diff --git a/apps/agent-forge/server/__tests__/observeProxy.test.ts b/apps/agent-forge/server/__tests__/observeProxy.test.ts
index 728993de..aa026b46 100644
--- a/apps/agent-forge/server/__tests__/observeProxy.test.ts
+++ b/apps/agent-forge/server/__tests__/observeProxy.test.ts
@@ -60,6 +60,12 @@ describe('observe proxy', () => {
     expect(res.body.echoed).toBe('/api/v1/traces?status=error&limit=10');
   });
 
+  it('answers GET /observe/__target with the daemon url the proxy points at', async () => {
+    const res = await request(app).get('/observe/__target');
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(res.body).toEqual({ url: daemonUrl });
+  });
+
   it('answers 502 with the start hint when the daemon is down', async () => {
     daemon?.close();
     daemon = undefined;
diff --git a/apps/agent-forge/server/observeProxy.ts b/apps/agent-forge/server/observeProxy.ts
index 55832d52..309234ff 100644
--- a/apps/agent-forge/server/observeProxy.ts
+++ b/apps/agent-forge/server/observeProxy.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@ export function registerObserveProxy(app: Express): void {
       res.status(405).json({ error: 'The observe proxy only forwards GET reads.' });
       return;
     }
+    // Which daemon this proxy points at, so the down state can name the right LOUSHO_OBSERVE value.
+    if (req.path === '/__target') {
+      res.json({ url: observeTarget() });
+      return;
+    }
     const upstream = `${observeTarget()}${req.originalUrl.slice(PROXY_PREFIX.length)}`;
     let response: Response;
     try {
diff --git a/apps/agent-forge/src/observe/__tests__/ObserveView.test.tsx b/apps/agent-forge/src/observe/__tests__/ObserveView.test.tsx
index ae5ab783..5a0e4b6f 100644
--- a/apps/agent-forge/src/observe/__tests__/ObserveView.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/agent-forge/src/observe/__tests__/ObserveView.test.tsx
@@ -41,6 +41,27 @@ describe('ObserveView', () => {
     expect(container.querySelector('[role="status"]')).not.toBeNull();
   });
 
+  it('names the proxy target in the down hint when the daemon is on another port', async () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal(
+      'fetch',
+      vi.fn(async (input: RequestInfo | URL) => {
+        if (String(input).endsWith('/__target')) {
+          return new Response(JSON.stringify({ url: 'http://127.0.0.1:7795' }), { status: 200 });
+        }
+        throw new TypeError('fetch failed');
+      })
+    );
+    container = document.createElement('div');
+    document.body.appendChild(container);
+    root = createRoot(container);
+    await act(async () => {
+      root!.render(<ObserveView />);
+    });
+    await flush();
+    await flush();
+    expect(container.textContent).toContain('LOUSHO_OBSERVE=http://127.0.0.1:7795');
+  });
+
   it('renders the trace list once the daemon answers', async () => {
     vi.stubGlobal(
       'fetch',
diff --git a/apps/agent-forge/src/observe/chrome.tsx b/apps/agent-forge/src/observe/chrome.tsx
index 24b5c4a3..3cf2ff43 100644
--- a/apps/agent-forge/src/observe/chrome.tsx
+++ b/apps/agent-forge/src/observe/chrome.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
 /** Shared bits of the observe panels' chrome: the daemon-down empty state, inline API errors, status pills, filter controls. */
 
+import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import { observeClient } from './observeClient';
 import type { ObserveAgentRow } from './types';
 
+const DEFAULT_OBSERVE_URL = 'http://127.0.0.1:7777';
+
 /** The "All agents" filter select the panels share. */
 export function AgentSelect({
   agents,
@@ -30,11 +34,23 @@ export function AgentSelect({
  * panels swap in by themselves once `lousho observe start` runs.
  */
 export function ObserveDaemonDown() {
+  const [target, setTarget] = useState<string | undefined>();
+  useEffect(() => {
+    let live = true;
+    void observeClient.target().then((url) => {
+      if (live) setTarget(url);
+    });
+    return () => {
+      live = false;
+    };
+  }, []);
+  // `=1` only reaches the default daemon; any other target must be spelled out.
+  const value = target === undefined || target.replace(/\/+$/, '') === DEFAULT_OBSERVE_URL ? '1' : target;
   return (
     <div className="observe-empty" role="status">
       <p className="observe-empty-title">No data yet - the observe daemon is not reachable.</p>
       <p>
-        Run <code>lousho observe start</code>, then set <code>LOUSHO_OBSERVE=1</code> on your agents; their traces,
+        Run <code>lousho observe start</code>, then set <code>LOUSHO_OBSERVE={value}</code> on your agents; their traces,
         scores and heartbeats show up here automatically.
       </p>
     </div>
diff --git a/apps/agent-forge/src/observe/observeClient.ts b/apps/agent-forge/src/observe/observeClient.ts
index 3c8c3b81..fd13207b 100644
--- a/apps/agent-forge/src/observe/observeClient.ts
+++ b/apps/agent-forge/src/observe/observeClient.ts
@@ -139,6 +139,17 @@ export class ObserveClient {
     }
   }
 
+  /** The daemon URL reporters should use: the proxy's `__target` (same-origin), or the configured absolute base. `undefined` if unknown. */
+  async target(): Promise<string | undefined> {
+    if (!this.baseUrl.startsWith('/')) return this.baseUrl;
+    try {
+      const body = await this.request<{ url?: unknown }>('/__target');
+      return typeof body.url === 'string' ? body.url : undefined;
+    } catch {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+  }
+
   /** `GET /api/v1/traces` - the paginated, filterable trace list. */
   listTraces(filter: TraceListFilter = {}): Promise<ObserveTraceList> {
     return this.request('/api/v1/traces', { ...filter });
diff --git a/src/cli/observe.test.ts b/src/cli/observe.test.ts
index 52c6381a..7b23d36b 100644
--- a/src/cli/observe.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/observe.test.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import * as os from 'node:os';
 import * as path from 'node:path';
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
 import { defaultPidPath, startObserveDaemon, type ObserveDaemon } from '../observe/daemon';
-import { runObserve } from './observe';
+import { reporterHint, runObserve } from './observe';
 
 const daemons: ObserveDaemon[] = [];
 const servers: http.Server[] = [];
@@ -42,6 +42,18 @@ async function start(): Promise<ObserveDaemon> {
 
 const dbPath = (): string => path.join(cwd, 'observe.db');
 
+describe('reporterHint', () => {
+  it('says LOUSHO_OBSERVE=1 only for the default loopback port', () => {
+    expect(reporterHint('127.0.0.1', 7777)).toContain('LOUSHO_OBSERVE=1 ');
+  });
+
+  it('names the base url on a non-default port or host', () => {
+    expect(reporterHint('127.0.0.1', 7790)).toContain('LOUSHO_OBSERVE=http://127.0.0.1:7790');
+    expect(reporterHint('127.0.0.1', 7790)).not.toContain('LOUSHO_OBSERVE=1');
+    expect(reporterHint('localhost', 7777)).toContain('LOUSHO_OBSERVE=http://localhost:7777');
+  });
+});
+
 describe('lousho observe', () => {
   it('prints help (0 with --help, 2 with none) and exits 2 on an unknown command', async () => {
     expect(await runObserve([])).toBe(2);
diff --git a/src/cli/observe.ts b/src/cli/observe.ts
index 61446e30..94c7c199 100644
--- a/src/cli/observe.ts
+++ b/src/cli/observe.ts
@@ -113,6 +113,12 @@ function envPort(): number {
   return Number.isInteger(port) && port >= 0 && port <= 65535 ? port : OBSERVE_DEFAULT_PORT;
 }
 
+/** The banner line telling agents how to reach this daemon: `=1` only reaches the default loopback port. */
+export function reporterHint(host: string, port: number): string {
+  const value = host === '127.0.0.1' && port === OBSERVE_DEFAULT_PORT ? '1' : `http://${host}:${port}`;
+  return `lousho observe: agents emit with LOUSHO_OBSERVE=${value} (no auth on loopback).`;
+}
+
 /* ------------------------------------------------------------------- start */
 
 /** `start` hit EADDRINUSE: say who owns the port. 0 = this db's daemon already runs; 1 = anything else. */
@@ -165,7 +171,7 @@ async function runStart(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
         : `lousho observe: bearer auth is ON but no tokens exist yet - create one: lousho observe token create --project <name>${dbPath === defaultDbPath() ? '' : ` --db ${dbPath}`}`
     );
   } else {
-    console.log('lousho observe: agents emit with LOUSHO_OBSERVE=1 (no auth on loopback).');
+    console.log(reporterHint(host, daemon.port));
   }
   if (daemon.alerts.webhooks.length > 0 || daemon.alerts.errorRateThreshold !== undefined) {
     const parts = [