diff --git a/API Server/README.md b/API Server/README.md
index 03a0e5f..612a883 100644
--- a/API Server/README.md	
+++ b/API Server/README.md	
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ Copy `.env.example` to `.env` and fill in. Summary:
 | `PLUGINS_FILE` | `plugins.json` | legacy plugin store, imported once then renamed |
 | `OCPP_REQUIRE_TLS` | `true` | reject chargers that did not connect over TLS |
 | `OCPP_PUBLIC_URL` | — | canonical `ws(s)://` base to point chargers at |
-| `PB_BOOTSTRAP` | `true` | run the on-boot schema create/reconcile |
+| `PB_BOOTSTRAP` | `true` | run the on-boot schema create/reconcile (leave on across upgrades) |
 | `DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL` / `_PASSWORD` / `_NAME` | — / — / `Administrator` | first `superadmin`, created on boot when absent |
 
 `PB_URL`, `PB_ADMIN_EMAIL`, `PB_ADMIN_PASSWORD`, `PORT` and `CORS_ORIGINS` are
diff --git a/Docker-AIO/.env.example b/Docker-AIO/.env.example
index b12e418..814fe98 100644
--- a/Docker-AIO/.env.example
+++ b/Docker-AIO/.env.example
@@ -12,7 +12,10 @@ DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL=owner@example.com
 DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_PASSWORD=change-me-long-password
 DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_NAME=Administrator
 
-# Set to false to skip schema creation/reconcile once the database is set up.
+# Schema creation/reconcile on boot. Leave this true: a release can add a
+# collection the server needs (app_settings, which holds the plugin settings),
+# and a stack that skipped the bootstrap never gets it — the plugin panel then
+# answers 503 forever. Set false only for a database you know matches the release.
 PB_BOOTSTRAP=true
 
 # Allowed CORS origin(s) — match your web origin / WEB_PORT.
diff --git a/Docker-AIO/.env.prod.example b/Docker-AIO/.env.prod.example
index 4ac8b43..a3b637a 100644
--- a/Docker-AIO/.env.prod.example
+++ b/Docker-AIO/.env.prod.example
@@ -18,7 +18,10 @@ DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL=owner@example.com
 DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_PASSWORD=change-me-long-password
 DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_NAME=Administrator
 
-# Set to false to skip schema creation/reconcile once the database is set up.
+# Schema creation/reconcile on boot. Leave this true: a release can add a
+# collection the server needs (app_settings, which holds the plugin settings),
+# and a stack that skipped the bootstrap never gets it — the plugin panel then
+# answers 503 forever. Set false only for a database you know matches the release.
 PB_BOOTSTRAP=true
 
 # Allowed CORS origin(s) — match your public web URL / WEB_PORT.
diff --git a/Docker-AIO/Dockerfile b/Docker-AIO/Dockerfile
index 103d5e5..0e59897 100644
--- a/Docker-AIO/Dockerfile
+++ b/Docker-AIO/Dockerfile
@@ -219,7 +219,10 @@ ENV API_ADDR=:8080 \
 
 # Required at runtime (no safe defaults): PB_ADMIN_EMAIL, PB_ADMIN_PASSWORD.
 # Optional: DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL / DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_PASSWORD create
-# the first app super-admin on boot; PB_BOOTSTRAP=false skips schema setup.
+# the first app super-admin on boot. PB_BOOTSTRAP=false skips schema setup —
+# leave it on: a release can add a collection the server needs (app_settings,
+# which holds the plugin settings), and a stack that skipped the bootstrap never
+# gets it, leaving the plugin panel answering 503 indefinitely.
 # For Anker Solix charger control, OCPP_REQUIRE_TLS (default true) rejects
 # chargers that did not arrive over TLS — this image serves plain HTTP, so put a
 # TLS-terminating proxy in front and set OCPP_PUBLIC_URL to the public wss://
diff --git a/Docker-AIO/README.md b/Docker-AIO/README.md
index 7e39384..83dfaae 100644
--- a/Docker-AIO/README.md
+++ b/Docker-AIO/README.md
@@ -62,8 +62,14 @@ Identical to the multi-container stack, and idempotent:
 1. PocketBase upserts its superuser from `PB_ADMIN_EMAIL` / `PB_ADMIN_PASSWORD`.
 2. The API Server waits for PocketBase to report healthy, then creates any
    missing collections, reconciles existing ones, and creates the first app
-   `superadmin` from `DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL` / `_PASSWORD`. Set
-   `PB_BOOTSTRAP=false` to skip once the database is established.
+   `superadmin` from `DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL` / `_PASSWORD`.
+
+> Leave `PB_BOOTSTRAP` at `true`, including across upgrades. A release can add a
+> collection the server needs — `app_settings`, which holds the plugin settings,
+> is one — and a stack that skipped the bootstrap never gets it. The plugin panel
+> then answers `503` indefinitely, because a missing collection is read as "the
+> database is not ready yet", never as "no plugins configured". Turn it off only
+> for a database you know already matches the release you are running.
 
