diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Layout.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Layout.tsx
index 34ad59c..76d61c1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Layout.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Layout.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import { useState } from 'react'
 import { NavLink } from 'react-router-dom'
-import { Command, Activity, FolderKanban, Monitor, Settings, Menu, X } from 'lucide-react'
+import { Command, Activity, FolderKanban, Monitor, Settings, Menu, X, Wifi, WifiOff, Loader } from 'lucide-react'
+import { useSSEContext } from '../contexts/SSEContext'
+import type { SSEStatus } from '../hooks/useSSE'
 
 const navItems = [
   { to: '/', icon: Command, label: 'Hub' },
@@ -10,9 +12,29 @@ const navItems = [
   { to: '/settings', icon: Settings, label: 'Settings' },
 ]
 
+/** Small status pill shown in the sidebar footer and mobile header. */
+function SSEStatusBadge({ status, showLabel = false }: { status: SSEStatus; showLabel?: boolean }) {
+  const cfg = {
+    connected: { icon: Wifi, color: 'text-green-500', label: 'Live' },
+    connecting: { icon: Loader, color: 'text-yellow-500 animate-spin', label: 'Connecting' },
+    reconnecting: { icon: Loader, color: 'text-yellow-500 animate-spin', label: 'Reconnecting' },
+    error: { icon: WifiOff, color: 'text-red-500', label: 'Disconnected' },
+  }[status]
+
+  const Icon = cfg.icon
+
+  return (
+    <div className="flex items-center gap-1.5" title={cfg.label}>
+      <Icon size={14} className={cfg.color} />
+      {showLabel && <span className={`text-xs ${cfg.color}`}>{cfg.label}</span>}
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
 export default function Layout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
   const [expanded, setExpanded] = useState(false)
   const [mobileOpen, setMobileOpen] = useState(false)
+  const { sseStatus } = useSSEContext()
 
   return (
     <div className="flex min-h-screen bg-surface-darkest text-on-surface">
@@ -46,6 +68,15 @@ export default function Layout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
             </NavLink>
           ))}
         </nav>
+        {/* SSE connection status — footer of sidebar */}
+        <div className="px-4 py-3 border-t border-surface-light flex items-center gap-2">
+          <SSEStatusBadge status={sseStatus} />
+          {expanded && (
+            <span className="text-xs text-on-surface-muted whitespace-nowrap">
+              {sseStatus === 'connected' ? 'Live updates on' : sseStatus}
+            </span>
+          )}
+        </div>
       </aside>
 
