diff --git a/packages/app/src/app/app.tsx b/packages/app/src/app/app.tsx
index 214f68c4..4b3af371 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/app/app.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/app/app.tsx
@@ -3198,6 +3198,21 @@ export default function App() {
     }
   };
 
+  const restartLocalServer = async () => {
+    const activeWorkspace = workspaceStore.activeWorkspaceDisplay();
+    const activeLocalPath =
+      activeWorkspace.workspaceType === "local" ? workspaceStore.activeWorkspacePath().trim() : "";
+    const runningProjectDir = workspaceStore.engine()?.projectDir?.trim() ?? "";
+    const workspacePath = activeLocalPath || runningProjectDir;
+
+    if (!workspacePath) {
+      setError("Pick a local worker folder before restarting the local server.");
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    return workspaceStore.startHost({ workspacePath, navigate: false });
+  };
+
   const openWorkspaceConnectionSettings = (workspaceId: string) => {
     const workspace = workspaceStore.workspaces().find((item) => item.id === workspaceId) ?? null;
     if (workspace?.workspaceType === "remote" && workspace.remoteType === "openwork") {
@@ -5621,6 +5636,7 @@ export default function App() {
       toggleDeveloperMode: () => setDeveloperMode((v) => !v),
       developerMode: developerMode(),
       stopHost,
+      restartLocalServer,
       openResetModal,
       resetModalBusy: resetModalBusy(),
       onResetStartupPreference: () => {
diff --git a/packages/app/src/app/context/workspace.ts b/packages/app/src/app/context/workspace.ts
index e0119de0..1c3aef34 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/app/context/workspace.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/app/context/workspace.ts
@@ -2380,12 +2380,13 @@ export function createWorkspaceStore(options: {
       return false;
     }
 
-    if (activeWorkspaceInfo()?.workspaceType === "remote") {
+    const overrideWorkspacePath = optionsOverride?.workspacePath?.trim() ?? "";
+    if (activeWorkspaceInfo()?.workspaceType === "remote" && !overrideWorkspacePath) {
       options.setError(t("app.error.host_requires_local", currentLocale()));
       return false;
     }
 
-    const dir = (optionsOverride?.workspacePath ?? activeWorkspacePath() ?? projectDir()).trim();
+    const dir = (overrideWorkspacePath || activeWorkspacePath() || projectDir()).trim();
     if (!dir) {
       options.setError(t("app.error.pick_workspace_folder", currentLocale()));
       return false;
diff --git a/packages/app/src/app/pages/dashboard.tsx b/packages/app/src/app/pages/dashboard.tsx
index 47ba55f7..b7f931df 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/app/pages/dashboard.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/app/pages/dashboard.tsx
@@ -267,6 +267,7 @@ export type DashboardViewProps = {
   toggleDeveloperMode: () => void;
   developerMode: boolean;
   stopHost: () => void;
+  restartLocalServer: () => Promise<boolean>;
   openResetModal: (mode: "onboarding" | "all") => void;
   resetModalBusy: boolean;
   onResetStartupPreference: () => void;
@@ -1716,6 +1717,7 @@ export default function DashboardView(props: DashboardViewProps) {
                   developerMode={props.developerMode}
                   toggleDeveloperMode={props.toggleDeveloperMode}
                   stopHost={props.stopHost}
+                  restartLocalServer={props.restartLocalServer}
                   engineSource={props.engineSource}
                   setEngineSource={props.setEngineSource}
                   engineCustomBinPath={props.engineCustomBinPath}
diff --git a/packages/app/src/app/pages/settings.tsx b/packages/app/src/app/pages/settings.tsx
index a7af645a..51e9d50a 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/app/pages/settings.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/app/pages/settings.tsx
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ export type SettingsViewProps = {
   developerMode: boolean;
   toggleDeveloperMode: () => void;
   stopHost: () => void;
+  restartLocalServer: () => Promise<boolean>;
   engineSource: "path" | "sidecar" | "custom";
   setEngineSource: (value: "path" | "sidecar" | "custom") => void;
   engineCustomBinPath: string;
@@ -319,6 +320,9 @@ export default function SettingsView(props: SettingsViewProps) {
   const [providerConnectError, setProviderConnectError] = createSignal<string | null>(null);
   const [openworkReconnectStatus, setOpenworkReconnectStatus] = createSignal<string | null>(null);
   const [openworkReconnectError, setOpenworkReconnectError] = createSignal<string | null>(null);
+  const [openworkRestartBusy, setOpenworkRestartBusy] = createSignal(false);
+  const [openworkRestartStatus, setOpenworkRestartStatus] = createSignal<string | null>(null);
+  const [openworkRestartError, setOpenworkRestartError] = createSignal<string | null>(null);
   const providerConnectedCount = createMemo(() => (props.providerConnectedIds ?? []).length);
   const providerAvailableCount = createMemo(() => (props.providers ?? []).length);
   const connectedProviderNames = createMemo(() => {
@@ -383,6 +387,26 @@ export default function SettingsView(props: SettingsViewProps) {
     }
   };
 
