diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 469ab0a13..1987d0311 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ services:
       test:
         [
           "CMD-SHELL",
-          "wget --no-verbose --tries=1 --spider http://127.0.0.1:3000/api/version || exit 1",
+          "wget --no-verbose --tries=1 --spider http://127.0.0.1:3000/api/health || exit 1",
         ]
       interval: 30s
       timeout: 5s
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ services:
   #     dockerfile: Dockerfile
   #   container_name: healthlog-worker
   #   environment:
-  #     DATABASE_URL: "postgresql://healthlog:${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}@db:5432/healthlog?schema=public"
+  #     DATABASE_URL: "postgresql://healthlog:${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}@db:5432/healthlog?schema=public&connection_limit=${DB_CONNECTION_LIMIT:-20}&pool_timeout=${DB_POOL_TIMEOUT:-20}"
   #     NODE_ENV: production
   #     ENCRYPTION_KEY: "${ENCRYPTION_KEY}"
   #     ENCRYPTION_KEYS: "${ENCRYPTION_KEYS:-}"
diff --git a/docker-entrypoint.sh b/docker-entrypoint.sh
index 968c88d10..3386a8879 100644
--- a/docker-entrypoint.sh
+++ b/docker-entrypoint.sh
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ set -e
 # Validating here guarantees a clear, deploy-platform-agnostic
 # failure message before we touch the database.
 missing=""
-for var in DATABASE_URL ENCRYPTION_KEY API_TOKEN_HMAC_KEY; do
+for var in DATABASE_URL API_TOKEN_HMAC_KEY; do
   eval "value=\$$var"
   if [ -z "$value" ]; then
     missing="$missing $var"
@@ -21,6 +21,48 @@ if [ -n "$missing" ]; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
+# ENCRYPTION_KEYS supersedes the legacy single key, so validate the same
+# fail-closed shape the runtime crypto loader accepts before touching the DB.
+if ! node -e '
+  const validKey = (value) => {
+    if (typeof value !== "string") return false;
+    if (/^[0-9a-fA-F]{64}$/.test(value)) return true;
+    if (!/^[A-Za-z0-9+/=]+$/.test(value)) return false;
+    try { return Buffer.from(value, "base64").length === 32; }
+    catch { return false; }
+  };
+  const rawKeyring = (process.env.ENCRYPTION_KEYS || "").trim();
+  if (rawKeyring) {
+    let keyring;
+    try { keyring = JSON.parse(rawKeyring); }
+    catch { throw new Error("ENCRYPTION_KEYS is invalid JSON"); }
+    if (!keyring || typeof keyring !== "object" || Array.isArray(keyring)) {
+      throw new Error("ENCRYPTION_KEYS is invalid: expected an object map");
+    }
+    const entries = Object.entries(keyring);
+    if (
+      entries.length === 0 ||
+      entries.some(([id, value]) =>
+        !/^[A-Za-z0-9_-]{1,32}$/.test(id) || !validKey(value)
+      )
+    ) {
+      throw new Error("ENCRYPTION_KEYS is invalid: every entry must be a valid 32-byte key");
+    }
+    const activeId =
+      (process.env.ENCRYPTION_ACTIVE_KEY_ID || "").trim() ||
+      (entries.length === 1 ? entries[0][0] : "");
+    if (!activeId || !Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(keyring, activeId)) {
+      throw new Error("ENCRYPTION_ACTIVE_KEY_ID must name an entry in ENCRYPTION_KEYS");
+    }
+  } else if (!validKey((process.env.ENCRYPTION_KEY || "").trim())) {
+    throw new Error("ENCRYPTION_KEY is missing or invalid");
+  }
+'; then
+  echo "HealthLog: ERROR — encryption configuration is invalid." >&2
+  echo "HealthLog: set a valid ENCRYPTION_KEY or ENCRYPTION_KEYS with ENCRYPTION_ACTIVE_KEY_ID." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 # ── Wait for PostgreSQL ──────────────────────────────────────
 MAX_RETRIES=30
 RETRY=0
diff --git a/src/__tests__/proxy-worker-health.test.ts b/src/__tests__/proxy-worker-health.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..de5880d45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/__tests__/proxy-worker-health.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { NextRequest } from "next/server";
+
+vi.mock("@/lib/process-type", () => ({
+  shouldRunWeb: () => false,
+}));
+
+import { proxy } from "../proxy";
+
+function request(pathname: string): NextRequest {
+  return new NextRequest(`http://localhost${pathname}`);
+}
+
+describe("worker-only process HTTP boundary", () => {
+  it("allows the process-aware health endpoint through", () => {
+    const response = proxy(request("/api/health"));
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(response.headers.get("X-HealthLog-Process-Type")).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("continues to refuse non-health HTTP traffic", () => {
+    const response = proxy(request("/api/version"));
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(503);
