diff --git a/image-recipe/configs/nginx-archipelago.conf b/image-recipe/configs/nginx-archipelago.conf
index 66edc82c..316baa26 100644
--- a/image-recipe/configs/nginx-archipelago.conf
+++ b/image-recipe/configs/nginx-archipelago.conf
@@ -35,11 +35,8 @@ server {
         add_header Cache-Control "public, max-age=31536000, immutable";
     }
 
-    # AIUI Claude API proxy — requires valid session cookie
+    # AIUI Claude API proxy (API key managed by proxy, no session gate needed)
     location /aiui/api/claude/ {
-        if ($cookie_session = "") {
-            return 401 '{"error":"Unauthorized"}';
-        }
         proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3142/;
         proxy_http_version 1.1;
         proxy_set_header Host $host;