diff --git a/Configurations/master.conf b/Configurations/master.conf
index f78ae30..2ace255 100644
--- a/Configurations/master.conf
+++ b/Configurations/master.conf
@@ -296,6 +296,7 @@
     ARRAY_START_SCRIPTS=(
         "Plugin/unraid/System_Essentials/unraid_api_key_renew.sh"   # re-register Varaverk API key — registry is ephemeral
         "System_Essentials/conf_sync.sh"              # pull partner confs + push own conf into /tmp/.vv/ RAM cache
+        "System_Essentials/conf_cache_restore.sh"     # load partner confs from persistent backup if conf_sync couldn't reach partner
         "Transcodes/ramdisk_setup.sh"                 # creates ramdisk + symlink before Emby starts
         "System_Essentials/docker_syslog_filter.sh"   # suppress veth noise before logs fill
         "Plugin/unraid/System_Essentials/php_fpm_max_children.sh"   # WebGUI performance tuning
@@ -311,6 +312,7 @@
 # Run sequentially (foreground) — each must complete before the next starts.
 # Order matters: user scripts first (prevents new ops), then data movement, then containers.
     ARRAY_STOP_SCRIPTS=(
+        "System_Essentials/conf_cache_save.sh"          # snapshot partner conf RAM cache → /boot before anything stops
         "Plugin/unraid/System_Essentials/user_scripts_stop.sh"        # stop background scripts before they start new ops
         "Fallback/fallback.sh --stop"                   # gracefully stop fallback (not caught by user_scripts_stop)
         "System_Essentials/rsync_stop.sh --rsync-only"  # kill rsync; skip container recovery (handled below)
diff --git a/Deployment/master.conf.template b/Deployment/master.conf.template
index d6fbd7c..d7176d0 100644
--- a/Deployment/master.conf.template
+++ b/Deployment/master.conf.template
@@ -292,6 +292,8 @@
 # Watchdogs (resource_watchdog, docker_watchdog, system_watchdog) are cronned via
 # watchdog_orchestrator.sh — NOT launched here.
     ARRAY_START_SCRIPTS=(
+        "System_Essentials/conf_sync.sh"              # pull partner confs + push own conf into /tmp/.vv/ RAM cache
+        "System_Essentials/conf_cache_restore.sh"     # load partner confs from persistent backup if conf_sync couldn't reach partner
         "Transcodes/ramdisk_setup.sh"                 # creates ramdisk + symlink before Emby starts
         "unRAID_Essentials/docker_syslog_filter.sh"   # suppress veth noise before logs fill
         "unRAID_Essentials/php_fpm_max_children.sh"   # WebGUI performance tuning
@@ -306,6 +308,7 @@
 # Run sequentially (foreground) — each must complete before the next starts.
 # Order matters: user scripts first (prevents new ops), then data movement, then containers.
     ARRAY_STOP_SCRIPTS=(
+        "System_Essentials/conf_cache_save.sh"          # snapshot partner conf RAM cache → /boot before anything stops
         "unRAID_Essentials/user_scripts_stop.sh"        # stop background scripts before they start new ops
         "Fallback/fallback.sh --stop"                   # gracefully stop fallback (not caught by user_scripts_stop)
         "unRAID_Essentials/rsync_stop.sh --rsync-only"  # kill rsync; skip container recovery (handled below)
diff --git a/System_Essentials/conf_cache_restore.sh b/System_Essentials/conf_cache_restore.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..f89e4fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/System_Essentials/conf_cache_restore.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# ==============================================================================================
+# ============================= Conf Cache Restore =============================================
+# ==============================================================================================
+#
+# PURPOSE
+# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Runs at array start after conf_sync.sh. Checks whether partner confs made it
+# into the RAM cache. If any are missing (partner was unreachable at boot) and
+# a persistent backup exists from the previous shutdown, loads the missing confs
+# from backup into the RAM cache so scripts like fallback.sh have partner vars.
+#
+# Always removes the persistent backup when done — used or not.
+#
+# Normal reboot (partner up):
+#   conf_sync.sh pulls fresh → RAM cache complete → backup not needed → removed
+#
+# Edge case (partner down at boot):
+#   conf_sync.sh fails to pull → RAM cache missing partner → backup loaded into
+#   RAM → backup removed → fallback.sh runs with last-known-good partner vars
+#
+# Own conf is never in the backup — it's always on disk.
