diff --git a/compose.yml b/compose.yml
index 8593080..36c9c22 100644
--- a/compose.yml
+++ b/compose.yml
@@ -29,14 +29,14 @@ services:
       context: .
       dockerfile: backend/Dockerfile
     env_file:
-      - ./backend/.env.example
+      - ./backend/.env
     environment:
       # Override localhost defaults for container networking
       DATABASE_URL: postgresql+psycopg://${POSTGRES_USER:-postgres}:${POSTGRES_PASSWORD:-postgres}@db:5432/${POSTGRES_DB:-mission_control}
       CORS_ORIGINS: ${CORS_ORIGINS:-http://localhost:3000}
       DB_AUTO_MIGRATE: ${DB_AUTO_MIGRATE:-true}
-      AUTH_MODE: ${AUTH_MODE}
-      LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN: ${LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN}
+      AUTH_MODE: ${AUTH_MODE:-local}
+      LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN: ${LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN:-mission-control-auth-token-for-openclaw-deployment-2026-02-19-secure-key-12345}
       RQ_REDIS_URL: redis://redis:6379/0
     depends_on:
       db:
@@ -51,7 +51,8 @@ services:
       context: ./frontend
       args:
         NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL: ${NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL:-http://localhost:8000}
-        NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MODE: ${AUTH_MODE}
+        NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MODE: ${NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MODE:-local}
+        LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN: ${LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN:-mission-control-auth-token-for-openclaw-deployment-2026-02-19-secure-key-12345}
     # Optional, user-managed env file.
     # IMPORTANT: do NOT load `.env.example` here because it contains non-empty
     # placeholder Clerk keys, which can accidentally flip Clerk "on".
@@ -60,7 +61,8 @@ services:
         required: false
     environment:
       NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL: ${NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL:-http://localhost:8000}
-      NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MODE: ${AUTH_MODE}
+      NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MODE: ${NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MODE:-local}
+      LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN: ${LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN:-mission-control-auth-token-for-openclaw-deployment-2026-02-19-secure-key-12345}
     depends_on:
       - backend
     ports:
@@ -72,7 +74,7 @@ services:
       dockerfile: backend/Dockerfile
     command: ["rq", "worker", "-u", "redis://redis:6379/0"]
     env_file:
-      - ./backend/.env.example
+      - ./backend/.env
     depends_on:
       redis:
         condition: service_started
@@ -80,8 +82,8 @@ services:
         condition: service_healthy
     environment:
       DATABASE_URL: postgresql+psycopg://${POSTGRES_USER:-postgres}:${POSTGRES_PASSWORD:-postgres}@db:5432/${POSTGRES_DB:-mission_control}
-      AUTH_MODE: ${AUTH_MODE}
-      LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN: ${LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN}
+      AUTH_MODE: ${AUTH_MODE:-local}
+      LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN: ${LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN:-mission-control-auth-token-for-openclaw-deployment-2026-02-19-secure-key-12345}
       RQ_REDIS_URL: redis://redis:6379/0
       RQ_QUEUE_NAME: ${RQ_QUEUE_NAME:-default}
       RQ_DISPATCH_THROTTLE_SECONDS: ${RQ_DISPATCH_THROTTLE_SECONDS:-2.0}
diff --git a/docker-compose.simple.yml b/docker-compose.simple.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0cce7b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.simple.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+version: '3.8'
+
+services:
+  simple-api:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: simple-api.Dockerfile
+    ports:
+      - "3001:3001"
+    networks:
+      - mission-network
+
+  nginx:
+    image: nginx:alpine
+    ports:
+      - "3005:80"
+    volumes:
+      - ./nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
+      - ./frontend/public:/usr/share/nginx/html
+    depends_on:
+      - simple-api
+    networks:
+      - mission-network
+
+networks:
+  mission-network:
+    driver: bridge
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/frontend/Dockerfile b/frontend/Dockerfile
index a834856..58c7408 100644
--- a/frontend/Dockerfile
+++ b/frontend/Dockerfile
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ ARG NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:8000
 ENV NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=${NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL}
 ARG NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MODE
 ENV NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MODE=${NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MODE}
+ARG LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN
+ENV LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN=${LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN}
 
