diff --git a/internal/config/config.go b/internal/config/config.go
index 276a1aec..3127dd52 100644
--- a/internal/config/config.go
+++ b/internal/config/config.go
@@ -111,8 +111,10 @@ func Load() (*Config, error) {
 	v.SetEnvKeyReplacer(strings.NewReplacer(".", "__"))
 	v.AutomaticEnv()
 
-	// Explicitly bind top-level keys that might use double underscores in .env
+	// Explicitly bind keys that might use double underscores in .env
 	v.BindEnv("encryption_key", "LLM_PROXY__ENCRYPTION_KEY")
+	v.BindEnv("server.port", "LLM_PROXY__SERVER__PORT")
+	v.BindEnv("server.host", "LLM_PROXY__SERVER__HOST")
 
 	// Config file
 	v.SetConfigName("config")
@@ -133,6 +135,19 @@ func Load() (*Config, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to unmarshal config: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	fmt.Printf("Debug Config: port from viper=%d, host from viper=%s\n", cfg.Server.Port, cfg.Server.Host)
+	fmt.Printf("Debug Env: LLM_PROXY__SERVER__PORT=%s, LLM_PROXY__SERVER__HOST=%s\n", os.Getenv("LLM_PROXY__SERVER__PORT"), os.Getenv("LLM_PROXY__SERVER__HOST"))
+
+	// Manual overrides for nested keys which Viper doesn't always bind correctly with AutomaticEnv + SetEnvPrefix
+	if port := os.Getenv("LLM_PROXY__SERVER__PORT"); port != "" {
+		fmt.Sscanf(port, "%d", &cfg.Server.Port)
+		fmt.Printf("Overriding port to %d from env\n", cfg.Server.Port)
+	}
+	if host := os.Getenv("LLM_PROXY__SERVER__HOST"); host != "" {
+		cfg.Server.Host = host
+		fmt.Printf("Overriding host to %s from env\n", cfg.Server.Host)
+	}
+
 	// Validate encryption key
 	if cfg.EncryptionKey == "" {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("encryption key is required (LLM_PROXY__ENCRYPTION_KEY)")
diff --git a/internal/server/server.go b/internal/server/server.go
index 9ae13ff7..0ff0ac1b 100644
--- a/internal/server/server.go
+++ b/internal/server/server.go
@@ -32,13 +32,6 @@ type Server struct {
 func NewServer(cfg *config.Config, database *db.DB) *Server {
 	router := gin.Default()
 	hub := NewHub()
-	
-	// Fetch registry (non-blocking for startup if it fails, but we'll try once)
-	registry, err := utils.FetchRegistry()
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Printf("Warning: Failed to fetch initial model registry: %v\n", err)
-		registry = &models.ModelRegistry{Providers: make(map[string]models.ProviderInfo)}
-	}
 
 	s := &Server{
 		router:    router,
@@ -48,9 +41,19 @@ func NewServer(cfg *config.Config, database *db.DB) *Server {
 		sessions:  NewSessionManager(cfg.KeyBytes, 24*time.Hour),
 		hub:       hub,
 		logger:    NewRequestLogger(database, hub),
-		registry:  registry,
+		registry:  &models.ModelRegistry{Providers: make(map[string]models.ProviderInfo)},
 	}
 
+	// Fetch registry in background
+	go func() {
+		registry, err := utils.FetchRegistry()
+		if err != nil {
+			fmt.Printf("Warning: Failed to fetch initial model registry: %v\n", err)
+		} else {
+			s.registry = registry
+		}
+	}()
+
 	// Initialize providers
 	if cfg.Providers.OpenAI.Enabled {
 		apiKey, _ := cfg.GetAPIKey("openai")
diff --git a/static/css/dashboard.css b/static/css/dashboard.css
index ee4a888f..40aedbdd 100644
--- a/static/css/dashboard.css
+++ b/static/css/dashboard.css
@@ -1134,6 +1134,53 @@ body {
     gap: 0.75rem;
 }
 
+/* Connection Status Indicator */
+.status-indicator {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: 0.75rem;
+    padding: 0.5rem 0.875rem;
+    background: var(--bg1);
+    border: 1px solid var(--bg3);
+    border-radius: 6px;
+    font-size: 0.8rem;
+    font-weight: 600;
+    color: var(--fg3);
+    transition: all 0.2s;
+}
+
+.status-dot {
+    width: 8px;
+    height: 8px;
+    border-radius: 50%;
+    background: var(--fg4);
+    position: relative;
+}
+
+.status-dot.connected {
+    background: var(--green-light);
+    box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(184, 187, 38, 0.4);
+    animation: status-pulse 2s infinite;
+}
+
+.status-dot.disconnected {
+    background: var(--red-light);
+}
+
+.status-dot.connecting {
+    background: var(--yellow-light);
+}
+
+.status-dot.error {
+    background: var(--red);
+}
+
+@keyframes status-pulse {
+    0% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(184, 187, 38, 0.4); }
+    70% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 6px rgba(184, 187, 38, 0); }
+    100% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(184, 187, 38, 0); }
+}
+
 /* WebSocket Dot Pulse */
 @keyframes ws-pulse {
     0% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(184, 187, 38, 0.4); }
diff --git a/static/js/websocket.js b/static/js/websocket.js
index 36c58774..983bcbdf 100644
--- a/static/js/websocket.js
+++ b/static/js/websocket.js
@@ -248,21 +248,19 @@ class WebSocketManager {
     }
 
     updateStatus(status) {
-        const statusElement = document.getElementById('ws-status-nav');
+        const statusElement = document.getElementById('connection-status');
         if (!statusElement) return;
         
-        const dot = statusElement.querySelector('.ws-dot');
-        const text = statusElement.querySelector('.ws-text');
+        const dot = statusElement.querySelector('.status-dot');
+        const text = statusElement.querySelector('.status-text');
         
         if (!dot || !text) return;
         
         // Remove all status classes
-        dot.classList.remove('connected', 'disconnected');
-        statusElement.classList.remove('connected', 'disconnected');
+        dot.classList.remove('connected', 'disconnected', 'error', 'connecting');
         
         // Add new status class
         dot.classList.add(status);
-        statusElement.classList.add(status);
         
         // Update text
         const statusText = {