diff --git a/server/src/ledgrab/api/routes/output_targets.py b/server/src/ledgrab/api/routes/output_targets.py
index 6d90fa4..97bd9b3 100644
--- a/server/src/ledgrab/api/routes/output_targets.py
+++ b/server/src/ledgrab/api/routes/output_targets.py
@@ -175,26 +175,57 @@ def _validate_color_value_source(
         )
 
 
-def _target_to_response(target) -> OutputTargetResponse:
-    """Convert any OutputTarget to the appropriate typed response."""
-    if isinstance(target, WledOutputTarget):
-        return _led_target_to_response(target)
-    elif isinstance(target, HALightOutputTarget):
-        return _ha_light_target_to_response(target)
-    elif isinstance(target, Z2MLightOutputTarget):
-        return _z2m_light_target_to_response(target)
-    else:
-        # Fallback for unknown types — use LED response with defaults
-        return LedOutputTargetResponse(
-            id=target.id,
-            name=target.name,
-            description=target.description,
-            tags=target.tags,
-            created_at=target.created_at,
-            updated_at=target.updated_at,
+_TARGET_RESPONSE_BUILDERS: dict = {
+    WledOutputTarget: _led_target_to_response,
+    HALightOutputTarget: _ha_light_target_to_response,
+    Z2MLightOutputTarget: _z2m_light_target_to_response,
+}
+
+
+def _assert_target_response_coverage() -> None:
+    """Verify the response registry covers every concrete OutputTarget subclass.
+
+    Runs at module import. Surfaces a missing builder eagerly instead of
+    letting a request fall through to the previous silent fallback (which
+    used to return a defaults-filled LedOutputTargetResponse and quietly
+    misshape the payload for unknown target types).
+    """
+    expected = {WledOutputTarget, HALightOutputTarget, Z2MLightOutputTarget}
+    registered = set(_TARGET_RESPONSE_BUILDERS.keys())
+    missing = expected - registered
+    extra = registered - expected
+    if missing or extra:
+        problems = []
+        if missing:
+            problems.append(f"missing builders: {sorted(c.__name__ for c in missing)}")
+        if extra:
+            problems.append(f"unregistered classes: {sorted(c.__name__ for c in extra)}")
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            "_TARGET_RESPONSE_BUILDERS is out of sync with the OutputTarget "
+            "subclass set: " + "; ".join(problems)
         )
 
 
+_assert_target_response_coverage()
+
+
+def _target_to_response(target) -> OutputTargetResponse:
+    """Convert any OutputTarget to the appropriate typed response.
+
+    Dispatches via :data:`_TARGET_RESPONSE_BUILDERS` keyed by concrete
+    subclass. Raises ``RuntimeError`` for an unregistered subclass —
+    coverage is asserted at import, so this should never fire in
+    practice; if it does, the storage layer added a new OutputTarget
+    subclass without a matching response builder here.
+    """
+    builder = _TARGET_RESPONSE_BUILDERS.get(type(target))
+    if builder is None:
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            f"No response builder registered for OutputTarget subclass " f"{type(target).__name__}"
+        )
+    return builder(target)
+
+
 # ===== CRUD ENDPOINTS =====
 
 
diff --git a/server/tests/api/routes/test_output_target_response_registry.py b/server/tests/api/routes/test_output_target_response_registry.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e5bdee8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/tests/api/routes/test_output_target_response_registry.py
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+"""Tests for the output-target response-builder registry.
+
+Locks in the safety net that replaced the previous silent
+``LedOutputTargetResponse(defaults)`` fallback in
+``output_targets._target_to_response``.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import pytest
+
+from ledgrab.api.routes import output_targets
+from ledgrab.api.routes.output_targets import (
+    _assert_target_response_coverage,
+    _target_to_response,
+    _TARGET_RESPONSE_BUILDERS,
+)
+from ledgrab.storage.ha_light_output_target import HALightOutputTarget
+from ledgrab.storage.wled_output_target import WledOutputTarget
+from ledgrab.storage.z2m_light_output_target import Z2MLightOutputTarget
+
+
+EXPECTED_TARGET_CLASSES = {WledOutputTarget, HALightOutputTarget, Z2MLightOutputTarget}
+
+
+def test_registry_covers_every_known_target_subclass():
+    assert set(_TARGET_RESPONSE_BUILDERS.keys()) == EXPECTED_TARGET_CLASSES
+
+
+def test_every_registered_builder_is_callable():
+    for cls, builder in _TARGET_RESPONSE_BUILDERS.items():
+        assert callable(builder), f"builder for {cls.__name__} is not callable"
+
+
+def test_unregistered_target_class_raises_in_target_to_response():
+    """Reaching ``_target_to_response`` with an unmapped class raises loudly
+    instead of silently returning a malformed LedOutputTargetResponse.
+    """
+
+    class _RogueTarget:
+        id = "tgt_rogue"
+        name = "rogue"
+
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="No response builder"):
+        _target_to_response(_RogueTarget())
+
+
+def test_coverage_assertion_raises_on_drift(monkeypatch):
+    """Removing a builder from the registry makes the import-time check fail."""
+    pruned = {
+        cls: builder
+        for cls, builder in _TARGET_RESPONSE_BUILDERS.items()
+        if cls is not WledOutputTarget
+    }
+    monkeypatch.setattr(output_targets, "_TARGET_RESPONSE_BUILDERS", pruned)
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="WledOutputTarget"):
+        _assert_target_response_coverage()
+
+
+def test_coverage_assertion_raises_on_extra_entry(monkeypatch):
+    """An entry keyed by an unknown class is also caught."""
+
+    class _RogueTargetClass:
+        pass
+
+    extended = {**_TARGET_RESPONSE_BUILDERS, _RogueTargetClass: lambda t: None}
+    monkeypatch.setattr(output_targets, "_TARGET_RESPONSE_BUILDERS", extended)
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="_RogueTargetClass"):
+        _assert_target_response_coverage()