diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b9c24e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+# Tinker Tickets Environment Configuration
+# Copy this file to .env and fill in your values
+
+# Database Configuration
+DB_HOST=10.10.10.50
+DB_USER=tinkertickets
+DB_PASS=your_password_here
+DB_NAME=ticketing_system
+
+# Discord Webhook (optional - for notifications)
+DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL=
+
+# Timezone (default: America/New_York)
+TIMEZONE=America/New_York
diff --git a/assets/css/dashboard.css b/assets/css/dashboard.css
index bb8f2f9..0394dbb 100644
--- a/assets/css/dashboard.css
+++ b/assets/css/dashboard.css
@@ -1692,74 +1692,81 @@ input[type="checkbox"]:checked {
 }
 
 /* Collapsible Sidebar */
-.dashboard-layout {
-    position: relative;
-}
-
-.sidebar-toggle {
-    position: absolute;
-    left: 250px;
-    top: 1rem;
-    width: 24px;
-    height: 48px;
-    background: var(--bg-secondary);
-    border: 2px solid var(--terminal-green);
-    color: var(--terminal-green);
-    cursor: pointer;
-    z-index: 100;
-    display: flex;
-    align-items: center;
-    justify-content: center;
-    transition: left 0.3s ease, background 0.2s ease;
-    padding: 0;
-    border-radius: 0 4px 4px 0;
-}
-
-.sidebar-toggle:hover {
-    background: rgba(0, 255, 65, 0.2);
-    color: var(--terminal-amber);
-    border-color: var(--terminal-amber);
-}
-
-.toggle-arrow {
-    transition: transform 0.3s ease;
-    font-size: 0.9rem;
-}
-
 .dashboard-sidebar {
     position: relative;
-    transition: width 0.3s ease, opacity 0.3s ease;
+    transition: width 0.3s ease, min-width 0.3s ease;
     overflow: hidden;
 }
 
 .sidebar-content {
-    transition: opacity 0.3s ease;
+    transition: opacity 0.2s ease;
     width: 250px;
 }
 
+/* Collapse button inside sidebar */
+.sidebar-collapse-btn {
+    display: block;
+    width: 100%;
+    padding: 0.5rem 1rem;
+    background: var(--bg-secondary);
+    border: none;
+    border-bottom: 2px solid var(--terminal-green);
+    color: var(--terminal-green);
+    font-family: var(--font-mono);
+    font-size: 0.85rem;
+    cursor: pointer;
+    text-align: left;
+    transition: background 0.2s ease;
+}
+
+.sidebar-collapse-btn:hover {
+    background: rgba(0, 255, 65, 0.15);
+    color: var(--terminal-amber);
+}
+
+/* Expand button shown when collapsed */
+.sidebar-expand-btn {
+    display: none;
+    padding: 0.5rem 1rem;
+    background: var(--bg-secondary);
+    border: 2px solid var(--terminal-green);
+    color: var(--terminal-green);
+    font-family: var(--font-mono);
+    font-size: 0.85rem;
+    cursor: pointer;
+    white-space: nowrap;
+    transition: background 0.2s ease;
+    margin-right: 1rem;
+    flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+
+.sidebar-expand-btn:hover {
+    background: rgba(0, 255, 65, 0.15);
+    color: var(--terminal-amber);
+    border-color: var(--terminal-amber);
+}
+
 /* Collapsed state */
 .dashboard-sidebar.collapsed {
     width: 0;
     min-width: 0;
 }
 
-.dashboard-sidebar.collapsed .sidebar-content {
+.dashboard-sidebar.collapsed .sidebar-content,
+.dashboard-sidebar.collapsed .sidebar-collapse-btn {
     opacity: 0;
     pointer-events: none;
 }
 
-.dashboard-layout.sidebar-collapsed .sidebar-toggle {
-    left: 0;
+.dashboard-layout.sidebar-collapsed .sidebar-expand-btn {
+    display: block;
 }
 
-.dashboard-layout.sidebar-collapsed .toggle-arrow {
-    transform: rotate(180deg);
-}
-
-/* Hide toggle on mobile */
+/* Hide collapse controls on mobile */
 @media (max-width: 768px) {
-    .sidebar-toggle {
-        display: none;
+    .sidebar-collapse-btn,
+    .sidebar-expand-btn {
+        display: none !important;
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/config/config.php b/config/config.php
index 606a7e4..36873d5 100644
--- a/config/config.php
+++ b/config/config.php
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 <?php
 // Load environment variables
 $envFile = __DIR__ . '/../.env';
+if (!file_exists($envFile)) {
+    die('Configuration error: .env file not found. Copy .env.example to .env and configure your database settings.');
+}
 $envVars = parse_ini_file($envFile, false, INI_SCANNER_TYPED);
 