 ## Volumes
 
diff --git a/Docker-AIO/docker-compose.prod.yml b/Docker-AIO/docker-compose.prod.yml
index 8adc035..4f7ff72 100644
--- a/Docker-AIO/docker-compose.prod.yml
+++ b/Docker-AIO/docker-compose.prod.yml
@@ -26,8 +26,12 @@ services:
       # Probed by the panel status page. nginx serves the Web App on port 80
       # inside this container, so the default (localhost:8090) would never answer.
       WEBAPP_URL: "http://127.0.0.1:80"
-      # Schema + super-admin bootstrap on boot (idempotent). Set PB_BOOTSTRAP=false
-      # to skip once the database is established.
+      # Schema + super-admin bootstrap (idempotent). Leave this ON. A release can
+      # add a collection the server needs — app_settings, holding the plugin
+      # settings, is one — and a stack that skipped the bootstrap never gets it:
+      # the plugin panel then answers 503 forever, because a missing collection
+      # is read as "database not ready", never as "no plugins configured".
+      # Turn it off only for a database you know already matches the release.
       PB_BOOTSTRAP: "${PB_BOOTSTRAP:-true}"
       DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL: "${DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL:-}"
       DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_PASSWORD: "${DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_PASSWORD:-}"
diff --git a/Docker-AIO/docker-compose.yml b/Docker-AIO/docker-compose.yml
index af1bee9..87ab8e0 100644
--- a/Docker-AIO/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/Docker-AIO/docker-compose.yml
@@ -29,8 +29,12 @@ services:
       # Probed by the panel status page. nginx serves the Web App on port 80
       # inside this container, so the default (localhost:8090) would never answer.
       WEBAPP_URL: "http://127.0.0.1:80"
-      # Schema + super-admin bootstrap on boot (idempotent). Set PB_BOOTSTRAP=false
-      # to skip once the database is established.
+      # Schema + super-admin bootstrap (idempotent). Leave this ON. A release can
+      # add a collection the server needs — app_settings, holding the plugin
+      # settings, is one — and a stack that skipped the bootstrap never gets it:
+      # the plugin panel then answers 503 forever, because a missing collection
+      # is read as "database not ready", never as "no plugins configured".
+      # Turn it off only for a database you know already matches the release.
       PB_BOOTSTRAP: "${PB_BOOTSTRAP:-true}"
       DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL: "${DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL:-}"
       DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_PASSWORD: "${DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_PASSWORD:-}"
diff --git a/Docker/.env.example b/Docker/.env.example
index 4e9752e..87de3f7 100644
--- a/Docker/.env.example
+++ b/Docker/.env.example
@@ -12,7 +12,10 @@ DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL=owner@example.com
 DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_PASSWORD=change-me-long-password
 DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_NAME=Administrator
 
-# Set to false to skip schema creation/reconcile once the database is set up.
+# Schema creation/reconcile on boot. Leave this true: a release can add a
+# collection the server needs (app_settings, which holds the plugin settings),
+# and a stack that skipped the bootstrap never gets it — the plugin panel then
+# answers 503 forever. Set false only for a database you know matches the release.
 PB_BOOTSTRAP=true
 
