diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2947d9fbb..761119cc1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -140,6 +140,52 @@ npm run typecheck
 
 - [paseo-relay](https://github.com/zenghongtu/paseo-relay) — self-hosted relay in Go
 
+### Self-hosted relay TLS
+
+Self-hosted relays use `ws://` unless TLS is opted in. For a relay behind nginx on 443, start the daemon with:
+
+```bash
+PASEO_RELAY_ENDPOINT=127.0.0.1:8080 \
+PASEO_RELAY_PUBLIC_ENDPOINT=relay.example.com:443 \
+PASEO_RELAY_USE_TLS=true \
+paseo daemon start
+```
+
+Equivalent config:
+
+```json
+{
+  "daemon": {
+    "relay": {
+      "enabled": true,
+      "endpoint": "127.0.0.1:8080",
+      "publicEndpoint": "relay.example.com:443",
+      "useTls": true
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+Minimal nginx WebSocket proxy:
+
+```nginx
+server {
+  listen 443 ssl;
+  server_name relay.example.com;
+
+  ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/relay.example.com/fullchain.pem;
+  ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/relay.example.com/privkey.pem;
+
+  location /ws {
+    proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080;
+    proxy_http_version 1.1;
+    proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
+    proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
+    proxy_set_header Host $host;
+  }
+}
+```
+
 ---
 
 <p align="center">
diff --git a/docs/architecture.md b/docs/architecture.md
index 863a60cb7..28083e7a6 100644
--- a/docs/architecture.md
+++ b/docs/architecture.md
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ Enables remote access when the daemon is behind a firewall.
 - Relay server is zero-knowledge — it routes encrypted bytes, cannot read content
 - Client and daemon channels with identical API (`createClientChannel`, `createDaemonChannel`)
 - Pairing via QR code transfers the daemon's public key to the client
+- Self-hosted relays opt into TLS with `daemon.relay.useTls` or `PASEO_RELAY_USE_TLS=true`
 
 See [SECURITY.md](../SECURITY.md) for the full threat model.
 
diff --git a/docs/data-model.md b/docs/data-model.md
index e089a201d..e925abe8d 100644
--- a/docs/data-model.md
+++ b/docs/data-model.md
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ Single file, validated with `PersistedConfigSchema`.
     hostnames: true | string[],
     mcp: { enabled: boolean },
     cors: { allowedOrigins: string[] },
-    relay: { enabled: boolean, endpoint: string, publicEndpoint: string }
+    relay: { enabled: boolean, endpoint: string, publicEndpoint: string, useTls: boolean }
   },
   app: {
     baseUrl: string
diff --git a/packages/app/src/app/pair-scan.tsx b/packages/app/src/app/pair-scan.tsx
index da5924974..7ff8db78f 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/app/pair-scan.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/app/pair-scan.tsx
@@ -178,6 +178,7 @@ export default function PairScanScreen() {
             id: "probe",
             type: "relay",
             relayEndpoint: normalizeHostPort(offer.relay.endpoint),
+            useTls: offer.relay.useTls,
             daemonPublicKeyB64: offer.daemonPublicKeyB64,
           },
           { serverId: offer.serverId },
diff --git a/packages/app/src/components/pair-link-modal.tsx b/packages/app/src/components/pair-link-modal.tsx
index f03f4b0c2..979c12985 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/components/pair-link-modal.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/components/pair-link-modal.tsx
@@ -137,6 +137,7 @@ export function PairLinkModal({ visible, onClose, onCancel, onSaved }: PairLinkM
           id: "probe",
           type: "relay",
           relayEndpoint: normalizeHostPort(parsedOffer.relay.endpoint),
+          useTls: parsedOffer.relay.useTls,
           daemonPublicKeyB64: parsedOffer.daemonPublicKeyB64,
         },
         { serverId: parsedOffer.serverId },
diff --git a/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.test.ts b/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.test.ts
index 2507d2782..682c3b39b 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.test.ts
@@ -198,6 +198,7 @@ function makeOffer(input?: Partial<ConnectionOffer>): ConnectionOffer {
     daemonPublicKeyB64: input?.daemonPublicKeyB64 ?? "pk_test_offer",
     relay: {
       endpoint: input?.relay?.endpoint ?? "relay.paseo.sh:443",
+      useTls: input?.relay?.useTls ?? false,
     },
   };
 }
@@ -1616,6 +1617,43 @@ describe("HostRuntimeStore", () => {
     store.syncHosts([]);
   });
 