       {/* Mobile Header + Bottom Nav */}
@@ -54,6 +85,7 @@ export default function Layout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
           <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
             <Command size={22} className="text-primary" />
             <span className="font-bold">Control Center</span>
+            <SSEStatusBadge status={sseStatus} />
           </div>
           <button onClick={() => setMobileOpen(!mobileOpen)} className="p-2">
             {mobileOpen ? <X size={22} /> : <Menu size={22} />}
diff --git a/frontend/src/contexts/SSEContext.tsx b/frontend/src/contexts/SSEContext.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..721894d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/contexts/SSEContext.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+/**
+ * SSEContext — provides SSE connection status throughout the component tree.
+ * Mount <SSEProvider> once inside QueryClientProvider.
+ */
+import { createContext, useContext, type ReactNode } from 'react'
+import { useRealtimeSync } from '../hooks/useRealtimeSync'
+import type { SSEStatus } from '../hooks/useSSE'
+
+interface SSEContextValue {
+  sseStatus: SSEStatus
+}
+
+const SSEContext = createContext<SSEContextValue>({ sseStatus: 'connecting' })
+
+export function SSEProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
+  const { sseStatus } = useRealtimeSync()
+  return <SSEContext.Provider value={{ sseStatus }}>{children}</SSEContext.Provider>
+}
+
+/** Access the SSE connection status from any component. */
+export function useSSEContext(): SSEContextValue {
+  return useContext(SSEContext)
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/hooks/useRealtimeSync.ts b/frontend/src/hooks/useRealtimeSync.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e5cf496
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/hooks/useRealtimeSync.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/**
+ * useRealtimeSync — mounts the SSE connection once at the app level and
+ * wires incoming events to React Query cache invalidation.
+ *
+ * Event → query key mapping:
+ *   agent.status   → ['agents']
+ *   agent.task     → ['tasks'], ['agents']
+ *   agent.progress → ['tasks'], ['agents']
+ *   fleet.update   → ['agents'], ['sessions'], ['tasks']
+ */
+import { useQueryClient } from '@tanstack/react-query'
+import { useCallback } from 'react'
+import { useSSE, type SSEMessage, type SSEStatus } from './useSSE'
+
+export function useRealtimeSync(): { sseStatus: SSEStatus } {
+  const queryClient = useQueryClient()
+
+  const handleMessage = useCallback(
+    (msg: SSEMessage) => {
+      switch (msg.type) {
+        case 'agent.status':
+          queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ['agents'] })
+          break
+
+        case 'agent.task':
+          queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ['tasks'] })
+          queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ['agents'] })
+          break
+
+        case 'agent.progress':
+          queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ['tasks'] })
+          queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ['agents'] })
+          break
+
+        case 'fleet.update':
+          queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ['agents'] })
+          queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ['sessions'] })
+          queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ['tasks'] })
+          break
+
+        default:
+          // 'connected' and unknown events — no action needed
+          break
+      }
+    },
+    [queryClient],
+  )
+
+  const { status: sseStatus } = useSSE({ onMessage: handleMessage })
+
+  return { sseStatus }
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/hooks/useSSE.ts b/frontend/src/hooks/useSSE.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3289e06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/hooks/useSSE.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+import { useEffect, useRef, useCallback, useState } from 'react'
+
+/** SSE connection state reported to consumers. */
+export type SSEStatus = 'connecting' | 'connected' | 'reconnecting' | 'error'
+
+/** Typed SSE event received from the backend. */
+export interface SSEMessage {
+  /** event: field from the SSE frame */
+  type: string
+  /** parsed JSON from the data: field */
+  data: unknown
+}
+
+export interface UseSSEOptions {
+  /** Endpoint URL — defaults to /api/events */
+  url?: string
+  /** Called for every SSE message (all event types) */
+  onMessage?: (msg: SSEMessage) => void
+  /** Called when connection opens or reconnects */
+  onOpen?: () => void
+  /** Called on unrecoverable error */
+  onError?: (err: Event) => void
+  /** Base delay in ms before the first reconnect attempt (default 1 000) */
+  reconnectBaseMs?: number
+  /** Maximum reconnect delay in ms (default 30 000) */
+  reconnectMaxMs?: number
+  /** Set false to disable auto-connect (useful in tests) */
+  enabled?: boolean
+}
+
+const SSE_EVENTS = ['agent.status', 'agent.task', 'agent.progress', 'fleet.update', 'connected'] as const
+
+/**
+ * useSSE — mounts a persistent SSE connection to the Control Center backend.
+ *
+ * Handles:
+ *  - Initial connection on mount
+ *  - Exponential back-off reconnection on drop
+ *  - Cleanup on unmount
+ *  - All four event types: agent.status, agent.task, agent.progress, fleet.update
+ */
+export function useSSE({
+  url = '/api/events',
+  onMessage,
+  onOpen,
+  onError,
+  reconnectBaseMs = 1_000,
+  reconnectMaxMs = 30_000,
+  enabled = true,
+}: UseSSEOptions = {}): { status: SSEStatus } {
+  const [status, setStatus] = useState<SSEStatus>('connecting')
+
+  // Stable refs so the effect doesn't need to re-run when callbacks change
+  const onMessageRef = useRef(onMessage)
+  const onOpenRef = useRef(onOpen)
+  const onErrorRef = useRef(onError)
+  onMessageRef.current = onMessage
+  onOpenRef.current = onOpen
+  onErrorRef.current = onError
+
+  const reconnectAttemptRef = useRef(0)
+  const reconnectTimerRef = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null>(null)
+  const esRef = useRef<EventSource | null>(null)
+  const mountedRef = useRef(true)
+
+  const clearReconnectTimer = useCallback(() => {
+    if (reconnectTimerRef.current !== null) {
+      clearTimeout(reconnectTimerRef.current)
+      reconnectTimerRef.current = null
+    }
+  }, [])
+
+  const connect = useCallback(() => {
+    if (!mountedRef.current || !enabled) return
+
+    // Clean up any existing connection
+    if (esRef.current) {
+      esRef.current.close()
+      esRef.current = null
+    }
+
+    setStatus(reconnectAttemptRef.current === 0 ? 'connecting' : 'reconnecting')
+
+    const es = new EventSource(url)
+    esRef.current = es
+
+    es.onopen = () => {
+      if (!mountedRef.current) return
+      reconnectAttemptRef.current = 0
+      setStatus('connected')
+      onOpenRef.current?.()
+    }
+
+    es.onerror = (evt) => {
+      if (!mountedRef.current) return
+
+      // EventSource auto-retries but we manage our own to get back-off control
+      es.close()
+      esRef.current = null
+
+      onErrorRef.current?.(evt)
+
+      // Exponential back-off: 1s, 2s, 4s … capped at reconnectMaxMs
+      const delay = Math.min(
+        reconnectBaseMs * 2 ** reconnectAttemptRef.current,
+        reconnectMaxMs,
+      )
+      reconnectAttemptRef.current += 1
+      setStatus('reconnecting')
+
+      clearReconnectTimer()
+      reconnectTimerRef.current = setTimeout(() => {
+        if (mountedRef.current) connect()
+      }, delay)
+    }
+
+    // Register listeners for all known event types
+    for (const eventType of SSE_EVENTS) {
+      es.addEventListener(eventType, (evt: MessageEvent) => {
+        if (!mountedRef.current) return
+        let data: unknown = evt.data
+        try {
+          data = JSON.parse(evt.data as string)
+        } catch {
+          // leave as raw string
+        }
+        onMessageRef.current?.({ type: eventType, data })
+      })
+    }
+
+    // Catch-all for unnamed events (type == 'message')
+    es.onmessage = (evt: MessageEvent) => {
+      if (!mountedRef.current) return
+      let data: unknown = evt.data
+      try {
+        data = JSON.parse(evt.data as string)
+      } catch {
+        // leave as raw string
+      }
+      onMessageRef.current?.({ type: 'message', data })
+    }
+  }, [url, enabled, reconnectBaseMs, reconnectMaxMs, clearReconnectTimer])
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    mountedRef.current = true
+    if (enabled) connect()
+
+    return () => {
+      mountedRef.current = false
+      clearReconnectTimer()
+      if (esRef.current) {
+        esRef.current.close()
+        esRef.current = null
+      }
+    }
+  }, [connect, enabled, clearReconnectTimer])
+
+  return { status }
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/main.tsx b/frontend/src/main.tsx
index d651157..ebc5a9b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/main.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/main.tsx
@@ -4,13 +4,16 @@ import { QueryClient, QueryClientProvider } from '@tanstack/react-query'
 import { BrowserRouter } from 'react-router-dom'
 import ErrorBoundary from './components/ErrorBoundary'
 import { ThemeProvider } from './hooks/useTheme'
+import { SSEProvider } from './contexts/SSEContext'
 import './index.css'
 import App from './App'
 
