diff --git a/bittensor/axon.py b/bittensor/axon.py
index 8cefadfe6..0a62d6c84 100644
--- a/bittensor/axon.py
+++ b/bittensor/axon.py
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 import inspect
 import json
 import os
+import socket
 import threading
 import time
 import traceback
@@ -62,6 +63,12 @@
 from bittensor.utils import networking
 
 
+"""
+The quantum of time to sleep in waiting loops, in seconds.
+"""
+TIME_SLEEP_INTERVAL: float = 1e-3
+
+
 class FastAPIThreadedServer(uvicorn.Server):
     """
     The ``FastAPIThreadedServer`` class is a specialized server implementation for the Axon server in the Bittensor network.
@@ -100,26 +107,80 @@ class FastAPIThreadedServer(uvicorn.Server):
     should_exit: bool = False
     is_running: bool = False
 
+    """
+    Provide a channel to signal exceptions from the thread to our caller.
+    """
+    _exception: Optional[Exception] = None
+    _lock: threading.Lock = threading.Lock()
+    _thread: Optional[threading.Thread] = None
+    _started: bool = False
+
+    def set_exception(self, exception: Exception) -> None:
+        """
+        Set self._exception in a thread safe manner, so the worker thread can communicate exceptions to the main thread.
+        """
+        with self._lock:
+            self._exception = exception
+
+    def get_exception(self) -> Optional[Exception]:
+        with self._lock:
+            return self._exception
+
+    def set_thread(self, thread: threading.Thread):
+        """
+        Set self._thread in a thread safe manner, so the main thread can get the worker thread object.
+        """
+        with self._lock:
+            self._thread = thread
+
+    def get_thread(self) -> Optional[threading.Thread]:
+        with self._lock:
+            return self._thread
+
+    def set_started(self, started: bool) -> None:
+        """
+        Set self._started in a thread safe manner, so the main thread can get the worker thread status.
+        """
+        with self._lock:
+            self._started = started
+
+    def get_started(self) -> bool:
+        with self._lock:
+            return self._started
+
     def install_signal_handlers(self):
         """
         Overrides the default signal handlers provided by ``uvicorn.Server``. This method is essential to ensure that the signal handling in the threaded server does not interfere with the main application's flow, especially in a complex asynchronous environment like the Axon server.
         """
         pass
 
+    async def startup(self, sockets: Optional[List[socket.socket]] = None) -> None:
+        """
+        Adds a thread-safe call to set a 'started' flag on the object.
+        """
+        await super().startup(sockets)
+        self.set_started(True)
+
     @contextlib.contextmanager
     def run_in_thread(self):
         """
         Manages the execution of the server in a separate thread, allowing the FastAPI application to run asynchronously without blocking the main thread of the Axon server. This method is a key component in enabling concurrent request handling in the Axon server.
 
         Yields:
-            None: This method yields control back to the caller while the server is running in the background thread.
+            thread: a running thread
+
+        Raises:
+            Exception: in case the server did not start (as signalled by self.get_started())
         """
         thread = threading.Thread(target=self.run, daemon=True)
         thread.start()
         try:
-            while not self.started:
-                time.sleep(1e-3)
-            yield
+            time_start = time.time()
+            while not self.get_started() and time.time() - time_start < 1:
+                time.sleep(TIME_SLEEP_INTERVAL)
+            if not self.get_started():
+                raise Exception("failed to start server")
+            yield thread
         finally:
             self.should_exit = True
             thread.join()
@@ -128,9 +189,15 @@ def _wrapper_run(self):
         """
         A wrapper method for the :func:`run_in_thread` context manager. This method is used internally by the ``start`` method to initiate the server's execution in a separate thread.
         """
-        with self.run_in_thread():
-            while not self.should_exit:
-                time.sleep(1e-3)
+        try:
+            with self.run_in_thread() as thread:
+                self.set_thread(thread)
+                while not self.should_exit:
+                    if not thread.is_alive():
+                        raise Exception("worker thread died")
+                    time.sleep(TIME_SLEEP_INTERVAL)
+        except Exception as e:
+            self.set_exception(e)
 
     def start(self):
         """
@@ -405,6 +472,26 @@ def info(self) -> "bittensor.AxonInfo":
             placeholder2=0,
         )
 
