diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 0d10954..d0b7e75 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,13 @@ All notable changes to Library Desk will be documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/),
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [1.4.1] - 2025-12-24
+
+### Fixed
+
+- Wiki.js API token now optional - GraphQL API works without authentication
+- Container startup failure when `WIKI_GRAPHQL_API` env var not set
+
 ## [1.4.0] - 2025-12-24
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 9650620..9bcd80b 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [project]
 name = "library-desk"
-version = "1.4.0"
+version = "1.4.1"
 description = "Coordination service for The Library system - HybridRAG queries, document ingestion, entity extraction, and knowledge consolidation"
 readme = "README.md"
 requires-python = ">=3.12"
diff --git a/src/clients/wikijs_client.py b/src/clients/wikijs_client.py
index c43b647..efe001c 100644
--- a/src/clients/wikijs_client.py
+++ b/src/clients/wikijs_client.py
@@ -35,16 +35,19 @@ class WikiJSClient:
         self.graphql_url = f"{self.base_url}/graphql"
         self.api_token = api_token
         self.client = httpx.AsyncClient(timeout=30.0)
-        logger.info(f"Initialized Wiki.js client: {base_url} (using API token)")
+        auth_mode = "with API token" if api_token else "without auth (open API)"
+        logger.info(f"Initialized Wiki.js client: {base_url} ({auth_mode})")
 
     async def close(self):
         """Close HTTP client"""
         await self.client.aclose()
 
-    def _ensure_authenticated(self):
-        """Verify API token is configured."""
-        if not self.api_token:
-            raise Exception("Wiki.js API token not configured")
+    def _get_headers(self) -> Dict[str, str]:
+        """Get request headers, optionally including auth token."""
+        headers = {"Content-Type": "application/json"}
+        if self.api_token:
+            headers["Authorization"] = f"Bearer {self.api_token}"
+        return headers
 
     async def _execute_query(
         self,
@@ -64,18 +67,12 @@ class WikiJSClient:
         Raises:
             Exception: If query fails or returns errors
         """
-        # Ensure API token is configured
-        self._ensure_authenticated()
-
         payload = {
             "query": query,
             "variables": variables or {}
         }
 
-        headers = {
-            "Authorization": f"Bearer {self.api_token}",
-            "Content-Type": "application/json"
-        }
+        headers = self._get_headers()
 
         try:
             response = await self.client.post(
diff --git a/src/config.py b/src/config.py
index efb90c1..fe11c14 100644
--- a/src/config.py
+++ b/src/config.py
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
 
     # Wiki.js Configuration
     wikijs_url: str = Field(default="http://wiki:3000", description="Wiki.js URL")
-    wiki_graphql_api: str = Field(..., description="Wiki.js GraphQL API token (JWT)")
+    wiki_graphql_api: str = Field(default="", description="Wiki.js GraphQL API token (optional - API may be open)")
     # Legacy auth fields - kept for backwards compatibility but deprecated
     wikijs_username: str = Field(default="", description="Wiki.js username (deprecated, use wiki_graphql_api)")
     wikijs_password: str = Field(default="", description="Wiki.js password (deprecated, use wiki_graphql_api)")