diff --git a/src/net/mqtt.cpp b/src/net/mqtt.cpp
index 73e152b..0f29cc9 100644
--- a/src/net/mqtt.cpp
+++ b/src/net/mqtt.cpp
@@ -89,7 +89,15 @@ static void onMessage(char* topicC, byte* payload, unsigned len) {
 static void tryConnect() {
   if (netwifi::state() != netwifi::State::Connected) return;
   String host = settings::getMqttHost();
-  if (host.length() == 0) return;
+  if (host.length() == 0) {
+    // MQTT host not configured. Back off instead of returning straight
+    // to loop(), which (with s_nextTryMs unchanged) re-invokes us every
+    // iteration — re-reading NVS and logging "mqtt_host NOT_FOUND" ~16x
+    // a second. A minute-scale recheck still picks up creds set later
+    // without flooding the log or spinning the CPU.
+    s_nextTryMs = millis() + 60000;
+    return;
+  }
   uint16_t port = settings::getMqttPort();
   String user  = settings::getMqttUser();
   String pw    = settings::getMqttPw();