diff --git a/cmd/check-ip/main.go b/cmd/check-ip/main.go
index c147dc8..a90f676 100644
--- a/cmd/check-ip/main.go
+++ b/cmd/check-ip/main.go
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ type IPCheck struct {
 	RepoURL       string
 	CacheDir      string
 	WhitelistPath string
+	AsyncLoad     bool
 
 	// GeoIPBasicAuth is the pre-encoded Authorization header value for
 	// MaxMind downloads.
@@ -83,6 +84,7 @@ func main() {
 	fs.StringVar(&cfg.RepoURL, "blocklist-repo", defaultBlocklistRepo, "git URL of the blocklist repo (must match bitwire-it layout)")
 	fs.StringVar(&cfg.CacheDir, "cache-dir", "", "cache parent dir, holds bitwire-it/ and maxmind/ subdirs (default: ~/.cache)")
 	fs.StringVar(&cfg.WhitelistPath, "whitelist", "", "path to a file of IPs and/or CIDRs (one per line) that override block decisions")
+	fs.BoolVar(&cfg.AsyncLoad, "async-load", false, "with --serve: start the HTTP server immediately and populate blocklists+whitelist in the background (/healthz returns 503 until ready). Ignored in CLI mode.")
 	fs.Usage = func() {
 		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Usage: %s [flags] <ip> [ip...]\n", os.Args[0])
 		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "       %s --serve <bind> [flags]\n", os.Args[0])
@@ -149,29 +151,45 @@ func main() {
 	repo := gitshallow.New(cfg.RepoURL, filepath.Join(cfg.CacheDir, "bitwire-it"), 1, "")
 	repo.MaxAge = refreshInterval
 	blocklists := dataset.NewSet(repo)
-	cfg.inbound = dataset.Add(blocklists, func() (*ipcohort.Cohort, error) {
+	asyncServe := cfg.AsyncLoad && cfg.Bind != ""
+	addCohort := func(s *dataset.Set, loader func() (*ipcohort.Cohort, error)) *dataset.View[ipcohort.Cohort] {
+		if asyncServe {
+			return dataset.AddInitial(s, ipcohort.New(), loader)
+		}
+		return dataset.Add(s, loader)
+	}
+	cfg.inbound = addCohort(blocklists, func() (*ipcohort.Cohort, error) {
 		return ipcohort.LoadFiles(
 			repo.FilePath("tables/inbound/single_ips.txt"),
 			repo.FilePath("tables/inbound/networks.txt"),
 		)
 	})
-	cfg.outbound = dataset.Add(blocklists, func() (*ipcohort.Cohort, error) {
+	cfg.outbound = addCohort(blocklists, func() (*ipcohort.Cohort, error) {
 		return ipcohort.LoadFiles(
 			repo.FilePath("tables/outbound/single_ips.txt"),
 			repo.FilePath("tables/outbound/networks.txt"),
 		)
 	})
-	fmt.Fprint(os.Stderr, "Loading blocklists... ")
-	t := time.Now()
-	if err := blocklists.Load(context.Background()); err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr)
-		log.Fatalf("blocklists: %v", err)
+	loadBlocklists := func() {
+		fmt.Fprint(os.Stderr, "Loading blocklists... ")
+		t := time.Now()
+		if err := blocklists.Load(context.Background()); err != nil {
+			fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr)
+			log.Printf("blocklists: %v", err)
+			if !asyncServe {
+				os.Exit(1)
+			}
+			return
+		}
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "%s (inbound=%s, outbound=%s)\n",
+			time.Since(t).Round(time.Millisecond),
+			commafy(cfg.inbound.Value().Size()),
+			commafy(cfg.outbound.Value().Size()),
+		)
+	}
+	if !asyncServe {
+		loadBlocklists()
 	}
-	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "%s (inbound=%s, outbound=%s)\n",
-		time.Since(t).Round(time.Millisecond),
-		commafy(cfg.inbound.Value().Size()),
-		commafy(cfg.outbound.Value().Size()),
-	)
 
 	// GeoIP: download the City + ASN tar.gz archives via httpcache
 	// conditional GETs. geoip.Open extracts in-memory — no .mmdb files
@@ -206,32 +224,42 @@ func main() {
 		return geoip.Open(maxmindDir)
 	})
 	fmt.Fprint(os.Stderr, "Loading geoip... ")
-	t = time.Now()
+	tGeo := time.Now()
 	if err := geoSet.Load(context.Background()); err != nil {
 		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr)
 		log.Fatalf("geoip: %v", err)
 	}
-	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "%s\n", time.Since(t).Round(time.Millisecond))
+	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "%s\n", time.Since(tGeo).Round(time.Millisecond))
 	defer func() { _ = cfg.geo.Value().Close() }()
 
 	// Whitelist: combined IPs + CIDRs in one file, polled for mtime changes.
 	// A match here overrides any block decision from the blocklists.
 	var whitelistSet *dataset.Set
+	var loadWhitelist func()
 	if cfg.WhitelistPath != "" {
 		whitelistSet = dataset.NewSet(dataset.PollFiles(cfg.WhitelistPath))
-		cfg.whitelist = dataset.Add(whitelistSet, func() (*ipcohort.Cohort, error) {
+		cfg.whitelist = addCohort(whitelistSet, func() (*ipcohort.Cohort, error) {
 			return ipcohort.LoadFile(cfg.WhitelistPath)
 		})
-		fmt.Fprint(os.Stderr, "Loading whitelist... ")
-		t = time.Now()
-		if err := whitelistSet.Load(context.Background()); err != nil {
-			fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr)
-			log.Fatalf("whitelist: %v", err)
+		loadWhitelist = func() {
+			fmt.Fprint(os.Stderr, "Loading whitelist... ")
+			t := time.Now()
+			if err := whitelistSet.Load(context.Background()); err != nil {
+				fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr)
+				log.Printf("whitelist: %v", err)
+				if !asyncServe {
+					os.Exit(1)
+				}
+				return
+			}
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "%s (entries=%s)\n",
+				time.Since(t).Round(time.Millisecond),
+				commafy(cfg.whitelist.Value().Size()),
+			)
+		}
+		if !asyncServe {
+			loadWhitelist()
 		}
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "%s (entries=%s)\n",
-			time.Since(t).Round(time.Millisecond),
-			commafy(cfg.whitelist.Value().Size()),
-		)
 	}
 
 	// Blank line separates the stderr "Loading ..." block from the real
@@ -248,6 +276,12 @@ func main() {
 
 	ctx, stop := signal.NotifyContext(context.Background(), os.Interrupt, syscall.SIGTERM)
 	defer stop()
+	if asyncServe {
+		go loadBlocklists()
+		if loadWhitelist != nil {
+			go loadWhitelist()
+		}
+	}
 	go blocklists.Tick(ctx, refreshInterval, func(err error) {
 		log.Printf("blocklists refresh: %v", err)
 	})