diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 0ae165b..1b247d9 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 # Port the server listens on (client must connect to this)
 PORT=5055
-ADMIN_PORT=5056
 
 # Logging: error, warn, info, verbose, debug, silly
 LOG_LEVEL=info
@@ -13,7 +12,3 @@ RECNET_VERIFY_URL=
 
 # SQLite DB file
 SQLITE_FILE=./helium.db
-
-# Admin basic auth (optional)
-ADMIN_USER=admin
-ADMIN_PASS=changeme
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 511ab74..2d611fa 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -7,28 +7,24 @@ What I added in this commit:
 - Protocol stub (src/protocol.js) — where Rec Room / Photon packet parsing should be implemented
 - Auth helpers (src/auth.js) for Steam/RecNet token verification (placeholders that call configured endpoints)
 - SQLite persistence (src/storage.js)
-- Admin console (src/admin.js) with basic auth and endpoints to list connections and broadcast messages
 - Logger and test client
 - package.json with dependencies
 
 Environment variables (set in .env):
 - PORT (default 5055) — WebSocket server port
-- ADMIN_PORT (default 5056) — Admin HTTP server port
 - LOG_LEVEL — winston log level (info/debug/...)
 - STEAM_WEB_API_KEY — Steam Web API key (if you plan to use Steam verification)
 - RECNET_VERIFY_URL — RecNet verification endpoint to POST { token }
 - SQLITE_FILE — path for the SQLite DB file (default ./helium.db)
-- ADMIN_USER / ADMIN_PASS — optional Basic auth for admin console
 
 How to run:
 1. Copy `.env.example` to `.env` and fill in the variables you need.
 2. npm install
 3. npm start
-4. Admin console: http://localhost:5056 (use basic auth if ADMIN_USER/ADMIN_PASS set)
 
 Notes about Photon & Rec Room:
 - The client uses Photon; this skeleton provides a WebSocket entry point you can use for reverse engineering and testing. Photon traffic is binary and has its own framing — you'll need to implement Photon protocol handling inside src/protocol.js (or add a UDP/TCP transport if Photon expects that).
-- You said you can replace Photon keys and localhost yourself — good. Put the Photon server host/port to point to this process and replace any required AppId/AppVersion in the client.
+- You said you can replace Photon keys & localhost yourself — point the client at this process and replace any required AppId/AppVersion in the client.
 
 Next steps I can take after you confirm:
 - Implement Photon framing and basic handshake to accept a 2023 Rec Room client (requires packet captures or protocol docs).
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 1cb9c39..bd92101 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -5,16 +5,13 @@
   "main": "src/index.js",
   "scripts": {
     "start": "node src/index.js",
-    "dev": "nodemon src/index.js",
-    "admin": "node src/admin.js"
+    "dev": "nodemon src/index.js"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "ws": "^8.13.0",
     "dotenv": "^16.0.0",
     "winston": "^3.8.0",
-    "express": "^4.18.2",
     "axios": "^1.4.0",
-    "sqlite3": "^5.1.6",
-    "basic-auth": "^2.0.1"
+    "sqlite3": "^5.1.6"
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/admin.js b/src/admin.js
index d30bebb..405c107 100644
--- a/src/admin.js
+++ b/src/admin.js
@@ -1,50 +1,5 @@
-const express = require('express');
-const basicAuth = require('basic-auth');
-const logger = require('./logger');
+// The admin console was intentionally removed from the project per repository owner request.
+// If you need to restore it later, re-add an admin HTTP server (e.g., using express) and
+// provide ADMIN_USER / ADMIN_PASS environment variables for basic auth.
 
-let serverInstance;
-
-function ensureAuth(req, res, next) {
-  if (!process.env.ADMIN_USER || !process.env.ADMIN_PASS) return next();
-  const user = basicAuth(req);
-  if (!user || user.name !== process.env.ADMIN_USER || user.pass !== process.env.ADMIN_PASS) {
-    res.set('WWW-Authenticate', 'Basic realm="HeliumRecAdmin"');
-    return res.status(401).send('Authentication required');
-  }
-  return next();
-}
-
-function start({ port = 5056, getConnections }) {
-  const app = express();
-  app.use(express.json());
-
-  app.get('/health', (req, res) => res.json({ ok: true }));
-
-  app.use(ensureAuth);
-
-  app.get('/connections', (req, res) => {
-    const conns = [];
-    const map = getConnections();
-    map.forEach((v, k) => {
-      conns.push({ id: k, user: v.user, connectedAt: v.connectedAt, remote: v.ws?._meta?.remote });
-    });
-    res.json(conns);
-  });
-
-  app.post('/broadcast', (req, res) => {
-    const { message } = req.body || {};
-    if (!message) return res.status(400).json({ error: 'message required' });
-    const map = getConnections();
-    let sent = 0;
-    map.forEach((v) => {
-      try { v.ws.send(typeof message === 'string' ? message : JSON.stringify(message)); sent++; } catch (e) { logger.warn('broadcast failed', e.message); }
-    });
-    res.json({ sent });
-  });
-
-  serverInstance = app.listen(port, () => logger.info(`Admin console listening on http://0.0.0.0:${port}`));
-}
-
-function stop() { if (serverInstance) serverInstance.close(); }
-
-module.exports = { start, stop };
+module.exports = {};
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index 97bbf2e..f696738 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -8,16 +8,28 @@ const logger = require('./logger');
 const protocol = require('./protocol');
 const auth = require('./auth');
 const storage = require('./storage');
-const admin = require('./admin');
 
 const PORT = process.env.PORT || 5055;
-const ADMIN_PORT = process.env.ADMIN_PORT || 5056;
 
 (async () => {
   await storage.init();
 
   // Start WebSocket server on its own HTTP server so we can inspect req.url
-  const server = http.createServer();
+  const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
+    // Provide a minimal informational page for HTTP GETs so browsers don't see "Cannot GET /"
+    if (req.method === 'GET' && (req.url === '/' || req.url === '/index.html')) {
+      res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/html' });
+      res.end(`<html><body>
+        <h1>HeliumRecServer</h1>
+        <p>This port is a WebSocket endpoint. Connect using a WebSocket client.</p>
+        <p>Server listens on ws://0.0.0.0:${PORT}</p>
+      </body></html>`);
+      return;
+    }
+    // leave other requests to return 404
+    res.writeHead(404); res.end('Not Found');
+  });
+
   const wss = new WebSocket.Server({ noServer: true });
 
   const connections = new Map(); // key -> { ws, user }
@@ -79,7 +91,4 @@ const ADMIN_PORT = process.env.ADMIN_PORT || 5056;
   });
 
   server.listen(PORT, () => logger.info(`HeliumRecServer WebSocket listening on ws://0.0.0.0:${PORT}`));
-
-  // Start admin console (HTTP) bound to ADMIN_PORT
-  admin.start({ port: ADMIN_PORT, getConnections: () => connections });
 })();