diff --git a/api/internal/auth/middleware.go b/api/internal/auth/middleware.go
index 63ed3cf7..e10227de 100644
--- a/api/internal/auth/middleware.go
+++ b/api/internal/auth/middleware.go
@@ -146,36 +146,45 @@ func Middleware(jwtManager *JWTManager, userDB *db.UserDB) gin.HandlerFunc {
 		// Check if this is a WebSocket upgrade request
 		isWebSocket := c.GetHeader("Upgrade") == "websocket" && c.GetHeader("Connection") == "Upgrade"
 
-		// Extract token from Authorization header
-		authHeader := c.GetHeader("Authorization")
-		if authHeader == "" {
-			// For WebSocket, abort without writing response (let upgrader handle it)
-			if isWebSocket {
-				c.AbortWithStatus(http.StatusUnauthorized)
+		var tokenString string
+
+		// For WebSocket connections, try query parameter first (browsers can't send custom headers)
+		if isWebSocket {
+			tokenString = c.Query("token")
+		}
+
+		// If no token from query parameter, try Authorization header
+		if tokenString == "" {
+			authHeader := c.GetHeader("Authorization")
+			if authHeader == "" {
+				// For WebSocket, abort without writing response (let upgrader handle it)
+				if isWebSocket {
+					c.AbortWithStatus(http.StatusUnauthorized)
+					return
+				}
+				c.JSON(http.StatusUnauthorized, gin.H{
+					"error": "Authorization header required",
+				})
+				c.Abort()
 				return
 			}
-			c.JSON(http.StatusUnauthorized, gin.H{
-				"error": "Authorization header required",
-			})
-			c.Abort()
-			return
-		}
 
-		// Check Bearer prefix
-		parts := strings.SplitN(authHeader, " ", 2)
-		if len(parts) != 2 || parts[0] != "Bearer" {
-			if isWebSocket {
-				c.AbortWithStatus(http.StatusUnauthorized)
+			// Check Bearer prefix
+			parts := strings.SplitN(authHeader, " ", 2)
+			if len(parts) != 2 || parts[0] != "Bearer" {
+				if isWebSocket {
+					c.AbortWithStatus(http.StatusUnauthorized)
+					return
+				}
+				c.JSON(http.StatusUnauthorized, gin.H{
+					"error": "Invalid authorization header format. Use: Bearer <token>",
+				})
+				c.Abort()
 				return
 			}
-			c.JSON(http.StatusUnauthorized, gin.H{
-				"error": "Invalid authorization header format. Use: Bearer <token>",
-			})
-			c.Abort()
-			return
-		}
 
-		tokenString := parts[1]
+			tokenString = parts[1]
+		}
 
 		// Validate token
 		claims, err := jwtManager.ValidateToken(tokenString)
diff --git a/ui/src/components/EnterpriseWebSocketProvider.tsx b/ui/src/components/EnterpriseWebSocketProvider.tsx
index 91669677..4c2e6884 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/EnterpriseWebSocketProvider.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/components/EnterpriseWebSocketProvider.tsx
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ export default function EnterpriseWebSocketProvider({
   enableNotifications = true,
 }: EnterpriseWebSocketProviderProps) {
   const [notifications, setNotifications] = useState<Notification[]>([]);
+  const [reconnectDismissed, setReconnectDismissed] = useState(false); // Track if reconnect banner was dismissed
 
   const addNotification = useCallback((message: string, severity: Notification['severity']) => {
     const id = `${Date.now()}-${Math.random()}`;
@@ -213,12 +214,21 @@ export default function EnterpriseWebSocketProvider({
       ))}
 