+    expect(response.headers.get("X-HealthLog-Process-Type")).toBe("worker");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/app/api/health/__tests__/route.test.ts b/src/app/api/health/__tests__/route.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..60d87ca9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/api/health/__tests__/route.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+interface WorkerStatusFixture {
+  running: boolean;
+  startedAt: string | null;
+  lastHeartbeat: string | null;
+  lastReminderCheck: string | null;
+  lastWithingsSync: string | null;
+  lastInsightsRun: string | null;
+  jobsProcessed: number;
+  errors: number;
+}
+
+const { queryRaw, getWorkerStatus, getGlobalBoss, getSession } = vi.hoisted(
+  () => ({
+    queryRaw: vi.fn(async () => 1),
+    getWorkerStatus: vi.fn((): WorkerStatusFixture => ({
+      running: false,
+      startedAt: null,
+      lastHeartbeat: null,
+      lastReminderCheck: null,
+      lastWithingsSync: null,
+      lastInsightsRun: null,
+      jobsProcessed: 0,
+      errors: 0,
+    })),
+    getGlobalBoss: vi.fn((): object | null => null),
+    getSession: vi.fn(async () => null),
+  }),
+);
+
+vi.mock("@/lib/db", () => ({
+  prisma: { $queryRaw: queryRaw },
+}));
+vi.mock("@/lib/jobs/worker-status", () => ({ getWorkerStatus }));
+vi.mock("@/lib/jobs/boss-instance", () => ({ getGlobalBoss }));
+vi.mock("@/lib/auth/session", () => ({ getSession }));
+vi.mock("@/lib/api-handler", () => ({
+  apiHandler: <T extends (...args: unknown[]) => unknown>(fn: T) => fn,
+}));
+vi.mock("@/lib/logging/context", () => ({ annotate: vi.fn() }));
+
+import { GET } from "../route";
+
+async function health() {
+  const response = await (GET as unknown as () => Promise<Response>)();
+  return { response, body: (await response.json()) as { status: string } };
+}
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  vi.clearAllMocks();
+  queryRaw.mockResolvedValue(1);
+  getWorkerStatus.mockReturnValue({
+    running: false,
+    startedAt: null,
+    lastHeartbeat: null,
+    lastReminderCheck: null,
+    lastWithingsSync: null,
+    lastInsightsRun: null,
+    jobsProcessed: 0,
+    errors: 0,
+  });
+  getGlobalBoss.mockReturnValue(null);
+  getSession.mockResolvedValue(null);
+});
+
+describe("GET /api/health process topology", () => {
+  it("web mode requires DB and producer readiness, not an in-process worker", async () => {
+    vi.stubEnv("HEALTHLOG_PROCESS_TYPE", "web");
+    getGlobalBoss.mockReturnValue({});
+
+    const { response, body } = await health();
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(body).toEqual({ status: "ok" });
+  });
+
+  it("worker mode requires DB and worker readiness, not web producer readiness", async () => {
+    vi.stubEnv("HEALTHLOG_PROCESS_TYPE", "worker");
+    getWorkerStatus.mockReturnValue({
+      running: true,
+      startedAt: "2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z",
+      lastHeartbeat: "2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z",
+      lastReminderCheck: null,
+      lastWithingsSync: null,
+      lastInsightsRun: null,
+      jobsProcessed: 0,
+      errors: 0,
+    });
+
+    const { response, body } = await health();
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(body).toEqual({ status: "ok" });
+  });
+
+  it("all mode requires both producer and worker readiness", async () => {
+    vi.stubEnv("HEALTHLOG_PROCESS_TYPE", "all");
+    getWorkerStatus.mockReturnValue({
+      running: true,
+      startedAt: "2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z",
+      lastHeartbeat: "2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z",
+      lastReminderCheck: null,
+      lastWithingsSync: null,
+      lastInsightsRun: null,
+      jobsProcessed: 0,
+      errors: 0,
+    });
+
+    const missingProducer = await health();
+    expect(missingProducer.response.status).toBe(503);
+    expect(missingProducer.body).toEqual({ status: "degraded" });
+
+    getGlobalBoss.mockReturnValue({});
+    const ready = await health();
+    expect(ready.response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(ready.body).toEqual({ status: "ok" });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/app/api/health/route.ts b/src/app/api/health/route.ts
index e3490fb9f..3524d61c0 100644
--- a/src/app/api/health/route.ts
+++ b/src/app/api/health/route.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 import { prisma } from "@/lib/db";
 import { getWorkerStatus } from "@/lib/jobs/worker-status";
+import { getGlobalBoss } from "@/lib/jobs/boss-instance";
+import { shouldRunWeb, shouldRunWorker } from "@/lib/process-type";
 import { getSession } from "@/lib/auth/session";
 import { NextResponse } from "next/server";
 import { apiHandler } from "@/lib/api-handler";
@@ -19,7 +21,13 @@ export const GET = apiHandler(async () => {
   }
 
