diff --git a/tools/server/server-connect.cpp b/tools/server/server-connect.cpp
index e18bd9c4ec..340395d181 100644
--- a/tools/server/server-connect.cpp
+++ b/tools/server/server-connect.cpp
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ static std::string format_share_code(const std::string & code) {
 }
 
 // whitespace is tolerated, the Web UI shows the code in blocks and users paste it back
-// returns an empty string if the key is not a valid share code
+// returns an empty string if it is not a valid share code
 static std::string normalize_share_code(const std::string & key) {
     std::string code;
     for (char c : key) {
@@ -161,6 +161,10 @@ std::string server_connect::unavailable_reason(const common_params & params) {
     return "";
 }
 
+std::string server_connect::resolve_code(const std::string & code) {
+    return code.empty() ? gen_share_code() : normalize_share_code(code);
+}
+
 bool server_connect::start(const common_params & params) {
     const std::string bin = find_binary();
     if (bin.empty()) {
@@ -168,10 +172,9 @@ bool server_connect::start(const common_params & params) {
         return false;
     }
 
-    // already validated by unavailable_reason()
-    const std::string code = params.server_connect_code.empty()
-                           ? gen_share_code()
-                           : normalize_share_code(params.server_connect_code);
+    // main() resolves this before anything can read it from /props
+    const std::string & code = params.server_connect_code;
+    GGML_ASSERT(!code.empty());
 
     // always loopback, params.hostname may be 0.0.0.0 or a unix socket which the child cannot dial
     const std::vector<std::string> args = {
@@ -179,8 +182,8 @@ bool server_connect::start(const common_params & params) {
         "--host", "127.0.0.1",
         "--port", std::to_string(params.port),
         "--code", code,
-        // the kernel closes our end of this pipe even if we are killed without cleanup,
-        // so the child cannot outlive us
+        // the kernel closes our end of this pipe even if we are killed without cleanup
+        // this is what stops the child from outliving us
         "--exit-on-stdin-eof",
     };
 
diff --git a/tools/server/server-connect.h b/tools/server/server-connect.h
index 976872baab..49e96e2131 100644
--- a/tools/server/server-connect.h
+++ b/tools/server/server-connect.h
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ struct server_connect {
     // why --connect cannot work here, empty if it can
     static std::string unavailable_reason(const common_params & params);
 
+    static std::string resolve_code(const std::string & code);
+
     bool start(const common_params & params);
 
     // idempotent, also called by the destructor
diff --git a/tools/server/server-context.cpp b/tools/server/server-context.cpp
index f78cfb36dd..0b6a41e385 100644
--- a/tools/server/server-context.cpp
+++ b/tools/server/server-context.cpp
@@ -4618,6 +4618,10 @@ static json get_res_props(const server_context_meta & meta, const common_params
         { "is_sleeping",                 is_sleeping },
         { "cors_proxy_enabled",          params.ui_mcp_proxy },
     };
+
+    if (!params.server_connect_code.empty()) {
+        props["connect_code"] = params.server_connect_code;
+    }
     if (params.use_jinja) {
         if (!tmpl_tools.empty()) {
             props["chat_template_tool_use"] = tmpl_tools;
diff --git a/tools/server/server-models.cpp b/tools/server/server-models.cpp
index 5858f8f12d..9af7a160dd 100644
--- a/tools/server/server-models.cpp
+++ b/tools/server/server-models.cpp
@@ -1829,7 +1829,7 @@ void server_models_routes::init_routes() {
         if (name.empty()) {
             // main instance
             auto res = std::make_unique<server_http_res>();
-            res_ok(res, {
+            json props = {
                 // TODO: add support for this on web UI
                 {"role",                 "router"},
                 {"max_instances",        params.models_max},
@@ -1845,7 +1845,11 @@ void server_models_routes::init_routes() {
                 {"ui_settings",          ui_settings},
                 {"build_info",           std::string(llama_build_info())},
                 {"cors_proxy_enabled",   params.ui_mcp_proxy},
-            });
+            };
+            if (!params.server_connect_code.empty()) {
+                props["connect_code"] = params.server_connect_code;
+            }
+            res_ok(res, props);
             return res;
         }
         return proxy_get(req);
diff --git a/tools/server/server.cpp b/tools/server/server.cpp
index 612622c7b8..504e840add 100644
--- a/tools/server/server.cpp
+++ b/tools/server/server.cpp
@@ -183,6 +183,7 @@ int llama_server(common_params & params, int argc, char ** argv) {
             SRV_ERR("--connect is not available: %s\n", reason.c_str());
             return 1;
         }
+        params.server_connect_code = server_connect::resolve_code(params.server_connect_code);
     }
 
     // note: this is guaranteed to out-live ctx_http and tools