diff --git a/lib/host/otel.sx b/lib/host/otel.sx
index b42f6426..f8db6aca 100644
--- a/lib/host/otel.sx
+++ b/lib/host/otel.sx
@@ -376,8 +376,14 @@
           (lt (otel/latest-trace))
           (traces (otel/recent-traces)))
       (quasiquote
-        (div :id "otel-dashboard" :data-on-load "@get('/otel/stream')"
+        (div :id "otel-dashboard"
+          ;; The host serves single-body responses (no server-push SSE), so the
+          ;; dashboard stays live by reloading itself — every 3s it re-renders the
+          ;; latest metrics + trace. /otel/stream remains a snapshot of the newest
+          ;; span for any client that wants to poll it.
+          (meta :http-equiv "refresh" :content "3")
           (h1 "OpenTelemetry")
+          (p :style "font-size:0.8em;opacity:0.7" "live · auto-refreshes every 3s")
           (h2 "metrics")
           (unquote (otel/-metrics-strip m))
           (h2 "latest trace")
diff --git a/lib/host/serve.sh b/lib/host/serve.sh
index 6afde9d5..300d5503 100755
--- a/lib/host/serve.sh
+++ b/lib/host/serve.sh
@@ -28,6 +28,28 @@ fi
 
 PORT="${HOST_PORT:-8910}"
 
+# Self-warm the SERVING JIT. The FIRST HTTP request after a restart pays a one-time
+# ~2.5s cost: the shared request path (session middleware + router + instrumented
+# handlers + blog render) JIT-compiles under the http-listen resolver, a context a
+# boot-time render can't reach. So once the server is answering, we GET the hot
+# pages ONCE over real HTTP to absorb that compile before a visitor does (~2.5s ->
+# ~78ms warm). The container image has no curl/wget, so we speak HTTP over bash's
+# /dev/tcp. Runs detached (survives the exec below); exits after warming.
+_warm_serving_jit() {
+  local path
+  # wait until /health answers 200 (the port opens only after all modules load)
+  for _ in $(seq 1 180); do
+    case "$( { exec 3<>/dev/tcp/127.0.0.1/"$PORT" && printf 'GET /health HTTP/1.0\r\nHost: x\r\n\r\n' >&3 && head -1 <&3; exec 3>&- 3<&-; } 2>/dev/null )" in
+      *200*) break ;;
+    esac
+    sleep 0.5
+  done
+  for path in / /welcome /nt-live-encore /otel; do
+    { exec 3<>/dev/tcp/127.0.0.1/"$PORT" && printf 'GET %s HTTP/1.0\r\nHost: x\r\n\r\n' "$path" >&3 && cat <&3 >/dev/null; exec 3>&- 3<&-; } 2>/dev/null
+  done
+}
+_warm_serving_jit &
+
 # Modules: every load line from conformance.sh's MODULES list, minus the ledger
 # (not needed to serve). server.sx supplies host/serve.
 MODULES=(
@@ -195,14 +217,6 @@ EPOCH=1
   echo "(epoch $EPOCH)"
   echo "(eval \"(define host/-serve-groups (list host/static-routes otel/routes host/feed-routes host/relations-routes (host/blog-write-routes (fn (tok) nil)) host/blog-routes))\")"
   EPOCH=$((EPOCH+1))
-  # JIT warmup: render the hot pages once through a throwaway app so the FIRST real
-  # visitor after a restart doesn't eat the cold-compile cost. The blog render path
-  # (comp-fold + relations + typed-block) JIT-compiles on first call — that was the
-  # ~2.5s p99 on /:slug, vs ~78ms warm. Reset the otel ring after so warmup spans
-  # don't skew the live metrics.
-  echo "(epoch $EPOCH)"
-  echo "(eval \"(let ((warm (host/make-app host/-serve-groups))) (begin (warm (dream-request \\\"GET\\\" \\\"/\\\" {} \\\"\\\")) (warm (dream-request \\\"GET\\\" \\\"/welcome\\\" {} \\\"\\\")) (warm (dream-request \\\"GET\\\" \\\"/nt-live-encore\\\" {} \\\"\\\")) (warm (dream-request \\\"GET\\\" \\\"/otel\\\" {} \\\"\\\")) (otel/reset!) nil))\")"
-  EPOCH=$((EPOCH+1))
   echo "(epoch $EPOCH)"
   echo "(eval \"(host/serve $PORT host/-serve-groups)\")"
 } | exec "$SX_SERVER"