       {/* Connection status indicator (optional) */}
-      {!isConnected && reconnectAttempts > 0 && (
+      {!isConnected && reconnectAttempts > 0 && !reconnectDismissed && (
         <Snackbar
           open={true}
-          anchorOrigin={{ vertical: 'top', horizontal: 'center' }}
+          anchorOrigin={{ vertical: 'bottom', horizontal: 'left' }}
+          onClose={() => setReconnectDismissed(true)}
         >
-          <Alert severity="warning" variant="filled">
+          <Alert
+            severity="info"
+            variant="outlined"
+            onClose={() => setReconnectDismissed(true)}
+            sx={{
+              backgroundColor: 'background.paper',
+              boxShadow: 1,
+            }}
+          >
             Reconnecting... (Attempt {reconnectAttempts}/10)
           </Alert>
         </Snackbar>
diff --git a/ui/src/components/WebSocketErrorBoundary.tsx b/ui/src/components/WebSocketErrorBoundary.tsx
index f4807706..1d76b0dc 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/WebSocketErrorBoundary.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/components/WebSocketErrorBoundary.tsx
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ interface State {
   hasError: boolean;
   error: Error | null;
   errorInfo: React.ErrorInfo | null;
+  dismissed: boolean; // Track if user has dismissed the error
 }
 
 export default class WebSocketErrorBoundary extends Component<Props, State> {
@@ -40,14 +41,14 @@ export default class WebSocketErrorBoundary extends Component<Props, State> {
       hasError: false,
       error: null,
       errorInfo: null,
+      dismissed: false,
     };
   }
 
-  static getDerivedStateFromError(error: Error): State {
+  static getDerivedStateFromError(error: Error): Partial<State> {
     return {
       hasError: true,
       error,
-      errorInfo: null,
     };
   }
 
@@ -70,10 +71,17 @@ export default class WebSocketErrorBoundary extends Component<Props, State> {
       hasError: false,
       error: null,
       errorInfo: null,
+      dismissed: true, // Mark as dismissed
     });
   };
 
   render() {
+    // If error was already dismissed, just render children without showing error UI
+    if (this.state.hasError && this.state.dismissed) {
+      console.warn('WebSocket error (dismissed):', this.state.error?.message);
+      return this.props.children;
+    }
+
     if (this.state.hasError) {
       // Use custom fallback if provided
       if (this.props.fallback) {
@@ -96,7 +104,7 @@ export default class WebSocketErrorBoundary extends Component<Props, State> {
               <AlertTitle>WebSocket Connection Error</AlertTitle>
               <Typography variant="body2" paragraph>
                 There was an error with the real-time connection. The page will continue to work,
-                but live updates may be unavailable. You can try refreshing the page or reconnecting.
+                but live updates may be unavailable.
               </Typography>
 
               {this.props.showErrorDetails && this.state.error && (
@@ -110,18 +118,18 @@ export default class WebSocketErrorBoundary extends Component<Props, State> {
               <Box sx={{ mt: 2, display: 'flex', gap: 1 }}>
                 <Button
                   variant="contained"
-                  startIcon={<RefreshIcon />}
-                  onClick={() => window.location.reload()}
+                  onClick={this.handleReset}
                   size="small"
                 >
-                  Reload Page
+                  Continue Without Live Updates
                 </Button>
                 <Button
                   variant="outlined"
-                  onClick={this.handleReset}
+                  startIcon={<RefreshIcon />}
+                  onClick={() => window.location.reload()}
                   size="small"
                 >
-                  Try Again
+                  Reload Page
                 </Button>
               </Box>
             </Alert>
diff --git a/ui/src/hooks/useEnterpriseWebSocket.ts b/ui/src/hooks/useEnterpriseWebSocket.ts
index 6372735c..a4f965ef 100644
--- a/ui/src/hooks/useEnterpriseWebSocket.ts
+++ b/ui/src/hooks/useEnterpriseWebSocket.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,14 @@ export function useEnterpriseWebSocket(
   const getWebSocketUrl = useCallback(() => {
     const protocol = window.location.protocol === 'https:' ? 'wss:' : 'ws:';
     const host = window.location.host;
+    const token = localStorage.getItem('token');
+
+    // Include token as query parameter for WebSocket authentication
+    // Browsers cannot send custom headers in WebSocket connections
+    if (token) {
+      return `${protocol}//${host}/api/v1/ws/enterprise?token=${encodeURIComponent(token)}`;
+    }
+
     return `${protocol}//${host}/api/v1/ws/enterprise`;
   }, []);
 
