diff --git a/frontend/vite.config.ts b/frontend/vite.config.ts
index 1048b8db..970969ee 100644
--- a/frontend/vite.config.ts
+++ b/frontend/vite.config.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,10 @@ const target = "http://127.0.0.1:8080";
 // server returns to :5173 instead of the fixed :8080 callback. (Both are registered in the console.)
 const proxyOpts = { target, changeOrigin: false };
 const proxy = {
-  "/api": proxyOpts,
+  // ws: the in-app messages socket (/api/messages/ws) is a WebSocket. Without it Vite hands that upgrade
+  // to nobody, so the socket never connects on :5173 — and the first reset on it (a closed tab, a dropped
+  // connection) throws an unhandled ECONNRESET that takes the whole dev server down.
+  "/api": { ...proxyOpts, ws: true },
   "/auth": proxyOpts,
   "/healthz": proxyOpts,
 };