+  it("stores relay TLS from a pairing offer", async () => {
+    const store = new HostRuntimeStore({
+      deps: {
+        createClient: () => new FakeDaemonClient() as unknown as DaemonClient,
+        connectToDaemon: async ({ host }) => ({
+          client: makeConnectedProbeClient(5) as unknown as DaemonClient,
+          serverId: host.serverId,
+          hostname: host.label ?? null,
+        }),
+        getClientId: async () => "cid_test_runtime",
+      },
+    });
+
+    await store.upsertConnectionFromOffer(
+      makeOffer({
+        relay: {
+          endpoint: "relay.example.com:443",
+          useTls: true,
+        },
+      }),
+      "tls relay",
+    );
+
+    const pairedHost = store.getHosts().find((host) => host.serverId === "srv_offer");
+    expect(pairedHost?.connections).toEqual([
+      {
+        id: "relay:wss:relay.example.com:443",
+        type: "relay",
+        relayEndpoint: "relay.example.com:443",
+        useTls: true,
+        daemonPublicKeyB64: "pk_test_offer",
+      },
+    ]);
+
+    store.syncHosts([]);
+  });
+
   it("uses the latest advertised hostname when re-pairing an existing relay host", async () => {
     const store = new HostRuntimeStore({
       deps: {
diff --git a/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.ts b/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.ts
index 351b5a1fc..b38233411 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.ts
@@ -476,7 +476,7 @@ function createDefaultDeps(): HostRuntimeControllerDeps {
         ...base,
         url: buildRelayWebSocketUrl({
           endpoint: connection.relayEndpoint,
-          useTls: shouldUseTlsForDefaultHostedRelay(connection.relayEndpoint),
+          useTls: connection.useTls ?? shouldUseTlsForDefaultHostedRelay(connection.relayEndpoint),
           serverId: host.serverId,
         }),
         e2ee: {
@@ -1414,21 +1414,25 @@ export class HostRuntimeStore {
   async upsertRelayConnection(input: {
     serverId: string;
     relayEndpoint: string;
+    useTls?: boolean;
     daemonPublicKeyB64: string;
     label?: string;
   }): Promise<HostProfile> {
     const relayEndpoint = normalizeHostPort(input.relayEndpoint);
+    const useTls = input.useTls ?? false;
     const daemonPublicKeyB64 = input.daemonPublicKeyB64.trim();
     if (!daemonPublicKeyB64) {
       throw new Error("daemonPublicKeyB64 is required");
     }
+    const explicitUseTls = input.useTls !== undefined;
     return this.upsertHostConnection({
       serverId: input.serverId,
       label: input.label,
       connection: {
-        id: `relay:${relayEndpoint}`,
+        id: useTls ? `relay:wss:${relayEndpoint}` : `relay:${relayEndpoint}`,
         type: "relay",
         relayEndpoint,
+        ...(explicitUseTls ? { useTls } : {}),
         daemonPublicKeyB64,
       },
     });
@@ -1438,6 +1442,7 @@ export class HostRuntimeStore {
     return this.upsertRelayConnection({
       serverId: offer.serverId,
       relayEndpoint: offer.relay.endpoint,
+      useTls: offer.relay.useTls,
       daemonPublicKeyB64: offer.daemonPublicKeyB64,
       label,
     });
@@ -1983,6 +1988,7 @@ export interface HostMutations {
   upsertRelayConnection: (input: {
     serverId: string;
     relayEndpoint: string;
+    useTls?: boolean;
     daemonPublicKeyB64: string;
     label?: string;
   }) => Promise<HostProfile>;
diff --git a/packages/app/src/types/host-connection.test.ts b/packages/app/src/types/host-connection.test.ts
index a476334fe..2837def0d 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/types/host-connection.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/types/host-connection.test.ts
@@ -27,4 +27,48 @@ describe("normalizeStoredHostProfile", () => {
     });
     expect(profile?.connections[0]).not.toHaveProperty("password");
   });
+
+  it("preserves legacy relay ids when TLS is absent", () => {
+    const profile = normalizeStoredHostProfile({
+      serverId: "srv_relay",
+      connections: [
+        {
+          id: "relay:relay.example.com:80",
+          type: "relay",
+          relayEndpoint: "relay.example.com:80",
+          daemonPublicKeyB64: "pubkey",
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+
+    expect(profile?.connections[0]).toEqual({
+      id: "relay:relay.example.com:80",
+      type: "relay",
+      relayEndpoint: "relay.example.com:80",
+      daemonPublicKeyB64: "pubkey",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("namespaces relay ids only when TLS is true", () => {
+    const profile = normalizeStoredHostProfile({
+      serverId: "srv_relay",
+      connections: [
+        {
+          id: "relay:relay.example.com:443",
+          type: "relay",
+          relayEndpoint: "relay.example.com:443",
+          useTls: true,
+          daemonPublicKeyB64: "pubkey",
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+
+    expect(profile?.connections[0]).toEqual({
+      id: "relay:wss:relay.example.com:443",
+      type: "relay",
+      relayEndpoint: "relay.example.com:443",
+      useTls: true,
+      daemonPublicKeyB64: "pubkey",
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/app/src/types/host-connection.ts b/packages/app/src/types/host-connection.ts
index 9984bfefe..5b1c586cd 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/types/host-connection.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/types/host-connection.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ export interface RelayHostConnection {
   id: string;
   type: "relay";
   relayEndpoint: string;
+  useTls?: boolean;
   daemonPublicKeyB64: string;
 }
 
@@ -73,6 +74,7 @@ function hostConnectionEquals(left: HostConnection, right: HostConnection): bool
   if (left.type === "relay" && right.type === "relay") {
     return (
       left.relayEndpoint === right.relayEndpoint &&
+      left.useTls === right.useTls &&
       left.daemonPublicKeyB64 === right.daemonPublicKeyB64
     );
   }
@@ -243,7 +245,7 @@ function normalizeStoredConnection(connection: unknown): HostConnection | null {
   if (!record) {
     return null;
   }
-  const type = typeof record.type === "string" ? record.type : null;
+  const type = record.type;
   if (type === "directTcp") {
     try {
       const endpoint = normalizeLoopbackToLocalhost(
@@ -277,10 +279,12 @@ function normalizeStoredConnection(connection: unknown): HostConnection | null {
         typeof record.daemonPublicKeyB64 === "string" ? record.daemonPublicKeyB64 : ""
       ).trim();
       if (!daemonPublicKeyB64) return null;
+      const useTls = typeof record.useTls === "boolean" ? record.useTls : undefined;
       return {
-        id: `relay:${relayEndpoint}`,
+        id: useTls === true ? `relay:wss:${relayEndpoint}` : `relay:${relayEndpoint}`,
         type: "relay",
         relayEndpoint,
+        ...(useTls !== undefined ? { useTls } : {}),
         daemonPublicKeyB64,
       };
     } catch {
diff --git a/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.test.ts b/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.test.ts
index 5f495f86b..eb727d67f 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.test.ts
@@ -145,6 +145,37 @@ describe("test-daemon-connection connectToDaemon", () => {
     expect(daemonClientMock.createdConfigs[0]?.password).toBe("shared-secret");
   });
 
+  it("uses relay TLS from the stored connection", async () => {
+    const mod = await import("./test-daemon-connection");
+
+    const tlsResult = await mod.connectToDaemon(
+      {
+        id: "relay:wss:[::1]:443",
+        type: "relay",
+        relayEndpoint: "[::1]:443",
+        useTls: true,
+        daemonPublicKeyB64: "pubkey",
+      },
+      { serverId: "srv_probe_test" },
+    );
+    await tlsResult.client.close();
+
+    const plainResult = await mod.connectToDaemon(
+      {
+        id: "relay:relay.paseo.sh:443",
+        type: "relay",
+        relayEndpoint: "relay.paseo.sh:443",
+        useTls: false,
+        daemonPublicKeyB64: "pubkey",
+      },
+      { serverId: "srv_probe_test" },
+    );
+    await plainResult.client.close();
+
+    expect(daemonClientMock.createdConfigs[0]?.url).toMatch(/^wss:\/\/\[::1\]\/ws\?/);
+    expect(daemonClientMock.createdConfigs[1]?.url).toMatch(/^ws:\/\/relay\.paseo\.sh:443\/ws\?/);
+  });
+
   it("surfaces auth rejection as an incorrect password", async () => {
     const mod = await import("./test-daemon-connection");
     daemonClientMock.setNextConnectFailure(
diff --git a/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.ts b/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.ts
index a7ae739ff..ed0677e27 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.ts
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ export async function buildClientConfig(
     ...base,
     url: buildRelayWebSocketUrl({
       endpoint: connection.relayEndpoint,
-      useTls: shouldUseTlsForDefaultHostedRelay(connection.relayEndpoint),
+      useTls: connection.useTls ?? shouldUseTlsForDefaultHostedRelay(connection.relayEndpoint),
       serverId,
     }),
     e2ee: { enabled: true, daemonPublicKeyB64: connection.daemonPublicKeyB64 },
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/local-daemon.supervision.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/local-daemon.supervision.test.ts
index f6da53c79..2f883a664 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/local-daemon.supervision.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/local-daemon.supervision.test.ts
@@ -77,4 +77,23 @@ describe("local daemon launch supervision", () => {
     expectSupervisorLaunch(argv);
     expect(argv).toContain("--no-mcp");
   });
+
+  test("relay TLS flag is passed to the supervised daemon", async () => {
+    mocks.spawnSync.mockReturnValue({ status: 0, error: undefined });
+
+    const { startLocalDaemonForeground } = await import("./local-daemon.js");
+    const status = startLocalDaemonForeground({
+      home: "/tmp/paseo-test",
+      relayUseTls: true,
+    });
+
+    expect(status).toBe(0);
+    const [, argv, options] = mocks.spawnSync.mock.calls[0] as [
+      string,
+      string[],
+      { env?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv },
+    ];
+    expect(argv).toContain("--relay-use-tls");
+    expect(options.env?.PASEO_RELAY_USE_TLS).toBe("true");
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/local-daemon.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/local-daemon.ts
index ad36e066f..ea485da6a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/local-daemon.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/local-daemon.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ export interface DaemonStartOptions {
   home?: string;
   foreground?: boolean;
   relay?: boolean;
+  relayUseTls?: boolean;
   mcp?: boolean;
   injectMcp?: boolean;
   hostnames?: string;
@@ -28,6 +29,9 @@ export interface LocalDaemonPidInfo {
 export interface LocalDaemonState {
   home: string;
   listen: string;
+  relayEnabled: boolean;
+  relayEndpoint: string;
+  relayUseTls: boolean;
   logPath: string;
   pidPath: string;
   pidInfo: LocalDaemonPidInfo | null;
@@ -93,6 +97,9 @@ function buildRunnerArgs(options: DaemonStartOptions): string[] {
   if (options.relay === false) {
     args.push("--no-relay");
   }
+  if (options.relayUseTls === true) {
+    args.push("--relay-use-tls");
+  }
 
