diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index f227558a07..c306f5894f 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -41,6 +41,17 @@ Key variables for development:
 | `INITIAL_PASSWORD`     | `123456`                | First login password      |
 | `ENABLE_REQUEST_LOGS`  | `false`                 | Enable debug request logs |
 
+### Dashboard Settings
+
+The dashboard provides UI toggles for features that can also be configured via environment variables:
+
+| Setting Location    | Toggle             | Description                    |
+| ------------------- | ------------------ | ------------------------------ |
+| Settings → Advanced | Debug Mode         | Enable debug request logs (UI) |
+| Settings → General  | Sidebar Visibility | Show/hide sidebar sections     |
+
+These settings are stored in the database and persist across restarts, overriding env var defaults when set.
+
 ### Running Locally
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/open-sse/handlers/chatCore.ts b/open-sse/handlers/chatCore.ts
index 61a27caae5..26df8a5791 100644
--- a/open-sse/handlers/chatCore.ts
+++ b/open-sse/handlers/chatCore.ts
@@ -47,7 +47,10 @@ import {
 } from "@/lib/localDb";
 import { getExecutor } from "../executors/index.ts";
 import { getCacheControlSettings } from "@/lib/cacheControlSettings";
-import { shouldPreserveCacheControl } from "../utils/cacheControlPolicy.ts";
+import {
+  shouldPreserveCacheControl,
+  providerSupportsCaching,
+} from "../utils/cacheControlPolicy.ts";
 import { getCacheMetrics } from "@/lib/db/settings.ts";
 
 import {
@@ -965,9 +968,10 @@ export async function handleChatCore({
           ? translatedBody
           : { ...translatedBody, model: modelToCall };
 
-      // Inject prompt_cache_key for OpenAI providers if not already set
+      // Inject prompt_cache_key only for providers that support it
       if (
         targetFormat === FORMATS.OPENAI &&
+        providerSupportsCaching(provider) &&
         !bodyToSend.prompt_cache_key &&
         Array.isArray(bodyToSend.messages) &&
         !["nvidia", "codex", "xai"].includes(provider)
diff --git a/tests/e2e/settings-toggles.spec.ts b/tests/e2e/settings-toggles.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fbd4167488
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/e2e/settings-toggles.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import { test, expect } from "@playwright/test";
+
+test.describe("Settings Toggles", () => {
+  test("Debug mode toggle should work", async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto("/dashboard/settings");
+    await page.waitForLoadState("networkidle");
+    await page.click("text=Advanced");
+
+    const debugToggle = page.locator('[aria-label*="debug" i], [data-testid*="debug" i]').first();
+
+    await expect(debugToggle).toBeVisible({ timeout: 5000 });
+
+    const initialState = await debugToggle.isChecked();
+    await debugToggle.click();
+    await expect(debugToggle).not.toBeChecked({ timeout: 5000 });
+  });
+
+  test("Sidebar visibility toggle should work", async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto("/dashboard/settings");
+    await page.waitForLoadState("networkidle");
+    await page.click("text=General");
+
+    const sidebarToggle = page
+      .locator('[aria-label*="sidebar" i], [data-testid*="sidebar" i]')
+      .first();
+
+    await expect(sidebarToggle).toBeVisible({ timeout: 5000 });
+
+    const initialState = await sidebarToggle.isChecked();
+    await sidebarToggle.click();
+    await expect(sidebarToggle).not.toBeChecked({ timeout: 5000 });
+  });
+
+  test("Debug mode should persist after page reload", async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto("/dashboard/settings");
+    await page.waitForLoadState("networkidle");
+    await page.click("text=Advanced");
+
+    const debugToggle = page.locator('[aria-label*="debug" i], [data-testid*="debug" i]').first();
+
+    await expect(debugToggle).toBeVisible({ timeout: 5000 });
+
+    const wasChecked = await debugToggle.isChecked();
+    await debugToggle.click();
+    await expect(debugToggle).not.toBeChecked({ timeout: 5000 });
+    await page.reload();
+    await page.waitForLoadState("networkidle");
+    await page.click("text=Advanced");
+    await expect(debugToggle).not.toBeChecked({ timeout: 5000 });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/tests/unit/settings-api.test.mjs b/tests/unit/settings-api.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e3192e2c76
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/settings-api.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+import { describe, test } from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { getSettings, updateSettings } from "../../src/lib/db/settings.ts";
+
+describe("Settings API - debugMode and hiddenSidebarItems", () => {
+  describe("debugMode", () => {
+    test("updateSettings with debugMode=true succeeds", async () => {
+      const result = await updateSettings({ debugMode: true });
+      assert.ok(result, "updateSettings should return truthy result");
+
+      const settings = await getSettings();
+      assert.strictEqual(settings.debugMode, true, "debugMode should be true");
+    });
+
+    test("updateSettings with debugMode=false succeeds", async () => {
+      const result = await updateSettings({ debugMode: false });
+      assert.ok(result, "updateSettings should return truthy result");
+
+      const settings = await getSettings();
+      assert.strictEqual(settings.debugMode, false, "debugMode should be false");
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("hiddenSidebarItems", () => {
+    test("updateSettings with hiddenSidebarItems=['translator'] succeeds", async () => {
+      const result = await updateSettings({ hiddenSidebarItems: ["translator"] });
+      assert.ok(result, "updateSettings should return truthy result");
+
+      const settings = await getSettings();
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(
+        settings.hiddenSidebarItems,
+        ["translator"],
+        "hiddenSidebarItems should contain translator"
+      );
+    });
+
+    test("updateSettings with empty hiddenSidebarItems succeeds", async () => {
+      const result = await updateSettings({ hiddenSidebarItems: [] });
+      assert.ok(result, "updateSettings should return truthy result");
+
+      const settings = await getSettings();
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(
+        settings.hiddenSidebarItems,
+        [],
+        "hiddenSidebarItems should be empty array"
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("combined updates", () => {
+    test("updateSettings with both debugMode and hiddenSidebarItems succeeds", async () => {
+      const result = await updateSettings({
+        debugMode: true,
+        hiddenSidebarItems: ["translator"],
+      });
+      assert.ok(result, "updateSettings should return truthy result");
+
+      const settings = await getSettings();
+      assert.strictEqual(settings.debugMode, true, "debugMode should be true");
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(
+        settings.hiddenSidebarItems,
+        ["translator"],
+        "hiddenSidebarItems should be updated"
+      );
+    });
+  });
+});