+    @property
+    def exception(self) -> Optional[Exception]:
+        """
+        Axon objects expose exceptions that occurred internally through the .exception property.
+        """
+        # for future use: setting self._exception to signal an exception
+        exception = getattr(self, "_exception", None)
+        if exception:
+            return exception
+        return self.fast_server.get_exception()
+
+    def is_running(self) -> bool:
+        """
+        Axon objects can be queried using .is_running() to test whether worker threads are running.
+        """
+        thread = self.fast_server.get_thread()
+        if thread is None:
+            return False
+        return thread.is_alive()
+
     def attach(
         self,
         forward_fn: Callable,
diff --git a/bittensor/types.py b/bittensor/bt_types.py
similarity index 100%
rename from bittensor/types.py
rename to bittensor/bt_types.py
diff --git a/bittensor/commands/stake.py b/bittensor/commands/stake.py
index 132529a13..eff415d1a 100644
--- a/bittensor/commands/stake.py
+++ b/bittensor/commands/stake.py
@@ -44,19 +44,25 @@
 
 
 def get_netuid(
-    cli: "bittensor.cli", subtensor: "bittensor.subtensor"
+    cli: "bittensor.cli", subtensor: "bittensor.subtensor", prompt: bool = True
 ) -> Tuple[bool, int]:
     """Retrieve and validate the netuid from the user or configuration."""
     console = Console()
-    if not cli.config.is_set("netuid"):
-        try:
-            cli.config.netuid = int(Prompt.ask("Enter netuid"))
-        except ValueError:
-            console.print(
-                "[red]Invalid input. Please enter a valid integer for netuid.[/red]"
-            )
-            return False, -1
+    if not cli.config.is_set("netuid") and prompt:
+        cli.config.netuid = Prompt.ask("Enter netuid")
+    try:
+        cli.config.netuid = int(cli.config.netuid)
+    except ValueError:
+        console.print(
+            "[red]Invalid input. Please enter a valid integer for netuid.[/red]"
+        )
+        return False, -1
     netuid = cli.config.netuid
+    if netuid < 0 or netuid > 65535:
+        console.print(
+            "[red]Invalid input. Please enter a valid integer for netuid in subnet range.[/red]"
+        )
+        return False, -1
     if not subtensor.subnet_exists(netuid=netuid):
         console.print(
             "[red]Network with netuid {} does not exist. Please try again.[/red]".format(
@@ -1136,10 +1142,27 @@ def _run(cli: "bittensor.cli", subtensor: "bittensor.subtensor"):
         wallet = bittensor.wallet(config=cli.config)
 
         # check all
-        if not cli.config.is_set("all"):
-            exists, netuid = get_netuid(cli, subtensor)
-            if not exists:
-                return
+        if cli.config.is_set("all"):
+            cli.config.netuid = None
+            cli.config.all = True
+        elif cli.config.is_set("netuid"):
+            if cli.config.netuid == "all":
+                cli.config.all = True
+            else:
+                cli.config.netuid = int(cli.config.netuid)
+                exists, netuid = get_netuid(cli, subtensor)
+                if not exists:
+                    return
+        else:
+            netuid_input = Prompt.ask("Enter netuid or 'all'", default="all")
+            if netuid_input == "all":
+                cli.config.netuid = None
+                cli.config.all = True
+            else:
+                cli.config.netuid = int(netuid_input)
+                exists, netuid = get_netuid(cli, subtensor, False)
+                if not exists:
+                    return
 
         # get parent hotkey
         hotkey = get_hotkey(wallet, cli.config)
@@ -1148,11 +1171,7 @@ def _run(cli: "bittensor.cli", subtensor: "bittensor.subtensor"):
             return
 
         try:
-            netuids = (
-                subtensor.get_all_subnet_netuids()
-                if cli.config.is_set("all")
-                else [netuid]
-            )
+            netuids = subtensor.get_all_subnet_netuids() if cli.config.all else [netuid]
             hotkey_stake = GetChildrenCommand.get_parent_stake_info(
                 console, subtensor, hotkey
             )
@@ -1236,7 +1255,7 @@ def add_args(parser: argparse.ArgumentParser):
         parser = parser.add_parser(
             "get_children", help="""Get child hotkeys on subnet."""
         )
-        parser.add_argument("--netuid", dest="netuid", type=int, required=False)
+        parser.add_argument("--netuid", dest="netuid", type=str, required=False)
         parser.add_argument("--hotkey", dest="hotkey", type=str, required=False)
         parser.add_argument(
             "--all",
@@ -1294,7 +1313,7 @@ def render_table(
 
         # Add columns to the table with specific styles
         table.add_column("Index", style="bold yellow", no_wrap=True, justify="center")
-        table.add_column("ChildHotkey", style="bold green")
+        table.add_column("Child Hotkey", style="bold green")
         table.add_column("Proportion", style="bold cyan", no_wrap=True, justify="right")
         table.add_column(
             "Childkey Take", style="bold blue", no_wrap=True, justify="right"
diff --git a/bittensor/subtensor.py b/bittensor/subtensor.py
index ac22a3a14..cc8f8d10c 100644
--- a/bittensor/subtensor.py
+++ b/bittensor/subtensor.py
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@
     unstake_extrinsic,
     unstake_multiple_extrinsic,
 )
-from .types import AxonServeCallParams, PrometheusServeCallParams
+from .bt_types import AxonServeCallParams, PrometheusServeCallParams
 from .utils import (
     U16_NORMALIZED_FLOAT,
     ss58_to_vec_u8,