 // Strip quotes from values if present (parse_ini_file may include them)
diff --git a/middleware/AuthMiddleware.php b/middleware/AuthMiddleware.php
index 0c77c4c..8c6334b 100644
--- a/middleware/AuthMiddleware.php
+++ b/middleware/AuthMiddleware.php
@@ -25,8 +25,10 @@ class AuthMiddleware {
             // Configure secure session settings
             ini_set('session.cookie_httponly', 1);
             ini_set('session.cookie_secure', 1); // Requires HTTPS
-            ini_set('session.cookie_samesite', 'Strict');
+            ini_set('session.cookie_samesite', 'Lax'); // Lax allows redirects from Authelia
             ini_set('session.use_strict_mode', 1);
+            ini_set('session.gc_maxlifetime', 18000); // 5 hours
+            ini_set('session.cookie_lifetime', 0); // Until browser closes
 
             session_start();
         }
diff --git a/scripts/create_dependencies_table.php b/scripts/create_dependencies_table.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f5c3174
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/create_dependencies_table.php
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Create ticket_dependencies table if it doesn't exist
+ * Run once: php scripts/create_dependencies_table.php
+ */
+
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/config/config.php';
+
+$conn = new mysqli(
+    $GLOBALS['config']['DB_HOST'],
+    $GLOBALS['config']['DB_USER'],
+    $GLOBALS['config']['DB_PASS'],
+    $GLOBALS['config']['DB_NAME']
+);
+
+if ($conn->connect_error) {
+    die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error . "\n");
+}
+
+echo "Connected to database successfully.\n";
+
+// Check if table exists
+$tableCheck = $conn->query("SHOW TABLES LIKE 'ticket_dependencies'");
+if ($tableCheck->num_rows > 0) {
+    echo "Table 'ticket_dependencies' already exists.\n";
+    $conn->close();
+    exit(0);
+}
+
+// Create the table
+$sql = "CREATE TABLE ticket_dependencies (
+    dependency_id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
+    ticket_id VARCHAR(9) NOT NULL,
+    depends_on_id VARCHAR(9) NOT NULL,
+    dependency_type ENUM('blocks', 'blocked_by', 'relates_to', 'duplicates') NOT NULL DEFAULT 'blocks',
+    created_by INT NULL,
+    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+    FOREIGN KEY (ticket_id) REFERENCES tickets(ticket_id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+    FOREIGN KEY (depends_on_id) REFERENCES tickets(ticket_id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+    FOREIGN KEY (created_by) REFERENCES users(user_id) ON DELETE SET NULL,
+    UNIQUE KEY unique_dependency (ticket_id, depends_on_id, dependency_type),
+    INDEX idx_ticket_id (ticket_id),
+    INDEX idx_depends_on_id (depends_on_id),
+    INDEX idx_dependency_type (dependency_type)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci";
+
+if ($conn->query($sql) === TRUE) {
+    echo "Table 'ticket_dependencies' created successfully.\n";
+} else {
+    echo "Error creating table: " . $conn->error . "\n";
+}
+
+$conn->close();
diff --git a/views/DashboardView.php b/views/DashboardView.php
index c890f2a..78a4cf0 100644
--- a/views/DashboardView.php
+++ b/views/DashboardView.php
@@ -125,12 +125,9 @@
 
     <!-- Dashboard Layout with Sidebar -->
     <div class="dashboard-layout" id="dashboardLayout">
-        <!-- Sidebar Toggle Button (outside sidebar for always-visible) -->
-        <button class="sidebar-toggle" id="sidebarToggle" onclick="toggleSidebar()" title="Toggle Sidebar">
-            <span class="toggle-arrow" id="toggleArrow">◀</span>
-        </button>
         <!-- Left Sidebar with Filters -->
         <aside class="dashboard-sidebar" id="dashboardSidebar">
+            <button class="sidebar-collapse-btn" onclick="toggleSidebar()" title="Collapse Sidebar">◀ Hide</button>
             <div class="sidebar-content">
             <div class="ascii-frame-inner">
                 <div class="ascii-subsection-header">Filters</div>
@@ -192,6 +189,8 @@
             </div>
             </div>
         </aside>
+        <!-- Expand button shown when sidebar is collapsed -->
+        <button class="sidebar-expand-btn" id="sidebarExpandBtn" onclick="toggleSidebar()" title="Show Filters">▶ Filters</button>
 
         <!-- Main Content Area -->
         <main class="dashboard-main">