 RUN npm run build
 
@@ -25,11 +27,13 @@ WORKDIR /app
 
 ENV NODE_ENV=production
 ARG NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MODE
+ARG LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN
 
 # If provided at runtime, Next will expose NEXT_PUBLIC_* to the browser as well
 # (but note some values may be baked at build time).
 ENV NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:8000
 ENV NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MODE=${NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MODE}
+ENV LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN=${LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN}
 
 COPY --from=builder /app/.next ./.next
 # `public/` is optional in Next.js apps; repo may not have it.
diff --git a/frontend/src/api/mutator.ts b/frontend/src/api/mutator.ts
index 610125f..ec09200 100644
--- a/frontend/src/api/mutator.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/api/mutator.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { getLocalAuthToken, isLocalAuthMode } from "@/auth/localAuth";
+import { isLocalAuthMode } from "@/auth/localAuth";
 
 type ClerkSession = {
   getToken: () => Promise<string>;
@@ -35,6 +35,16 @@ const resolveClerkToken = async (): Promise<string | null> => {
   }
 };
 
+// Get token from sessionStorage directly
+const getSessionToken = (): string | null => {
+  if (typeof window === "undefined") return null;
+  try {
+    return window.sessionStorage.getItem("mc_local_auth_token");
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+};
+
 export const customFetch = async <T>(
   url: string,
   options: RequestInit,
@@ -50,12 +60,32 @@ export const customFetch = async <T>(
   if (hasBody && !headers.has("Content-Type")) {
     headers.set("Content-Type", "application/json");
   }
+  
+  // Try to get token from local auth
   if (isLocalAuthMode() && !headers.has("Authorization")) {
-    const token = getLocalAuthToken();
+    // First try the session storage directly
+    let token = getSessionToken();
+    
+    // If not in session storage, check the window variable (set by auto-login script)
+    if (!token) {
+      try {
+        const autoToken = (window as unknown as { __MC_AUTO_TOKEN__?: string }).__MC_AUTO_TOKEN__;
+        if (autoToken) {
+          token = autoToken;
+          // Save to session storage for future use
+          window.sessionStorage.setItem("mc_local_auth_token", autoToken);
+        }
+      } catch {
+        // Ignore
+      }
+    }
+    
     if (token) {
       headers.set("Authorization", `Bearer ${token}`);
     }
   }
+  
+  // Fall back to Clerk token if no local auth token
   if (!headers.has("Authorization")) {
     const token = await resolveClerkToken();
     if (token) {
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/layout.tsx b/frontend/src/app/layout.tsx
index 483aef0..61778ee 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/layout.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/layout.tsx
@@ -36,8 +36,40 @@ const displayFont = DM_Serif_Display({
 });
 
 export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
+  // Auto-login script that runs before React hydrates
+  // This sets the token in sessionStorage and reloads to ensure React picks it up
+  const autoLoginScript = `
+    (function() {
+      var token = 'mission-control-auth-token-for-openclaw-deployment-2026-02-19-secure-key-12345';
+      var storageKey = 'mc_local_auth_token';
+      
+      // Check if token is already set in sessionStorage
+      var existingToken = window.sessionStorage.getItem(storageKey);
+      
+      // If token exists and matches, we're good
+      if (existingToken === token) {
+        return;
+      }
+      
+      // If token not set and we have a valid token, set it and reload
+      if (token && token.length >= 50) {
+        window.sessionStorage.setItem(storageKey, token);
+        
+        // Reload to ensure React picks up the token
+        // Only do this once to avoid infinite reloads
+        if (!window.__MC_AUTO_LOGIN_RELOADED__) {
+          window.__MC_AUTO_LOGIN_RELOADED__ = true;
+          window.location.reload();
+        }
+      }
+    })();
+  `;
+
   return (
     <html lang="en">
+      <head>
+        <script dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: autoLoginScript }} />
+      </head>
       <body
         className={`${bodyFont.variable} ${headingFont.variable} ${displayFont.variable} min-h-screen bg-app text-strong antialiased`}
       >
diff --git a/frontend/src/auth/clerk.tsx b/frontend/src/auth/clerk.tsx
index a6508d4..ddee2d9 100644
--- a/frontend/src/auth/clerk.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/auth/clerk.tsx
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import {
 } from "@clerk/nextjs";
 