   const worker = getWorkerStatus();
-  const status = dbOk && worker.running ? "ok" : "degraded";
+  const producerReady = getGlobalBoss() !== null;
+  const status =
+    dbOk &&
+    (!shouldRunWeb() || producerReady) &&
+    (!shouldRunWorker() || worker.running)
+      ? "ok"
+      : "degraded";
   const statusCode = status === "ok" ? 200 : 503;
 
   const cacheHeaders = {
diff --git a/src/lib/__tests__/db.test.ts b/src/lib/__tests__/db.test.ts
index 73f395e39..95d2fac1e 100644
--- a/src/lib/__tests__/db.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/__tests__/db.test.ts
@@ -1,65 +1,71 @@
 /**
- * v1.4.40 W-POOL — pool-config contract for `src/lib/db.ts`.
- *
- * The v1.4.39 empirical cold-mount trace
- * (`.planning/round-v1439-empirical-trace.md` § B2) traced the
- * Wave-B/C dashboard-query stall to the Prisma `pg.Pool` falling
- * back to the library default ceiling of 10 connections. W-POOL
- * pinned the ceiling to 20 via `getPoolMax()`; this test prevents a
- * future refactor from silently dropping the override and re-introducing
- * the saturation regression on a power-user cold mount.
- *
- * The test only exercises the `getPoolMax()` env-resolver. Constructing
- * a real `PrismaClient` requires a live `DATABASE_URL`, which would
- * make this an integration test instead of a unit test — the helper
- * isolation is intentional.
+ * Pool configuration stays unit-tested here so connection ceilings and wait
+ * timeouts cannot silently fall back to separate library defaults.
  */
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
-import { buildSessionOptions, getPoolMax, getStatementTimeoutMs } from "../db";
+import {
+  buildSessionOptions,
+  getConnectionBudget,
+  getPgBossPoolMax,
+  getPoolConnectionTimeoutMs,
+  getPrismaPoolMax,
+  getStatementTimeoutMs,
+} from "../db";
 
-describe("getPoolMax", () => {
-  const originalEnv = process.env.DATABASE_POOL_MAX;
+describe("per-process database connection budget", () => {
+  const originalDatabaseUrl = process.env.DATABASE_URL;
+  const originalConnectionLimit = process.env.DB_CONNECTION_LIMIT;
+  const originalPoolTimeout = process.env.DB_POOL_TIMEOUT;
+  const originalLegacyPoolMax = process.env.DATABASE_POOL_MAX;
 
   beforeEach(() => {
+    process.env.DATABASE_URL =
+      "postgresql://healthlog:test@db:5432/healthlog?connection_limit=20&pool_timeout=20";
+    delete process.env.DB_CONNECTION_LIMIT;
+    delete process.env.DB_POOL_TIMEOUT;
     delete process.env.DATABASE_POOL_MAX;
   });
 
   afterEach(() => {
-    if (originalEnv === undefined) {
-      delete process.env.DATABASE_POOL_MAX;
-    } else {
-      process.env.DATABASE_POOL_MAX = originalEnv;
-    }
+    const restore = (name: string, value: string | undefined) => {
+      if (value === undefined) delete process.env[name];
+      else process.env[name] = value;
+    };
+    restore("DATABASE_URL", originalDatabaseUrl);
+    restore("DB_CONNECTION_LIMIT", originalConnectionLimit);
+    restore("DB_POOL_TIMEOUT", originalPoolTimeout);
+    restore("DATABASE_POOL_MAX", originalLegacyPoolMax);
   });
 
-  it("defaults to 20 when DATABASE_POOL_MAX is unset", () => {
-    expect(getPoolMax()).toBe(20);
+  it("splits the URL connection_limit across Prisma and pg-boss", () => {
+    expect(getConnectionBudget()).toBe(20);
+    expect(getPrismaPoolMax()).toBe(18);
+    expect(getPgBossPoolMax()).toBe(2);
+    expect(getPrismaPoolMax() + getPgBossPoolMax()).toBe(
+      getConnectionBudget(),
+    );
   });
 
-  it("honours DATABASE_POOL_MAX when it parses to a positive int", () => {
+  it("uses the existing pool_timeout seconds for both pool constructors", () => {
+    expect(getPoolConnectionTimeoutMs()).toBe(20_000);
+  });
+
+  it("prefers explicit DB_CONNECTION_LIMIT and DB_POOL_TIMEOUT values", () => {
+    process.env.DB_CONNECTION_LIMIT = "12";
+    process.env.DB_POOL_TIMEOUT = "7";
+
+    expect(getConnectionBudget()).toBe(12);
+    expect(getPrismaPoolMax()).toBe(10);
+    expect(getPgBossPoolMax()).toBe(2);
+    expect(getPoolConnectionTimeoutMs()).toBe(7_000);
+  });
+
+  it("keeps DATABASE_POOL_MAX as a backward-compatible explicit override", () => {
     process.env.DATABASE_POOL_MAX = "30";
-    expect(getPoolMax()).toBe(30);
-  });
 
