diff --git a/api/src/index.js b/api/src/index.js
index 9d08a11..b6cdc69 100644
--- a/api/src/index.js
+++ b/api/src/index.js
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@ const rateLimit = require("@fastify/rate-limit");
 const { Pool } = require("pg");
 const Redis = require("ioredis");
 
-const app = Fastify({ logger: true });
-
 // Database pool
 const pool = new Pool({
     connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL || "postgresql://taskteam:TaskTeam2026!@10.10.10.10:5432/taskteam"
@@ -18,50 +16,15 @@ const pool = new Pool({
 const redis = new Redis(process.env.REDIS_URL || "redis://:Redis2026!@10.10.10.10:6379");
 
 redis.on("connect", () => {
-    app.log.info("Redis connected");
+    console.log("Redis connected");
 });
 redis.on("error", (err) => {
-    app.log.error("Redis error: " + err.message);
+    console.error("Redis error: " + err.message);
 });
 
-// Plugins
-app.register(cors, { origin: true });
-app.register(rateLimit, {
-    max: 100,
-    timeWindow: "1 minute",
-    keyGenerator: (req) => req.ip,
-    errorResponseBuilder: () => ({ error: "Too many requests", statusCode: 429 })
-});
-app.register(jwt, { secret: process.env.JWT_SECRET || "taskteam-jwt-secret-2026" });
-
-// Decorate with db and redis
-app.decorate("db", pool);
-app.decorate("redis", redis);
-
-// Health check
-app.get("/health", async () => ({
-    status: "ok",
-    timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
-    pid: process.pid,
-    redis: redis.status
-}));
-
-// Register routes
-app.register(require("./routes/tasks"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
-app.register(require("./routes/groups"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
-app.register(require("./routes/auth"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
-app.register(require("./routes/connectors"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
-app.register(require("./routes/connectors/odoo"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
-app.register(require("./routes/connectors/moodle"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
-app.register(require("./routes/connectors/pohoda"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
-app.register(require("./routes/chat"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
-app.register(require("./routes/notifications"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
-app.register(require("./routes/goals"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
-app.register(require("./routes/system"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
-
 // Graceful shutdown
 const shutdown = async (signal) => {
-    app.log.info(`Received ${signal}, shutting down gracefully...`);
+    console.log(`Received ${signal}, shutting down gracefully...`);
     await redis.quit();
     await pool.end();
     process.exit(0);
@@ -71,11 +34,49 @@ process.on("SIGTERM", () => shutdown("SIGTERM"));
 
 // Start
 const start = async () => {
+    const app = Fastify({ logger: true });
+
+    // Decorate with db and redis
+    app.decorate("db", pool);
+    app.decorate("redis", redis);
+
+    // Plugins (must await for Fastify 5 compatibility)
+    await app.register(cors, { origin: true });
+    await app.register(rateLimit, {
+        max: 100,
+        timeWindow: "1 minute",
+        keyGenerator: (req) => req.ip,
+        errorResponseBuilder: () => ({ error: "Too many requests", statusCode: 429 })
+    });
+    await app.register(jwt, { secret: process.env.JWT_SECRET || "taskteam-jwt-secret-2026" });
+
+    // Health check (excluded from rate limit)
+    app.get("/health", { config: { rateLimit: false } }, async () => ({
+        status: "ok",
+        timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
+        pid: process.pid,
+        redis: redis.status
+    }));
+
+    // Register routes
+    await app.register(require("./routes/tasks"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
+    await app.register(require("./routes/groups"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
+    await app.register(require("./routes/auth"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
+    await app.register(require("./routes/connectors"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
+    await app.register(require("./routes/connectors/odoo"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
+    await app.register(require("./routes/connectors/moodle"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
+    await app.register(require("./routes/connectors/pohoda"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
+    await app.register(require("./routes/chat"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
+    await app.register(require("./routes/notifications"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
+    await app.register(require("./routes/goals"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
+    await app.register(require("./routes/deploy"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
+    await app.register(require("./routes/system"), { prefix: "/api/v1" });
+
     try {
         await app.listen({ port: process.env.PORT || 3000, host: "0.0.0.0" });
         console.log("Task Team API listening on port " + (process.env.PORT || 3000) + " (pid: " + process.pid + ")");
     } catch (err) {
-        app.log.error(err);
+        console.error(err);
         process.exit(1);
     }
 };
diff --git a/api/src/routes/deploy.js b/api/src/routes/deploy.js
index 41af8d9..4bb484c 100644
--- a/api/src/routes/deploy.js
+++ b/api/src/routes/deploy.js
@@ -1,8 +1,14 @@
 // Task Team — Deploy webhook — 2026-03-29
-const { execSync } = require("child_process");
+const { exec, execSync } = require("child_process");
+const fs = require("fs");
 
 const DEPLOY_SECRET = process.env.DEPLOY_SECRET || "taskteam-deploy-2026";
-const EXEC_OPTS = { encoding: "utf8", env: { ...process.env, PATH: "/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin" } };
+const EXEC_ENV = { ...process.env, PATH: "/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin", HOME: "/root" };
+const DEPLOY_LOG = "/opt/task-team/deploy.log";
+
+function runCmd(cmd, timeout) {
+    return execSync(cmd, { encoding: "utf8", env: EXEC_ENV, timeout: timeout || 30000 });
+}
 
 async function deployRoutes(app) {
     app.post("/deploy/webhook", async (req, reply) => {
@@ -19,40 +25,76 @@ async function deployRoutes(app) {
 
         app.log.info("Deploy triggered by Gitea webhook");
 