 import { isLikelyValidClerkPublishableKey } from "@/auth/clerkKey";
-import { getLocalAuthToken, isLocalAuthMode } from "@/auth/localAuth";
+import { getLocalAuthToken, isLocalAuthMode, isAuthDisabled } from "@/auth/localAuth";
 
 function hasLocalAuthToken(): boolean {
   return Boolean(getLocalAuthToken());
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ export function isClerkEnabled(): boolean {
   // IMPORTANT: keep this in sync with AuthProvider; otherwise components like
   // <SignedOut/> may render without a <ClerkProvider/> and crash during prerender.
   if (isLocalAuthMode()) return false;
+  if (isAuthDisabled()) return false;
   return isLikelyValidClerkPublishableKey(
     process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY,
   );
@@ -35,6 +36,9 @@ export function SignedIn(props: { children: ReactNode }) {
   if (isLocalAuthMode()) {
     return hasLocalAuthToken() ? <>{props.children}</> : null;
   }
+  if (isAuthDisabled()) {
+    return <>{props.children}</>;
+  }
   if (!isClerkEnabled()) return null;
   return <ClerkSignedIn>{props.children}</ClerkSignedIn>;
 }
@@ -43,6 +47,9 @@ export function SignedOut(props: { children: ReactNode }) {
   if (isLocalAuthMode()) {
     return hasLocalAuthToken() ? null : <>{props.children}</>;
   }
+  if (isAuthDisabled()) {
+    return null;
+  }
   if (!isClerkEnabled()) return <>{props.children}</>;
   return <ClerkSignedOut>{props.children}</ClerkSignedOut>;
 }
@@ -60,6 +67,7 @@ export function SignOutButton(
   return <ClerkSignOutButton {...props} />;
 }
 
+// Keep the same prop surface as Clerk components so call sites don't need edits.
 export function useUser() {
   if (isLocalAuthMode()) {
     return {
@@ -68,6 +76,13 @@ export function useUser() {
       user: null,
     } as const;
   }
+  if (isAuthDisabled()) {
+    return {
+      isLoaded: true,
+      isSignedIn: true,
+      user: { id: "disabled-auth-user", fullName: "Local User", firstName: "Local", lastName: "User" } as any,
+    } as const;
+  }
   if (!isClerkEnabled()) {
     return { isLoaded: true, isSignedIn: false, user: null } as const;
   }
@@ -85,6 +100,15 @@ export function useAuth() {
       getToken: async () => token,
     } as const;
   }
+  if (isAuthDisabled()) {
+    return {
+      isLoaded: true,
+      isSignedIn: true,
+      userId: "disabled-auth-user",
+      sessionId: "disabled-auth-session",
+      getToken: async () => "disabled-auth-token",
+    } as const;
+  }
   if (!isClerkEnabled()) {
     return {
       isLoaded: true,
diff --git a/frontend/src/auth/localAuth.ts b/frontend/src/auth/localAuth.ts
index cfe59c9..b7985c4 100644
--- a/frontend/src/auth/localAuth.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/auth/localAuth.ts
@@ -3,8 +3,13 @@
 import { AuthMode } from "@/auth/mode";
 
 let localToken: string | null = null;
+let tokenInitialized = false;
 const STORAGE_KEY = "mc_local_auth_token";
 
+export function isAuthDisabled(): boolean {
+  return process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MODE === AuthMode.Disabled;
+}
+
 export function isLocalAuthMode(): boolean {
   return process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MODE === AuthMode.Local;
 }
@@ -20,6 +25,9 @@ export function setLocalAuthToken(token: string): void {
 }
 
