diff --git a/server.js b/server.js
index c6f9c55..4d8a4e0 100644
--- a/server.js
+++ b/server.js
@@ -514,7 +514,7 @@ const server = http.createServer(async (req, res) => {
       var probeAsns = new Set(atlasState.cache.asns_with_probes || []);
 
       var enriched = pdbData.data.map(function(n) {
-        var org = pdbOrgCountryMap.get(n.org_id) || {};
+        var org = pdbOrgState.map.get(n.org_id) || {};
         var cc = org.country || "";
         return {
           asn: n.asn,
@@ -533,7 +533,7 @@ const server = http.createServer(async (req, res) => {
         with_probes: enriched.filter(function(n) { return n.has_probe; }).length,
         without_probes: enriched.filter(function(n) { return !n.has_probe; }).length,
         atlas_unique_asns: probeAsns.size,
-        org_countries_loaded: pdbOrgCountryMap.size,
+        org_countries_loaded: pdbOrgState.map.size,
         fetched_at: new Date().toISOString(),
       });
 
@@ -3605,77 +3605,7 @@ ${html}
 
 const { atlasState, fetchAllAtlasProbes } = require("./server/atlas-probes");
 
-// ============================================================
-// PeeringDB Org → Country Cache (for Lia's Paradise)
-// ============================================================
-let pdbOrgCountryMap = new Map(); // org_id → { country, name }
-
-function fetchPdbOrgCountries() {
-  var cacheFile = require("path").join(__dirname, ".pdb-org-cache.json");
-  var fs = require("fs");
-  
-  // Try disk cache first (valid for 24h)
-  try {
-    var stat = fs.statSync(cacheFile);
-    var ageHours = (Date.now() - stat.mtimeMs) / 3600000;
-    if (ageHours < 24) {
-      var cached = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(cacheFile, "utf8"));
-      pdbOrgCountryMap = new Map(Object.entries(cached));
-      console.log("[PDB-ORG] Loaded " + pdbOrgCountryMap.size + " orgs from disk cache (" + Math.round(ageHours) + "h old)");
-      return Promise.resolve();
-    }
-  } catch (_) { /* no cache or invalid */ }
-
-  console.log("[PDB-ORG] Fetching PeeringDB org countries (fresh)...");
-  return new Promise(function(resolve) {
-    var chunks = [];
-    var req = require("https").get("https://www.peeringdb.com/api/org?status=ok&depth=0", {
-      headers: {
-        "User-Agent": UA,
-        "Authorization": PEERINGDB_API_KEY ? "Api-Key " + PEERINGDB_API_KEY : undefined,
-      },
-      timeout: 120000,
-    }, function(res) {
-      if (res.statusCode !== 200) {
-        console.error("[PDB-ORG] HTTP " + res.statusCode + " — using stale cache or empty");
-        resolve();
-        return;
-      }
-      res.on("data", function(chunk) { chunks.push(chunk); });
-      res.on("end", function() {
-        try {
-          var body = Buffer.concat(chunks).toString("utf8");
-          var data = JSON.parse(body);
-          if (data && data.data) {
-            pdbOrgCountryMap = new Map();
-            var cacheObj = {};
-            data.data.forEach(function(o) {
-              if (o.id && o.country) {
-                pdbOrgCountryMap.set(o.id, { country: o.country, name: o.name || "" });
-                cacheObj[o.id] = { country: o.country, name: o.name || "" };
-              }
-            });
-            // Save to disk cache
-            try { fs.writeFileSync(cacheFile, JSON.stringify(cacheObj)); } catch (_) {}
-            console.log("[PDB-ORG] Loaded " + pdbOrgCountryMap.size + " org→country mappings (cached to disk)");
-          }
-        } catch (e) {
-          console.error("[PDB-ORG] Parse error:", e.message);
-        }
-        resolve();
-      });
-    });
-    req.on("error", function(e) {
-      console.error("[PDB-ORG] Fetch error:", e.message);
-      resolve();
-    });
-    req.on("timeout", function() {
-      console.error("[PDB-ORG] Timeout after 120s");
-      req.destroy();
-      resolve();
-    });
-  });
-}
+const { pdbOrgState, fetchPdbOrgCountries } = require("./server/pdb-org-countries");
 
