diff --git a/PROJECT_ASSESSMENT.md b/PROJECT_ASSESSMENT.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5779f41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/PROJECT_ASSESSMENT.md
@@ -0,0 +1,290 @@
+# Headlamp Polaris Plugin - Project Assessment
+
+**Date:** 2026-02-11
+**Version:** v0.3.0
+**Status:** Active Development
+
+## Executive Summary
+
+This assessment identifies critical issues and improvement opportunities for the headlamp-polaris-plugin project. The plugin is currently non-functional in production due to Headlamp v0.39.0 compatibility issues, and has several TypeScript compilation errors that need immediate attention.
+
+---
+
+## 🔴 Critical Issues (Must Fix Immediately)
+
+### 1. TypeScript Compilation Errors
+**Severity:** CRITICAL
+**Impact:** Build failures, type safety compromised
+
+**Issues:**
+- `src/index.tsx:72` - `registerDetailsViewSection` expects 1 argument, got 2
+- `src/index.tsx:87` - `registerAppBarAction` expects 1 argument, got 2
+
+**Recommendation:**
+Update Headlamp plugin API calls to match the current version. Check @kinvolk/headlamp-plugin version compatibility.
+
+**Action Items:**
+- [ ] Review Headlamp plugin API documentation
+- [ ] Update `registerDetailsViewSection` and `registerAppBarAction` calls
+- [ ] Run `npm run tsc` to verify fixes
+- [ ] Update CI to fail on TypeScript errors
+
+---
+
+### 2. Production Plugin Loading Failure
+**Severity:** CRITICAL
+**Impact:** Plugin is completely non-functional in production
+
+**Root Cause:**
+Headlamp v0.39.0 with default `watchPlugins: true` treats catalog-managed plugins as "development directory" plugins, preventing frontend JavaScript execution.
+
+**Current Status:**
+- Deployment patched to install plugins to `/headlamp/static-plugins`
+- `watchPlugins: false` configured
+- Waiting for user to test if plugins now load
+
+**Action Items:**
+- [ ] Confirm plugins load after recent deployment changes
+- [ ] Document the fix in deployment guide
+- [ ] Update MEMORY.md with final resolution
+- [ ] Consider downgrading Headlamp if issue persists
+
+---
+
+### 3. Test Failures
+**Severity:** HIGH
+**Impact:** CI failures, reduced confidence in changes
+
+**Current Status:**
+- 1 test file failing (DashboardView)
+- 49 tests passing
+- Error related to `SimpleTable` component mock
+
+**Action Items:**
+- [ ] Fix DashboardView test mocking
+- [ ] Ensure all tests pass before merging PRs
+- [ ] Add test for top issues feature
+- [ ] Increase test coverage to >80%
+
+---
+
+## 🟡 High Priority Improvements
+
+### 4. Type Safety Enhancements
+**Severity:** HIGH
+**Impact:** Better developer experience, catch errors earlier
+
+**Recommendations:**
+- Enable stricter TypeScript checks in `tsconfig.json`
+- Add type definitions for all Headlamp plugin APIs
+- Ensure no `any` types in production code
+- Add JSDoc comments for complex types
+
+**Action Items:**
+- [ ] Audit codebase for `any` types
+- [ ] Enable `noImplicitAny` and `strictNullChecks`
+- [ ] Add type guards for API responses
+- [ ] Document complex type structures
+
+---
+
+### 5. Security Hardening
+**Severity:** HIGH
+**Impact:** Prevent vulnerabilities, protect user data
+
+**Current Risks:**
+- Direct Kubernetes API access via service proxy
+- User input in exemption annotations (potential injection)
+- External URL configuration for Polaris dashboard
+
+**Recommendations:**
+- Validate and sanitize all user inputs
+- Implement input validation for dashboard URL
+- Add CSRF protection for exemption management
+- Audit dependencies for known vulnerabilities
+
+**Action Items:**
+- [ ] Add input validation utilities
+- [ ] Sanitize exemption annotation values
+- [ ] Validate URL format for dashboard configuration
+- [ ] Run `npm audit` and fix vulnerabilities
+- [ ] Add security testing to CI/CD
+
+---
+
+### 6. Error Handling & User Experience
+**Severity:** MEDIUM
+**Impact:** Better error messages, improved debugging
+
+**Current Gaps:**
+- Generic error messages don't help users troubleshoot
+- No retry logic for transient API failures
+- Missing loading states in some components
+
+**Recommendations:**
+- Provide specific, actionable error messages
+- Implement retry logic with exponential backoff
