diff --git a/embark-ui/src/actions/index.js b/embark-ui/src/actions/index.js
index 7a826915..94f87b50 100644
--- a/embark-ui/src/actions/index.js
+++ b/embark-ui/src/actions/index.js
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ export const ensRecords = {
 
 export const FIDDLE = createRequestTypes('FIDDLE');
 export const fiddle = {
-  post: (codeToCompile) => action(FIDDLE[REQUEST], {codeToCompile}),
+  post: (codeToCompile, timestamp) => action(FIDDLE[REQUEST], {codeToCompile, timestamp}),
   success: (fiddle, payload) => {
     return action(FIDDLE[SUCCESS], {fiddles: [{...fiddle, ...payload}]});
   },
diff --git a/embark-ui/src/api/index.js b/embark-ui/src/api/index.js
index 27294eb6..a4ac1641 100644
--- a/embark-ui/src/api/index.js
+++ b/embark-ui/src/api/index.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import constants from '../constants';
 function get(path, params) {
   return axios.get(constants.httpEndpoint + path, params)
     .then((response) => {
-      return {response};
+      return {response, error: null};
     }).catch((error) => {
       return {response: null, error: error.message || 'Something bad happened'};
     });
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ function get(path, params) {
 function post(path, params) {
   return axios.post(constants.httpEndpoint + path, params)
     .then((response) => {
-      return {response};
+      return {response, error: null};
     })
     .catch((error) => {
       return {response: null, error: error.message || 'Something bad happened'};
diff --git a/embark-ui/src/containers/FiddleContainer.js b/embark-ui/src/containers/FiddleContainer.js
index bca56569..b406c62a 100644
--- a/embark-ui/src/containers/FiddleContainer.js
+++ b/embark-ui/src/containers/FiddleContainer.js
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ class FiddleContainer extends Component {
     this.state = {
       value: undefined,
       loadingMessage: 'Loading...',
+
       readOnly: true
     };
     this.compileTimeout = null;
@@ -31,24 +32,24 @@ class FiddleContainer extends Component {
 
   componentDidMount() {
     this.setState({loadingMessage: 'Loading saved state...'});
-    if (!this.props.fiddle) {
-      this.props.fetchLastFiddle();
+    this.props.fetchLastFiddle();
+  }
+
+  componentDidUpdate(prevProps) {
+    const {lastFiddle} = this.props;
+    if(this.state.value === '' && prevProps.lastFiddle === lastFiddle) return;
+    if((!this.state.value && lastFiddle && !lastFiddle.error) && this.state.value !== lastFiddle) {
+      this._onCodeChange(lastFiddle, true);
     }
   }
 
-  componentDidUpdate() {
-    if(!this.state.value && this.props.fiddle) {
-      this.setState({value: this.props.fiddle.codeToCompile});
-    }
-  }
-
-  _onCodeChange(newValue) {
+  _onCodeChange(newValue, immediate = false) {
     this.setState({readOnly: false, value: newValue});
     if (this.compileTimeout) clearTimeout(this.compileTimeout);
     this.compileTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
       this.setState({loadingMessage: 'Compiling...'});
-      this.props.postFiddle(newValue);
-    }, 1000);
+      this.props.postFiddle(newValue, Date.now());
+    }, immediate ? 0 : 1000);
 
   }
 
@@ -166,7 +167,8 @@ function mapStateToProps(state) {
     deployedContracts: deployedFiddle.data,
     fiddleError: fiddle.error,
     fiddleDeployError: deployedFiddle.error,
-    loading: state.loading
+    loading: state.loading,
+    lastFiddle: fiddle.data ? fiddle.data.codeToCompile : undefined
   };
 }
 
@@ -178,7 +180,8 @@ FiddleContainer.propTypes = {
   postFiddle: PropTypes.func,
   postFiddleDeploy: PropTypes.func,
   deployedContracts: PropTypes.string,
-  fetchLastFiddle: PropTypes.func
+  fetchLastFiddle: PropTypes.func,
+  lastFiddle: PropTypes.any
 };
 
 export default connect(
diff --git a/embark-ui/src/general.css b/embark-ui/src/general.css
index 934ac06f..9bdf0438 100644
--- a/embark-ui/src/general.css
+++ b/embark-ui/src/general.css
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
 }
 
 .text__new-line, .card.warnings-card .list-group-item, .card.errors-card .list-group-item {
-  white-space: pre-line;
+  white-space: pre-wrap;
+  font-family: monospace;
 }
 .card.card-fullscreen{
   z-index: 6;
diff --git a/embark-ui/src/reducers/selectors.js b/embark-ui/src/reducers/selectors.js
index 361e49fd..a4b032e5 100644
--- a/embark-ui/src/reducers/selectors.js
+++ b/embark-ui/src/reducers/selectors.js
@@ -109,9 +109,11 @@ export function getMessages(state) {
 }
 
 export function getFiddle(state) {
+  const fiddleCompilation = _.last(state.entities.fiddles.sort((a, b) => { return (a.timestamp || 0) - (b.timestamp || 0); }));
+  const isNoTempFileError = Boolean(fiddleCompilation && fiddleCompilation.codeToCompile && fiddleCompilation.codeToCompile.error && fiddleCompilation.codeToCompile.error.indexOf('ENOENT') > -1);
   return {
-    data: _.last(state.entities.fiddles),
-    error: state.errorEntities.fiddles
+    data: fiddleCompilation,
+    error: isNoTempFileError ? undefined : state.errorEntities.fiddles
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/modules/deployment/contract_deployer.js b/lib/modules/deployment/contract_deployer.js
index ae97e002..658f0623 100644
--- a/lib/modules/deployment/contract_deployer.js
+++ b/lib/modules/deployment/contract_deployer.js
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ class ContractDeployer {
 
     // TODO: can be moved into a afterDeploy event
     // just need to figure out the gasLimit coupling issue
-    self.events.request('code-generator:contract:vanilla', contract, contract._gasLimit, (contractCode) => {
+    self.events.request('code-generator:contract:vanilla', contract, contract._gasLimit || false, (contractCode) => {
       self.events.request('runcode:eval', contractCode, () => {}, true);
       return callback();
     });
diff --git a/lib/modules/solidity/index.js b/lib/modules/solidity/index.js
index 4b6e9765..48cfd4c0 100644
--- a/lib/modules/solidity/index.js
+++ b/lib/modules/solidity/index.js
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ class Solidity {
       'post',
       '/embark-api/contract/compile',
       (req, res) => {
+        if(typeof req.body.codeToCompile !== 'string'){
+          return res.send({error: 'Body parameter \'codeToCompile\' must be a string'});
+        }
         const input = {'fiddle': {content: req.body.codeToCompile.replace(/\r\n/g, '\n')}};
         this.compile_solidity_code(input, {}, true, (errors, compilationResult) => {
           // write code to filesystem so we can view the source after page refresh