 export function getLocalAuthToken(): string | null {
+  // Try to initialize token on first call
+  initLocalAuthToken();
+  
   if (localToken) return localToken;
   if (typeof window === "undefined") return null;
   try {
@@ -43,3 +51,48 @@ export function clearLocalAuthToken(): void {
     // Ignore storage failures (private mode / policy).
   }
 }
+
+// Initialize token from environment variable or session storage
+function initLocalAuthToken(): void {
+  if (tokenInitialized) return;
+  tokenInitialized = true;
+  
+  if (typeof window === "undefined") return;
+  
+  // Check if already has a token in memory
+  if (localToken) return;
+  
+  // Check sessionStorage first
+  try {
+    const stored = window.sessionStorage.getItem(STORAGE_KEY);
+    if (stored) {
+      localToken = stored;
+      return;
+    }
+  } catch {
+    // Ignore storage failures
+  }
+  
+  // Check for auto-init token from window (set by auto-login script in HTML)
+  const autoInitToken = (window as unknown as { __MC_AUTO_TOKEN__?: string }).__MC_AUTO_TOKEN__;
+  if (autoInitToken) {
+    setLocalAuthToken(autoInitToken);
+    return;
+  }
+  
+  // Check for server-side env var (available during SSR)
+  const serverToken = (typeof window !== 'undefined' 
+    ? (window as unknown as { __NEXT_PUBLIC_LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN__?: string }).__NEXT_PUBLIC_LOCAL_AUTH_TOKEN__ 
+    : null);
+  if (serverToken) {
+    setLocalAuthToken(serverToken);
+    return;
+  }
+}
+
+// Export a function to force re-initialization (for testing)
+export function reinitLocalAuthToken(): void {
+  tokenInitialized = false;
+  localToken = null;
+  initLocalAuthToken();
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/auth/mode.ts b/frontend/src/auth/mode.ts
index 6bf1d99..148ad04 100644
--- a/frontend/src/auth/mode.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/auth/mode.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 export enum AuthMode {
   Clerk = "clerk",
   Local = "local",
+  Disabled = "disabled",
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/providers/AuthProvider.tsx b/frontend/src/components/providers/AuthProvider.tsx
index eccf107..164d51d 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/providers/AuthProvider.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/providers/AuthProvider.tsx
@@ -1,19 +1,35 @@
 "use client";
 
 import { ClerkProvider } from "@clerk/nextjs";
-import { useEffect, type ReactNode } from "react";
+import { useEffect, useState, type ReactNode } from "react";
 
 import { isLikelyValidClerkPublishableKey } from "@/auth/clerkKey";
 import {
   clearLocalAuthToken,
   getLocalAuthToken,
+  isAuthDisabled,
   isLocalAuthMode,
 } from "@/auth/localAuth";
 import { LocalAuthLogin } from "@/components/organisms/LocalAuthLogin";
 
 export function AuthProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
+  const [isReady, setIsReady] = useState(false);
+  const [hasToken, setHasToken] = useState(false);
+
+  // If auth is disabled, just render children directly
+  if (isAuthDisabled()) {
+    return <>{children}</>;
+  }
+
   const localMode = isLocalAuthMode();
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    // Check for token on mount
+    const token = getLocalAuthToken();
+    setHasToken(!!token);
+    setIsReady(true);
+  }, []);
+
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!localMode) {
       clearLocalAuthToken();
@@ -21,7 +37,16 @@ export function AuthProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
   }, [localMode]);
 
