diff --git a/internal/cmd/down.go b/internal/cmd/down.go
index d119a89c..50a2ce08 100644
--- a/internal/cmd/down.go
+++ b/internal/cmd/down.go
@@ -95,6 +95,12 @@ func runDown(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 			return fmt.Errorf("cannot proceed: %w", err)
 		}
 		defer func() { _ = lock.Unlock() }()
+
+		// Prevent tmux server from exiting when all sessions are killed.
+		// By default, tmux exits when there are no sessions (exit-empty on).
+		// This ensures the server stays running for subsequent `gt up`.
+		// Ignore errors - if there's no server, nothing to configure.
+		_ = t.SetExitEmpty(false)
 	}
 	allOK := true
 
diff --git a/internal/tmux/tmux.go b/internal/tmux/tmux.go
index 12c1f8c4..435e6126 100644
--- a/internal/tmux/tmux.go
+++ b/internal/tmux/tmux.go
@@ -224,6 +224,23 @@ func (t *Tmux) KillServer() error {
 	return err
 }
 
+// SetExitEmpty controls the tmux exit-empty server option.
+// When on (default), the server exits when there are no sessions.
+// When off, the server stays running even with no sessions.
+// This is useful during shutdown to prevent the server from exiting
+// when all Gas Town sessions are killed but the user has no other sessions.
+func (t *Tmux) SetExitEmpty(on bool) error {
+	value := "on"
+	if !on {
+		value = "off"
+	}
+	_, err := t.run("set-option", "-g", "exit-empty", value)
+	if errors.Is(err, ErrNoServer) {
+		return nil // No server to configure
+	}
+	return err
+}
+
 // IsAvailable checks if tmux is installed and can be invoked.
 func (t *Tmux) IsAvailable() bool {
 	cmd := exec.Command("tmux", "-V")