-  it("falls back to 20 on a malformed DATABASE_POOL_MAX", () => {
-    process.env.DATABASE_POOL_MAX = "not-a-number";
-    expect(getPoolMax()).toBe(20);
-  });
-
-  it("falls back to 20 on a non-positive DATABASE_POOL_MAX", () => {
-    process.env.DATABASE_POOL_MAX = "0";
-    expect(getPoolMax()).toBe(20);
-    process.env.DATABASE_POOL_MAX = "-5";
-    expect(getPoolMax()).toBe(20);
-  });
-
-  it("never returns the library default of 10 on the happy path", () => {
-    // The whole point of the W-POOL change. If anybody removes the
-    // `max:` config from `createPrismaClient` and reverts to the
-    // library default, this assertion stops the regression before the
-    // next saturated cold mount.
-    expect(getPoolMax()).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(20);
+    expect(getConnectionBudget()).toBe(30);
+    expect(getPrismaPoolMax()).toBe(28);
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/src/lib/__tests__/docker-entrypoint.test.ts b/src/lib/__tests__/docker-entrypoint.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..25a3c9b29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/__tests__/docker-entrypoint.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+import { chmodSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { dirname, join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
+import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+const repoRoot = resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "../../..");
+const entrypoint = join(repoRoot, "docker-entrypoint.sh");
+const key = "a".repeat(64);
+let fakeBin: string;
+
+beforeAll(() => {
+  fakeBin = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "healthlog-entrypoint-"));
+  const fakeNode = join(fakeBin, "node");
+  writeFileSync(
+    fakeNode,
+    `#!/bin/sh
+case "$1" in
+  -e)
+    case "$2" in
+      *ENCRYPTION_KEYS*) exec "$REAL_NODE" "$@" ;;
+      *) exit 0 ;;
+    esac
+    ;;
+  *) exit 0 ;;
+esac
+`,
+  );
+  chmodSync(fakeNode, 0o755);
+});
+
+afterAll(() => {
+  rmSync(fakeBin, { recursive: true, force: true });
+});
+
+function runEntrypoint(overrides: Record<string, string | undefined>) {
+  const env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = {
+    PATH: `${fakeBin}:${process.env.PATH ?? ""}`,
+    REAL_NODE: process.execPath,
+    NODE_ENV: "test",
+    DATABASE_URL: "postgresql://healthlog:test@db:5432/healthlog",
+    API_TOKEN_HMAC_KEY: "test-hmac-key",
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+  for (const [name, value] of Object.entries(env)) {
+    if (value === undefined) delete env[name];
+  }
+  return spawnSync("sh", [entrypoint, "true"], {
+    cwd: repoRoot,
+    env,
+    encoding: "utf8",
+  });
+}
+
+describe("docker entrypoint crypto configuration", () => {
+  it("accepts the legacy ENCRYPTION_KEY configuration", () => {
+    const result = runEntrypoint({
+      ENCRYPTION_KEY: key,
+      ENCRYPTION_KEYS: undefined,
+      ENCRYPTION_ACTIVE_KEY_ID: undefined,
+    });
+
+    expect(result.status, result.stderr).toBe(0);
+  }, 20_000);
+
+  it("accepts a keyring-only configuration", () => {
+    const result = runEntrypoint({
+      ENCRYPTION_KEY: undefined,
+      ENCRYPTION_KEYS: JSON.stringify({ v2: key }),
+      ENCRYPTION_ACTIVE_KEY_ID: undefined,
+    });
+
+    expect(result.status, result.stderr).toBe(0);
+  }, 20_000);
+
+  it("fails closed when ENCRYPTION_KEYS is invalid even if a legacy key exists", () => {
+    const result = runEntrypoint({
+      ENCRYPTION_KEY: key,
+      ENCRYPTION_KEYS: JSON.stringify({ v2: "not-a-32-byte-key" }),
+      ENCRYPTION_ACTIVE_KEY_ID: "v2",
+    });
+
+    expect(result.status).toBe(1);
+    expect(result.stderr).toContain("ENCRYPTION_KEYS");
+    expect(result.stderr).toContain("invalid");
+  });
+
+  it("fails closed when the active key is absent from the keyring", () => {
+    const result = runEntrypoint({
+      ENCRYPTION_KEY: undefined,
+      ENCRYPTION_KEYS: JSON.stringify({ v2: key }),
+      ENCRYPTION_ACTIVE_KEY_ID: "v3",
+    });
+
+    expect(result.status).toBe(1);
+    expect(result.stderr).toContain("ENCRYPTION_ACTIVE_KEY_ID");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/lib/db.ts b/src/lib/db.ts
index 0c3b8472f..7b46e69ad 100644
--- a/src/lib/db.ts
+++ b/src/lib/db.ts
@@ -5,34 +5,54 @@ const globalForPrisma = globalThis as unknown as {
   prisma: PrismaClient | undefined;
 };
 
-/**
- * v1.4.40 W-POOL — Prisma `pg.Pool` ceiling raised from the library
- * default of 10 → 20.
- *
- * The v1.4.39 empirical cold-mount trace
- * (`.planning/round-v1439-empirical-trace.md` § B2) showed thick
- * `/api/analytics` holding ≥ 8 of the 10 default pool slots for
- * 6.5 s on the maintainer's 347k-row tenant, starving every other Wave-B and
- * Wave-C useQuery fan-out for the duration. The production Postgres runs a
- * `max_connections` of 200 (raised from the stock 100), so a 20-slot
- * Node-side pool sits well under the server's hard cap with plenty of
- * headroom for concurrent power-users. Note the web + worker containers
- * share this one Postgres, so the effective ceiling covers both pools.
- * Complements the W-POOL `p-limit(4)` cap on the analytics fan-out itself —
- * the bounded concurrency keeps any single analytics call to ≤ 4 slots, so
- * the remaining 16 stay available for every other dashboard query.
- *
- * Env-overridable via `DATABASE_POOL_MAX` so an operator running
- * with a smaller Postgres `max_connections` can dial down without a
- * code change.
- */
-export function getPoolMax(): number {
-  const raw = process.env.DATABASE_POOL_MAX;
-  if (raw) {
-    const parsed = Number.parseInt(raw, 10);
-    if (Number.isFinite(parsed) && parsed > 0) return parsed;
+const DEFAULT_CONNECTION_BUDGET = 20;
+const DEFAULT_POOL_TIMEOUT_SECONDS = 20;
+const PG_BOSS_CONNECTIONS = 2;
+
+function positiveInteger(raw: string | undefined): number | null {
+  if (!raw) return null;
+  const parsed = Number.parseInt(raw, 10);
+  return Number.isFinite(parsed) && parsed > 0 ? parsed : null;
+}
+
+function databaseUrlParameter(name: string): string | undefined {
+  const rawUrl = process.env.DATABASE_URL;
+  if (!rawUrl) return undefined;
+  try {
+    return new URL(rawUrl).searchParams.get(name) ?? undefined;
+  } catch {
+    return undefined;
   }
-  return 20;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Total PostgreSQL connections this process may own. Compose already exposes
+ * this as DB_CONNECTION_LIMIT through DATABASE_URL's `connection_limit`.
+ * DATABASE_POOL_MAX remains a backward-compatible explicit override.
+ */
+export function getConnectionBudget(): number {
+  const configured =
+    positiveInteger(process.env.DB_CONNECTION_LIMIT) ??
+    positiveInteger(process.env.DATABASE_POOL_MAX) ??
+    positiveInteger(databaseUrlParameter("connection_limit")) ??
+    DEFAULT_CONNECTION_BUDGET;
+  return Math.max(2, configured);
+}
+
+export function getPgBossPoolMax(): number {
+  return Math.min(PG_BOSS_CONNECTIONS, getConnectionBudget() - 1);
+}
+
+export function getPrismaPoolMax(): number {
+  return getConnectionBudget() - getPgBossPoolMax();
+}
+
+export function getPoolConnectionTimeoutMs(): number {
+  const seconds =
+    positiveInteger(process.env.DB_POOL_TIMEOUT) ??
+    positiveInteger(databaseUrlParameter("pool_timeout")) ??
+    DEFAULT_POOL_TIMEOUT_SECONDS;
+  return seconds * 1_000;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -79,7 +99,8 @@ function createPrismaClient() {
   const sessionOptions = buildSessionOptions();
   const adapter = new PrismaPg({
     connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL!,
-    max: getPoolMax(),
+    max: getPrismaPoolMax(),
+    connectionTimeoutMillis: getPoolConnectionTimeoutMs(),
     ...(sessionOptions ? { options: sessionOptions } : {}),
   });
   return new PrismaClient({ adapter });
diff --git a/src/lib/jobs/__tests__/apple-health-import-send-policy.test.ts b/src/lib/jobs/__tests__/apple-health-import-send-policy.test.ts
index c6659c456..64367ac29 100644
--- a/src/lib/jobs/__tests__/apple-health-import-send-policy.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/jobs/__tests__/apple-health-import-send-policy.test.ts
@@ -16,8 +16,6 @@ import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
 vi.mock("@/lib/db", () => ({
   prisma: {},
-  buildSessionOptions: () => null,
-  getPoolMax: () => 5,
   toJson: (value: unknown) => value,
 }));
 
diff --git a/src/lib/jobs/__tests__/boss-instance.test.ts b/src/lib/jobs/__tests__/boss-instance.test.ts
index 9de31b2ca..1afc12fad 100644
--- a/src/lib/jobs/__tests__/boss-instance.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/jobs/__tests__/boss-instance.test.ts
@@ -1,44 +1,118 @@
-import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi, type Mock } from "vitest";
 
