diff --git a/cmd/telesrv-admin/web/src/pages/ServerSettingsPage.tsx b/cmd/telesrv-admin/web/src/pages/ServerSettingsPage.tsx
index 84237a88..1a67c500 100644
--- a/cmd/telesrv-admin/web/src/pages/ServerSettingsPage.tsx
+++ b/cmd/telesrv-admin/web/src/pages/ServerSettingsPage.tsx
@@ -415,9 +415,9 @@ function EnvSection() {
     setError("");
     try {
       const g = await api.serverEnv();
-      setGroups(g);
+      setGroups(g ?? []);
       const next: Record<string, string> = {};
-      for (const group of g) {
+      for (const group of g ?? []) {
         for (const field of group.fields) {
           next[field.key] = field.value;
         }
diff --git a/internal/procctl/procctl.go b/internal/procctl/procctl.go
index 60fd3c23..5c034ed2 100644
--- a/internal/procctl/procctl.go
+++ b/internal/procctl/procctl.go
@@ -517,23 +517,33 @@ type EnvGroup struct {
 	Fields      []EnvField `json:"fields"`
 }
 
-// ReadEnvGroups parses .env.example into the same panel-visible groups
-// server-panel.py's parse_env_template() does (identical header/format
-// rules -- see that function's docstring), then fills in each field's
-// current effective value from .env.
+// ReadEnvGroups parses .env into the same panel-visible groups
+// server-panel.py's parse_env_template() parses out of .env.example
+// (identical header/format rules -- see that function's docstring). .env
+// carries the same comments/group headers as .env.example because
+// WriteEnvValues always rewrites it from .env.example's exact text with
+// just the values swapped in, so .env is the more current source once it
+// exists -- it reflects fields added to .env.example after this install's
+// .env was first created only once WriteEnvValues has run again, same as
+// server-panel.py. Falls back to .env.example when .env doesn't exist yet
+// (a fresh install before Setup has written one).
 func (m *Manager) ReadEnvGroups() ([]EnvGroup, error) {
-	tmplPath := filepath.Join(m.Root, ".env.example")
+	tmplPath := filepath.Join(m.Root, ".env")
 	tmplData, err := os.ReadFile(tmplPath)
+	if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		tmplPath = filepath.Join(m.Root, ".env.example")
+		tmplData, err = os.ReadFile(tmplPath)
+	}
 	if os.IsNotExist(err) {
 		// A nil slice here would marshal to JSON null instead of [] -- the
 		// admin UI's env editor unconditionally calls .reduce()/.map() on
-		// this response and crashes on null. .env.example isn't shipped
-		// inside the container image, so this path is the normal case in
-		// production, not an edge case.
+		// this response and crashes on null. Neither .env nor .env.example
+		// exists inside the container image before Setup has run, so this
+		// path is the normal pre-setup case, not an edge case.
 		return []EnvGroup{}, nil
 	}
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("read .env.example: %w", err)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("read %s: %w", filepath.Base(tmplPath), err)
 	}
 	envValues, err := m.readEnvFile()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -612,7 +622,7 @@ func (m *Manager) ReadEnvGroups() ([]EnvGroup, error) {
 		inCommentRun = false
 	}
 
-	out := groups[:0]
+	out := make([]EnvGroup, 0, len(groups))
 	for _, g := range groups {
 		if len(g.Fields) > 0 {
 			out = append(out, g)