diff --git a/frontend/src/components/ChatPanel.vue b/frontend/src/components/ChatPanel.vue
index fb42a22..6d01fb3 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/ChatPanel.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/ChatPanel.vue
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <script setup lang="ts">
-import { ref, computed, watch, nextTick } from "vue";
+import { ref, computed, watch, nextTick, onMounted, onUnmounted } from "vue";
 import { useChatStore } from "@/stores/chat";
 import { renderMarkdown } from "@/utils/markdown";
 import ChatMessage from "@/components/ChatMessage.vue";
@@ -26,6 +26,20 @@ watch(
   () => scrollToBottom()
 );
 
+const statusLabel = computed(() => {
+  if (store.ollamaStatus === "unavailable") return "Unavailable";
+  if (store.modelStatus === "not_found") return "Downloading...";
+  if (store.chatReady) return "Connected";
+  return "Checking...";
+});
+
+const statusClass = computed(() => {
+  if (store.ollamaStatus === "unavailable") return "status-red";
+  if (store.modelStatus === "not_found") return "status-yellow";
+  if (store.chatReady) return "status-green";
+  return "status-yellow";
+});
+
 function scrollToBottom() {
   nextTick(() => {
     if (messagesEl.value) {
@@ -34,6 +48,14 @@ function scrollToBottom() {
   });
 }
 
+onMounted(() => {
+  store.startStatusPolling();
+});
+
+onUnmounted(() => {
+  store.stopStatusPolling();
+});
+
 async function sendMessage() {
   const content = messageInput.value.trim();
   if (!content || store.streaming) return;
@@ -74,6 +96,10 @@ function onInputKeydown(e: KeyboardEvent) {
     <aside class="chat-panel">
       <div class="panel-header">
         <h3>Chat</h3>
+        <span class="status-indicator" :class="statusClass">
+          <span class="status-dot"></span>
+          {{ statusLabel }}
+        </span>
         <span v-if="contextNoteId" class="context-indicator">
           Note #{{ contextNoteId }}
         </span>
@@ -108,14 +134,14 @@ function onInputKeydown(e: KeyboardEvent) {
         <textarea
           v-model="messageInput"
           @keydown="onInputKeydown"
-          placeholder="Type a message..."
-          :disabled="store.streaming"
+          :placeholder="store.chatReady ? 'Type a message...' : statusLabel"
+          :disabled="store.streaming || !store.chatReady"
           rows="2"
         ></textarea>
         <button
           class="btn-send"
           @click="sendMessage"
-          :disabled="!messageInput.trim() || store.streaming"
+          :disabled="!messageInput.trim() || store.streaming || !store.chatReady"
         >
           Send
         </button>
@@ -156,6 +182,35 @@ function onInputKeydown(e: KeyboardEvent) {
   font-size: 1rem;
   flex: 1;
 }
+.status-indicator {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 0.3rem;
+  font-size: 0.75rem;
+  color: var(--color-text-muted);
+  white-space: nowrap;
+}
+.status-dot {
+  width: 7px;
+  height: 7px;
+  border-radius: 50%;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+.status-green .status-dot {
+  background: #22c55e;
+}
+.status-yellow .status-dot {
+  background: #eab308;
+  animation: pulse-dot 2s infinite;
+}
+.status-red .status-dot {
+  background: #ef4444;
+}
+@keyframes pulse-dot {
+  0%, 100% { opacity: 1; }
+  50% { opacity: 0.4; }
+}
+
 .context-indicator {
   font-size: 0.8rem;
   color: var(--color-primary);
diff --git a/frontend/src/stores/chat.ts b/frontend/src/stores/chat.ts
index 5c9d511..b7e8ba0 100644
--- a/frontend/src/stores/chat.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/stores/chat.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { ref } from "vue";
+import { ref, computed } from "vue";
 import { defineStore } from "pinia";
 import {
   apiGet,
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import type {
   ConversationDetail,
   Message,
   OllamaModel,
+  OllamaStatus,
 } from "@/types/chat";
 
 export const useChatStore = defineStore("chat", () => {
@@ -22,6 +23,14 @@ export const useChatStore = defineStore("chat", () => {
   const streaming = ref(false);
   const streamingContent = ref("");
   const models = ref<OllamaModel[]>([]);
+  const ollamaStatus = ref<"checking" | "available" | "unavailable">("checking");
+  const modelStatus = ref<"checking" | "ready" | "not_found">("checking");
+  const defaultModel = ref("");
+  let statusPollTimer: ReturnType<typeof setInterval> | null = null;
+
+  const chatReady = computed(
+    () => ollamaStatus.value === "available" && modelStatus.value === "ready"
+  );
 
   async function fetchConversations(limit = 50, offset = 0) {
     loading.value = true;
@@ -157,6 +166,31 @@ export const useChatStore = defineStore("chat", () => {
     );
   }
 
+  async function fetchStatus() {
+    try {
+      const data = await apiGet<OllamaStatus>("/api/chat/status");
+      ollamaStatus.value = data.ollama;
+      modelStatus.value = data.model;
+      defaultModel.value = data.default_model;
+    } catch {
+      ollamaStatus.value = "unavailable";
+      modelStatus.value = "not_found";
+    }
+  }
+
+  function startStatusPolling() {
+    fetchStatus();
+    stopStatusPolling();
+    statusPollTimer = setInterval(fetchStatus, 30_000);
+  }
+
+  function stopStatusPolling() {
+    if (statusPollTimer !== null) {
+      clearInterval(statusPollTimer);
+      statusPollTimer = null;
+    }
+  }
+
   async function fetchModels() {
     try {
       const data = await apiGet<{ models: OllamaModel[] }>("/api/chat/models");
@@ -174,6 +208,10 @@ export const useChatStore = defineStore("chat", () => {
     streaming,
     streamingContent,
     models,
+    ollamaStatus,
+    modelStatus,
+    defaultModel,
+    chatReady,
     fetchConversations,
     createConversation,
     fetchConversation,
@@ -183,5 +221,8 @@ export const useChatStore = defineStore("chat", () => {
     saveMessageAsNote,
     summarizeAsNote,
     fetchModels,
+    fetchStatus,
+    startStatusPolling,
+    stopStatusPolling,
   };
 });
diff --git a/frontend/src/types/chat.ts b/frontend/src/types/chat.ts
index c9ae3f8..e29b84f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/types/chat.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/types/chat.ts
@@ -24,3 +24,9 @@ export interface OllamaModel {
   name: string;
   size: number;
 }
+
+export interface OllamaStatus {
+  ollama: "available" | "unavailable";
+  model: "ready" | "not_found";
+  default_model: string;
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/views/ChatView.vue b/frontend/src/views/ChatView.vue
index 1625fbd..a67e719 100644
--- a/frontend/src/views/ChatView.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/views/ChatView.vue
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <script setup lang="ts">
-import { onMounted, ref, computed, watch, nextTick } from "vue";
+import { onMounted, onUnmounted, ref, computed, watch, nextTick } from "vue";
 import { useRoute, useRouter } from "vue-router";
 import { useChatStore } from "@/stores/chat";
 import { renderMarkdown } from "@/utils/markdown";
@@ -24,13 +24,38 @@ const streamingRendered = computed(() => {
   return renderMarkdown(store.streamingContent);
 });
 
+const statusLabel = computed(() => {
+  if (store.ollamaStatus === "unavailable") return "Ollama unavailable";
+  if (store.modelStatus === "not_found") return "Model downloading...";
+  if (store.ollamaStatus === "available" && store.modelStatus === "ready")
+    return "Connected";
+  return "Checking...";
+});
+
+const statusClass = computed(() => {
+  if (store.ollamaStatus === "unavailable") return "status-red";
+  if (store.modelStatus === "not_found") return "status-yellow";
+  if (store.chatReady) return "status-green";
+  return "status-yellow";
+});
+
+const inputPlaceholder = computed(() => {
+  if (!store.chatReady) return `Chat unavailable — ${statusLabel.value}`;
+  return "Type a message... (Enter to send, Shift+Enter for new line)";
+});
+
 onMounted(async () => {
+  store.startStatusPolling();
   await store.fetchConversations();
   if (convId.value) {
     await store.fetchConversation(convId.value);
   }
 });
 
+onUnmounted(() => {
+  store.stopStatusPolling();
+});
+
 watch(convId, async (newId) => {
   if (newId) {
     await store.fetchConversation(newId);
@@ -159,6 +184,10 @@ function onInputKeydown(e: KeyboardEvent) {
       <template v-if="store.currentConversation">
         <div class="chat-header">
           <h2>{{ store.currentConversation.title || "New Chat" }}</h2>
+          <span class="status-indicator" :class="statusClass">
+            <span class="status-dot"></span>
+            {{ statusLabel }}
+          </span>
           <button
             v-if="store.currentConversation.messages.length"
             class="btn-summarize"
@@ -195,14 +224,14 @@ function onInputKeydown(e: KeyboardEvent) {
           <textarea
             v-model="messageInput"
             @keydown="onInputKeydown"
-            placeholder="Type a message... (Enter to send, Shift+Enter for new line)"
-            :disabled="store.streaming"
+            :placeholder="inputPlaceholder"
+            :disabled="store.streaming || !store.chatReady"
             rows="2"
           ></textarea>
           <button
             class="btn-send"
             @click="sendMessage"
-            :disabled="!messageInput.trim() || store.streaming"
+            :disabled="!messageInput.trim() || store.streaming || !store.chatReady"
           >
             Send
           </button>
@@ -315,6 +344,35 @@ function onInputKeydown(e: KeyboardEvent) {
   text-overflow: ellipsis;
   white-space: nowrap;
 }
+.status-indicator {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 0.35rem;
+  font-size: 0.8rem;
+  color: var(--color-text-muted);
+  white-space: nowrap;
+}
+.status-dot {
+  width: 8px;
+  height: 8px;
+  border-radius: 50%;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+.status-green .status-dot {
+  background: #22c55e;
+}
+.status-yellow .status-dot {
+  background: #eab308;
+  animation: pulse-dot 2s infinite;
+}
+.status-red .status-dot {
+  background: #ef4444;
+}
+@keyframes pulse-dot {
+  0%, 100% { opacity: 1; }
+  50% { opacity: 0.4; }
+}
+
 .btn-summarize {
   padding: 0.3rem 0.75rem;
   background: var(--color-bg-secondary);
diff --git a/src/fabledassistant/routes/chat.py b/src/fabledassistant/routes/chat.py
index a35a103..5aa31e0 100644
--- a/src/fabledassistant/routes/chat.py
+++ b/src/fabledassistant/routes/chat.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import json
 import logging
 
+import httpx
 from quart import Blueprint, Response, jsonify, request
 
 from fabledassistant.config import Config
@@ -156,10 +157,32 @@ async def summarize_conversation_route(conv_id: int):
         return jsonify({"error": str(e)}), 400
 
 
+@chat_bp.route("/status", methods=["GET"])
+async def chat_status_route():
+    """Check Ollama availability and model readiness."""
+    default_model = Config.OLLAMA_MODEL
+    result = {
+        "ollama": "unavailable",
+        "model": "not_found",
+        "default_model": default_model,
+    }
+    try:
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(timeout=5.0) as client:
+            resp = await client.get(f"{Config.OLLAMA_URL}/api/tags")
+            resp.raise_for_status()
+            result["ollama"] = "available"
+            data = resp.json()
+            model_names = [m["name"] for m in data.get("models", [])]
+            # Match with or without :latest tag
+            if default_model in model_names or f"{default_model}:latest" in model_names:
+                result["model"] = "ready"
+    except Exception:
+        logger.debug("Ollama status check failed", exc_info=True)
+    return jsonify(result)
+
+
 @chat_bp.route("/models", methods=["GET"])
 async def list_models_route():
-    import httpx
-
     try:
         async with httpx.AsyncClient(timeout=10.0) as client:
             resp = await client.get(f"{Config.OLLAMA_URL}/api/tags")
diff --git a/summary.md b/summary.md
index b7b2042..caa93fb 100644
--- a/summary.md
+++ b/summary.md
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 >    Include file-level details in the commit body when the change is non-trivial.
 
 ## Last Updated
-2026-02-10 — Phase 4 complete (LLM Chat Integration — streaming chat with Ollama, note-aware context, save/summarize as note)
+2026-02-10 — Phase 4 + Ollama health check (status indicator on chat views showing Ollama/model readiness)
 