   if (options.mcp === false) {
     args.push("--no-mcp");
@@ -117,6 +124,9 @@ function buildChildEnv(options: DaemonStartOptions): NodeJS.ProcessEnv {
   if (options.hostnames) {
     childEnv.PASEO_HOSTNAMES = options.hostnames;
   }
+  if (options.relayUseTls === true) {
+    childEnv.PASEO_RELAY_USE_TLS = "true";
+  }
   return childEnv;
 }
 
@@ -353,6 +363,9 @@ export function resolveLocalDaemonState(options: { home?: string } = {}): LocalD
   return {
     home,
     listen,
+    relayEnabled: config.relayEnabled ?? true,
+    relayEndpoint: config.relayPublicEndpoint ?? config.relayEndpoint ?? "relay.paseo.sh:443",
+    relayUseTls: config.relayUseTls ?? false,
     logPath,
     pidPath,
     pidInfo,
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/pair.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/pair.ts
index e96636fdc..4f228110b 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/pair.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/pair.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ export async function runPairCommand(options: PairOptions): Promise<void> {
     relayEnabled: config.relayEnabled,
     relayEndpoint: config.relayEndpoint,
     relayPublicEndpoint: config.relayPublicEndpoint,
+    relayUseTls: config.relayUseTls,
     appBaseUrl: config.appBaseUrl,
     includeQr: true,
   });
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/start.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/start.ts
index 7a3e5991e..65d3e7834 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/start.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/start.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ export function startCommand(): Command {
     .option("--home <path>", "Paseo home directory (default: ~/.paseo)")
     .option("--foreground", "Run in foreground (don't daemonize)")
     .option("--no-relay", "Disable relay connection")
+    .option("--relay-use-tls", "Use wss:// for the relay connection and pairing offers")
     .option("--no-mcp", "Disable the Agent MCP HTTP endpoint")
     .option("--no-inject-mcp", "Disable auto-injecting the Paseo MCP into created agents")
     .option(
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/status.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/status.ts
index aa0d05e36..987b073d1 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/status.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/status.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ interface DaemonStatus {
   connectedDaemon: "reachable" | "unreachable" | "not_probed";
   home: string;
   listen: string;
+  relay: string;
   hostname: string | null;
   pid: number | null;
   startedAt: string | null;
@@ -117,6 +118,7 @@ function toStatusRows(status: DaemonStatus): StatusRow[] {
     { key: "Connected Daemon", value: status.connectedDaemon },
     { key: "Home", value: status.home },
     { key: "Listen", value: status.listen },
+    { key: "Relay", value: status.relay },
     { key: "Hostname", value: status.hostname ?? "-" },
     { key: "PID", value: status.pid === null ? "-" : String(status.pid) },
     { key: "Started", value: status.startedAt ?? "-" },
@@ -312,6 +314,12 @@ async function resolveDaemonNodeLabel(
   return fromPid.nodePath ?? `unknown (${fromPid.error ?? "could not resolve from PID"})`;
 }
 
+function formatRelayStatus(state: ReturnType<typeof resolveLocalDaemonState>): string {
+  if (!state.relayEnabled) return "disabled";
+  const scheme = state.relayUseTls ? "wss" : "ws";
+  return `${scheme}://${state.relayEndpoint}`;
+}
+
 export type StatusResult = ListResult<StatusRow>;
 
 export async function runStatusCommand(
@@ -370,6 +378,7 @@ export async function runStatusCommand(
     connectedDaemon,
     home: state.home,
     listen: state.listen,
+    relay: formatRelayStatus(state),
     hostname: state.pidInfo?.hostname ?? null,
     pid: state.pidInfo?.pid ?? null,
     startedAt: state.pidInfo?.startedAt ?? null,
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/onboard.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/onboard.ts
index 59fd2b5fb..4eb4a04f5 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/onboard.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/onboard.ts
@@ -491,6 +491,7 @@ export async function runOnboard(options: OnboardOptions): Promise<void> {
     relayEnabled: config.relayEnabled,
     relayEndpoint: config.relayEndpoint,
     relayPublicEndpoint: config.relayPublicEndpoint,
+    relayUseTls: config.relayUseTls,
     appBaseUrl: config.appBaseUrl,
     includeQr: true,
   });
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/utils/client.ts b/packages/cli/src/utils/client.ts
index 3f724981b..9cd7e89d5 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/utils/client.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/utils/client.ts
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ async function connectViaRelayOffer(
     endpoint: offer.relay.endpoint,
     serverId: offer.serverId,
     role: "client",
-    useTls: shouldUseTlsForDefaultHostedRelay(offer.relay.endpoint),
+    useTls: offer.relay.useTls ?? shouldUseTlsForDefaultHostedRelay(offer.relay.endpoint),
   });
 
