diff --git a/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode-common/src/extension.ts b/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode-common/src/extension.ts
index 6e54a61d23..2f72a23171 100644
--- a/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode-common/src/extension.ts
+++ b/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode-common/src/extension.ts
@@ -70,9 +70,6 @@ const disposables: (() => void)[] = [];
 let surveryBanner: SurveyBanner;
 
 export async function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext) {
-    const dotnetConfig = vscode.workspace.getConfiguration(constants.DotnetConfigurationSectionName);
-    const polyglotConfig = vscode.workspace.getConfiguration(constants.PolyglotConfigurationSectionName);
-    const minDotNetSdkVersion = '9.0';
     const diagnosticsChannel = new OutputChannelAdapter(vscode.window.createOutputChannel('Polyglot Notebook : diagnostics'));
     const loggerChannel = new OutputChannelAdapter(vscode.window.createOutputChannel('Polyglot Notebook : logger'));
     DotNetPathManager.setOutputChannelAdapter(diagnosticsChannel);
@@ -88,6 +85,20 @@ export async function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext) {
         }
     });
 
+    try {
+        await activateCore(context, diagnosticsChannel);
+    } catch (e) {
+        const errorMessage = e instanceof Error ? e.message : `${e}`;
+        diagnosticsChannel.appendLine(`Extension activation failed: ${errorMessage}`);
+        notebookSerializers.createAndRegisterFallbackNotebookSerializers(context, errorMessage);
+    }
+}
+
+async function activateCore(context: vscode.ExtensionContext, diagnosticsChannel: OutputChannelAdapter) {
+    const dotnetConfig = vscode.workspace.getConfiguration(constants.DotnetConfigurationSectionName);
+    const polyglotConfig = vscode.workspace.getConfiguration(constants.PolyglotConfigurationSectionName);
+    const minDotNetSdkVersion = '9.0';
+
     await waitForSdkPackExtension();
 
     // this must happen early, because some following functions use the acquisition command
diff --git a/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode-common/src/notebookSerializers.ts b/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode-common/src/notebookSerializers.ts
index adba420ff1..b9ec3a9d8c 100644
--- a/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode-common/src/notebookSerializers.ts
+++ b/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode-common/src/notebookSerializers.ts
@@ -96,6 +96,24 @@ export function createAndRegisterNotebookSerializers(context: vscode.ExtensionCo
     return serializers;
 }
 
+export function createAndRegisterFallbackNotebookSerializers(context: vscode.ExtensionContext, activationError: string): void {
+    const serializer: vscode.NotebookSerializer = {
+        deserializeNotebook(_content: Uint8Array, _token: vscode.CancellationToken): Promise<vscode.NotebookData> {
+            const cellData = new vscode.NotebookCellData(
+                vscode.NotebookCellKind.Markup,
+                `## Polyglot Notebooks failed to activate\n\n${activationError}\n\nPlease check the **Polyglot Notebook : diagnostics** output channel for more details.`,
+                'markdown'
+            );
+            return Promise.resolve(new vscode.NotebookData([cellData]));
+        },
+        serializeNotebook(_data: vscode.NotebookData, _token: vscode.CancellationToken): Promise<Uint8Array> {
+            throw new Error('The Polyglot Notebooks extension failed to activate. Saving is disabled to prevent data loss.');
+        },
+    };
+    const notebookSerializer = vscode.workspace.registerNotebookSerializer(constants.NotebookViewType, serializer);
+    context.subscriptions.push(notebookSerializer);
+}
+
 function toVsCodeNotebookCellData(cell: commandsAndEvents.InteractiveDocumentElement): vscode.NotebookCellData {
     const cellData = new vscode.NotebookCellData(
         languageToCellKind(cell.kernelName) as number,
diff --git a/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode-insiders/package.json b/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode-insiders/package.json
index 20a283f755..1b5b0e80e8 100644
--- a/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode-insiders/package.json
+++ b/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode-insiders/package.json
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@
         ]
       },
       {
-        "type": "polyglot-nortebook-window",
+        "type": "polyglot-notebook-window",
         "displayName": "Polyglot Notebook",
         "selector": []
       }
diff --git a/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode/package.json b/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode/package.json
index 894360225f..560c4e64c2 100644
--- a/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode/package.json
+++ b/src/polyglot-notebooks-vscode/package.json
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@
         ]
       },
       {
-        "type": "polyglot-nortebook-window",
+        "type": "polyglot-notebook-window",
         "displayName": "Polyglot Notebook",
         "selector": []
       }