diff --git a/src/app.py b/src/app.py
index 429f908..2c44948 100644
--- a/src/app.py
+++ b/src/app.py
@@ -12,22 +12,29 @@ def display_chat_messages():
 
 def handle_user_input():
     if prompt := st.chat_input("Type your message..."):
+        print(f"User input received: {prompt}")  # Debug log
         st.session_state.messages.append({"role": "user", "content": prompt})
         with st.chat_message("user"):
             st.markdown(prompt)
         
-        with st.chat_message("assistant"):
-            response_placeholder = st.empty()
-            full_response = ""
-            
-            client = OpenAIClient()
-            for chunk in client.get_chat_response(st.session_state.messages):
-                if chunk.choices[0].delta.content:
-                    full_response += chunk.choices[0].delta.content
-                    response_placeholder.markdown(full_response + "▌")
-            
-            response_placeholder.markdown(full_response)
-            st.session_state.messages.append({"role": "assistant", "content": full_response})
+        try:
+            with st.chat_message("assistant"):
+                response_placeholder = st.empty()
+                full_response = ""
+                
+                client = OpenAIClient()
+                print("Calling OpenAI API...")  # Debug log
+                for chunk in client.get_chat_response(st.session_state.messages):
+                    if chunk.choices[0].delta.content:
+                        full_response += chunk.choices[0].delta.content
+                        response_placeholder.markdown(full_response + "▌")
+                
+                response_placeholder.markdown(full_response)
+                st.session_state.messages.append({"role": "assistant", "content": full_response})
+                print("API call completed successfully")  # Debug log
+        except Exception as e:
+            st.error(f"Error processing message: {str(e)}")
+            print(f"Error details: {str(e)}")  # Debug log
 
 def main():
     st.title("Streamlit Chat App")
diff --git a/src/openai_client.py b/src/openai_client.py
index 10db215..3817043 100644
--- a/src/openai_client.py
+++ b/src/openai_client.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import os
 import configparser
 from openai import OpenAI
 
@@ -7,29 +6,34 @@ class OpenAIClient:
         self.config = configparser.ConfigParser()
         self.config.read('config/config.ini')
         
-        # Configure OpenAI client with OpenRouter-specific headers
+        # Validate configuration
+        if not self.config.has_section('openai'):
+            raise Exception("Missing [openai] section in config.ini")
+        if not self.config['openai'].get('api_key'):
+            raise Exception("Missing api_key in config.ini")
+        
+        # Configure OpenAI client
         self.client = OpenAI(
             api_key=self.config['openai']['api_key'],
             base_url=self.config['openai']['base_url'],
             default_headers={
-                "HTTP-Referer": "https://streamlit-chat-app.com",  # Required by OpenRouter
-                "X-Title": "Streamlit Chat App"  # Optional, helps with analytics
+                "HTTP-Referer": "https://streamlit-chat-app.com",
+                "X-Title": "Streamlit Chat App"
             }
         )
     
     def get_chat_response(self, messages):
         try:
-            # Ensure messages are correctly formatted
-            formatted_messages = [{"role": msg["role"], "content": msg["content"]} for msg in messages]
+            print(f"Sending request to {self.config['openai']['base_url']}")  # Debug log
+            print(f"Using model: {self.config['openai']['model']}")  # Debug log
             
-            # Make API request
             response = self.client.chat.completions.create(
                 model=self.config['openai']['model'],
-                messages=formatted_messages,
+                messages=messages,
                 stream=True
             )
             return response
         except Exception as e:
-            # Enhanced error logging
-            print(f"Error details: {e}")
-            raise Exception(f"OpenAI API error: {str(e)}")
+            error_msg = f"API Error (Code: {getattr(e, 'code', 'N/A')}): {str(e)}"
+            print(error_msg)  # Debug log
+            raise Exception(error_msg)