diff --git a/mambaSharedFramework/HLS Models/Playlist Structure/HLSPlaylistStructure.swift b/mambaSharedFramework/HLS Models/Playlist Structure/HLSPlaylistStructure.swift
index b433e5f..462600b 100644
--- a/mambaSharedFramework/HLS Models/Playlist Structure/HLSPlaylistStructure.swift	
+++ b/mambaSharedFramework/HLS Models/Playlist Structure/HLSPlaylistStructure.swift	
@@ -244,9 +244,16 @@ final class HLSPlaylistStructure: HLSPlaylistStructureInterface {
         do {
             let result = try HLSPlaylistStructureConstructor.generateMediaGroups(fromTags: _tags)
             
-            let mediaSpans = try HLSPlaylistStructureConstructor.generateMediaSpans(fromTags: _tags,
-                                                                                    header: result.header,
-                                                                                    mediaSegmentGroups: result.mediaSegmentGroups)
+            let mediaSpans: [TagSpan]
+            do {
+                mediaSpans = try HLSPlaylistStructureConstructor.generateMediaSpans(
+                    fromTags: _tags,
+                    header: result.header,
+                    mediaSegmentGroups: result.mediaSegmentGroups
+                )
+            } catch {
+                mediaSpans = []
+            }
             
             self._header = result.header
             self._mediaSegmentGroups = result.mediaSegmentGroups
@@ -508,6 +515,11 @@ fileprivate struct HLSPlaylistStructureConstructor {
                                                header: TagGroup?,
                                                mediaSegmentGroups: [MediaSegmentTagGroup]) throws -> [TagSpan] {
         
+        // If the playlist contains no segments then there are no spans
+        if mediaSegmentGroups.isEmpty {
+            return []
+        }
+        
         var mediaSpans = [TagSpan]()
         
         // handle our only known spannable tag, `EXT-X-KEY`
@@ -546,7 +558,9 @@ fileprivate struct HLSPlaylistStructureConstructor {
                 
                 if let startKeyIndex = startKeyIndex, let startKeyTag = startKeyTag {
                     // we are closing out our last key
-                    mediaSpans.append(TagSpan(parentTag: startKeyTag, tagMediaSpan: startKeyIndex...currentIndex - 1))
+                    if startKeyIndex <= currentIndex - 1 {
+                        mediaSpans.append(TagSpan(parentTag: startKeyTag, tagMediaSpan: startKeyIndex...(currentIndex - 1)))
+                    }
                 }
                 
                 startKeyIndex = currentIndex
@@ -559,10 +573,15 @@ fileprivate struct HLSPlaylistStructureConstructor {
         
         // close out our last tag
         if let startKeyIndex = startKeyIndex, let startKeyTag = startKeyTag {
-            mediaSpans.append(TagSpan(parentTag: startKeyTag, tagMediaSpan: startKeyIndex...(currentIndex - 1)))
+            if startKeyIndex <= currentIndex - 1 {
+                mediaSpans.append(TagSpan(parentTag: startKeyTag, tagMediaSpan: startKeyIndex...(currentIndex - 1)))
+            }
+        }
+
+        // instead of assert, warn softly if key counts mismatch (footer keys or malformed playlists)
+        if keyCount != keyTags.count {
+            print("Warning: generateMediaSpans counted \(keyCount) EXT-X-KEY tags, but found \(keyTags.count). Possibly due to footer-only key tags.")
         }
-        
-        assert(keyCount == keyTags.count, "we missed a key tag")
         
         return mediaSpans
     }
diff --git a/mambaTests/HLSMediaSpanTests.swift b/mambaTests/HLSMediaSpanTests.swift
index 3de33f9..16ea124 100644
--- a/mambaTests/HLSMediaSpanTests.swift
+++ b/mambaTests/HLSMediaSpanTests.swift
@@ -114,4 +114,52 @@ class HLSMediaSpanTests: XCTestCase {
         let hlsString = hlsArray.joined()
         runTest(hlsString: hlsString, expectedSpans: [0...1, 2...4, 5...8])
     }
+    
+    // This validates the early return logic in generateMediaSpans() for empty mediaSegmentGroups.
+    func testNoMediaSegmentsScenario() {
+        print("Starting test: testNoMediaSegmentsScenario")
+        let hlsArray = [
+            "#EXTM3U\n",
+            "#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:6\n",
+            "#EXT-X-VERSION:3\n",
+            "#EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE:0\n",
+            "#EXT-X-PLAYLIST-TYPE:VOD\n",
+            "#EXT-X-KEY:METHOD=NONE\n",
+            "#EXT-X-MAP:URI=\"test.mp4\",BYTERANGE=\"610@0\"\n"
+        ]
+        let hlsString = hlsArray.joined()
+        runTest(hlsString: hlsString, expectedSpans: [])
+        print("Finished test: testNoMediaSegmentsScenario")
+    }
+    
+    // Covers an edge case crash where an EXT-X-KEY appears in the header, but the playlist has no media segments.
+    func testKeyInHeaderWithNoMediaSegmentsDoesNotCrash() {
+        print("Starting test: testKeyInHeaderWithNoMediaSegmentsDoesNotCrash")
+        let hlsArray = [
+            "#EXTM3U\n",
+            "#EXT-X-VERSION:3\n",
+            "#EXT-X-KEY:METHOD=AES-128,URI=\"enc.key\"\n",
+            "#EXT-X-ENDLIST\n"
+        ]
+        let hlsString = hlsArray.joined()
+        runTest(hlsString: hlsString, expectedSpans: [])
+        print("Finished test: testKeyInHeaderWithNoMediaSegmentsDoesNotCrash")
+    }
+
+    // Validates that an EXT-X-KEY tag appearing after the last media segment (in the footer) does not crash generateMediaSpans() or create invalid spans. This seems to occur with DAI
+    func testFooterOnlyKeyDoesNotCrashOrAppend() {
+        print("Starting test: testFooterOnlyKeyDoesNotCrashOrAppend")
+        let hlsArray = [
+            "#EXTM3U\n",
+            "#EXT-X-VERSION:3\n",
+            "#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:6\n",
+            "#EXTINF:6.0,\n",
+            "segment1.ts\n",
+            "#EXT-X-KEY:METHOD=AES-128,URI=\"footer.key\"\n",
+            "#EXT-X-ENDLIST\n"
+        ]
+        let hlsString = hlsArray.joined()
+        runTest(hlsString: hlsString, expectedSpans: [])
+        print("Finished test: testFooterOnlyKeyDoesNotCrashOrAppend")
+    }
 }