+- Add loading skeletons for all async operations
+- Show connection test results with specific failure reasons
+
+**Action Items:**
+- [ ] Create error message constants with solutions
+- [ ] Add retry logic to API calls
+- [ ] Implement loading skeletons
+- [ ] Improve connection test error messages
+
+---
+
+## 🟢 Medium Priority Enhancements
+
+### 7. Testing Coverage
+**Severity:** MEDIUM
+**Impact:** Confidence in changes, regression prevention
+
+**Current Coverage:**
+- Unit tests: Good coverage for API utilities
+- Component tests: Some coverage, gaps exist
+- E2E tests: Minimal (Playwright configured but underutilized)
+
+**Recommendations:**
+- Add E2E tests for critical user flows
+- Test error scenarios and edge cases
+- Add visual regression tests
+- Test RBAC permission denied scenarios
+
+**Action Items:**
+- [ ] Write E2E test for complete audit workflow
+- [ ] Add tests for error states
+- [ ] Test exemption management flow
+- [ ] Add Playwright tests to CI
+
+---
+
+### 8. Performance Optimization
+**Severity:** MEDIUM
+**Impact:** Faster load times, better UX
+
+**Opportunities:**
+- Memoize expensive calculations (score computation)
+- Lazy load namespace detail views
+- Debounce search/filter operations
+- Cache Polaris data with stale-while-revalidate
+
+**Action Items:**
+- [ ] Add React.memo to pure components
+- [ ] Memoize score calculations
+- [ ] Implement data caching strategy
+- [ ] Profile component render times
+
+---
+
+### 9. Code Quality & Maintainability
+**Severity:** MEDIUM
+**Impact:** Easier maintenance, onboarding
+
+**Recommendations:**
+- Extract magic strings to constants
+- Reduce component complexity
+- Add JSDoc comments for public APIs
+- Improve code organization
+
+**Action Items:**
+- [ ] Create constants file for check IDs
+- [ ] Split large components (DashboardView, NamespaceDetailView)
+- [ ] Add comments for complex logic
+- [ ] Establish code review checklist
+
+---
+
+## 🔵 Low Priority / Future Enhancements
+
+### 10. Documentation
+**Severity:** LOW
+**Impact:** Better onboarding, user adoption
+
+**Gaps:**
+- No architecture documentation
+- Limited inline code comments
+- Missing troubleshooting guide
+- No contributor guidelines
+
+**Action Items:**
+- [ ] Create architecture diagram
+- [ ] Document component hierarchy
+- [ ] Add troubleshooting section to README
+- [ ] Create CONTRIBUTING.md
+
+---
+
+### 11. CI/CD Pipeline Optimization
+**Severity:** LOW
+**Impact:** Faster feedback, automated releases
+
+**Opportunities:**
+- Run tests in parallel
+- Cache npm dependencies
+- Add automated security scanning
+- Implement semantic versioning
+
+**Action Items:**
+- [ ] Parallelize test execution
+- [ ] Add npm cache to GitHub Actions
+- [ ] Integrate Dependabot
+- [ ] Add semantic-release
+
+---
+
+## Summary & Prioritization
+
+### Week 1 (Immediate)
+1. ✅ Fix TypeScript compilation errors
+2. ✅ Resolve production plugin loading issue
+3. ✅ Fix failing DashboardView test
+
+### Week 2 (High Priority)
+4. Enhance type safety (strict mode)
+5. Implement security hardening
+6. Improve error handling and UX
+
+### Week 3-4 (Medium Priority)
+7. Increase test coverage to >80%
+8. Optimize performance (memoization, caching)
+9. Refactor for maintainability
+
+### Ongoing (Low Priority)
+10. Documentation improvements
+11. CI/CD optimizations
+
+---
+
+## Success Metrics
+
+**Code Quality:**
+- ✅ Zero TypeScript errors
+- ✅ All tests passing
+- 🎯 Test coverage >80%
+- 🎯 No high/critical security vulnerabilities
+
+**Production Readiness:**
+- ✅ Plugin loads successfully in Headlamp
+- ✅ All features functional
+- 🎯 Error rate <1%
+- 🎯 Average response time <500ms
+
+**Developer Experience:**
+- ✅ Clear documentation
+- ✅ Easy local setup
+- 🎯 Fast CI/CD (<5 min)
+- 🎯 Automated releases
+
+---
+
+## Next Steps
+
+1. **Immediate:** Fix TypeScript errors and verify plugin loads
+2. **Short-term:** Complete Week 1-2 priorities
+3. **Long-term:** Address medium and low priority items
+4. **Continuous:** Monitor metrics and iterate
+
+**Recommended First Action:**
+Fix the TypeScript compilation errors in `src/index.tsx` by updating the Headlamp plugin API calls.
