diff --git a/peach-web/src/context/sbot.rs b/peach-web/src/context/sbot.rs
index c745501..9d319a6 100644
--- a/peach-web/src/context/sbot.rs
+++ b/peach-web/src/context/sbot.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 
-use golgi::{api::friends::RelationshipQuery, blobs, Sbot};
+use golgi::{api::friends::RelationshipQuery, blobs, messages::SsbMessageValue, Sbot};
 use peach_lib::sbot::{SbotConfig, SbotStatus};
-use rocket::serde::Serialize;
+use rocket::{futures::TryStreamExt, serde::Serialize};
 
 use crate::{error::PeachWebError, utils};
 
@@ -26,6 +26,74 @@ pub async fn init_sbot_with_config(
 
 // CONTEXT STRUCTS AND BUILDERS
 
+#[derive(Debug, Serialize)]
+pub struct StatusContext {
+    pub back: Option<String>,
+    pub flash_name: Option<String>,
+    pub flash_msg: Option<String>,
+    pub title: Option<String>,
+    pub theme: Option<String>,
+    pub sbot_config: Option<SbotConfig>,
+    pub sbot_status: Option<SbotStatus>,
+    // latest sequence number for the local log
+    pub latest_seq: Option<u64>,
+}
+
+impl StatusContext {
+    pub fn default() -> Self {
+        StatusContext {
+            back: Some("/".to_string()),
+            flash_name: None,
+            flash_msg: None,
+            title: Some("Scuttlebutt Status".to_string()),
+            theme: None,
+            sbot_config: None,
+            sbot_status: None,
+            latest_seq: None,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn build() -> Result<Self, PeachWebError> {
+        let mut context = Self::default();
+
+        // retrieve current ui theme
+        context.theme = Some(utils::get_theme());
+
+        // retrieve go-sbot systemd process status
+        let sbot_status = SbotStatus::read()?;
+
+        // we only want to try and interact with the sbot if it's active
+        if sbot_status.state == Some("active".to_string()) {
+            // retrieve latest go-sbot configuration parameters
+            let sbot_config = SbotConfig::read().ok();
+
+            let mut sbot_client = init_sbot_with_config(&sbot_config).await?;
+
+            // retrieve the local id
+            let id = sbot_client.whoami().await?;
+
+            let history_stream = sbot_client.create_history_stream(id).await?;
+            let mut msgs: Vec<SsbMessageValue> = history_stream.try_collect().await?;
+
+            // reverse the list of messages so we can easily reference the latest one
+            msgs.reverse();
+
+            // assign the sequence number of the latest msg
+            context.latest_seq = Some(msgs[0].sequence);
+
+            context.sbot_config = sbot_config;
+        } else {
+            // the sbot is not currently active; return a helpful message
+            context.flash_name = Some("warning".to_string());
+            context.flash_msg = Some("The Sbot is currently inactive. As a result, status data cannot be retrieved. Visit the Scuttlebutt settings menu to start the Sbot and then try again".to_string());
+        }
+
+        context.sbot_status = Some(sbot_status);
+
+        Ok(context)
+    }
+}
+
 // peers who are blocked by the local account
 #[derive(Debug, Serialize)]
 pub struct BlocksContext {
diff --git a/peach-web/src/routes/status/scuttlebutt.rs b/peach-web/src/routes/status/scuttlebutt.rs
index 99b97b9..2e9ff06 100644
--- a/peach-web/src/routes/status/scuttlebutt.rs
+++ b/peach-web/src/routes/status/scuttlebutt.rs
@@ -1,40 +1,37 @@
-use peach_lib::sbot::{SbotConfig, SbotStatus};
 use rocket::{get, State};
-use rocket_dyn_templates::{tera::Context, Template};
+use rocket_dyn_templates::Template;
 
 use crate::routes::authentication::Authenticated;
-use crate::utils;
-use crate::RocketConfig;
+use crate::{context::sbot::StatusContext, RocketConfig};
 
 // HELPERS AND ROUTES FOR /status/scuttlebutt
 
 #[get("/scuttlebutt")]
-pub fn scuttlebutt_status(_auth: Authenticated, config: &State<RocketConfig>) -> Template {
-    // retrieve current ui theme
-    let theme = utils::get_theme();
+pub async fn scuttlebutt_status(_auth: Authenticated, config: &State<RocketConfig>) -> Template {
+    let context = StatusContext::build().await;
 
-    // retrieve go-sbot systemd process status
-    let sbot_status = SbotStatus::read().ok();
-
-    // retrieve go-sbot configuration parameters
-    let sbot_config = SbotConfig::read().ok();
-
-    let mut context = Context::new();
-    context.insert("theme", &theme);
-    context.insert("sbot_status", &sbot_status);
-    context.insert("sbot_config", &sbot_config);
-    context.insert("flash_name", &None::<()>);
-    context.insert("flash_msg", &None::<()>);
-    context.insert("title", &Some("Scuttlebutt Status"));
-
-    // define back arrow url based on mode
-    if config.standalone_mode {
+    let back = if config.standalone_mode {
         // return to home page
-        context.insert("back", &Some("/"));
+        Some("/".to_string())
     } else {
         // return to status menu
-        context.insert("back", &Some("/status"));
-    }
+        Some("/status".to_string())
+    };
 
-    Template::render("status/scuttlebutt", &context.into_json())
+    match context {
+        Ok(mut context) => {
+            // define back arrow url based on mode
+            context.back = back;
+
+            Template::render("status/scuttlebutt", &context)
+        }
+        Err(e) => {
+            let mut context = StatusContext::default();
+
+            // define back arrow url based on mode
+            context.back = back;
+
+            Template::render("status/scuttlebutt", &context)
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/peach-web/templates/status/scuttlebutt.html.tera b/peach-web/templates/status/scuttlebutt.html.tera
index 787f8a5..998efad 100644
--- a/peach-web/templates/status/scuttlebutt.html.tera
+++ b/peach-web/templates/status/scuttlebutt.html.tera
@@ -52,33 +52,13 @@
           </div>
           <hr style="color: var(--light-gray);">
           <div id="middleSection" style="margin-top: 1rem;">
-            <div id="ssbSocialCounts" class="center" style="display: flex; justify-content: space-between; width: 90%;">
-              <div style="display: flex; align-items: last baseline;">
-                <label class="card-text" style="margin-right: 2px;">21</label>
-                <label class="label-small font-gray">Friends</label>
-              </div>
-              <div style="display: flex; align-items: last baseline;">
-                <label class="card-text" style="margin-right: 2px;">5</label>
-                <label class="label-small font-gray">Follows</label>
-              </div>
-              <div style="display: flex; align-items: last baseline;">
-                <label class="card-text" style="margin-right: 2px;">38</label>
-                <label class="label-small font-gray">Followers</label>
-              </div>
-              <div style="display: flex; align-items: last baseline;">
-                <label class="card-text" style="margin-right: 2px;">2</label>
-                <label class="label-small font-gray">Blocks</label>
+            <div id="sbotInfo" class="center" style="display: flex; justify-content: space-between; width: 90%;">
+              <div class="center" style="display: flex; align-items: last baseline;">
+                <label class="card-text" style="margin-right: 5px;">{{ latest_seq }}</label>
+                <label class="label-small font-gray">MESSAGES IN LOCAL DATABASE</label>
               </div>
             </div>
           </div>
-          <!--
-          not implemented yet:
-          <p class="card-text">Latest sequence number: </p>
-          <p class="card-text">Network key: </p>
-          <p>Blobstore size: </p>
-          <p>Last time you visited this page, latest sequence was x ... now it's y</p>
-          <p>Number of follows / followers / friends / blocks</p>
-          -->
           <hr style="color: var(--light-gray);">
           <!-- THREE-ACROSS STACK -->
           <div class="three-grid card-container" style="margin-top: 1rem;">