diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index bd96ed9..9c5c26c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -81,6 +81,26 @@ The application uses a local Express proxy server (`proxy-server.js`) to communi
 - Keeps the API key secure from browser developer tools
 - Provides a single point for API request/response logging
 
+**The proxy server is automatically started when you run `npm start`** and runs on port 3001 alongside the Vite dev server (port 5173).
+
+#### Troubleshooting the Proxy Server
+
+If you encounter errors like "Failed to fetch" or "Network request failed" when generating briefings:
+
+1. **Check if the proxy server is running**: Look for console output showing `Proxy server listening on port 3001`
+2. **Restart the application**: The easiest way to restart both servers is to:
+   - Stop the current process (Ctrl+C in terminal)
+   - Run `npm start` again
+
+If you need to run the servers separately for debugging:
+```bash
+# Terminal 1: Run proxy server only
+npm run proxy
+
+# Terminal 2: Run Vite dev server only
+npm run dev
+```
+
 ### Source Parser
 
 The `sourceParser.js` service intelligently handles various data formats:
diff --git a/claudash/src/components/Dashboard.jsx b/claudash/src/components/Dashboard.jsx
index dd69fb0..3e0ba02 100644
--- a/claudash/src/components/Dashboard.jsx
+++ b/claudash/src/components/Dashboard.jsx
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ function Dashboard({ themeToggle, isDark }) {
   const [error, setError] = useState(null);
   const [refreshing, setRefreshing] = useState(false);
   const [tokenUsage, setTokenUsage] = useState(null);
+  const [cacheInfo, setCacheInfo] = useState(null);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     loadDashboard();
@@ -34,6 +35,18 @@ function Dashboard({ themeToggle, isDark }) {
         const todaysBriefing = getTodaysBriefing();
         setBriefing(todaysBriefing.briefing);
         setSourceData(todaysBriefing.sources || {});
+
+        // Calculate cache age
+        const cacheAge = Date.now() - todaysBriefing.timestamp;
+        const cacheAgeMinutes = Math.floor(cacheAge / (1000 * 60));
+
+        // Set cache info to display message
+        setCacheInfo({
+          age: cacheAgeMinutes,
+          timestamp: todaysBriefing.timestamp
+        });
+        setTokenUsage(null); // Clear token usage when using cache
+
         setLoading(false);
         return;
       }
@@ -83,10 +96,12 @@ function Dashboard({ themeToggle, isDark }) {
           if (result && typeof result === 'object' && result.text) {
             setBriefing(result.text);
             setTokenUsage(result.usage);
+            setCacheInfo(null); // Clear cache info when generating fresh briefing
             console.log('Token usage:', result.usage);
           } else if (typeof result === 'string') {
             // Fallback for string responses
             setBriefing(result);
+            setCacheInfo(null);
           }
 
           // Save to localStorage
@@ -186,6 +201,18 @@ function Dashboard({ themeToggle, isDark }) {
           </Box>
         )}
 
+        {cacheInfo && (
+          <Box sx={{ mb: 2, p: 2, bgcolor: 'success.main', color: 'success.contrastText', borderRadius: 1, border: '1px solid', borderColor: 'success.dark' }}>
+            <Typography variant="body2">
+              <strong>💾 Using cached results</strong> from {cacheInfo.age < 1 ? 'less than a minute' : cacheInfo.age === 1 ? '1 minute' : `${cacheInfo.age} minutes`} ago — no API costs incurred
+              {' '}
+              <Typography component="span" variant="caption" sx={{ opacity: 0.9 }}>
+                (Click refresh to generate a new briefing)
+              </Typography>
+            </Typography>
+          </Box>
+        )}
+
         {/* Widget Grid - easily rearrangeable */}
         <Box sx={{
           display: 'flex',