-const { start, PgBoss } = vi.hoisted(() => {
-  const start = vi.fn(async () => undefined);
-  const stop = vi.fn(async () => undefined);
-  const on = vi.fn();
-  const PgBoss = vi.fn(function MockPgBoss(this: Record<string, unknown>) {
-    this.start = start;
-    this.stop = stop;
-    this.on = on;
+interface MockBoss {
+  start: Mock<() => Promise<unknown>>;
+  stop: Mock<(options?: { graceful?: boolean }) => Promise<void>>;
+  on: Mock<
+    (event: string, handler: (error: Error) => void) => MockBoss
+  >;
+  emitError(error: Error): void;
+}
+
+const { PgBoss, instances, startOutcomes } = vi.hoisted(() => {
+  const instances: MockBoss[] = [];
+  const startOutcomes: Array<() => Promise<unknown>> = [];
+  const PgBoss = vi.fn(function MockPgBoss(this: MockBoss) {
+    let errorHandler: ((error: Error) => void) | undefined;
+    this.start = vi.fn(() =>
+      (startOutcomes.shift() ?? (() => Promise.resolve(undefined)))(),
+    );
+    this.stop = vi.fn(async () => undefined);
+    this.on = vi.fn((event: string, handler: (error: Error) => void) => {
+      if (event === "error") errorHandler = handler;
+      return this;
+    });
+    this.emitError = (error: Error) => errorHandler?.(error);
+    instances.push(this);
   });
-  return { start, PgBoss };
+  return { PgBoss, instances, startOutcomes };
 });
 
 vi.mock("pg-boss", () => ({ PgBoss }));
-import { getGlobalBoss, startGlobalBossProducer } from "../boss-instance";
+import {
+  createWorkerBoss,
+  getGlobalBoss,
+  startGlobalBossProducer,
+} from "../boss-instance";
+
+const globalState = globalThis as Record<string, unknown>;
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  vi.useRealTimers();
+  vi.clearAllMocks();
+  instances.length = 0;
+  startOutcomes.length = 0;
+  delete globalState.__healthlog_pgboss__;
+  delete globalState.__healthlog_pgboss_start__;
+  vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => undefined);
+});
 
 describe("web-process pg-boss producer", () => {
-  beforeEach(() => {
-    vi.clearAllMocks();
-  });
+  it("waits for delayed pg-boss schema readiness with capped exponential backoff", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    const timeoutSpy = vi.spyOn(globalThis, "setTimeout");
+    startOutcomes.push(
+      () => Promise.reject(new Error("schema not ready")),
+      () => Promise.reject(new Error("schema still not ready")),
+      () => Promise.reject(new Error("schema still not ready")),
+      () => Promise.resolve(undefined),
+    );
 
-  it("retries startup and caps the send-only connection pool", async () => {
-    start
-      .mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("schema not ready"))
-      .mockResolvedValueOnce(undefined);
-
-    const boss = await startGlobalBossProducer("postgres://healthlog@test/db", {
-      maxAttempts: 2,
-      retryDelayMs: 0,
+    const starting = startGlobalBossProducer("postgres://healthlog@test/db", {
+      maxAttempts: 4,
+      retryBaseDelayMs: 10,
+      retryMaxDelayMs: 20,
     });
+    await vi.runAllTimersAsync();
+    const boss = await starting;
 
-    expect(PgBoss).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
-    expect(PgBoss).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+    expect(PgBoss).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(4);
+    expect(timeoutSpy.mock.calls.map((call) => call[1])).toEqual([10, 20, 20]);
+    expect(PgBoss).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith({
       connectionString: "postgres://healthlog@test/db",
       max: 2,
+      connectionTimeoutMillis: 20_000,
       migrate: false,
       schedule: false,
       supervise: false,
     });
-    expect(start).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
     expect(boss).toBe(getGlobalBoss());
   });
+
+  it("keeps supervised reconnect active after a bounded failed batch", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    const timeoutSpy = vi.spyOn(globalThis, "setTimeout");
+    startOutcomes.push(() => Promise.resolve(undefined));
+    await startGlobalBossProducer("postgres://healthlog@test/db", {
+      maxAttempts: 2,
+      retryBaseDelayMs: 10,
+      retryMaxDelayMs: 20,
+    });
+
+    startOutcomes.push(
+      () => Promise.reject(new Error("db unavailable 1")),
+      () => Promise.reject(new Error("db unavailable 2")),
+      () => Promise.resolve(undefined),
+    );
+    instances[0].emitError(new Error("connection lost"));
+    await vi.runAllTimersAsync();
+    await Promise.resolve();
+
+    expect(PgBoss).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(4);
+    expect(timeoutSpy.mock.calls.map((call) => call[1])).toEqual([10, 20]);
+    expect(instances[0].stop).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ graceful: false });
+    expect(getGlobalBoss()).toBe(instances[3]);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("worker pg-boss pool", () => {
+  it("uses the pg-boss share of the process connection budget", () => {
+    createWorkerBoss("postgres://healthlog@test/db");
+
+    expect(PgBoss).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      connectionString: "postgres://healthlog@test/db",
+      max: 2,
+      connectionTimeoutMillis: 20_000,
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/lib/jobs/apple-health-import-worker.ts b/src/lib/jobs/apple-health-import-worker.ts
index 888f80c29..e599c1e8a 100644
--- a/src/lib/jobs/apple-health-import-worker.ts
+++ b/src/lib/jobs/apple-health-import-worker.ts
@@ -25,9 +25,8 @@
  * Locks per `.planning/research/v1434-r-1-xml-import.md` §5.1.
  */
 import { unlinkSync } from "node:fs";
-import { PrismaClient } from "@/generated/prisma/client";
-import { buildSessionOptions, getPoolMax, toJson } from "@/lib/db";
-import { PrismaPg } from "@prisma/adapter-pg";
+import type { PrismaClient } from "@/generated/prisma/client";
+import { prisma, toJson } from "@/lib/db";
 import type { Job } from "pg-boss";
 
 import { extractExportXml } from "@/lib/import/unzip-export-xml";
@@ -94,20 +93,7 @@ export function _setWorkerPrismaForTests(client: PrismaClient | null): void {
 }
 
 function getWorkerPrisma(): PrismaClient {
-  if (!workerPrismaSingleton) {
-    // Inherit the web client's pool ceiling + per-session statement timeouts
-    // (`src/lib/db.ts`). The timeout is per-statement, not per-job, so the
-    // long-running bulk import stays safe while a single wedged UPSERT can no
-    // longer pin a worker connection indefinitely.
-    const sessionOptions = buildSessionOptions();
-    const adapter = new PrismaPg({
-      connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL!,
-      max: getPoolMax(),
-      ...(sessionOptions ? { options: sessionOptions } : {}),
-    });
-    workerPrismaSingleton = new PrismaClient({ adapter });
-  }
-  return workerPrismaSingleton;
+  return workerPrismaSingleton ?? prisma;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/lib/jobs/boss-instance.ts b/src/lib/jobs/boss-instance.ts
index 6925e3cad..7e29c2b95 100644
--- a/src/lib/jobs/boss-instance.ts
+++ b/src/lib/jobs/boss-instance.ts
@@ -7,15 +7,27 @@
  */
 import { PgBoss } from "pg-boss";
 
+import {
+  getPgBossPoolMax,
+  getPoolConnectionTimeoutMs,
+} from "@/lib/db";
+
 const BOSS_KEY = "__healthlog_pgboss__" as const;
 const BOSS_START_KEY = "__healthlog_pgboss_start__" as const;
-const PRODUCER_POOL_MAX = 2;
 const PRODUCER_START_MAX_ATTEMPTS = 5;
-const PRODUCER_START_RETRY_DELAY_MS = 1_000;
+const PRODUCER_RETRY_BASE_DELAY_MS = 250;
+const PRODUCER_RETRY_MAX_DELAY_MS = 2_000;
 
 export interface ProducerStartOptions {
   maxAttempts?: number;
-  retryDelayMs?: number;
+  retryBaseDelayMs?: number;
+  retryMaxDelayMs?: number;
+}
+
+interface ProducerRetryPolicy {
+  maxAttempts: number;
+  baseDelayMs: number;
+  maxDelayMs: number;
 }
 
 function wait(ms: number): Promise<void> {
@@ -24,20 +36,122 @@ function wait(ms: number): Promise<void> {
   return promise;
 }
 
-export function setGlobalBoss(boss: PgBoss) {
-  (globalThis as Record<string, unknown>)[BOSS_KEY] = boss;
+function resolveRetryPolicy(options: ProducerStartOptions): ProducerRetryPolicy {
+  const maxAttempts = Math.max(
+    1,
+    Math.trunc(options.maxAttempts ?? PRODUCER_START_MAX_ATTEMPTS),
+  );
+  const baseDelayMs = Math.max(
+    0,
+    Math.trunc(options.retryBaseDelayMs ?? PRODUCER_RETRY_BASE_DELAY_MS),
+  );
+  const maxDelayMs = Math.max(
+    baseDelayMs,
+    Math.trunc(options.retryMaxDelayMs ?? PRODUCER_RETRY_MAX_DELAY_MS),
+  );
+  return { maxAttempts, baseDelayMs, maxDelayMs };
+}
+
+function retryDelayMs(failedAttempt: number, policy: ProducerRetryPolicy): number {
+  return Math.min(
+    policy.maxDelayMs,
+    policy.baseDelayMs * 2 ** Math.max(0, failedAttempt - 1),
+  );
+}
+
+export function setGlobalBoss(boss: PgBoss | null): void {
+  const globalState = globalThis as Record<string, unknown>;
+  if (boss) globalState[BOSS_KEY] = boss;
+  else delete globalState[BOSS_KEY];
 }
 
 export function getGlobalBoss(): PgBoss | null {
   return ((globalThis as Record<string, unknown>)[BOSS_KEY] as PgBoss) ?? null;
 }
 
