diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index ba3e24a..b280ddf 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -185,13 +185,22 @@ case "$AI_CHOICE" in
         else
             info "Ollama already installed"
         fi
-        # Wait for Ollama to be ready
-        for i in $(seq 1 10); do
-            if ollama --version &>/dev/null; then break; fi
+        # Wait for Ollama server to be ready (API endpoint, not just CLI)
+        info "Waiting for Ollama server..."
+        for i in $(seq 1 15); do
+            if curl -sf http://127.0.0.1:11434/api/tags > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+                info "Ollama server is ready"
+                break
+            fi
             sleep 2
         done
         info "Pulling model $AI_MODEL (this may take a while)..."
-        sudo_if ollama pull "$AI_MODEL" 2>&1 | tail -3
+        # Pull as the ollama user so models are in the right place
+        if id -u ollama &>/dev/null; then
+            sudo -u ollama ollama pull "$AI_MODEL" 2>&1 | tail -3
+        else
+            ollama pull "$AI_MODEL" 2>&1 | tail -3
+        fi
         AI_BASE_URL="http://localhost:11434"
         ;;
     *)