+# ==============================================================================================
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+source "$SCRIPT_DIR/../load_config.sh"
+
+parse_args "$@"
+detect_hosts
+
+RAM_CACHE="/tmp/.vv/config/cached/.confs"
+SAVE_DIR="/boot/config/varaverk/conf_bak"
+
+[[ "$DRY_RUN" == true ]] && warn "DRY RUN — no changes will be made"
+
+if [[ ! -d "$SAVE_DIR" ]]; then
+    log "No persistent conf backup found — nothing to restore"
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+restored=0
+for conf in "$SAVE_DIR"/host*.conf; do
+    [[ -f "$conf" ]] || continue
+    base="$(basename "$conf")"
+    [[ "${base,,}" == "${MY_ID,,}.conf" ]] && continue
+
+    if [[ -f "$RAM_CACHE/$base" ]]; then
+        log "$base already in RAM cache (conf_sync succeeded) — skipping"
+        continue
+    fi
+
+    if [[ "$DRY_RUN" == true ]]; then
+        warn "DRY RUN — would restore $base → RAM cache"
+        (( restored++ ))
+        continue
+    fi
+
+    mkdir -p "$RAM_CACHE"
+    if cp "$conf" "$RAM_CACHE/$base"; then
+        echo "Restored $base from persistent backup → RAM cache ✅"
+        (( restored++ ))
+    else
+        warn "Failed to restore $base"
+    fi
+done
+
+[[ "$restored" -gt 0 ]] && \
+    warn "Loaded $restored partner conf(s) from persistent backup — partner was unreachable at array start"
+
+if [[ "$DRY_RUN" == false ]]; then
+    rm -rf "$SAVE_DIR"
+    log "Persistent conf backup cleared"
+else
+    warn "DRY RUN — would remove $SAVE_DIR"
+fi
+
+exit 0
diff --git a/System_Essentials/conf_cache_save.sh b/System_Essentials/conf_cache_save.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..f5c9fdd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/System_Essentials/conf_cache_save.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# ==============================================================================================
+# ============================= Conf Cache Save ================================================
+# ==============================================================================================
+#
+# PURPOSE
+# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Snapshots the partner conf RAM cache to /boot/config/varaverk/conf_bak/ on
+# array stop. Survives reboot. Used by conf_cache_restore.sh at next array start
+# to reload partner vars into RAM when the partner is unreachable at boot time.
+#
+# Runs as the first step in ARRAY_STOP_SCRIPTS — while the RAM cache is fresh
+# and before anything else changes. If partner is reachable at next start,
+# conf_sync.sh gets a fresh copy and the backup is never used. If partner is
+# down, the backup fills the gap so fallback.sh has the vars it needs.
+#
+# Only partner confs are saved — own conf is always on disk.
+# Location is outside the git repo and outside the main plugin folder.
+# ==============================================================================================
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+source "$SCRIPT_DIR/../load_config.sh"
+
+parse_args "$@"
+detect_hosts
+
+RAM_CACHE="/tmp/.vv/config/cached/.confs"
+SAVE_DIR="/boot/config/varaverk/conf_bak"
+
+[[ "$DRY_RUN" == true ]] && warn "DRY RUN — no files will be written"
+
+if [[ ! -d "$RAM_CACHE" ]]; then
+    log "No RAM conf cache found — nothing to save"
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+saved=0
+for conf in "$RAM_CACHE"/host*.conf; do
+    [[ -f "$conf" ]] || continue
+    base="$(basename "$conf")"
+    [[ "${base,,}" == "${MY_ID,,}.conf" ]] && continue
+
+    if [[ "$DRY_RUN" == true ]]; then
+        warn "DRY RUN — would save $base → $SAVE_DIR/"
+        (( saved++ ))
+        continue
+    fi
+
+    mkdir -p "$SAVE_DIR"
+    if cp "$conf" "$SAVE_DIR/$base"; then
+        echo "Saved $base → $SAVE_DIR ✅"
+        (( saved++ ))
+    else
+        warn "Failed to save $base"
+    fi
+done
+
+if [[ "$saved" -eq 0 ]]; then
+    log "No partner confs in RAM cache — nothing saved"
+else
+    echo "Conf cache saved: $saved partner conf(s) → $SAVE_DIR"
+fi