diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index e298348..7a8b482 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
 # --- App Hosting ---
+# A comma-separated list of hostnames that the Vite dev server will accept.
+# Required if you are accessing the frontend via a custom domain.
+# Example: VITE_ALLOWED_HOSTS=holy.narl.io,localhost
+VITE_ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost
+
 # A comma-separated list of domains that can access the backend API.
 # Example: CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS=http://localhost:5173,https://holy.narl.io
 CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS=http://localhost:5173,http://127.0.0.1:5173
@@ -22,3 +27,5 @@ EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=your-app-password
 
 # --- Optional (defaults are usually fine) ---
 # EMAIL_USE_TLS=true
+# For providers like Gmail using port 465, you might need to set this to true
+# EMAIL_USE_SSL=true
diff --git a/backend/holy_backend/settings.py b/backend/holy_backend/settings.py
index 252def2..3d711bd 100644
--- a/backend/holy_backend/settings.py
+++ b/backend/holy_backend/settings.py
@@ -156,6 +156,7 @@ import os
 EMAIL_HOST = os.environ.get('EMAIL_HOST')
 EMAIL_PORT = int(os.environ.get('EMAIL_PORT', 587))
 EMAIL_USE_TLS = os.environ.get('EMAIL_USE_TLS', 'true').lower() == 'true'
+EMAIL_USE_SSL = os.environ.get('EMAIL_USE_SSL', 'false').lower() == 'true'
 EMAIL_HOST_USER = os.environ.get('EMAIL_HOST_USER')
 EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD = os.environ.get('EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD')