diff --git a/app/login/page.tsx b/app/login/page.tsx
index b8711df..daf87f2 100644
--- a/app/login/page.tsx
+++ b/app/login/page.tsx
@@ -26,13 +26,21 @@ export default function LoginPage() {
       if (result?.error) {
         setError("Invalid email or password")
       } else if (result?.ok) {
+        // Force a session refresh before redirect
+        // This ensures the session cookie is properly set and read
+        await fetch("/api/auth/session", { method: "GET" })
+        
         // Check if there's a callback URL in the query params
         const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search)
         const callbackUrl = params.get("callbackUrl") || "/photos"
         console.log("Redirecting to:", callbackUrl)
-        // Use window.location.href to force a full page reload
-        // This ensures the session cookie is read before middleware checks authentication
-        window.location.href = callbackUrl
+        
+        // Small delay to ensure cookie is set
+        setTimeout(() => {
+          // Use window.location.href to force a full page reload
+          // This ensures the session cookie is read before middleware checks authentication
+          window.location.href = callbackUrl
+        }, 100)
       } else {
         setError("Login failed. Please try again.")
       }
diff --git a/rebuild.sh b/rebuild.sh
index f0e5e07..e2cb445 100755
--- a/rebuild.sh
+++ b/rebuild.sh
@@ -8,7 +8,10 @@ set -e
 
 # Get the directory where this script is located
 SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
-cd "$SCRIPT_DIR"
+cd "$SCRIPT_DIR" || {
+  echo "Error: Could not change to script directory: $SCRIPT_DIR"
+  exit 1
+}
 
 MODE=${1:-prod}
 
@@ -71,13 +74,23 @@ else
   export NODE_ENV=production
   unset AUTH_TRUST_HOST
   npm run start > "$LOG_FILE" 2>&1 &
-  echo "Server PID: $!"
+  SERVER_PID=$!
+  echo "Server PID: $SERVER_PID"
   echo "Log file: $LOG_FILE"
   echo ""
-  sleep 3
-  if curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" http://localhost:3000 | grep -q "200\|307"; then
-    echo "✓ Server is running on http://localhost:3000"
-  else
-    echo "⚠ Server may still be starting. Check logs: tail -f $LOG_FILE"
-  fi
+  
+  # Wait for server to start (check log file for "Ready" message or check HTTP)
+  echo "Waiting for server to start..."
+  for i in {1..30}; do
+    if curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" http://localhost:3000 2>/dev/null | grep -q "200\|307\|404"; then
+      echo "✓ Server is running on http://localhost:3000"
+      break
+    fi
+    if [ $i -eq 30 ]; then
+      echo "⚠ Server may still be starting. Check logs: tail -f $LOG_FILE"
+      echo "   Or check if process is running: ps -p $SERVER_PID"
+    else
+      sleep 1
+    fi
+  done
 fi
diff --git a/watch-activity.sh b/watch-activity.sh
index ef8f081..56798ab 100755
--- a/watch-activity.sh
+++ b/watch-activity.sh
@@ -23,10 +23,28 @@ if [ -n "$LOG_FILE" ]; then
   # Watch log file
   if [ ! -f "$LOG_FILE" ]; then
     echo "⚠ Warning: Log file '$LOG_FILE' does not exist yet."
-    echo "   Waiting for it to be created..."
+    echo "   Waiting for it to be created (will wait up to 30 seconds)..."
     echo ""
+    # Wait for file to be created
+    for i in {1..30}; do
+      if [ -f "$LOG_FILE" ]; then
+        echo "✓ Log file created"
+        break
+      fi
+      sleep 1
+    done
+    if [ ! -f "$LOG_FILE" ]; then
+      echo "❌ Log file still doesn't exist after 30 seconds"
+      echo "   Make sure the server is running: ./rebuild.sh prod"
+      exit 1
+    fi
   fi
-  tail -f "$LOG_FILE" 2>/dev/null | grep -E "\[ACTIVITY\]|\[PHOTO_UPLOAD\]|\[GUESS_SUBMIT\]|Activity:|INFO.*Activity:"
+  tail -f "$LOG_FILE" 2>/dev/null | grep -E "\[ACTIVITY\]|\[PHOTO_UPLOAD\]|\[GUESS_SUBMIT\]|Activity:|INFO.*Activity:" || {
+    echo "⚠ No activity logs found. Make sure:"
+    echo "   1. Server is running"
+    echo "   2. LOG_LEVEL is set to INFO or DEBUG"
+    echo "   3. Users are actually using the site"
+  }
 elif systemctl is-active --quiet app-backend 2>/dev/null; then
   # Use systemd journal if service is active
   echo "Using systemd journal (app-backend service)"