diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index 236c7ad08..818944f5b 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-0.0.21
+0.0.22
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/app.py b/surfsense_backend/app/app.py
index 08194e7fb..5057e7d00 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/app/app.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/app.py
@@ -754,6 +754,12 @@ app.add_middleware(
     allow_credentials=True,
     allow_methods=["*"],  # Allows all methods
     allow_headers=["*"],  # Allows all headers
+    # Cache CORS preflight (OPTIONS) responses for 24h. Browsers clamp:
+    # Chrome/Edge cap at 7200s, Firefox honours up to 86400s. Setting the
+    # higher value lets each browser cache for as long as it allows. This
+    # eliminates an OPTIONS round-trip on every non-simple request from
+    # FRONTEND_URL to BACKEND_URL.
+    max_age=86400,
 )
 
 # Password / email-based auth routers are only mounted when not running in
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/pyproject.toml b/surfsense_backend/pyproject.toml
index da8c4b7d1..4235ac962 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/pyproject.toml
+++ b/surfsense_backend/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [project]
 name = "surf-new-backend"
-version = "0.0.21"
+version = "0.0.22"
 description = "SurfSense Backend"
 requires-python = ">=3.12"
 dependencies = [
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/uv.lock b/surfsense_backend/uv.lock
index 3e371cecc..4dd5156e7 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/uv.lock
+++ b/surfsense_backend/uv.lock
@@ -7947,7 +7947,7 @@ wheels = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "surf-new-backend"
-version = "0.0.21"
+version = "0.0.22"
 source = { editable = "." }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "alembic" },
diff --git a/surfsense_browser_extension/package.json b/surfsense_browser_extension/package.json
index f127b85c0..b8b5cb2ec 100644
--- a/surfsense_browser_extension/package.json
+++ b/surfsense_browser_extension/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
 	"name": "surfsense_browser_extension",
 	"displayName": "Surfsense Browser Extension",
-	"version": "0.0.21",
+	"version": "0.0.22",
 	"description": "Extension to collect Browsing History for SurfSense.",
 	"author": "https://github.com/MODSetter",
 	"engines": {
diff --git a/surfsense_desktop/package.json b/surfsense_desktop/package.json
index 4826b904e..744ab65ab 100644
--- a/surfsense_desktop/package.json
+++ b/surfsense_desktop/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "surfsense-desktop",
-  "version": "0.0.21",
+  "version": "0.0.22",
   "description": "SurfSense Desktop App",
   "main": "dist/main.js",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/surfsense_web/package.json b/surfsense_web/package.json
index a34e8a269..2adec8638 100644
--- a/surfsense_web/package.json
+++ b/surfsense_web/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
 	"name": "surfsense_web",
-	"version": "0.0.21",
+	"version": "0.0.22",
 	"private": true,
 	"description": "SurfSense Frontend",
 	"scripts": {