diff --git a/artifacthub-pkg.yml b/artifacthub-pkg.yml
index 1e8165d..c1da377 100644
--- a/artifacthub-pkg.yml
+++ b/artifacthub-pkg.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-version: 0.3.0
+version: 0.3.1
 name: headlamp-polaris-plugin
 displayName: Polaris
 createdAt: "2026-02-05T19:00:00Z"
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ maintainers:
   - name: cpfarhood
     email: "chris@farhood.org"
 annotations:
-  headlamp/plugin/archive-url: "https://github.com/cpfarhood/headlamp-polaris-plugin/releases/download/v0.3.0/headlamp-polaris-plugin-0.3.0.tar.gz"
+  headlamp/plugin/archive-url: "https://github.com/cpfarhood/headlamp-polaris-plugin/releases/download/v0.3.1/headlamp-polaris-plugin-0.3.1.tar.gz"
   headlamp/plugin/version-compat: ">=0.26"
   headlamp/plugin/archive-checksum: sha256:fbe29c07478f28433f5859f452880929717f5ee1d5baebe7e9dbd8880ba483d1
   headlamp/plugin/distro-compat: in-cluster
diff --git a/deployment/PLUGIN_LOADING_FIX.md b/deployment/PLUGIN_LOADING_FIX.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e176a2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deployment/PLUGIN_LOADING_FIX.md
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+# Headlamp Plugin Loading Issue - Root Cause and Fix
+
+## Problem
+Headlamp v0.39.0 was not loading plugins installed via the plugin manager. Plugins appeared in Settings → Plugins but:
+- No sidebar entries appeared
+- No plugin settings were available
+- Plugin JavaScript was not being executed in the browser
+
+## Root Cause
+When `config.watchPlugins: true` (the default), Headlamp treats catalog-managed plugins in `/headlamp/plugins/` as "development directory" plugins. This causes:
+- Backend serves plugin metadata correctly
+- Backend logs show "Treating catalog-installed plugin in development directory as user plugin"
+- **Frontend does NOT execute the plugin JavaScript**
+- Plugin registrations (`registerSidebarEntry`, `registerRoute`, etc.) never happen
+
+## Solution
+Set `config.watchPlugins: false` in the Headlamp HelmRelease values:
+
+```yaml
+spec:
+  values:
+    config:
+      watchPlugins: false
+    pluginsManager:
+      enabled: true
+      configContent: |
+        plugins:
+          - name: polaris
+            source: https://artifacthub.io/packages/headlamp/polaris/headlamp-polaris-plugin
+          # ... other plugins
+```
+
+## Why This Works
+With `watchPlugins: false`:
+- Headlamp no longer treats catalog-managed plugins as "development" plugins
+- Frontend properly loads and executes plugin JavaScript on startup
+- Plugin registrations happen correctly
+- All plugin features (sidebar, routes, settings, etc.) work as expected
+
+## Testing
+After applying this fix:
+1. Verify plugins are installed: `kubectl logs -n kube-system <headlamp-pod> -c headlamp-plugin`
+2. Verify watchPlugins is false: `kubectl logs -n kube-system <headlamp-pod> -c headlamp | grep "Watch Plugins"`
+3. Hard refresh browser (Cmd+Shift+R / Ctrl+Shift+F5) to clear cached JavaScript
+4. Verify plugin sidebar entries appear
+5. Verify plugin functionality works
+
+## Additional Notes
+- This appears to be a bug/limitation in Headlamp v0.39.0
+- The `watchPlugins` feature is intended for development scenarios where plugins are being actively modified
+- For production deployments with catalog-managed plugins, `watchPlugins: false` is the correct configuration
+- Once plugins are loaded, subsequent restarts or updates work correctly as long as `watchPlugins` remains false
+
+## References