 const queryClient = new QueryClient({
   defaultOptions: {
     queries: {
-      staleTime: 30_000,
+      // No polling — real-time updates come through SSE.
+      // staleTime is kept high; data is pushed, not pulled.
+      staleTime: 60_000,
       refetchOnWindowFocus: false,
       retry: 1,
     },
@@ -22,9 +25,13 @@ createRoot(document.getElementById('root')!).render(
     <ErrorBoundary>
       <ThemeProvider>
         <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>
-          <BrowserRouter>
-            <App />
-          </BrowserRouter>
+          {/* SSEProvider must live inside QueryClientProvider so it can call
+              useQueryClient() to invalidate caches on incoming events. */}
+          <SSEProvider>
+            <BrowserRouter>
+              <App />
+            </BrowserRouter>
+          </SSEProvider>
         </QueryClientProvider>
       </ThemeProvider>
     </ErrorBoundary>
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/SettingsPage.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/SettingsPage.tsx
index f784cad..387e239 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/SettingsPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/SettingsPage.tsx
@@ -1,18 +1,36 @@
 import { useTheme } from '../hooks/useTheme'
 import { useLocalStorage } from '../hooks/useLocalStorage'
-import { Sun, Moon, Monitor, Zap, Clock } from 'lucide-react'
+import { useSSEContext } from '../contexts/SSEContext'
+import { Sun, Moon, Monitor, Zap, Radio } from 'lucide-react'
 
-const REFRESH_PRESETS = [
-  { label: '5s', value: 5_000 },
-  { label: '10s', value: 10_000 },
-  { label: '30s', value: 30_000 },
-  { label: '60s', value: 60_000 },
-]
+const SSE_STATUS_COPY: Record<string, { label: string; description: string; color: string }> = {
+  connected: {
+    label: 'Connected',
+    description: 'Real-time updates are active. Agent status, tasks, and progress stream live.',
+    color: 'text-green-500',
+  },
+  connecting: {
+    label: 'Connecting…',
+    description: 'Establishing SSE connection to the backend.',
+    color: 'text-yellow-500',
+  },
+  reconnecting: {
+    label: 'Reconnecting…',
+    description: 'Connection lost. Retrying with exponential back-off.',
+    color: 'text-yellow-500',
+  },
+  error: {
+    label: 'Disconnected',
+    description: 'Could not connect to the SSE endpoint. Check that the backend is reachable.',
+    color: 'text-red-500',
+  },
+}
 
 export default function SettingsPage() {
   const { isDark, toggleTheme } = useTheme()
   const [gatewayUrl, setGatewayUrl] = useLocalStorage('cc-gateway-url', '')
-  const [refreshInterval, setRefreshInterval] = useLocalStorage('cc-refresh-interval', 30_000)
+  const { sseStatus } = useSSEContext()
+  const sseInfo = SSE_STATUS_COPY[sseStatus] ?? SSE_STATUS_COPY.error
 
   return (
     <div className="space-y-8 max-w-2xl">
@@ -80,45 +98,31 @@ export default function SettingsPage() {
         </div>
       </section>
 
