diff --git a/komodo/install.sh b/komodo/install.sh
index 6b7a07e..4a1d7bd 100755
--- a/komodo/install.sh
+++ b/komodo/install.sh
@@ -374,8 +374,6 @@ write_motd() {
   # install time.
   cat > /etc/profile.d/00-komodo.sh <<'MOTD'
 KOMODO_DIR="${KOMODO_DIR:-/opt/komodo}"
-KOMODO_HOST=$(awk -F= '$1 == "KOMODO_HOST" { print $2; exit }' "${KOMODO_DIR}/compose.env" 2>/dev/null)
-[ -z "$KOMODO_HOST" ] && KOMODO_HOST="https://<not-set>"
 
 TS_FQDN=$(tailscale status --json 2>/dev/null | awk -F'"' '
     /"Self"/ { in_self=1 }
@@ -383,6 +381,11 @@ TS_FQDN=$(tailscale status --json 2>/dev/null | awk -F'"' '
 ')
 [ -z "$TS_FQDN" ] && TS_FQDN="$(hostname).ts.net"
 
+# compose.env is root-only (chmod 600); when this MOTD runs as a non-root user
+# the awk read returns empty, so fall back to the Tailscale-derived FQDN.
+KOMODO_HOST=$(awk -F= '$1 == "KOMODO_HOST" { print $2; exit }' "${KOMODO_DIR}/compose.env" 2>/dev/null)
+[ -z "$KOMODO_HOST" ] && KOMODO_HOST="https://${TS_FQDN}"
+
 CORE_STATE=$(docker inspect -f '{{.State.Status}}' komodo-core-1 2>/dev/null || echo "missing")
 PERI_STATE=$(docker inspect -f '{{.State.Status}}' komodo-periphery-1 2>/dev/null || echo "missing")
 MONGO_STATE=$(docker inspect -f '{{.State.Status}}' komodo-mongo-1 2>/dev/null || echo "missing")