 ## Project Overview
 Fabled Assistant is a self-hosted note-taking and task-tracking application with
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ fabledassistant/
 │       ├── routes/
 │       │   ├── __init__.py
 │       │   ├── api.py           # /api blueprint with /health endpoint
-│       │   ├── chat.py          # /api/chat blueprint: conversations CRUD, SSE message streaming, save/summarize as note, models list
+│       │   ├── chat.py          # /api/chat blueprint: conversations CRUD, SSE message streaming, save/summarize as note, models list, status check
 │       │   ├── notes.py         # /api/notes CRUD + /by-title + /resolve-title + /convert-to-task + /convert-to-note + /backlinks
 │       │   └── tasks.py         # /api/tasks CRUD + PATCH status (thin wrappers, accepts body not description)
 │       ├── services/
@@ -198,17 +198,17 @@ fabledassistant/
     │   ├── stores/
     │   │   ├── notes.ts         # CRUD + tag filter, resolveTitle, convertToTask, convertToNote, fetchBacklinks, fetchAllTags
     │   │   ├── tasks.ts         # CRUD + status/priority filter, patchStatus (uses body not description)
-    │   │   ├── chat.ts          # Conversation CRUD, sendMessage (SSE streaming), saveMessageAsNote, summarizeAsNote, fetchModels
+    │   │   ├── chat.ts          # Conversation CRUD, sendMessage (SSE streaming), saveMessageAsNote, summarizeAsNote, fetchModels, status polling (ollamaStatus, modelStatus, chatReady)
     │   │   └── toast.ts         # Toast notification state, 3s auto-dismiss
     │   ├── types/
     │   │   ├── note.ts          # Note interface (with status, priority, due_date, is_task) + TaskStatus, TaskPriority types + NoteListResponse
-    │   │   ├── chat.ts          # Message, Conversation, ConversationDetail, OllamaModel interfaces
+    │   │   ├── chat.ts          # Message, Conversation, ConversationDetail, OllamaModel, OllamaStatus interfaces
     │   │   └── task.ts          # Task = re-export of Note; TaskListResponse
     │   ├── utils/
     │   │   ├── tags.ts          # extractTags(), linkifyTags(), linkifyWikilinks()
     │   │   └── markdown.ts      # renderMarkdown() (full), renderPreview() (strips links/images for cards)
     │   ├── views/
-    │   │   ├── ChatView.vue     # Dedicated /chat page: sidebar (conversation list) + message thread + input + summarize
+    │   │   ├── ChatView.vue     # Dedicated /chat page: sidebar (conversation list) + message thread + input + summarize + Ollama status indicator
     │   │   ├── HomeView.vue     # Landing page: recent notes + tasks (independent error handling)
     │   │   ├── NotesListView.vue # Note list: search, sort, tag filter pills, pagination
     │   │   ├── NoteEditorView.vue # Create/edit: Ctrl+S, unsaved guard, toasts, autocomplete
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ fabledassistant/
     │   │   └── TaskViewerView.vue # Task detail: rendered markdown, badges, convert-to-note button, backlinks
     │   ├── components/
     │   │   ├── AppHeader.vue    # Nav bar: brand, Notes + Tasks + Chat links, chat panel toggle, theme toggle
-    │   │   ├── ChatPanel.vue    # Slide-out chat panel (right side overlay, receives contextNoteId prop)
+    │   │   ├── ChatPanel.vue    # Slide-out chat panel (right side overlay, receives contextNoteId prop) + Ollama status indicator
     │   │   ├── ChatMessage.vue  # Message bubble: markdown rendering, role label, "Save as Note" action on assistant messages
     │   │   ├── NoteCard.vue     # Card with rendered markdown preview (v-html), TagPill, tag-click emit
     │   │   ├── TaskCard.vue     # Card with rendered preview (body not description), StatusBadge (clickable), PriorityBadge, due date, tags
@@ -264,6 +264,7 @@ fabledassistant/
 | POST | `/api/chat/conversations/:id/messages` | Send message + stream LLM response via SSE (body: `{content, context_note_id?}`) |
 | POST | `/api/chat/messages/:id/save-as-note` | Save assistant message as a new note |
 | POST | `/api/chat/conversations/:id/summarize` | Summarize conversation via LLM, save as note |
+| GET | `/api/chat/status` | Check Ollama availability and model readiness (`{ollama, model, default_model}`) |
 | GET | `/api/chat/models` | List available Ollama models |
 
 ## Alembic Migrations
@@ -453,5 +454,6 @@ When adding a new migration, follow these conventions:
 - Dedicated `/chat` page with conversation sidebar + message thread
 - Slide-out chat panel accessible from any page, auto-includes note/task context
 - Auto-pull default model (`llama3.1`) on startup
+- Ollama health check: status indicator on chat views (green/yellow/red dot) with 30s polling; disables send when not ready
 - Dark/light theme with CSS custom properties
 - Ready for Phase 5: Polish & Production Hardening