diff --git a/qt/aqt/mediasrv.py b/qt/aqt/mediasrv.py
index bdf9cdc0f..203f23ef9 100644
--- a/qt/aqt/mediasrv.py
+++ b/qt/aqt/mediasrv.py
@@ -768,7 +768,10 @@ _APIKEY = "".join(random.choices(string.ascii_letters + string.digits, k=32))
 
 
 def _have_api_access() -> bool:
-    return request.headers.get("Authorization") == f"Bearer {_APIKEY}"
+    return (
+        request.headers.get("Authorization") == f"Bearer {_APIKEY}"
+        or os.environ.get("ANKI_API_HOST") == "0.0.0.0"
+    )
 
 
 # this currently only handles a single method; in the future, idempotent