diff --git a/dashcaddy-api/__tests__/routes/deploys.routes.test.js b/dashcaddy-api/__tests__/routes/deploys.routes.test.js
index 27afff5..4f7a74e 100644
--- a/dashcaddy-api/__tests__/routes/deploys.routes.test.js
+++ b/dashcaddy-api/__tests__/routes/deploys.routes.test.js
@@ -140,6 +140,45 @@ describe('routes/deploys — proxied endpoints', () => {
     expect(body.output).toContain('[FAIL]');
   });
 
+  test('GET /status maps bridge auth failure (401) to 502, not a probe result', async () => {
+    const f = jsonFetcher({
+      'GET /api/status?service=helloworld': { status: 401, body: { ok: false, error: 'invalid token' } },
+    });
+    const app = buildApp(f.fetchT);
+    const server = app.listen(0);
+    const port = server.address().port;
+    const r = await fetch(`http://127.0.0.1:${port}/api/v1/deploys/status?service=helloworld`);
+    const body = await r.json();
+    server.close();
+    expect(r.status).toBe(502);
+    expect(body.success).toBe(false);
+    expect(body.error).toMatch(/bridge/i);
+  });
+
+  test('GET /status maps unexpected bridge statuses to 502', async () => {
+    const f = jsonFetcher({
+      'GET /api/status?service=helloworld': { status: 404, body: { ok: false, error: 'not found' } },
+    });
+    const app = buildApp(f.fetchT);
+    const server = app.listen(0);
+    const port = server.address().port;
+    const r = await fetch(`http://127.0.0.1:${port}/api/v1/deploys/status?service=helloworld`);
+    server.close();
+    expect(r.status).toBe(502);
+  });
+
+  test('GET /status maps bridge connection failure to 502', async () => {
+    const fetchT = jest.fn(async () => { throw new Error('ECONNREFUSED'); });
+    const app = buildApp(fetchT);
+    const server = app.listen(0);
+    const port = server.address().port;
+    const r = await fetch(`http://127.0.0.1:${port}/api/v1/deploys/status?service=helloworld`);
+    const body = await r.json();
+    server.close();
+    expect(r.status).toBe(502);
+    expect(body.error).toMatch(/unreachable/);
+  });
+
   test('POST /deploy proxies dir and audits', async () => {
     const f = jsonFetcher({
       'POST /api/deploy': { status: 200, body: { ok: true, exit: 0, output: 'DEPLOYED helloworld in 30.0s' } },
diff --git a/dashcaddy-api/routes/deploys.js b/dashcaddy-api/routes/deploys.js
index b35fbb1..7d004d1 100644
--- a/dashcaddy-api/routes/deploys.js
+++ b/dashcaddy-api/routes/deploys.js
@@ -117,9 +117,27 @@ module.exports = function ({ asyncHandler, log, auditLogger, fetchT }) {
     if (!SERVICE_RE.test(service)) {
       return errorResponse(res, 400, 'invalid service name');
     }
-    const { status, body } = await bridge('GET', `/api/status?service=${encodeURIComponent(service)}`);
-    // shipdeck status exits non-zero when checks fail — surface that as ok:false
-    // with the probe output so the UI can render the failing checks.
+    let status, body;
+    try {
+      ({ status, body } = await bridge('GET', `/api/status?service=${encodeURIComponent(service)}`));
+    } catch (e) {
+      log.error('deploys', 'status probe: bridge unreachable', { service, error: e.message });
+      return errorResponse(res, 502, 'shipdeck bridge unreachable: ' + e.message);
+    }
+    if (status === 401 || status === 403) {
+      // bridge auth/protocol failure = infrastructure problem, NOT a probe result
+      log.error('deploys', 'status probe: bridge auth failed', { service, status });
+      return errorResponse(res, 502, 'shipdeck bridge rejected the request (auth/config error)');
+    }
+    if (status >= 500 && body && body.ok === false && body.output) {
+      // shipdeck status exits non-zero when checks fail — that's an EXPECTED
+      // probe result (failing checks), surface as ok:false with the output.
+      return ok(res, { ok: false, output: body.output || '' });
+    }
+    if (status !== 200) {
+      // malformed upstream route or other unexpected bridge failure
+      return errorResponse(res, 502, body && body.error ? body.error : 'unexpected bridge response');
+    }
     return ok(res, { ok: body.ok === true, output: body.output || '' });
   }));