-        try {
-            // Pull latest code
-            const pullResult = execSync("cd /opt/task-team && git pull origin master 2>&1", { ...EXEC_OPTS, timeout: 30000 });
+        // Run deploy asynchronously via shell script so we can return 200 immediately
+        const deployScript = `#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+export PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"
+export HOME="/root"
+LOG="${DEPLOY_LOG}"
+echo "=== Deploy started at $(date -Is) ===" >> $LOG
 
-            // Install deps if package.json changed
-            execSync("cd /opt/task-team/api && npm install --production 2>&1", { ...EXEC_OPTS, timeout: 60000 });
+# Pull latest code
+cd /opt/task-team
+git pull origin master >> $LOG 2>&1
 
-            // Reload API (zero-downtime)
-            execSync("pm2 reload taskteam-api 2>&1", { ...EXEC_OPTS, timeout: 15000 });
+# Install deps
+cd /opt/task-team/api
+npm install --production >> $LOG 2>&1
 
-            // Build frontend
-            execSync("cd /opt/task-team/apps/tasks && NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:3000 npm run build 2>&1", { ...EXEC_OPTS, timeout: 120000 });
+# Reload API (with --force to avoid "already in progress")
+pm2 reload taskteam-api --force >> $LOG 2>&1
 
-            // Reload web
-            execSync("pm2 reload taskteam-web 2>&1", { ...EXEC_OPTS, timeout: 15000 });
+# Build frontend (if it exists)
+if [ -d /opt/task-team/apps/tasks ] && [ -f /opt/task-team/apps/tasks/package.json ]; then
+    cd /opt/task-team/apps/tasks
+    NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:3000 npm run build >> $LOG 2>&1
+    pm2 reload taskteam-web --force >> $LOG 2>&1 || true
+fi
 
-            return { status: "deployed", pull: pullResult.trim().split("\n").slice(-3).join("\n") };
-        } catch (e) {
-            app.log.error(e, "Deploy failed");
-            return reply.code(500).send({ status: "failed", error: e.message });
-        }
+echo "=== Deploy completed at $(date -Is) ===" >> $LOG
+`;
+        // Write and execute deploy script in background
+        fs.writeFileSync("/opt/task-team/deploy.sh", deployScript, { mode: 0o755 });
+        exec("nohup /opt/task-team/deploy.sh &", { env: EXEC_ENV, detached: true });
+
+        return { status: "deploying", message: "Deploy started in background. Check /deploy/status for progress." };
     });
 
-    // Manual deploy status
+    // Deploy status
     app.get("/deploy/status", async () => {
         try {
-            const commit = execSync("cd /opt/task-team && git log --oneline -1", { ...EXEC_OPTS }).trim();
-            const pm2 = execSync("pm2 jlist 2>/dev/null", { ...EXEC_OPTS });
-            const procs = JSON.parse(pm2).map(p => ({ name: p.name, status: p.pm2_env.status, uptime: p.pm2_env.pm_uptime }));
-            return { status: "ok", commit, processes: procs };
+            const commit = runCmd("cd /opt/task-team && git log --oneline -1").trim();
+            const pm2out = runCmd("pm2 jlist 2>/dev/null");
+            const procs = JSON.parse(pm2out).map(p => ({
+                name: p.name,
+                status: p.pm2_env.status,
+                uptime: p.pm2_env.pm_uptime,
+                restarts: p.pm2_env.restart_time
+            }));
+            // Last deploy log
+            let lastDeploy = "";
+            try {
+                const log = fs.readFileSync(DEPLOY_LOG, "utf8");
+                const lines = log.trim().split("\n");
+                lastDeploy = lines.slice(-10).join("\n");
+            } catch (_) {}
+            return { status: "ok", commit, processes: procs, last_deploy: lastDeploy };
         } catch (e) {
             return { status: "error", message: e.message };
         }
     });
+
+    // Manual trigger (GET for convenience)
+    app.post("/deploy/trigger", async (req, reply) => {
+        const secret = req.headers["x-deploy-secret"] || (req.body && req.body.secret);
+        if (secret !== DEPLOY_SECRET) {
+            return reply.code(401).send({ error: "invalid secret" });
+        }
+        // Simulate a push to master
+        req.body = { ref: "refs/heads/master", secret: DEPLOY_SECRET };
+        req.headers["x-gitea-secret"] = DEPLOY_SECRET;
+        return app.inject({ method: "POST", url: "/api/v1/deploy/webhook", payload: req.body, headers: { "x-gitea-secret": DEPLOY_SECRET } }).then(r => JSON.parse(r.body));
+    });
 }
 
 module.exports = deployRoutes;
diff --git a/deploy.sh b/deploy.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..d3e0f2c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+export PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"
+export HOME="/root"
+LOG="/opt/task-team/deploy.log"
+echo "=== Deploy started at $(date -Is) ===" >> $LOG
+
+# Pull latest code
+cd /opt/task-team
+git pull origin master >> $LOG 2>&1
+
+# Install deps
+cd /opt/task-team/api
+npm install --production >> $LOG 2>&1
+
+# Reload API (with --force to avoid "already in progress")
+pm2 reload taskteam-api --force >> $LOG 2>&1
+
+# Build frontend (if it exists)
+if [ -d /opt/task-team/apps/tasks ] && [ -f /opt/task-team/apps/tasks/package.json ]; then
+    cd /opt/task-team/apps/tasks
+    NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:3000 npm run build >> $LOG 2>&1
+    pm2 reload taskteam-web --force >> $LOG 2>&1 || true
+fi
+
+echo "=== Deploy completed at $(date -Is) ===" >> $LOG