diff --git a/app.js b/app.js
index 12ef392ab3..3063c10314 100644
--- a/app.js
+++ b/app.js
@@ -40,20 +40,26 @@
     }
 
     // Override bundles.json for HTTP requests
-    app.use('/' + BUNDLE_FILE, function (req, res) {
-        var bundles = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(BUNDLE_FILE, 'utf8'));
-
-        // Handle command line inclusions/exclusions
-        bundles = bundles.concat(options.include);
-        bundles = bundles.filter(function (bundle) {
-            return options.exclude.indexOf(bundle) === -1;
-        });
-        bundles = bundles.filter(function (bundle, index) { // Uniquify
-            return bundles.indexOf(bundle) === index;
-        });
-
-        res.send(JSON.stringify(bundles));
-    });
+    //app.use('/' + BUNDLE_FILE, function (req, res) {
+    //    var bundles;
+    //
+    //    try {
+    //        bundles = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(BUNDLE_FILE, 'utf8'));
+    //    } catch (e) {
+    //        bundles = [];
+    //    }
+    //
+    //    // Handle command line inclusions/exclusions
+    //    bundles = bundles.concat(options.include);
+    //    bundles = bundles.filter(function (bundle) {
+    //        return options.exclude.indexOf(bundle) === -1;
+    //    });
+    //    bundles = bundles.filter(function (bundle, index) { // Uniquify
+    //        return bundles.indexOf(bundle) === index;
+    //    });
+    //
+    //    res.send(JSON.stringify(bundles));
+    //});
 
     // Expose everything else as static files
     app.use(express['static']('.'));
diff --git a/bundles.json b/bundles.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 852179dddb..0000000000
--- a/bundles.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,38 +0,0 @@
-[
-    "platform/framework",
-    "platform/core",
-    "platform/representation",
-    "platform/commonUI/about",
-    "platform/commonUI/edit",
-    "platform/commonUI/dialog",
-    "platform/commonUI/formats",
-    "platform/commonUI/general",
-    "platform/commonUI/inspect",
-    "platform/commonUI/mobile",
-    "platform/commonUI/themes/espresso",
-    "platform/commonUI/notification",
-    "platform/containment",
-    "platform/execution",
-    "platform/telemetry",
-    "platform/features/clock",
-    "platform/features/events",
-    "platform/features/imagery",
-    "platform/features/layout",
-    "platform/features/pages",
-    "platform/features/plot",
-    "platform/features/scrolling",
-    "platform/features/timeline",
-    "platform/forms",
-    "platform/identity",
-    "platform/persistence/aggregator",
-    "platform/persistence/local",
-    "platform/persistence/queue",
-    "platform/policy",
-    "platform/entanglement",
-    "platform/search",
-    "platform/status",
-
-    "example/imagery",
-    "example/eventGenerator",
-    "example/generator"
-]
diff --git a/platform/framework/src/load/BundleLoader.js b/platform/framework/src/load/BundleLoader.js
index ee6fb0a0e9..9389207ea8 100644
--- a/platform/framework/src/load/BundleLoader.js
+++ b/platform/framework/src/load/BundleLoader.js
@@ -130,7 +130,20 @@ define(
             // Load all bundles named in the referenced file. The file is
             // presumed to be a JSON file
             function loadBundlesFromFile(listFile) {
-                return getJSON(listFile).then(loadBundlesFromArray);
+                function handleError(err) {
+                    $log.info([
+                        "No external bundles loaded;",
+                        "could not load bundle listing in",
+                        listFile,
+                        "due to error",
+                        err.status,
+                        err.statusText
+                    ].join(' '));
+                    return loadBundlesFromArray([]);
+                }
+
+                return getJSON(listFile)
+                    .then(loadBundlesFromArray, handleError);
             }
 
             return Array.isArray(bundles) ? loadBundlesFromArray(bundles) :