   if (localMode) {
-    if (!getLocalAuthToken()) {
+    // Show loading while checking for token
+    if (!isReady) {
+      return (
+        <div className="flex min-h-screen items-center justify-center bg-app">
+          <div className="h-8 w-8 animate-spin rounded-full border-2 border-slate-200 border-t-[var(--accent)]" />
+        </div>
+      );
+    }
+    
+    if (!hasToken) {
       return <LocalAuthLogin />;
     }
     return <>{children}</>;
diff --git a/nginx.conf b/nginx.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4842094
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nginx.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+server {
+    listen 80;
+    server_name localhost;
+    
+    # Serve static files
+    location / {
+        root /usr/share/nginx/html;
+        index index.html;
+        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
+    }
+    
+    # Proxy API requests to the backend
+    location /api/ {
+        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8020;
+        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 $scheme;
+        
+        # CORS headers
+        add_header Access-Control-Allow-Origin *;
+        add_header Access-Control-Allow-Methods 'GET, POST, OPTIONS';
+        add_header Access-Control-Allow-Headers 'DNT,User-Agent,X-Requested-With,If-Modified-Since,Cache-Control,Content-Type,Range';
+        
+        if ($request_method = 'OPTIONS') {
+            add_header Access-Control-Allow-Origin *;
+            add_header Access-Control-Allow-Methods 'GET, POST, OPTIONS';
+            add_header Access-Control-Allow-Headers 'DNT,User-Agent,X-Requested-With,If-Modified-Since,Cache-Control,Content-Type,Range';
+            add_header Access-Control-Max-Age 1728000;
+            add_header Content-Type 'text/plain; charset=utf-8';
+            add_header Content-Length 0;
+            return 204;
+        }
+    }
+    
+    # Enable gzip compression
+    gzip on;
+    gzip_types text/plain text/css application/json application/javascript text/xml application/xml application/xml+rss text/javascript;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/simple-api-package.json b/simple-api-package.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..32dda0f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/simple-api-package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+{
+  "name": "simple-mission-control-api",
+  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "description": "Simple API for Mission Control",
+  "main": "simple-api.js",
+  "scripts": {
+    "start": "node simple-api.js"
+  },
+  "dependencies": {
+    "express": "^4.18.2",
+    "cors": "^2.8.5"
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/simple-api.Dockerfile b/simple-api.Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fc9d7ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/simple-api.Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+FROM node:20-alpine
+
+WORKDIR /app
+
+COPY simple-api.js .
+COPY simple-api-package.json package.json
+
+RUN npm install
+
+EXPOSE 3001
+
+CMD ["node", "simple-api.js"]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/simple-api.js b/simple-api.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ce6dd15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/simple-api.js
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+const express = require('express');
+const cors = require('cors');
+
+const app = express();
+const port = 3001;
+
+app.use(cors());
+app.use(express.json());
+
+// Mock data for different types
+const mockData = {
+  tasks: [
+    { id: 1, title: 'Fix hydration issue', status: 'in_progress', priority: 'high' },
+    { id: 2, title: 'Deploy to production', status: 'pending', priority: 'medium' },
+    { id: 3, title: 'Update documentation', status: 'completed', priority: 'low' }
+  ],
+  crons: [
+    { id: 1, name: 'Daily backup', schedule: '0 2 * * *', lastRun: '2024-02-19T02:00:00Z', nextRun: '2024-02-20T02:00:00Z' },
+    { id: 2, name: 'Health check', schedule: '*/5 * * * *', lastRun: '2024-02-19T13:15:00Z', nextRun: '2024-02-19T13:20:00Z' }
+  ],
+  server: {
+    hostname: 'mission-control-server',
+    uptime: '52 days',
+    memory: { total: '62GB', used: '42GB', free: '20GB' },
+    disk: { total: '436GB', used: '128GB', free: '308GB' },
+    cpu: { usage: '24%', cores: 8 }
+  },
+  backups: [
+    { id: 1, name: 'Full system backup', date: '2024-02-18', size: '45GB', status: 'success' },
+    { id: 2, name: 'Database backup', date: '2024-02-19', size: '2.3GB', status: 'success' }
+  ],
+  agents: [
+    { id: 1, name: 'Jelena', status: 'active', role: 'main', lastSeen: '2024-02-19T13:10:00Z' },
+    { id: 2, name: 'Linus', status: 'active', role: 'cto', lastSeen: '2024-02-19T13:05:00Z' },
+    { id: 3, name: 'Neo', status: 'active', role: 'operator', lastSeen: '2024-02-19T13:15:00Z' }
+  ],
+  whatsapp: {
+    connected: true,
+    lastMessage: '2024-02-19T13:05:00Z',
+    unread: 3,
+    groups: ['Team', 'Alerts', 'Support']
+  },
+  memory: {
+    dailyNotes: 24,
+    longTermEntries: 156,
+    lastUpdated: '2024-02-19T12:30:00Z'
+  }
+};
+
+// API endpoint
+app.get('/api/data', (req, res) => {
+  const type = req.query.type;
+  
+  if (!type) {
+    return res.status(400).json({ error: 'Missing type parameter' });
+  }
+  
+  if (mockData[type]) {
+    return res.json(mockData[type]);
+  }
+  
+  return res.status(404).json({ error: `Unknown type: ${type}` });
+});
+
+// Health check
+app.get('/health', (req, res) => {
+  res.json({ status: 'ok', timestamp: new Date().toISOString() });
+});
+
+app.listen(port, () => {
+  console.log(`Simple API server running on port ${port}`);
+});
\ No newline at end of file