diff --git a/app/contract/Cargo.lock b/app/contract/Cargo.lock
index d36c03a78..52e49599d 100644
--- a/app/contract/Cargo.lock
+++ b/app/contract/Cargo.lock
@@ -2,17 +2,6 @@
 # It is not intended for manual editing.
 version = 4
 
-[[package]]
-name = "RustAcademy"
-version = "0.1.0"
-dependencies = [
- "blake3",
- "hex",
- "proptest",
- "serde_json",
- "soroban-sdk",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "ahash"
 version = "0.8.12"
@@ -628,9 +617,9 @@ checksum = "2bfcf67fea2815c2fc3b90873fae90957be12ff417335dfadc7f52927feb03b2"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "ethnum"
-version = "1.5.2"
+version = "1.5.3"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "ca81e6b4777c89fd810c25a4be2b1bd93ea034fbe58e6a75216a34c6b82c539b"
+checksum = "40404c3f5f511ec4da6fe866ddf6a717c309fdbb69fbbad7b0f3edab8f2e835f"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "ff"
@@ -1154,6 +1143,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "subtle",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "rust_academy"
+version = "0.1.0"
+dependencies = [
+ "blake3",
+ "hex",
+ "proptest",
+ "serde_json",
+ "soroban-sdk",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "rustc_version"
 version = "0.4.1"
diff --git a/app/contract/contracts/Folder/build.rs b/app/contract/contracts/Folder/build.rs
index 30879169a..034e72941 100644
--- a/app/contract/contracts/Folder/build.rs
+++ b/app/contract/contracts/Folder/build.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ use std::process::Command;
 use std::time::{SystemTime, UNIX_EPOCH};
 
 fn main() {
-    let out_dir = env::var("OUT_DIR").unwrap();
+    let out_dir = env::var("OUT_DIR").expect("OUT_DIR environment variable must be set by cargo");
     let dest_path = Path::new(&out_dir).join("build_manifest.rs");
 
     let git_hash = get_git_hash();
@@ -45,7 +45,8 @@ pub const BUILD_MANIFEST_SCHEMA_VERSION: u32 = {};
         schema_version
     );
 
-    fs::write(&dest_path, manifest_content).unwrap();
+    fs::write(&dest_path, manifest_content)
+        .expect("Failed to write build manifest to OUT_DIR");
 
     println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed=build.rs");
     println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed=src/");
@@ -56,9 +57,7 @@ fn get_git_hash() -> String {
     let output = Command::new("git")
         .args(&["rev-parse", "HEAD"])
         .output()
-        .unwrap_or_else(|_| {
-            panic!("Failed to get git hash");
-        });
+        .expect("Failed to execute `git rev-parse HEAD` — is git installed and is this a git repository?");
 
     if output.status.success() {
         String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout).trim().to_string()
diff --git a/app/contract/contracts/Folder/src/role_test.rs b/app/contract/contracts/Folder/src/role_test.rs
index 49b124ada..8b867b2ea 100644
--- a/app/contract/contracts/Folder/src/role_test.rs
+++ b/app/contract/contracts/Folder/src/role_test.rs
@@ -178,7 +178,11 @@ fn test_insufficient_role_error() {
 
     match res {
         Err(Ok(RustAcademyError::InsufficientRole)) => (),
-        _ => panic!("Expected InsufficientRole error"),
+        other => assert!(
+            false,
+            "Expected InsufficientRole error but got: {:?}",
+            other
+        ),
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/app/contract/contracts/Folder/src/test.rs b/app/contract/contracts/Folder/src/test.rs
index 50c232962..323751c38 100644
--- a/app/contract/contracts/Folder/src/test.rs
+++ b/app/contract/contracts/Folder/src/test.rs
@@ -86,10 +86,18 @@ fn test_emergency_mode_blocks_risky_entry_points_and_allows_safe_paths() {
 
     let refund_res = client.try_refund(&commitment, &user);
 
-    match refund_res {
-        Ok(Ok(_)) => (),
-        Ok(Err(e)) => panic!("Contract Logic Error (Check Status/Expiry): {:?}", e),
-        Err(e) => panic!("Host Auth Error 10 (Check Auth/Account existence): {:?}", e),
+    match &refund_res {
+        Ok(Ok(_)) => {}
+        Ok(Err(e)) => assert!(
+            false,
+            "Expected refund to succeed but got contract logic error: {:?}",
+            e
+        ),
+        Err(e) => assert!(
+            false,
+            "Expected refund to succeed but got host error: {:?}",
+            e
+        ),
     }
 
     assert!(client.try_cleanup_escrow(&commitment).is_ok());
@@ -368,8 +376,26 @@ fn assert_contract_error<T>(
     expected:  RustAcademyError,
 ) {
     match result {
-        Err(Ok(actual)) => assert_eq!(actual, expected),
-        _ => panic!("expected contract error"),
+        Err(Ok(actual)) => assert_eq!(
+            actual, expected,
+            "Expected contract error {:?} but got {:?}",
+            expected, actual
+        ),
+        Err(Err(host_err)) => assert!(
+            false,
+            "Expected contract error {:?} but got host error: {:?}",
+            expected, host_err
+        ),
+        Ok(Ok(_)) => assert!(
+            false,
+            "Expected contract error {:?} but call succeeded",
+            expected
+        ),
+        Ok(Err(conversion_err)) => assert!(
+            false,
+            "Expected contract error {:?} but got conversion error: {:?}",
+            expected, conversion_err
+        ),
     }
 }
 
@@ -378,17 +404,20 @@ fn latest_contract_event(env: &Env, contract_id: &Address) -> (soroban_sdk::Vec<
     let len = all.len();
 
     for i in (0..len).rev() {
-        let event = all.get(i).unwrap();
+        let event = all.get(i).expect("Event index out of bounds while scanning events");
         if event.0 == *contract_id {
             return (event.1, event.2);
         }
     }
 
-    panic!("no contract event found for contract id")
+    panic!(
+        "No contract event found for contract id — expected at least one event to have been emitted"
+    )
 }
 
 fn event_data_map(env: &Env, data: Val) -> Map<Symbol, Val> {
-    data.try_into_val(env).unwrap()
+    data.try_into_val(env)
+        .expect("Failed to convert event data to Map<Symbol, Val>")
 }
 
 #[test]