diff --git a/api/Dockerfile b/api/Dockerfile
index c249e6dc..faddf343 100644
--- a/api/Dockerfile
+++ b/api/Dockerfile
@@ -60,6 +60,8 @@ ENV PYTHONPATH=/app
 
 # Disable file logging in Docker - logs go to stdout for docker logs
 ENV LOG_TO_FILE=false
+# Keep container alive by waiting for background processes
+ENV WAIT_FOR_PROCESSES=true
 
 # Expose the port FastAPI will run on
 EXPOSE 8000
diff --git a/scripts/start_services.sh b/scripts/start_services.sh
index cad552dd..aa257312 100755
--- a/scripts/start_services.sh
+++ b/scripts/start_services.sh
@@ -54,7 +54,8 @@ LATEST_LINK="$BASE_LOG_DIR/latest"      # Symlink to latest logs
 VENV_PATH="$BASE_DIR/venv"
 
 ARQ_WORKERS=${ARQ_WORKERS:-1}
-LOG_TO_FILE=${LOG_TO_FILE:-true}  # Set to false in Docker to use stdout
+LOG_TO_FILE=${LOG_TO_FILE:-true}    # Set to false in Docker to use stdout
+WAIT_FOR_PROCESSES=${WAIT_FOR_PROCESSES:-false}  # Set to true in Docker to keep container alive
 
 # Log startup
 cd "$BASE_DIR"
@@ -282,3 +283,8 @@ echo "Logs: tail -f $LOG_DIR/*.log"
 echo "Rotated logs: ls $LOG_DIR/*.log.*"
 echo "To stop: ./scripts/stop_services.sh"
 echo "──────────────────────────────────────────────────"
+
+# In Docker mode, wait for all background processes to keep container alive
+if [[ "$WAIT_FOR_PROCESSES" == "true" ]]; then
+  wait
+fi