diff --git a/data_studio_jupyter_extensions/app.py b/data_studio_jupyter_extensions/app.py
index 260028dc48..10303670ed 100644
--- a/data_studio_jupyter_extensions/app.py
+++ b/data_studio_jupyter_extensions/app.py
@@ -38,12 +38,17 @@
 async def fetch_running_kernels(self) -> None:
     """Fetch kernels from the remote kernel service"""
     nbservice_client = NotebookServiceClient.instance()
-    response = await nbservice_client.list_kernels()
-    kernels = json_decode(response.body)
-    # Hydrate kernelmanager for all remote kernels
-    for item in kernels:
-        kernel = self.kernel_record_class(process_id=item["id"], alive=True)
-        self._kernel_records.update(kernel)
+    try:
+        response = await nbservice_client.list_kernels()
+        kernels = json_decode(response.body)
+        # Hydrate kernelmanager for all remote kernels
+        for item in kernels:
+            kernel = self.kernel_record_class(process_id=item["id"], alive=True)
+            self._kernel_records.update(kernel)
+    except Exception as err:
+        self.log.debug(
+            f"Synchronizer failed. Skipping for now. Here is the following error: {str(err)}"
+        )
 
 
 DS_JUPYTER_SERVER_CONFIG_OVERRIDES = Config(
@@ -233,7 +238,7 @@ def _jupyter_server_config(self):
         config = super()._jupyter_server_config()
         parsed_uri = urlparse(self.dsw_url)
         domain = "{uri.scheme}://{uri.netloc}".format(uri=parsed_uri)
-        log_level = os.environ.get("LOG_LEVEL", "DEBUG")
+        log_level = os.environ.get("LOG_LEVEL", "INFO")
 
         # Apply defaults from this extension
         base_config = DS_JUPYTER_SERVER_CONFIG_OVERRIDES