 const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3101;
 
diff --git a/server/pdb-org-countries.js b/server/pdb-org-countries.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8e6e8c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/pdb-org-countries.js
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+const fs = require("fs");
+const https = require("https");
+const path = require("path");
+const { UA } = require("./data/constants");
+const { PEERINGDB_API_KEY } = require("./services/peeringdb");
+
+// Repo root -- NOT this module's own directory. See hijack-monitoring/store.js
+// for the same __dirname-fallback fix applied for the same reason.
+const REPO_ROOT = path.join(__dirname, "..");
+
+// PeeringDB Org → Country Cache (for Lia's Paradise). Exposed via a mutable
+// state object (not a bare reassigned export) for the same reason as
+// atlas-probes.js's atlasState -- the Map itself is reassigned wholesale on
+// refresh, not just mutated in place.
+const pdbOrgState = { map: new Map() }; // org_id → { country, name }
+
+function fetchPdbOrgCountries() {
+  var cacheFile = path.join(REPO_ROOT, ".pdb-org-cache.json");
+
+  // Try disk cache first (valid for 24h)
+  try {
+    var stat = fs.statSync(cacheFile);
+    var ageHours = (Date.now() - stat.mtimeMs) / 3600000;
+    if (ageHours < 24) {
+      var cached = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(cacheFile, "utf8"));
+      pdbOrgState.map = new Map(Object.entries(cached));
+      console.log("[PDB-ORG] Loaded " + pdbOrgState.map.size + " orgs from disk cache (" + Math.round(ageHours) + "h old)");
+      return Promise.resolve();
+    }
+  } catch (_) { /* no cache or invalid */ }
+
+  console.log("[PDB-ORG] Fetching PeeringDB org countries (fresh)...");
+  return new Promise(function(resolve) {
+    var chunks = [];
+    var req = https.get("https://www.peeringdb.com/api/org?status=ok&depth=0", {
+      headers: {
+        "User-Agent": UA,
+        // Bug fix 2026-07-16: a bare `PEERINGDB_API_KEY ? ... : undefined`
+        // sets the Authorization header value to `undefined` when no key is
+        // configured. Node 22's stricter header validation throws
+        // synchronously on that (ERR_HTTP_INVALID_HEADER_VALUE) instead of
+        // omitting the header, crashing the whole process at startup via
+        // this function's unhandled rejection (found empirically while
+        // trying to boot server.js locally without a real PeeringDB key).
+        // Conditionally spread the key in instead so the header key itself
+        // is simply absent when unconfigured.
+        ...(PEERINGDB_API_KEY ? { "Authorization": "Api-Key " + PEERINGDB_API_KEY } : {}),
+      },
+      timeout: 120000,
+    }, function(res) {
+      if (res.statusCode !== 200) {
+        console.error("[PDB-ORG] HTTP " + res.statusCode + " — using stale cache or empty");
+        resolve();
+        return;
+      }
+      res.on("data", function(chunk) { chunks.push(chunk); });
+      res.on("end", function() {
+        try {
+          var body = Buffer.concat(chunks).toString("utf8");
+          var data = JSON.parse(body);
+          if (data && data.data) {
+            pdbOrgState.map = new Map();
+            var cacheObj = {};
+            data.data.forEach(function(o) {
+              if (o.id && o.country) {
+                pdbOrgState.map.set(o.id, { country: o.country, name: o.name || "" });
+                cacheObj[o.id] = { country: o.country, name: o.name || "" };
+              }
+            });
+            // Save to disk cache
+            try { fs.writeFileSync(cacheFile, JSON.stringify(cacheObj)); } catch (_) {}
+            console.log("[PDB-ORG] Loaded " + pdbOrgState.map.size + " org→country mappings (cached to disk)");
+          }
+        } catch (e) {
+          console.error("[PDB-ORG] Parse error:", e.message);
+        }
+        resolve();
+      });
+    });
+    req.on("error", function(e) {
+      console.error("[PDB-ORG] Fetch error:", e.message);
+      resolve();
+    });
+    req.on("timeout", function() {
+      console.error("[PDB-ORG] Timeout after 120s");
+      req.destroy();
+      resolve();
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+module.exports = { pdbOrgState, fetchPdbOrgCountries };