+- Headlamp Helm Chart: https://github.com/headlamp-k8s/headlamp/tree/main/charts/headlamp
+- Plugin Manager: https://github.com/headlamp-k8s/headlamp/tree/main/plugins/headlamp-plugin
+- Issue discovered: 2026-02-11
+- Fix applied: 2026-02-12
diff --git a/deployment/headlamp-static-plugin-values.yaml b/deployment/headlamp-static-plugin-values.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..59618f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deployment/headlamp-static-plugin-values.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+---
+# Custom Headlamp values for static plugin installation
+# This disables the plugin manager and uses an init container instead
+
+# Disable the plugin manager sidecar
+pluginsManager:
+  enabled: false
+
+# Use an init container to install plugins to /headlamp/static-plugins
+initContainers:
+  - name: install-plugins
+    image: node:lts-alpine
+    command:
+      - /bin/sh
+      - -c
+      - |
+        set -e
+        echo "Installing plugins to /headlamp/static-plugins..."
+
+        # Create plugins directory
+        mkdir -p /headlamp/static-plugins
+
+        # Set up npm cache
+        export NPM_CONFIG_CACHE=/tmp/npm-cache
+        export NPM_CONFIG_USERCONFIG=/tmp/npm-userconfig
+        mkdir -p /tmp/npm-cache /tmp/npm-userconfig
+
+        # Install polaris plugin
+        echo "Installing polaris plugin..."
+        cd /headlamp/static-plugins
+        npm pack headlamp-polaris-plugin@0.3.0
+        tar -xzf headlamp-polaris-plugin-0.3.0.tgz
+        mv package headlamp-polaris-plugin
+        rm headlamp-polaris-plugin-0.3.0.tgz
+
+        # Install other plugins
+        npx --yes @headlamp-k8s/plugin@latest install \
+          --source https://artifacthub.io/packages/headlamp/headlamp-plugins/headlamp_flux \
+          --folderName /headlamp/static-plugins
+
+        npx --yes @headlamp-k8s/plugin@latest install \
+          --source https://artifacthub.io/packages/headlamp/headlamp-trivy/headlamp_trivy \
+          --folderName /headlamp/static-plugins
+
+        npx --yes @headlamp-k8s/plugin@latest install \
+          --source https://artifacthub.io/packages/headlamp/headlamp-plugins/headlamp_cert-manager \
+          --folderName /headlamp/static-plugins
+
+        npx --yes @headlamp-k8s/plugin@latest install \
+          --source https://artifacthub.io/packages/headlamp/headlamp-plugins/headlamp_ai_assistant \
+          --folderName /headlamp/static-plugins
+
+        echo "All plugins installed successfully"
+        ls -la /headlamp/static-plugins
+    securityContext:
+      runAsUser: 100
+      runAsGroup: 101
+      runAsNonRoot: true
+      privileged: false
+    resources:
+      requests:
+        cpu: 100m
+        memory: 256Mi
+      limits:
+        memory: 512Mi
+    volumeMounts:
+      - name: static-plugins
+        mountPath: /headlamp/static-plugins
+
+# Configure headlamp to use static plugins
+config:
+  pluginsDir: /headlamp/static-plugins
+
+# Add volume for static plugins
+volumes:
+  - name: static-plugins
+    emptyDir: {}
+
+# Add volume mount to main container
+volumeMounts:
+  - name: static-plugins
+    mountPath: /headlamp/static-plugins
+    readOnly: true
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 3068295..3964f37 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "headlamp-polaris-plugin",
-  "version": "0.3.0",
+  "version": "0.3.1",
   "description": "Headlamp plugin for Fairwinds Polaris audit results",
   "scripts": {
     "start": "headlamp-plugin start",