diff --git a/nginx.conf b/nginx.conf
index cb19732..a32ab6a 100644
--- a/nginx.conf
+++ b/nginx.conf
@@ -12,15 +12,24 @@ server {
         try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
     }
 
-    # Proxy Ollama API requests
+    # Proxy Ollama API requests (optional - only works when ollama container is running)
     # This solves Mixed Content (HTTPS -> HTTP) and CORS issues
     location /api/ {
-        proxy_pass http://ollama:11434/api/;
+        # Use Docker's internal DNS resolver with short timeout
+        # This allows nginx to start even if ollama is not running
+        resolver 127.0.0.11 valid=30s ipv6=off;
+        set $ollama_upstream "ollama:11434";
+        proxy_pass http://$ollama_upstream/api/;
+        
         proxy_set_header Host $host;
         proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
         proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
         proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
         
+        # Timeout settings for when ollama is unavailable
+        proxy_connect_timeout 5s;
+        proxy_read_timeout 300s;
+        
         # CORS headers (redundant if OLLAMA_ORIGINS is set, but good for safety)
         add_header 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin' '*' always;
         add_header 'Access-Control-Allow-Methods' 'GET, POST, OPTIONS' always;