-      {/* Refresh */}
+      {/* Real-time connection status */}
       <section className="space-y-4">
         <h2 className="text-lg font-semibold flex items-center gap-2">
-          <Clock size={20} className="text-primary" />
-          Auto Refresh
+          <Radio size={20} className="text-primary" />
+          Real-time Updates
         </h2>
 
         <div className="p-5 rounded-xl border border-surface-light bg-surface-dark space-y-3">
-          <p className="text-sm text-on-surface-variant">Data refresh interval for agent status and logs</p>
-
-          <div className="flex flex-col gap-2">
-            <input
-              type="range"
-              min="0"
-              max="3"
-              step="1"
-              value={REFRESH_PRESETS.findIndex((p) => p.value === refreshInterval)}
-              onChange={(e) => {
-                const idx = parseInt(e.target.value)
-                setRefreshInterval(REFRESH_PRESETS[idx].value)
-              }}
-              className="w-full accent-primary"
-            />
-            <div className="flex justify-between text-xs text-on-surface-muted">
-              {REFRESH_PRESETS.map((p) => (
-                <button
-                  key={p.label}
-                  onClick={() => setRefreshInterval(p.value)}
-                  className={`px-3 py-1 rounded-lg transition-colors ${
-                    refreshInterval === p.value
-                      ? 'bg-primary/10 text-primary'
-                      : 'hover:bg-surface-light'
-                  }`}
-                >
-                  {p.label}
-                </button>
-              ))}
+          <div className="flex items-center justify-between">
+            <div>
+              <p className="font-medium">SSE Connection</p>
+              <p className="text-sm text-on-surface-variant mt-0.5">{sseInfo.description}</p>
             </div>
+            <span className={`text-sm font-semibold whitespace-nowrap ${sseInfo.color}`}>
+              {sseInfo.label}
+            </span>
           </div>
+          <p className="text-xs text-on-surface-muted">
+            Endpoint: <code className="bg-surface-light px-1.5 py-0.5 rounded text-on-surface-variant">/api/events</code>
+            &nbsp;·&nbsp;Events: agent.status, agent.task, agent.progress, fleet.update
+          </p>
+          <p className="text-xs text-on-surface-muted">
+            Polling is disabled. All status updates are pushed from the server over a persistent SSE connection.
+            The client reconnects automatically with exponential back-off on drop.
+          </p>
         </div>
       </section>
     </div>
diff --git a/frontend/src/services/sse.ts b/frontend/src/services/sse.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..63e2afb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/services/sse.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+/**
+ * SSE event payload types matching the Go backend (internal/handler/sse.go).
+ *
+ * Event format on the wire:
+ *   event: <eventType>
+ *   data: <json>
+ */
+
+import type { AgentStatus } from '../types'
+
+/** agent.status — agent came online, went offline, changed state */
+export interface AgentStatusEvent {
+  agentId: string
+  status: AgentStatus
+  /** Optional human-readable reason (e.g. error message) */
+  reason?: string
+}
+
+/** agent.task — a task was assigned to or completed by an agent */
+export interface AgentTaskEvent {
+  agentId: string
+  taskId: string
+  title: string
+  action: 'assigned' | 'completed' | 'failed'
+}
+
+/** agent.progress — incremental progress update for a running task */
+export interface AgentProgressEvent {
+  agentId: string
+  taskId: string
+  progress: number
+  /** Optional description of what is currently happening */
+  message?: string
+}
+
+/**
+ * fleet.update — bulk refresh of all agents (e.g. after a deployment).
+ * The backend may send partial or complete agent state.
+ */
+export interface FleetUpdateEvent {
+  /** ISO timestamp of when the snapshot was taken */
+  timestamp: string
+  /** Number of agents in the fleet */
+  agentCount: number
+}
+
+/** Union of all SSE data payloads keyed by event type. */
+export type SSEPayloadMap = {
+  'agent.status': AgentStatusEvent
+  'agent.task': AgentTaskEvent
+  'agent.progress': AgentProgressEvent
+  'fleet.update': FleetUpdateEvent
+  connected: { clientCount: number }
+  message: unknown
+}