diff --git a/launch_chffrplus.sh b/launch_chffrplus.sh
index 4f767f3b19b6aa..6e336d455c96f9 100755
--- a/launch_chffrplus.sh
+++ b/launch_chffrplus.sh
@@ -9,6 +9,15 @@ function agnos_init {
   sudo rm -f /data/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/*.nmmeta
   rm -f /data/scons_cache/config.lock
 
+  # The SDE display driver panics the kernel when a command-mode panel misses two
+  # consecutive pingpong-done IRQs (sde_encoder_phys_cmd.c, SDE_DBG_DUMP("panic")),
+  # which heat-soaked EA8074 panels do ~20-45s into boot - so a recoverable panel
+  # fault becomes a reboot loop. Disarming panic_on_err keeps the register dump and
+  # the PANEL_DEAD/ctl-reset recovery path; it only skips the panic() call.
+  # See commaai/openpilot#34971 and commaai/agnos-kernel-sdm845#85.
+  # Done here rather than in hardwared: this runs before any openpilot DRM client.
+  echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/debug/dri/0/debug/panic > /dev/null || true
+
   # set success flag for current boot slot
   sudo abctl --set_success
 
diff --git a/openpilot/system/hardware/hardwared.py b/openpilot/system/hardware/hardwared.py
index 69f118d337d4bf..43b618d9578fa0 100755
--- a/openpilot/system/hardware/hardwared.py
+++ b/openpilot/system/hardware/hardwared.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 import openpilot.cereal.messaging as messaging
 from openpilot.cereal import log
 from openpilot.cereal.services import SERVICE_LIST
-from openpilot.common.utils import strip_deprecated_keys
+from openpilot.common.utils import strip_deprecated_keys, sudo_read
 from openpilot.common.filter_simple import FirstOrderFilter
 from openpilot.common.params import Params
 from openpilot.common.realtime import DT_HW
@@ -192,6 +192,13 @@ def hardware_thread(end_event, hw_queue) -> None:
   last_uptime_ts: float = time.monotonic()
 
   HARDWARE.initialize_hardware()
+
+  if TICI:
+    # panic-on-display-error is disarmed in launch_chffrplus.sh. journald is only_onroad,
+    # so nothing else records the state during the offroad boot window where a heat-soaked
+    # panel faults - log the readback so that boot is diagnosable after the fact.
+    cloudlog.event("hardwared.sde_panic_on_err", value=sudo_read("/sys/kernel/debug/dri/0/debug/panic"))
+
   thermal_config = HARDWARE.get_thermal_config()
 
   fan_controller = FanController(int(1./DT_HW))