+  const handleRestartLocalServer = async () => {
+    if (props.busy || openworkRestartBusy()) return;
+    setOpenworkRestartStatus(null);
+    setOpenworkRestartError(null);
+    setOpenworkRestartBusy(true);
+    try {
+      const ok = await props.restartLocalServer();
+      if (!ok) {
+        setOpenworkRestartError("Restart failed. Check logs and try again.");
+        return;
+      }
+      setOpenworkRestartStatus("Restarted local server.");
+    } catch (error) {
+      const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
+      setOpenworkRestartError(message || "Failed to restart local server.");
+    } finally {
+      setOpenworkRestartBusy(false);
+    }
+  };
+
   const openworkStatusLabel = createMemo(() => {
     switch (props.openworkServerStatus) {
       case "connected":
@@ -886,6 +910,17 @@ export default function SettingsView(props: SettingsViewProps) {
                   <RefreshCcw size={14} class={`text-dls-secondary ${props.openworkReconnectBusy ? "animate-spin" : ""}`} />
                   {props.openworkReconnectBusy ? "Reconnecting..." : "Reconnect server"}
                 </button>
+                <Show when={isLocalEngineRunning()}>
+                  <button
+                    type="button"
+                    class={compactOutlineActionClass}
+                    onClick={handleRestartLocalServer}
+                    disabled={props.busy || openworkRestartBusy()}
+                  >
+                    <RefreshCcw size={14} class={`text-dls-secondary ${openworkRestartBusy() ? "animate-spin" : ""}`} />
+                    {openworkRestartBusy() ? "Restarting..." : "Restart local server"}
+                  </button>
+                </Show>
                 <Show when={isLocalEngineRunning()}>
                   <button
                     type="button"
@@ -914,6 +949,12 @@ export default function SettingsView(props: SettingsViewProps) {
               <Show when={openworkReconnectError()}>
                 {(value) => <div class="text-xs text-red-11">{value()}</div>}
               </Show>
+              <Show when={openworkRestartStatus()}>
+                {(value) => <div class="text-xs text-gray-10">{value()}</div>}
+              </Show>
+              <Show when={openworkRestartError()}>
+                {(value) => <div class="text-xs text-red-11">{value()}</div>}
+              </Show>
             </div>
 
             <div class="bg-gray-2/30 border border-gray-7/60 rounded-2xl p-5 space-y-4">
diff --git a/pr/restart-local-server/chrome-mcp-smoke.png b/pr/restart-local-server/chrome-mcp-smoke.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..aeca0fea
Binary files /dev/null and b/pr/restart-local-server/chrome-mcp-smoke.png differ
diff --git a/pr/restart-local-server/testing.md b/pr/restart-local-server/testing.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e1b66cfa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pr/restart-local-server/testing.md
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+## Validation
+
+- `pnpm --filter @different-ai/openwork-ui typecheck` (pass)
+- `pnpm --filter @different-ai/openwork-ui build` (pass)
+- `pnpm --filter @different-ai/openwork-ui test:health` (fails in this environment: `Timed out waiting for /global/health: Unauthorized`)
+
+## End-to-end gate
+
+- Started Docker stack with `packaging/docker/dev-up.sh`
+- Verified live UI flow via Chrome MCP at `http://localhost:52357/session`
+- Sent prompt: `smoke: hello from chrome mcp`
+- Confirmed assistant response: `Hello! How can I help you today?`
+- Screenshot: `pr/restart-local-server/chrome-mcp-smoke.png`
+
+## Feature-specific note
+
+- This change adds a desktop local-host restart action in Settings.
+- The Docker/Web flow verifies app-server integration health; the restart action itself is desktop-only (Tauri runtime).