diff --git a/ingestor/adapters/grpc_server.py b/ingestor/adapters/grpc_server.py
index 05cf6e8..a9fee06 100644
--- a/ingestor/adapters/grpc_server.py
+++ b/ingestor/adapters/grpc_server.py
@@ -17,7 +17,9 @@ class ReadTagServicer(opc_gateway_pb2_grpc.OpcGatewayServicer):
         self.active_read = active_read
         self.logger = logger
         # ponytail: slot_lookup wiring (address -> names from the current slot)
-        # lands in Task 18 (app wiring); optional callable keeps this servicer usable now.
+        # lands at the SIENTIAPDE-1974 integration -- `names` only exist in slot v2,
+        # which the Orchestrator produces after 1974. Until then ReadTag never
+        # persists (persisted=False); optional callable keeps this servicer usable now.
         self.slot_lookup = slot_lookup
 
     async def ReadTag(self, request, context):
diff --git a/ingestor/app.py b/ingestor/app.py
index 720d300..bf96140 100644
--- a/ingestor/app.py
+++ b/ingestor/app.py
@@ -52,18 +52,27 @@ async def main():  # NOSONAR
 
     # Gateway write/active-read/gRPC wiring (Task 18). Only built if prepare_ingestor
     # got far enough to have a data_manager (needed by CertProvider/DataSink) --
-    # skipped entirely if prepare failed before that point.
+    # skipped entirely if prepare failed before that point. Construction can hit
+    # the network (MinIO bucket check, Postgres engine): a failure there must not
+    # kill the read path, so the app continues without the gateway runtime.
     runtime: GatewayRuntime | None = None
     if ingestor.ingestor_manager is not None:
-        runtime = GatewayRuntime(
-            config=GatewayConfig.from_env(),
-            data_manager=ingestor.ingestor_manager.data_manager,
-            logger=ingestor.logger,
-            notification_handler=ingestor.notification_handler,
-            metrics_controller=ingestor.metrics_controller,
-            metadata=ingestor.metadata,
-        )
-        await runtime.start()
+        try:
+            runtime = GatewayRuntime(
+                config=GatewayConfig.from_env(),
+                data_manager=ingestor.ingestor_manager.data_manager,
+                logger=ingestor.logger,
+                notification_handler=ingestor.notification_handler,
+                metrics_controller=ingestor.metrics_controller,
+                metadata=ingestor.metadata,
+            )
+            await runtime.start()
+        except Exception as e:
+            runtime = None
+            metrics.APP_ERRORS_TOTAL.labels(pod_id=POD_ID).inc()
+            ingestor.logger.error(
+                f'GatewayRuntime failed to initialize, continuing without gateway: {e}'
+            )
 
     while not exit_signal.is_set():  # NOSONAR
         start_time = time()  # Start loop timer
diff --git a/ingestor/gateway_runtime.py b/ingestor/gateway_runtime.py
index 22e14ec..16fe85f 100644
--- a/ingestor/gateway_runtime.py
+++ b/ingestor/gateway_runtime.py
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ class GatewayRuntime(SientiaMonitoring):
         self.config = config
         self.metadata = metadata or {}
         self._nats_started = False
+        self._nats_notified = False  # notify once per outage, not per 5s retry
 
         minio = MinioRepository(
             endpoint=getenv('MINIO_ENDPOINT', 'localhost:9000'),
@@ -138,8 +139,12 @@ class GatewayRuntime(SientiaMonitoring):
         try:
             await self.nats_consumer.start()
             self._nats_started = True
+            self._nats_notified = False
         except Exception as e:
             self.logger.error(f'GatewayRuntime: failed to start NATS write consumer: {e}')
+            if self._nats_notified:
+                return
+            self._nats_notified = True
             await self.send_notification_async(
                 metadata=self.metadata,
                 notification_id='GATEWAY_NATS_CONSUMER_START_FAILED',
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_app.py b/tests/unit/test_app.py
index 21454a9..ab038a3 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_app.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_app.py
@@ -346,3 +346,34 @@ async def test_main_prepare_ingestor_failure(mock_app_env, capsys):
     mock_ingestor_instance.logger.error.assert_called_once_with(
         'Failed to prepare ingestor: Preparation failed'
     )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_main_gateway_runtime_init_failure_keeps_read_path_alive(mock_app_env):
+    """GatewayRuntime construction hitting the network (MinIO/Postgres) and failing
+    must not kill the app: the main loop (read path) still runs and shuts down cleanly."""
+    mock_ingestor_instance = mock_app_env['Ingestor'].return_value
+    mock_exit_signal = mock_app_env['mock_exit_signal']
+
+    mock_app_env['GatewayRuntime'].side_effect = Exception('MinIO unreachable')
+    mock_exit_signal.is_set.side_effect = [False, True]
+    mock_app_env['time_time'].side_effect = [10.0, 11.0]
+
+    with pytest.raises(OsExitCalledError) as excinfo:
+        await app.main()
+    assert excinfo.value.code == 0
+
+    # Loop still ran and shutdown was clean, without any runtime calls
+    mock_ingestor_instance.loop.assert_called_once()
+    mock_ingestor_instance.shutdown.assert_called_once()
+    mock_runtime_instance = mock_app_env['GatewayRuntime'].return_value
+    mock_runtime_instance.idle_sweep.assert_not_called()
+    mock_runtime_instance.stop.assert_not_called()
+
+    # Failure was logged and counted, but did not set exit_signal
+    assert any(
+        'GatewayRuntime failed to initialize' in str(c)
+        for c in mock_ingestor_instance.logger.error.call_args_list
+    )
+    mock_app_env['metrics_APP_ERRORS_TOTAL_labels_inc'].assert_called_once()
+    mock_exit_signal.set.assert_not_called()
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_gateway_runtime.py b/tests/unit/test_gateway_runtime.py
index f4ad64b..1a29050 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_gateway_runtime.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_gateway_runtime.py
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ async def test_nats_start_failure_does_not_raise_and_idle_sweep_retries(mocks):
     runtime = make_runtime()
     runtime.send_notification_async = AsyncMock()
     nats_mock = mocks['NatsWriteConsumer'].return_value
-    nats_mock.start = AsyncMock(side_effect=[Exception('boom'), None])
+    nats_mock.start = AsyncMock(side_effect=[Exception('boom'), Exception('boom'), None])
 
     await runtime.start()  # must not raise
 
@@ -114,10 +114,17 @@ async def test_nats_start_failure_does_not_raise_and_idle_sweep_retries(mocks):
     runtime.logger.error.assert_called_once()
     runtime.send_notification_async.assert_awaited_once()
 
+    await runtime.idle_sweep()  # second failure: retry connects, but no re-notify
+
+    assert runtime._nats_started is False
+    runtime.send_notification_async.assert_awaited_once()  # still just one notification
+
     await runtime.idle_sweep()
 
     assert runtime._nats_started is True
-    assert nats_mock.start.await_count == 2
+    assert nats_mock.start.await_count == 3
+    # flag reset on success: a future outage notifies again
+    assert runtime._nats_notified is False
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio