diff --git a/jupyter_server_proxy/standalone/__init__.py b/jupyter_server_proxy/standalone/__init__.py
index 3ce43754..521d733d 100644
--- a/jupyter_server_proxy/standalone/__init__.py
+++ b/jupyter_server_proxy/standalone/__init__.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import annotations  # For Python 3.8 compatibility
+
 import argparse
 import logging
 import os
diff --git a/jupyter_server_proxy/standalone/proxy.py b/jupyter_server_proxy/standalone/proxy.py
index 4613cc68..24ea63e9 100644
--- a/jupyter_server_proxy/standalone/proxy.py
+++ b/jupyter_server_proxy/standalone/proxy.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import annotations  # For Python 3.8 compatibility
+
 import os
 import re
 import ssl