diff --git a/api/main.py b/api/main.py
index f1198fd..5cdc3a0 100644
--- a/api/main.py
+++ b/api/main.py
@@ -63,6 +63,12 @@ from storage.projections import (
     query_watch_states_snapshot,
 )
 
+import logging
+
+from research.multi_schema import open_research_db
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
 STATIC_DIR = Path(__file__).parent / "static"
 
 
@@ -250,6 +256,26 @@ class DashboardState:
         self.research_con = research_con
         self.watch_inject = watch_inject
         self._lock = threading.Lock()
+        self._research_lock = threading.Lock()
+
+    def _research(self):
+        """The research DB connection, opened LAZILY and self-healing. It used
+        to be opened once at boot; if the DB was unreachable then (container
+        started before Postgres, or a blip), it stayed None forever and every
+        chart/sparkline/backtest returned 'no research db attached' — which
+        read as broken TradingView charts when the real cause was an empty data
+        pipe. Now a None connection is (re)opened on demand; the facade itself
+        auto-reconnects a dropped-but-open one."""
+        if self.research_con is not None:
+            return self.research_con
+        with self._research_lock:
+            if self.research_con is None:
+                try:
+                    self.research_con = open_research_db("market")
+                except Exception as exc:  # noqa: BLE001 — degrade to None, retry next call
+                    logger.warning("research DB open failed (charts empty): %s", exc)
+                    self.research_con = None
+        return self.research_con
         # lazily-built, process-wide SSE change signal (shared by all clients)
         self._change_signal: _ChangeSignal | None = None
         # backtest replay cache (plan 015) — a DEDICATED lock, not self._lock,
@@ -355,22 +381,23 @@ class DashboardState:
         pipeline). If today has no bars yet (pre-market, weekend, or replay of
         an older session), falls back to the most recent session that does.
         """
-        if self.research_con is None:
+        con = self._research()
+        if con is None:
             return {"symbol": symbol, "bars": [], "reason": "no research db attached"}
         from research.query import query_minute_bars
 
         with self._lock:
             try:
                 session_date = _eastern_session_date()
-                df = query_minute_bars(self.research_con, symbol, session_date)
+                df = query_minute_bars(con, symbol, session_date)
                 if df is None or df.empty:
                     # fall back to the latest session with bars for this symbol
-                    row = self.research_con.execute(
+                    row = con.execute(
                         "SELECT MAX(session_date) FROM minute_bars WHERE symbol = ?",
                         [symbol],
                     ).fetchone()
                     if row and row[0] is not None:
-                        df = query_minute_bars(self.research_con, symbol, row[0])
+                        df = query_minute_bars(con, symbol, row[0])
             except Exception as exc:  # noqa: BLE001
                 return {"symbol": symbol, "bars": [], "reason": str(exc)}
         if df is None or df.empty:
@@ -403,7 +430,8 @@ class DashboardState:
         arbitrary past sessions the plain ``hours``-back-from-now window can
         never reach (it's capped at 72h).
         """
-        if self.research_con is None:
+        con = self._research()
+        if con is None:
             return {"symbol": symbol, "bars": [], "reason": "no research db attached"}
         from zoneinfo import ZoneInfo
 
@@ -421,7 +449,7 @@ class DashboardState:
 
         with self._lock:
             try:
-                rows = self.research_con.execute(
+                rows = con.execute(
                     "SELECT timestamp, open, high, low, close, volume "
                     "FROM minute_bars WHERE symbol = ? AND timestamp >= ? "
                     "ORDER BY timestamp",
diff --git a/tests/unit/api/test_research_con_selfheal.py b/tests/unit/api/test_research_con_selfheal.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aa7accd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/api/test_research_con_selfheal.py
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+"""DashboardState research-DB connection must self-heal (2026-07-20).
+
+The dashboard opened its research connection ONCE at boot; if the DB was
+unreachable then (container started before Postgres, or a blip), it stayed
+None forever and every chart/sparkline/backtest returned 'no research db
+attached' — which read as 'the TradingView charts are broken' when the real
+cause was an empty data pipe. _research() reopens lazily on demand."""
+
+import api.main as m
+
+
+def test_research_con_reopens_when_none(monkeypatch):
+    opened = {"n": 0}
+
+    class FakeCon:
+        def execute(self, *a, **k):
+            class R:
+                def fetchall(self_):  # noqa: N805
+                    return []
+                def df(self_):  # noqa: N805
+                    import pandas as pd
+                    return pd.DataFrame()
+            return R()
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(m, "open_research_db", lambda name: (opened.__setitem__("n", opened["n"] + 1) or FakeCon()))
+    st = m.DashboardState("momentum", research_con=None)   # boot-time open FAILED -> None
+    c1 = st._research()
+    assert c1 is not None and opened["n"] == 1              # lazily opened
+    c2 = st._research()
+    assert c2 is c1 and opened["n"] == 1                    # cached, not reopened each call
+
+
+def test_research_none_when_open_keeps_failing(monkeypatch):
+    def boom(name):
+        raise RuntimeError("db down")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(m, "open_research_db", boom)
+    st = m.DashboardState("momentum", research_con=None)
+    assert st._research() is None                            # degrades cleanly, no raise
+    # and bars() still returns the graceful shape, not an exception
+    out = st.bars("AAPL")
+    assert out["bars"] == [] and "reason" in out