diff --git a/scipaperloader/static/js/chart.js b/scipaperloader/static/js/chart.js
index 1314168..72dba27 100644
--- a/scipaperloader/static/js/chart.js
+++ b/scipaperloader/static/js/chart.js
@@ -243,8 +243,31 @@ class ActivityChart {
 
       console.log("Final timeline data:", timelineData);
     } else {
-      // No timeline data, show as inactive
-      timelineData = [{ x: 0, y: 0 }];
+      // No timeline data, show as inactive for the full time range
+      timelineData = [
+        { x: -totalHours, y: 0 }, // Start of time range
+        { x: 0, y: 0 }, // Current time
+      ];
+    }
+
+    // Ensure we always have data points at the boundaries for proper scaling
+    const hasStartPoint = timelineData.some(
+      (point) => point.x <= -totalHours + 1
+    );
+    const hasEndPoint = timelineData.some((point) => point.x >= -1);
+
+    if (!hasStartPoint) {
+      // Add a point at the start of the time range with current state
+      const currentState =
+        timelineData.length > 0 ? timelineData[timelineData.length - 1].y : 0;
+      timelineData.unshift({ x: -totalHours, y: currentState });
+    }
+
+    if (!hasEndPoint) {
+      // Add a point near the current time with current state
+      const currentState =
+        timelineData.length > 0 ? timelineData[timelineData.length - 1].y : 0;
+      timelineData.push({ x: 0, y: currentState });
     }
 
     this.scraperChart = new Chart(this.scraperCtx, {
@@ -307,6 +330,8 @@ class ActivityChart {
         scales: {
           x: {
             type: "linear",
+            min: -totalHours,
+            max: 0,
             title: {
               display: true,
               text: "Timeline (Hours Ago → Now)",
@@ -314,8 +339,9 @@ class ActivityChart {
             ticks: {
               callback: function (value) {
                 if (value === 0) return "Now";
-                return `${Math.abs(value)}h ago`;
+                return `-${Math.abs(value)}h`;
               },
+              stepSize: Math.max(1, Math.floor(totalHours / 8)), // Show reasonable number of ticks
             },
             grid: {
               display: true,