   const client = new DaemonClient({
diff --git a/packages/relay/src/live-relay.e2e.test.ts b/packages/relay/src/live-relay.e2e.test.ts
index f5a86eb23..1526c6cd4 100644
--- a/packages/relay/src/live-relay.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/packages/relay/src/live-relay.e2e.test.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ import {
   decrypt,
 } from "./crypto.js";
 
+// This live test uses the hosted relay's real TLS endpoint. Self-hosted relay TLS
+// opt-in is covered at URL-building/integration level so the local E2E does not
+// need to provision trusted certificates.
 const RELAY_BASE_URL = "wss://relay.paseo.sh";
 
 async function withRetry<T>(
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/bootstrap.ts b/packages/server/src/server/bootstrap.ts
index ed39df878..c62c8d05e 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/bootstrap.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/bootstrap.ts
@@ -191,6 +191,7 @@ export interface PaseoDaemonConfig {
   relayEnabled?: boolean;
   relayEndpoint?: string;
   relayPublicEndpoint?: string;
+  relayUseTls?: boolean;
   appBaseUrl?: string;
   auth?: DaemonAuthConfig;
   openai?: PaseoOpenAIConfig;
@@ -772,6 +773,7 @@ export async function createPaseoDaemon(
           const relayEnabled = config.relayEnabled ?? true;
           const relayEndpoint = config.relayEndpoint ?? "relay.paseo.sh:443";
           const relayPublicEndpoint = config.relayPublicEndpoint ?? relayEndpoint;
+          const relayUseTls = config.relayUseTls ?? relayEndpoint === "relay.paseo.sh:443";
           const appBaseUrl = config.appBaseUrl ?? "https://app.paseo.sh";
 
           if (boundListenTarget.type === "tcp") {
@@ -846,7 +848,7 @@ export async function createPaseoDaemon(
             const offer = await createConnectionOfferV2({
               serverId,
               daemonPublicKeyB64: daemonKeyPair.publicKeyB64,
-              relay: { endpoint: relayPublicEndpoint },
+              relay: { endpoint: relayPublicEndpoint, useTls: relayUseTls },
             });
 
             encodeOfferToFragmentUrl({ offer, appBaseUrl });
@@ -861,6 +863,7 @@ export async function createPaseoDaemon(
                 return wsServer.attachExternalSocket(ws, metadata);
               },
               relayEndpoint,
+              relayUseTls,
               serverId,
               daemonKeyPair: daemonKeyPair.keyPair,
             });
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/config-relay.test.ts b/packages/server/src/server/config-relay.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..45cd9f358
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/config-relay.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+import { mkdir, mkdtemp, writeFile, rm } from "node:fs/promises";
+import os from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
+
+import { loadConfig } from "./config.js";
+
+const roots: string[] = [];
+
+async function createPaseoHome(config: unknown): Promise<string> {
+  const root = await mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "paseo-config-relay-"));
+  roots.push(root);
+  const paseoHome = path.join(root, ".paseo");
+  await mkdir(paseoHome, { recursive: true });
+  await writeFile(path.join(paseoHome, "config.json"), JSON.stringify(config, null, 2));
+  return paseoHome;
+}
+
+describe("daemon relay config", () => {
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    await Promise.all(roots.splice(0).map((root) => rm(root, { recursive: true, force: true })));
+  });
+
+  test("loads relay TLS from env, persisted config, and hosted relay fallback", async () => {
+    const persistedHome = await createPaseoHome({
+      version: 1,
+      daemon: {
+        relay: {
+          endpoint: "relay.example.com:443",
+          useTls: true,
+        },
+      },
+    });
+    expect(loadConfig(persistedHome, { env: {} }).relayUseTls).toBe(true);
+
+    const envHome = await createPaseoHome({
+      version: 1,
+      daemon: {
+        relay: {
+          endpoint: "relay.example.com:443",
+          useTls: false,
+        },
+      },
+    });
+    expect(loadConfig(envHome, { env: { PASEO_RELAY_USE_TLS: "true" } }).relayUseTls).toBe(true);
+
+    const hostedHome = await createPaseoHome({ version: 1, daemon: { relay: {} } });
+    expect(loadConfig(hostedHome, { env: {} }).relayUseTls).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/config.ts b/packages/server/src/server/config.ts
index 3bd4b52a8..af81a52bd 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/config.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/config.ts
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ function normalizeLogEnv(value: string | undefined): string | undefined {
 export type CliConfigOverrides = Partial<{
   listen: string;
   relayEnabled: boolean;
+  relayUseTls: boolean;
   mcpEnabled: boolean;
   mcpInjectIntoAgents: boolean;
   hostnames: HostnamesConfig;
@@ -139,12 +140,14 @@ interface ResolveRelayInput {
   env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
   persisted: ReturnType<typeof loadPersistedConfig>;
   cliRelayEnabled: boolean | undefined;
+  cliRelayUseTls: boolean | undefined;
 }
 
 interface ResolvedRelay {
   enabled: boolean;
   endpoint: string;
   publicEndpoint: string;
+  useTls: boolean;
 }
 
 function resolveRelayConfig(input: ResolveRelayInput): ResolvedRelay {
@@ -161,7 +164,12 @@ function resolveRelayConfig(input: ResolveRelayInput): ResolvedRelay {
     input.env.PASEO_RELAY_PUBLIC_ENDPOINT ??
     input.persisted.daemon?.relay?.publicEndpoint ??
     endpoint;
-  return { enabled, endpoint, publicEndpoint };
+  const useTls =
+    input.cliRelayUseTls ??
+    (input.env.PASEO_RELAY_USE_TLS !== undefined
+      ? (parseBooleanEnv(input.env.PASEO_RELAY_USE_TLS) ?? false)
+      : (input.persisted.daemon?.relay?.useTls ?? endpoint === DEFAULT_RELAY_ENDPOINT));
+  return { enabled, endpoint, publicEndpoint, useTls };
 }
 
 interface ResolvedVoiceLlm {
@@ -265,6 +273,7 @@ export function loadConfig(
     env,
     persisted,
     cliRelayEnabled: options?.cli?.relayEnabled,
+    cliRelayUseTls: options?.cli?.relayUseTls,
   });
 
   const { openai, speech } = resolveSpeechConfig({
@@ -293,6 +302,7 @@ export function loadConfig(
     relayEnabled: relay.enabled,
     relayEndpoint: relay.endpoint,
     relayPublicEndpoint: relay.publicEndpoint,
+    relayUseTls: relay.useTls,
     appBaseUrl,
     auth: resolveAuthConfig(env, persisted),
     openai,
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/connection-offer.ts b/packages/server/src/server/connection-offer.ts
index 3b8b76b2a..59b7ab8b3 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/connection-offer.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/connection-offer.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ export function buildOfferEndpoints({ listenHost, port }: BuildOfferEndpointsArg
 export async function createConnectionOfferV2(args: {
   serverId: string;
   daemonPublicKeyB64: string;
-  relay: { endpoint: string };
+  relay: { endpoint: string; useTls?: boolean };
 }): Promise<ConnectionOffer> {
   return ConnectionOfferV2Schema.parse({
     v: 2,
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/daemon-worker.ts b/packages/server/src/server/daemon-worker.ts
index 2ad924bdb..eca0b368d 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/daemon-worker.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/daemon-worker.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,9 @@ function applyCliFlagOverrides(config: ReturnType<typeof loadConfig>): void {
   if (process.argv.includes("--no-relay")) {
     config.relayEnabled = false;
   }
+  if (process.argv.includes("--relay-use-tls")) {
+    config.relayUseTls = true;
+  }
   if (process.argv.includes("--no-mcp")) {
     config.mcpEnabled = false;
   }
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/pairing-offer.ts b/packages/server/src/server/pairing-offer.ts
index be6fdb64f..b9b0aa185 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/pairing-offer.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/pairing-offer.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ export async function generateLocalPairingOffer(args: {
   relayEnabled?: boolean;
   relayEndpoint?: string;
   relayPublicEndpoint?: string;
+  relayUseTls?: boolean;
   appBaseUrl?: string;
   includeQr?: boolean;
   logger?: Logger;
@@ -31,13 +32,14 @@ export async function generateLocalPairingOffer(args: {
 
   const relayEndpoint = args.relayEndpoint ?? "relay.paseo.sh:443";
   const relayPublicEndpoint = args.relayPublicEndpoint ?? relayEndpoint;
+  const relayUseTls = args.relayUseTls ?? relayEndpoint === "relay.paseo.sh:443";
   const appBaseUrl = args.appBaseUrl ?? "https://app.paseo.sh";
   const serverId = getOrCreateServerId(args.paseoHome, { logger: args.logger });
   const daemonKeyPair = await loadOrCreateDaemonKeyPair(args.paseoHome, args.logger);
   const offer = await createConnectionOfferV2({
     serverId,
     daemonPublicKeyB64: daemonKeyPair.publicKeyB64,
-    relay: { endpoint: relayPublicEndpoint },
+    relay: { endpoint: relayPublicEndpoint, useTls: relayUseTls },
   });
   const url = encodeOfferToFragmentUrl({ offer, appBaseUrl });
 