@@ -65,12 +73,6 @@ export function useEnterpriseWebSocket(
     }
 
     try {
-      const token = localStorage.getItem('token');
-      if (!token) {
-        console.error('No authentication token found');
-        return;
-      }
-
       const wsUrl = getWebSocketUrl();
       // console.log(`[WebSocket] Connecting to ${wsUrl}`);
 
diff --git a/ui/src/hooks/useWebSocket.ts b/ui/src/hooks/useWebSocket.ts
index 18931744..1792615a 100644
--- a/ui/src/hooks/useWebSocket.ts
+++ b/ui/src/hooks/useWebSocket.ts
@@ -132,8 +132,10 @@ export function useWebSocket({
  * Hook for subscribing to session updates via WebSocket
  */
 export function useSessionsWebSocket(onUpdate: (sessions: any[]) => void) {
-  const apiUrl = import.meta.env.VITE_API_URL || 'http://localhost:8000';
-  const wsUrl = apiUrl.replace(/^http/, 'ws') + '/api/v1/ws/sessions';
+  // Use window.location to connect through Vite proxy in dev, or directly in production
+  const protocol = window.location.protocol === 'https:' ? 'wss:' : 'ws:';
+  const token = localStorage.getItem('token');
+  const wsUrl = `${protocol}//${window.location.host}/api/v1/ws/sessions${token ? `?token=${encodeURIComponent(token)}` : ''}`;
 
   return useWebSocket({
     url: wsUrl,
@@ -151,8 +153,10 @@ export function useSessionsWebSocket(onUpdate: (sessions: any[]) => void) {
  * Hook for subscribing to cluster metrics via WebSocket
  */
 export function useMetricsWebSocket(onUpdate: (metrics: any) => void) {
-  const apiUrl = import.meta.env.VITE_API_URL || 'http://localhost:8000';
-  const wsUrl = apiUrl.replace(/^http/, 'ws') + '/api/v1/ws/cluster';
+  // Use window.location to connect through Vite proxy in dev, or directly in production
+  const protocol = window.location.protocol === 'https:' ? 'wss:' : 'ws:';
+  const token = localStorage.getItem('token');
+  const wsUrl = `${protocol}//${window.location.host}/api/v1/ws/cluster${token ? `?token=${encodeURIComponent(token)}` : ''}`;
 
   return useWebSocket({
     url: wsUrl,
@@ -170,8 +174,10 @@ export function useMetricsWebSocket(onUpdate: (metrics: any) => void) {
  * Hook for subscribing to pod logs via WebSocket
  */
 export function useLogsWebSocket(namespace: string, podName: string, onLog: (log: string) => void) {
-  const apiUrl = import.meta.env.VITE_API_URL || 'http://localhost:8000';
-  const wsUrl = apiUrl.replace(/^http/, 'ws') + `/api/v1/ws/logs/${namespace}/${podName}`;
+  // Use window.location to connect through Vite proxy in dev, or directly in production
+  const protocol = window.location.protocol === 'https:' ? 'wss:' : 'ws:';
+  const token = localStorage.getItem('token');
+  const wsUrl = `${protocol}//${window.location.host}/api/v1/ws/logs/${namespace}/${podName}${token ? `?token=${encodeURIComponent(token)}` : ''}`;
 
   return useWebSocket({
     url: wsUrl,
diff --git a/ui/vite.config.ts b/ui/vite.config.ts
index 06922330..66c0597c 100644
--- a/ui/vite.config.ts
+++ b/ui/vite.config.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ export default defineConfig({
       '/api': {
         target: 'http://localhost:8000',
         changeOrigin: true,
+        ws: true, // Enable WebSocket proxying
       },
       '/webhooks': {
         target: 'http://localhost:8000',