 # --- API Server -------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/Docker/.env.prod.example b/Docker/.env.prod.example
index 366e94e..b6b5b13 100644
--- a/Docker/.env.prod.example
+++ b/Docker/.env.prod.example
@@ -24,7 +24,10 @@ DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL=owner@example.com
 DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_PASSWORD=change-me-long-password
 DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_NAME=Administrator
 
-# Set to false to skip schema creation/reconcile once the database is set up.
+# Schema creation/reconcile on boot. Leave this true: a release can add a
+# collection the server needs (app_settings, which holds the plugin settings),
+# and a stack that skipped the bootstrap never gets it — the plugin panel then
+# answers 503 forever. Set false only for a database you know matches the release.
 PB_BOOTSTRAP=true
 
 # --- API Server --------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/Docker/README.md b/Docker/README.md
index a8b4c08..0d4782e 100644
--- a/Docker/README.md
+++ b/Docker/README.md
@@ -47,8 +47,14 @@ Both steps are idempotent, so restarts and upgrades are safe:
    bootstrap it. The API Server then authenticates with the same credentials.
 2. **The API Server** creates any missing collections and reconciles existing
    ones, then creates the first app `superadmin` from
-   `DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL` / `_PASSWORD` if no such user exists. Set
-   `PB_BOOTSTRAP=false` to skip once the database is established.
+   `DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL` / `_PASSWORD` if no such user exists.
+
+> Leave `PB_BOOTSTRAP` at `true`, including across upgrades. A release can add a
+> collection the server needs — `app_settings`, which holds the plugin settings,
+> is one — and a stack that skipped the bootstrap never gets it. The plugin panel
+> then answers `503` indefinitely, because a missing collection is read as "the
+> database is not ready yet", never as "no plugins configured". Turn it off only
+> for a database you know already matches the release you are running.
 
 No manual `setup-pocketbase.mjs` step is needed here — the server runs the same
 schema reconcile itself.
diff --git a/Docker/docker-compose.prod.yml b/Docker/docker-compose.prod.yml
index b37fa1e..ddf9a00 100644
--- a/Docker/docker-compose.prod.yml
+++ b/Docker/docker-compose.prod.yml
@@ -59,8 +59,12 @@ services:
       WEBAPP_URL: "http://web-app:8090"
       CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS: "${CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS:-http://localhost:8090}"
       AUTH_USERS_COLLECTION: "${AUTH_USERS_COLLECTION:-users}"
-      # Schema + super-admin bootstrap (idempotent). Set PB_BOOTSTRAP=false to
-      # skip it once the database is established.
+      # Schema + super-admin bootstrap (idempotent). Leave this ON. A release can
+      # add a collection the server needs — app_settings, holding the plugin
+      # settings, is one — and a stack that skipped the bootstrap never gets it:
+      # the plugin panel then answers 503 forever, because a missing collection
+      # is read as "database not ready", never as "no plugins configured".
+      # Turn it off only for a database you know already matches the release.
       PB_BOOTSTRAP: "${PB_BOOTSTRAP:-true}"
       DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL: "${DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL:-}"
       DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_PASSWORD: "${DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_PASSWORD:-}"
diff --git a/Docker/docker-compose.yml b/Docker/docker-compose.yml
index 1087162..c837b78 100644
--- a/Docker/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/Docker/docker-compose.yml
@@ -52,7 +52,14 @@ services:
       AUTH_USERS_COLLECTION: "${AUTH_USERS_COLLECTION:-users}"
       # Schema + super-admin bootstrap (idempotent). Without the SUPERADMIN vars
       # the collections are still created but no app user is, leaving a stack
-      # you cannot log into. Set PB_BOOTSTRAP=false to skip once established.
+      # you cannot log into.
+      #
+      # Leave the bootstrap ON. A release can add a collection the server needs —
+      # app_settings, holding the plugin settings, is one — and a stack that
+      # skipped it never gets that collection: the plugin panel then answers 503
+      # forever, because a missing collection is read as "database not ready",
+      # never as "no plugins configured". Turn it off only for a database you
+      # know already matches the release.
       PB_BOOTSTRAP: "${PB_BOOTSTRAP:-true}"
       DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL: "${DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_EMAIL:-}"
       DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_PASSWORD: "${DRIVERVAULT_SUPERADMIN_PASSWORD:-}"