diff --git a/server/plugins/_publisher_ntfy/README.md b/server/plugins/_publisher_ntfy/README.md
index 58e14658..d86fa4d8 100755
--- a/server/plugins/_publisher_ntfy/README.md
+++ b/server/plugins/_publisher_ntfy/README.md
@@ -6,3 +6,43 @@ A plugin to publish a notification via the NTFY gateway. Enable sending notifica
 
 - Go to settings and fill in relevant details.
 
+## Reverse proxy / tunnel authentication
+
+If your ntfy instance sits behind a reverse proxy or tunnel that authenticates requests itself (Pangolin, Tailscale, Cloudflare Access, ...), the proxy usually expects its own credential *in addition to* any ntfy token. Two optional settings cover this.
+
+Both are independent of `NTFY_TOKEN` / `NTFY_USER` / `NTFY_PASSWORD` — those still control authentication against ntfy itself and are unaffected.
+
+### Custom header
+
+Sends an extra HTTP header with the request. Prefer this over the query string for anything secret.
+
+| Setting | Sample value |
+|---|---|
+| `NTFY_CUSTOMHEADER_NAME` | `X-Proxy-Token` |
+| `NTFY_CUSTOMHEADER_VALUE` | `p_abc123.def456ghi789` |
+
+Other common examples:
+
+| Proxy | Header name | Header value |
+|---|---|---|
+| Pangolin | `P-Token` | `tokenId.tokenValue` |
+| Cloudflare Access | `CF-Access-Client-Id` | `abc123.access` |
+| Generic bearer gateway | `X-Auth-Token` | `eyJhbGciOi...` |
+
+Both settings must be filled in — setting only one of them does nothing.
+
+The header value must be a valid HTTP header value: plain ASCII, no newlines, and no leading or trailing whitespace. A trailing newline pasted in from a text file is the most common mistake and the plugin will report it as an invalid custom header.
+
+If the header name collides with one the plugin has already set for this request (`Title`, `Actions`, `Priority`, `Tags`, plus `Authorization` when an ntfy token or username/password is configured), the custom header is skipped and a warning is logged, so it can never clobber your ntfy credentials. With no ntfy credentials configured there is no `Authorization` header to clash with, so you are free to use that name for the proxy.
+
+### URL query string
+
+Appends a query string to the ntfy request URL, for proxies that authenticate via a query parameter instead of a header.
+
+| Setting | Sample value |
+|---|---|
+| `NTFY_URL_QUERY_STRING` | `p_token=tokenId.tokenValue` |
+
+A leading `?` is optional — both `p_token=...` and `?p_token=...` work. Multiple parameters are supported: `p_token=abc&source=netalertx`.
+
+Note that query strings are commonly recorded in proxy and web-server access logs, so for secrets the custom header above is the safer option. The plugin redacts the query string from any error message it logs.
diff --git a/server/plugins/_publisher_ntfy/ntfy.py b/server/plugins/_publisher_ntfy/ntfy.py
index bb586685..f9a9b720 100755
--- a/server/plugins/_publisher_ntfy/ntfy.py
+++ b/server/plugins/_publisher_ntfy/ntfy.py
@@ -121,11 +121,13 @@ def send(html, text):
     # Optional custom header, e.g. to authenticate through a reverse proxy / tunnel
     # (Pangolin, Tailscale, ...) sitting in front of the ntfy instance. Skip it if it
     # would clobber a built-in header (e.g. Authorization) so ntfy auth stays intact.
+    custom_header_applied = False
     if custom_header_name != '' and custom_header_value != '':
         if custom_header_name.lower() in {k.lower() for k in headers}:
             mylog('none', [f'[{pluginName}] ⚠ Custom header "{custom_header_name}" collides with a built-in header; skipping it.'])
         else:
             headers[custom_header_name] = custom_header_value
+            custom_header_applied = True
 
     # call NTFY service
     try:
@@ -147,6 +149,24 @@ def send(html, text):
         else:
             response_text = json.dumps(response.text)
 
+    except requests.exceptions.InvalidHeader:
+        # requests echoes the offending header value in this exception's message,
+        # so the message itself is never logged - it would leak the configured
+        # custom header value. Report the problem without quoting the value.
+        if custom_header_applied:
+            error_text = (f'Invalid custom header "{custom_header_name}" - the header name or value contains '
+                          f'characters that are not allowed in an HTTP header (e.g. a newline, a leading space, '
+                          f'or a non-ASCII character). Check for trailing whitespace on the value.')
+        else:
+            error_text = ('A request header contains characters that are not allowed in an HTTP header. Check the '
+                          'NTFY_* settings for stray newlines or non-ASCII characters.')
+
+        mylog('none', [f'[{pluginName}] ⚠ ERROR: ', error_text])
+
+        response_text = error_text
+
+        return response_text, response_status_code
+
     except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
         # The exception message embeds the request URL, which may include a secret
         # query string (e.g. a proxy token). Redact the query part before it is