diff --git a/helm/flowforge/templates/deployment.yaml b/helm/flowforge/templates/deployment.yaml
index 8759eb37..c1debd28 100644
--- a/helm/flowforge/templates/deployment.yaml
+++ b/helm/flowforge/templates/deployment.yaml
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ spec:
               secretKeyRef:
                 name: {{ include "forge.smtpSecretName" . }}
                 key: smtp-password
+                optional: true
       containers:
       - name: forge
         {{- if .Values.forge.image }}