
+  const names = new ReferenceClient({ gateway: config.ARWEAVE_GATEWAY || DEFAULTS.ARWEAVE_GATEWAY });
+  const value = await names.resolveName(config.MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME);
+  if (typeof value === "string" && value.length > 0) return value;
+  throw new Error(`Reference ${config.MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME} did not resolve to a manifest id`);
 };
 
 const fetchCurrentManifestPosts = async (config) => {
   const manifestTxId = await resolveManifestTxId(config);
   if (!manifestTxId) return [];
-
-  try {
-    return (await fetchManifestPosts(manifestTxId)).posts;
-  } catch (error) {
-    if (!config.MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME || manifestTxId === config.MANIFEST_TX_ID) throw error;
-    console.warn(
-      `[prerender-meta] Falling back to configured manifest; reference manifest ${manifestTxId} failed: ${error.message}`
-    );
-  }
-
-  return config.MANIFEST_TX_ID ? (await fetchManifestPosts(config.MANIFEST_TX_ID)).posts : [];
+  return (await fetchManifestPosts(config, manifestTxId)).posts;
 };
 
 const buildMetaTags = ({
diff --git a/src/config.ts b/src/config.ts
index 3b2d889..96a7eab 100644
--- a/src/config.ts
+++ b/src/config.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ export const BLOG_DEFAULT_DESCRIPTION =
   "A blog about cyberspace decentralization";
 export const BLOG_TWITTER_HANDLE = "";
 export const MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME = "mystic";
-export const MANIFEST_TX_ID = "SShELKFa2EsiB-OJbeoNOjAIxgah9OmRhxYXBF_M9wA";
 export const ARWEAVE_GATEWAY = "https://arweave.net";
 
 export const AO_URL = "https://push-1.forward.computer";
diff --git a/src/lib.ts b/src/lib.ts
index b9e9719..bb5503e 100644
--- a/src/lib.ts
+++ b/src/lib.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import DOMPurify from "dompurify";
 import { marked, type Tokens } from "marked";
 import { parse as parseYaml } from "yaml";
 import { ReferenceClient } from "@permaweb/references";
-import { ARWEAVE_GATEWAY, MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME, MANIFEST_TX_ID } from "./config";
+import { ARWEAVE_GATEWAY, MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME } from "./config";
 import { parseManifest, type Frontmatter, type ManifestPost } from "./types";
 
 const formatDate = (date: string): string =>
@@ -106,26 +106,12 @@ const resolveReferenceManifestTxId = async (): Promise<string> => {
 };
 
 const loadReferenceManifest = async () => {
-  if (!MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME) return null;
-
-  try {
-    return await fetchManifest(await resolveReferenceManifestTxId());
-  } catch (error) {
-    console.warn(
-      `Could not load manifest reference ${MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME}; trying configured manifest`,
-      error
-    );
-    return null;
-  }
-};
-
-const loadConfiguredManifest = async () => {
-  if (!MANIFEST_TX_ID) throw new Error("No manifest reference or fallback manifest configured");
-  return fetchManifest(MANIFEST_TX_ID);
+  if (!MANIFEST_REFERENCE_NAME) throw new Error("No manifest reference configured");
+  return fetchManifest(await resolveReferenceManifestTxId());
 };
 
 const loadCurrentManifest = async () => {
-  return (await loadReferenceManifest()) ?? (await loadConfiguredManifest());
+  return loadReferenceManifest();
 };
 
 export const resolveManifestTxId = async (): Promise<string> => {