diff --git a/mcp_bridge/mcp_server.py b/mcp_bridge/mcp_server.py
index aa586ce..1d528ed 100644
--- a/mcp_bridge/mcp_server.py
+++ b/mcp_bridge/mcp_server.py
@@ -148,11 +148,10 @@ INTERNAL_PREFIXES = ("127.", "10.5.0.", "::1", "100.79.")  # localhost, LAN, Net
 
 async def ingest_message(request: Request) -> JSONResponse:
     """HTTP endpoint for local services to log messages into the bridge."""
-    # Check real client IP (X-Forwarded-For from NPM, or direct connection)
-    forwarded = request.headers.get("x-forwarded-for", "")
-    real_ip = request.headers.get("x-real-ip", "")
-    client_ip = forwarded.split(",")[0].strip() or real_ip or (request.client.host if request.client else "")
-    if not any(client_ip.startswith(p) for p in INTERNAL_PREFIXES):
+    # Require shared secret for ingest (only the homelab bot knows this)
+    ingest_key = creds.get("INGEST_SECRET", "")
+    provided_key = request.headers.get("x-ingest-key", "")
+    if not ingest_key or not provided_key or ingest_key != provided_key:
         return JSONResponse({"error": "forbidden"}, status_code=403)
 
     try: