diff --git a/apps/backend/package.json b/apps/backend/package.json
index 1e34c59..8772c05 100644
--- a/apps/backend/package.json
+++ b/apps/backend/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@logarr/backend",
-  "version": "0.6.0",
+  "version": "0.6.1",
   "private": true,
   "description": "Logarr NestJS backend API",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/apps/backend/src/config/env.ts b/apps/backend/src/config/env.ts
index f3d4152..8f9f91f 100644
--- a/apps/backend/src/config/env.ts
+++ b/apps/backend/src/config/env.ts
@@ -27,7 +27,14 @@ let validatedEnv: Env | null = null;
 export function validateEnv(): Env {
   if (validatedEnv) return validatedEnv;
 
-  const result = envSchema.safeParse(process.env);
+  // Convert empty strings to undefined for optional fields
+  // This allows commented-out env vars to work properly
+  const sanitizedEnv: Record<string, string | undefined> = {};
+  for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(process.env)) {
+    sanitizedEnv[key] = value === '' ? undefined : value;
+  }
+
+  const result = envSchema.safeParse(sanitizedEnv);
 
   if (!result.success) {
     console.error('\n❌ Invalid environment configuration:\n');
diff --git a/apps/frontend/package.json b/apps/frontend/package.json
index f945db1..fa9c078 100644
--- a/apps/frontend/package.json
+++ b/apps/frontend/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "frontend",
-  "version": "0.6.0",
+  "version": "0.6.1",
   "private": true,
   "scripts": {
     "dev": "next dev --turbopack",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 69d3b42..4ece508 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "logarr",
-  "version": "0.6.0",
+  "version": "0.6.1",
   "private": true,
   "description": "Unified logging for your media stack",
   "scripts": {