diff --git a/sidecar/rpc/client.go b/sidecar/rpc/client.go
index c8d407e..60a5ffa 100644
--- a/sidecar/rpc/client.go
+++ b/sidecar/rpc/client.go
@@ -23,11 +23,13 @@ type rpcError struct {
 	Data    string `json:"data"`
 }
 
-// envelope is the JSON-RPC response wrapper returned by all CometBFT
-// HTTP RPC endpoints (e.g. /status, /block, /block_results).
+// envelope is the JSON-RPC response wrapper returned by standard CometBFT
+// HTTP RPC endpoints. Note: seid's CometBFT fork returns flat JSON without
+// this wrapper — Client.Get handles both formats.
 type envelope struct {
-	Result json.RawMessage `json:"result"`
-	Error  *rpcError       `json:"error,omitempty"`
+	JSONRPC string          `json:"jsonrpc"`
+	Result  json.RawMessage `json:"result"`
+	Error   *rpcError       `json:"error,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // Client performs HTTP GET requests against a CometBFT RPC endpoint
@@ -61,8 +63,15 @@ func (c *Client) SetTimeout(d time.Duration) { c.timeout = d }
 // Endpoint returns the configured RPC base URL.
 func (c *Client) Endpoint() string { return c.endpoint }
 
-// Get performs an HTTP GET to endpoint+path, unwraps the JSON-RPC
-// envelope, and returns the inner "result" as raw JSON.
+// Get performs an HTTP GET to endpoint+path and returns the inner result
+// as raw JSON. It handles both response formats:
+//   - JSON-RPC envelope (standard CometBFT): {"jsonrpc":"2.0","result":{...}}
+//     → returns the unwrapped "result" value
+//   - Flat JSON (seid): {"node_info":{...},"sync_info":{...}}
+//     → returns the body as-is
+//
+// This dual-format support is necessary because seid's CometBFT fork
+// returns flat responses while standard CometBFT uses JSON-RPC envelopes.
 func (c *Client) Get(ctx context.Context, path string) (json.RawMessage, error) {
 	body, err := c.doGet(ctx, path)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -71,17 +80,24 @@ func (c *Client) Get(ctx context.Context, path string) (json.RawMessage, error)
 
 	var env envelope
 	if err := json.Unmarshal(body, &env); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("decoding JSON-RPC envelope from %s: %w", path, err)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("decoding JSON response from %s: %w", path, err)
 	}
-	if env.Error != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("JSON-RPC error from %s: %s (code %d, data: %s)",
-			path, env.Error.Message, env.Error.Code, env.Error.Data)
-	}
-	if len(env.Result) == 0 {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("empty result in JSON-RPC response from %s", path)
+
+	// Discriminate by the presence of "jsonrpc":"2.0" — only real JSON-RPC
+	// envelopes carry this field. Seid's flat responses never will.
+	if env.JSONRPC == "2.0" {
+		if env.Error != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("JSON-RPC error from %s: %s (code %d, data: %s)",
+				path, env.Error.Message, env.Error.Code, env.Error.Data)
+		}
+		if len(env.Result) == 0 {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("empty result in JSON-RPC response from %s", path)
+		}
+		return env.Result, nil
 	}
 
-	return env.Result, nil
+	// Flat JSON (seid format) — return the body as-is.
+	return json.RawMessage(body), nil
 }
 
 // GetRaw performs an HTTP GET and returns the entire response body
diff --git a/sidecar/rpc/client_test.go b/sidecar/rpc/client_test.go
index cfe9521..21256a7 100644
--- a/sidecar/rpc/client_test.go
+++ b/sidecar/rpc/client_test.go
@@ -30,19 +30,51 @@ func TestClient_Get_UnwrapsEnvelope(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestClient_Get_EmptyResult(t *testing.T) {
+func TestClient_Get_FlatJSON_SeidFormat(t *testing.T) {
+	// seid returns flat JSON without the JSON-RPC envelope.
+	flat := `{"node_info":{"id":"abc123"},"sync_info":{"latest_block_height":"42","catching_up":false}}`
 	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
-		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":-1}`))
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(flat))
 	}))
 	defer srv.Close()
 
 	c := NewClient(srv.URL, nil)
-	_, err := c.Get(context.Background(), "/status")
-	if err == nil {
-		t.Fatal("expected error for empty result")
+	raw, err := c.Get(context.Background(), "/status")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Get: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	got := string(raw)
+	if !strings.Contains(got, "abc123") {
+		t.Errorf("expected flat result containing node ID, got %s", got)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(got, "latest_block_height") {
+		t.Errorf("expected flat result containing latest_block_height, got %s", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestClient_Get_FlatJSON_WithResultKey(t *testing.T) {
+	// A flat response that happens to contain a "result" data key must NOT
+	// be mistaken for a JSON-RPC envelope.
+	flat := `{"result":{"code":0,"log":"ok"},"hash":"ABC123"}`
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(flat))
+	}))
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	c := NewClient(srv.URL, nil)
+	raw, err := c.Get(context.Background(), "/tx")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Get: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	got := string(raw)
+	// Should return the full body, not just the inner "result" value.
+	if !strings.Contains(got, "hash") {
+		t.Errorf("expected full flat body with hash field, got %s", got)
 	}
-	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "empty result") {
-		t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	if !strings.Contains(got, "ABC123") {
+		t.Errorf("expected full flat body with hash value, got %s", got)
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/sidecar/tasks/peers.go b/sidecar/tasks/peers.go
index 518c035..e9fb688 100644
--- a/sidecar/tasks/peers.go
+++ b/sidecar/tasks/peers.go
@@ -125,11 +125,15 @@ func (s *EC2TagsSource) Discover(ctx context.Context) ([]string, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("ec2 DescribeInstances: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	var instanceCount int
 	var peers []string
 	for _, reservation := range output.Reservations {
 		for _, instance := range reservation.Instances {
+			instanceCount++
 			peer, err := buildPeerAddress(ctx, querier, instance)
 			if err != nil {
+				peerLog.Info("skipping unreachable EC2 instance",
+					"ip", instanceIP(instance), "error", err)
 				continue
 			}
 			peers = append(peers, peer)
@@ -137,7 +141,8 @@ func (s *EC2TagsSource) Discover(ctx context.Context) ([]string, error) {
 	}
 
 	if len(peers) == 0 {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("no reachable peers found via ec2Tags in region %s", s.Region)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("no reachable peers found via ec2Tags in region %s (%d instances returned, 0 reachable)",
+			s.Region, instanceCount)
 	}
 
 	return peers, nil