diff --git a/bot.ts b/bot.ts
index ba2ace1..62bf90d 100644
--- a/bot.ts
+++ b/bot.ts
@@ -179,6 +179,7 @@ bot.command('help', (ctx: Context) => {
   return ctx.reply(
     `*AlphaFi ASIR Bot — Available Commands*\n\n` +
       `\`/alert <description>\` — Trigger the Better Stack escalation policy and phone the on-call team.\n` +
+      `\`/status\` — Check if the bot is running and connected to Better Stack.\n` +
       `\`/help\` — Show this message.\n\n` +
       `*Notes:*\n` +
       `• Only authorized users can trigger alerts.\n` +
@@ -188,6 +189,71 @@ bot.command('help', (ctx: Context) => {
   );
 });
 
+bot.command('status', async (ctx: Context) => {
+  const userId = ctx.from!.id.toString();
+  const rawUserLabel = ctx.from!.username ? `@${ctx.from!.username}` : ctx.from!.first_name;
+
+  if (ALLOWED_USERS.length > 0 && !ALLOWED_USERS.includes(userId)) {
+    log.warn({ userId, userLabel: rawUserLabel }, 'Unauthorized /status access attempt');
+    return ctx.reply('🚫 Error: You are not authorized to use this command.');
+  }
+
+  const lastCheck = cooldowns.get(`status:${userId}`);
+  const now = Date.now();
+  if (lastCheck && now - lastCheck < COOLDOWN_MS) {
+    const remainingSeconds = Math.ceil((COOLDOWN_MS - (now - lastCheck)) / 1000);
+    return ctx.reply(`⏳ Slow down! You can check status again in ${remainingSeconds}s.`);
+  }
+  cooldowns.set(`status:${userId}`, now);
+
+  const statusMsg = await ctx.reply('⏳ Checking Better Stack connectivity...');
+
+  try {
+    const response = await axios.get(`${BETTER_STACK_URL}?per_page=1`, {
+      headers: HEADERS,
+      timeout: 10000,
+    });
+
+    const authLine = ALLOWED_USERS.length === 0
+      ? '⚠️ *Auth:* No allowlist set — all users can trigger alerts'
+      : `🔒 *Auth:* Allowlist active (${ALLOWED_USERS.length} user${ALLOWED_USERS.length === 1 ? '' : 's'})`;
+
+    const policyLine = `📋 *Policy ID:* \`${POLICY_ID}\``;
+
+    log.info({ userId, httpStatus: response.status }, '/status check passed');
+
+    await ctx.telegram.editMessageText(
+      ctx.chat!.id,
+      statusMsg.message_id,
+      undefined,
+      `✅ *ASIR Bot Status*\n\n` +
+        `🤖 *Bot:* Running\n` +
+        `🌐 *Better Stack API:* Connected (HTTP ${response.status})\n` +
+        `${policyLine}\n` +
+        `${authLine}`,
+      { parse_mode: 'Markdown' },
+    );
+  } catch (error) {
+    const axiosError = error as { response?: { status?: number }; message?: string };
+    const detail = axiosError.response?.status
+      ? `HTTP ${axiosError.response.status}`
+      : axiosError.message;
+
+    log.error({ userId, detail }, '/status check failed');
+
+    await ctx.telegram.editMessageText(
+      ctx.chat!.id,
+      statusMsg.message_id,
+      undefined,
+      `❌ *ASIR Bot Status*\n\n` +
+        `🤖 *Bot:* Running\n` +
+        `🌐 *Better Stack API:* Unreachable (${escapeMarkdown(detail ?? '')})\n\n` +
+        `_The bot cannot trigger alerts until connectivity is restored._`,
+      { parse_mode: 'Markdown' },
+    );
+  }
+});
+
 bot.catch((err: unknown, ctx: Context) => {
   log.error({ updateType: ctx.updateType, err }, 'Unhandled bot error');
 });