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/persisted-config.test.ts b/packages/server/src/server/persisted-config.test.ts
index 96b848725..8f4a4dde7 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/persisted-config.test.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/persisted-config.test.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,23 @@ describe("PersistedConfigSchema daemon auth config", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("PersistedConfigSchema daemon relay config", () => {
+  test("accepts optional relay TLS setting", () => {
+    const parsed = PersistedConfigSchema.parse({
+      daemon: {
+        relay: {
+          enabled: true,
+          endpoint: "relay.example.com:443",
+          publicEndpoint: "public.example.com:443",
+          useTls: true,
+        },
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(parsed.daemon?.relay?.useTls).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
+
 describe("PersistedConfigSchema agent provider runtime settings", () => {
   test("legacy append entries are skipped during migration", () => {
     const parsed = PersistedConfigSchema.parse({
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/persisted-config.ts b/packages/server/src/server/persisted-config.ts
index d825dfe8a..f8eb0fc9d 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/persisted-config.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/persisted-config.ts
@@ -258,6 +258,7 @@ export const PersistedConfigSchema = z
             enabled: z.boolean().optional(),
             endpoint: z.string().optional(),
             publicEndpoint: z.string().optional(),
+            useTls: z.boolean().optional(),
           })
           .strict()
           .optional(),
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/relay-transport.test.ts b/packages/server/src/server/relay-transport.test.ts
index 4d0985021..517781451 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/relay-transport.test.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/relay-transport.test.ts
@@ -133,6 +133,7 @@ describe("relay-transport control lifecycle", () => {
       logger: logger as unknown as pino.Logger,
       attachSocket: async () => {},
       relayEndpoint: "relay.paseo.sh:443",
+      relayUseTls: true,
       serverId: "srv_test",
     });
     controllers.push(controller);
@@ -155,6 +156,7 @@ describe("relay-transport control lifecycle", () => {
       logger: logger as unknown as pino.Logger,
       attachSocket: async () => {},
       relayEndpoint: "relay.paseo.sh:443",
+      relayUseTls: true,
       serverId: "srv_test",
     });
     controllers.push(controller);
@@ -177,6 +179,7 @@ describe("relay-transport control lifecycle", () => {
       logger: logger as unknown as pino.Logger,
       attachSocket: async () => {},
       relayEndpoint: "relay.paseo.sh:443",
+      relayUseTls: true,
       serverId: "srv_test",
     });
     controllers.push(controller);
@@ -198,6 +201,7 @@ describe("relay-transport control lifecycle", () => {
       logger: logger as unknown as pino.Logger,
       attachSocket,
       relayEndpoint: "relay.paseo.sh:443",
+      relayUseTls: true,
       serverId: "srv_test",
     });
     controllers.push(controller);
@@ -219,4 +223,24 @@ describe("relay-transport control lifecycle", () => {
       externalSessionKey: "session:clt_test",
     });
   });
+
+  test("uses relayUseTls for control and data socket URLs", () => {
+    const logger = createMockLogger();
+    const controller = startRelayTransport({
+      logger: logger as unknown as pino.Logger,
+      attachSocket: async () => {},
+      relayEndpoint: "[::1]:443",
+      relayUseTls: true,
+      serverId: "srv_test",
+    });
+    controllers.push(controller);
+
+    const control = MockWebSocket.instances[0];
+    control.open();
+    control.message(JSON.stringify({ type: "pong", ts: Date.now() }));
+    control.message(JSON.stringify({ type: "connected", connectionId: "clt_test" }));
+
+    expect(MockWebSocket.instances[0]?.url).toMatch(/^wss:\/\/\[::1\]\/ws\?/);
+    expect(MockWebSocket.instances[1]?.url).toMatch(/^wss:\/\/\[::1\]\/ws\?/);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/relay-transport.ts b/packages/server/src/server/relay-transport.ts
index f3251bab8..fe9cf198c 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/relay-transport.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/relay-transport.ts
@@ -8,16 +8,14 @@ import {
   type Transport as RelayTransport,
   type KeyPair,
 } from "@getpaseo/relay/e2ee";
-import {
-  buildRelayWebSocketUrl,
-  shouldUseTlsForDefaultHostedRelay,
-} from "../shared/daemon-endpoints.js";
+import { buildRelayWebSocketUrl } from "../shared/daemon-endpoints.js";
 import type { ExternalSocketMetadata } from "./websocket-server.js";
 
 interface RelayTransportOptions {
   logger: pino.Logger;
   attachSocket: (ws: RelaySocketLike, metadata?: ExternalSocketMetadata) => Promise<void>;
   relayEndpoint: string; // "host:port"
+  relayUseTls: boolean;
   serverId: string;
   daemonKeyPair?: KeyPair;
 }
@@ -105,6 +103,7 @@ export function startRelayTransport({
   logger,
   attachSocket,
   relayEndpoint,
+  relayUseTls,
   serverId,
   daemonKeyPair,
 }: RelayTransportOptions): RelayTransportController {
@@ -158,7 +157,7 @@ export function startRelayTransport({
     const connectionId = ++controlConnectionSeq;
     const url = buildRelayWebSocketUrl({
       endpoint: relayEndpoint,
-      useTls: shouldUseTlsForDefaultHostedRelay(relayEndpoint),
+      useTls: relayUseTls,
       serverId,
       role: "server",
     });
@@ -334,7 +333,7 @@ export function startRelayTransport({
 
     const url = buildRelayWebSocketUrl({
       endpoint: relayEndpoint,
-      useTls: shouldUseTlsForDefaultHostedRelay(relayEndpoint),
+      useTls: relayUseTls,
       serverId,
       role: "server",
       connectionId,
diff --git a/packages/server/src/shared/connection-offer.test.ts b/packages/server/src/shared/connection-offer.test.ts
index 0c9c7db83..562b4897b 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/shared/connection-offer.test.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/shared/connection-offer.test.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,39 @@ describe("connection offer", () => {
     expect(parseConnectionOfferFromUrl(`https://app.paseo.sh/#offer=${encoded}`)).toEqual(offer);
   });
 
+  it("defaults relay TLS to false when absent", () => {
+    expect(
+      ConnectionOfferSchema.parse({
+        v: 2,
+        serverId: "server-123",
+        daemonPublicKeyB64: "pubkey",
+        relay: { endpoint: "relay.example.com:80" },
+      }),
+    ).toEqual({
+      v: 2,
+      serverId: "server-123",
+      daemonPublicKeyB64: "pubkey",
+      relay: { endpoint: "relay.example.com:80", useTls: false },
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("round-trips relay TLS in offers without rejecting extra relay fields", () => {
+    const offer = ConnectionOfferSchema.parse({
+      v: 2,
+      serverId: "server-123",
+      daemonPublicKeyB64: "pubkey",
+      relay: { endpoint: "relay.example.com:443", useTls: true, extra: "future" },
+    });
+    const encoded = encodeBase64UrlNoPadUtf8(JSON.stringify(offer));
+
+    expect(parseConnectionOfferFromUrl(`https://app.paseo.sh/#offer=${encoded}`)).toEqual({
+      v: 2,
+      serverId: "server-123",
+      daemonPublicKeyB64: "pubkey",
+      relay: { endpoint: "relay.example.com:443", useTls: true },
+    });
+  });
+
   it("returns null when the URL has no offer fragment", () => {
     expect(parseConnectionOfferFromUrl("https://app.paseo.sh/pair")).toBeNull();
   });
diff --git a/packages/server/src/shared/connection-offer.ts b/packages/server/src/shared/connection-offer.ts
index 61c1aaf7e..6ba5e5159 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/shared/connection-offer.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/shared/connection-offer.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ export const ConnectionOfferV2Schema = z.object({
   daemonPublicKeyB64: z.string().min(1),
   relay: z.object({
     endpoint: z.string().min(1),
+    useTls: z.boolean().optional().default(false),
   }),
 });
 
diff --git a/packages/server/src/shared/daemon-endpoints.test.ts b/packages/server/src/shared/daemon-endpoints.test.ts
index 0a4a69540..34522ff49 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/shared/daemon-endpoints.test.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/shared/daemon-endpoints.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import {
   buildDaemonWebSocketUrl,
   buildRelayWebSocketUrl,
   CURRENT_RELAY_PROTOCOL_VERSION,
+  extractHostPortFromWebSocketUrl,
   normalizeRelayProtocolVersion,
   parseConnectionUri,
   serializeConnectionUri,
@@ -173,4 +174,17 @@ describe("relay websocket URLs", () => {
 
     expect(url.protocol).toBe("wss:");
   });
+
+  test("round-trips IPv6 relay endpoints with TLS enabled", () => {
+    const wsUrl = buildRelayWebSocketUrl({
+      endpoint: "[::1]:443",
+      useTls: true,
+      serverId: "srv_test",
+      role: "client",
+    });
+    const url = new URL(wsUrl);
+
+    expect(url.protocol).toBe("wss:");
+    expect(extractHostPortFromWebSocketUrl(wsUrl)).toBe("[::1]:443");
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/server/src/shared/daemon-endpoints.ts b/packages/server/src/shared/daemon-endpoints.ts
index 5a4040814..da98944a5 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/shared/daemon-endpoints.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/shared/daemon-endpoints.ts
@@ -198,6 +198,10 @@ export function buildRelayWebSocketUrl(params: {
   return url.toString();
 }
 
+/**
+ * @deprecated Migration fallback for stored relay connections/offers that predate
+ * explicit relay useTls. Delete after two release cycles.
+ */
 export function shouldUseTlsForDefaultHostedRelay(endpoint: string): boolean {
   try {
     return normalizeHostPort(endpoint) === DEFAULT_RELAY_ENDPOINT;