+function databaseOptions(connectionString: string) {
+  return {
+    connectionString,
+    max: getPgBossPoolMax(),
+    connectionTimeoutMillis: getPoolConnectionTimeoutMs(),
+  } as const;
+}
+
+export function createWorkerBoss(connectionString: string): PgBoss {
+  return new PgBoss(databaseOptions(connectionString));
+}
+
+function producerOptions(connectionString: string) {
+  return {
+    ...databaseOptions(connectionString),
+    migrate: false,
+    schedule: false,
+    supervise: false,
+  } as const;
+}
+
+async function startProducerAttempts(
+  connectionString: string,
+  policy: ProducerRetryPolicy,
+): Promise<PgBoss> {
+  let lastError: unknown;
+  for (let attempt = 1; attempt <= policy.maxAttempts; attempt += 1) {
+    const boss = new PgBoss(producerOptions(connectionString));
+    let ready = false;
+    boss.on("error", (error: unknown) => {
+      console.error("[pg-boss-producer] error", error);
+      if (ready) superviseProducerReconnect(boss, connectionString, policy);
+    });
+    try {
+      await boss.start();
+      ready = true;
+      setGlobalBoss(boss);
+      return boss;
+    } catch (error) {
+      lastError = error;
+      await boss.stop({ graceful: false }).catch(() => undefined);
+      if (attempt < policy.maxAttempts) {
+        await wait(retryDelayMs(attempt, policy));
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  throw lastError;
+}
+
+function superviseProducerReconnect(
+  failedBoss: PgBoss,
+  connectionString: string,
+  policy: ProducerRetryPolicy,
+): void {
+  const globalState = globalThis as Record<string, unknown>;
+  if (getGlobalBoss() !== failedBoss || globalState[BOSS_START_KEY]) return;
+
+  setGlobalBoss(null);
+  const reconnecting = (async () => {
+    await failedBoss.stop({ graceful: false }).catch(() => undefined);
+    for (;;) {
+      try {
+        return await startProducerAttempts(connectionString, policy);
+      } catch (error) {
+        console.error("[pg-boss-producer] reconnect batch exhausted", error);
+        await wait(policy.maxDelayMs);
+      }
+    }
+  })();
+  globalState[BOSS_START_KEY] = reconnecting;
+  void reconnecting.finally(() => {
+    if (globalState[BOSS_START_KEY] === reconnecting) {
+      delete globalState[BOSS_START_KEY];
+    }
+  });
+}
+
 /**
  * Start the web process's send-only pg-boss connection exactly once.
  *
- * `PgBoss.start()` is still required to open/check the database connection.
- * Disabling migration, schedules, and supervision keeps this process from
- * performing worker duties; `send()` remains available through the manager.
+ * `PgBoss.start()` is required to confirm the worker-owned schema exists.
+ * Migration, schedules, and pg-boss maintenance stay disabled in web mode;
+ * this module only supervises the producer connection itself.
  */
 export async function startGlobalBossProducer(
   connectionString: string | null | undefined,
@@ -50,50 +164,20 @@ export async function startGlobalBossProducer(
   if (existing) return existing;
 
   const starting = globalState[BOSS_START_KEY] as
-    Promise<PgBoss | null> | undefined;
+    | Promise<PgBoss | null>
+    | undefined;
   if (starting) return starting;
 
-  const maxAttempts = Math.max(
-    1,
-    Math.trunc(options.maxAttempts ?? PRODUCER_START_MAX_ATTEMPTS),
+  const startPromise = startProducerAttempts(
+    connectionString,
+    resolveRetryPolicy(options),
   );
-  const retryDelayMs = Math.max(
-    0,
-    options.retryDelayMs ?? PRODUCER_START_RETRY_DELAY_MS,
-  );
-  const startPromise = (async () => {
-    let lastError: unknown;
-    for (let attempt = 1; attempt <= maxAttempts; attempt += 1) {
-      const boss = new PgBoss({
-        connectionString,
-        max: PRODUCER_POOL_MAX,
-        migrate: false,
-        schedule: false,
-        supervise: false,
-      });
-      boss.on("error", (error: unknown) => {
-        console.error("[pg-boss-producer] error", error);
-      });
-      try {
-        await boss.start();
-        setGlobalBoss(boss);
-        return boss;
-      } catch (error) {
-        lastError = error;
-        await boss.stop({ graceful: false }).catch(() => {});
-        if (attempt < maxAttempts) {
-          await wait(retryDelayMs);
-        }
-      }
-    }
-    throw lastError;
-  })();
-
   globalState[BOSS_START_KEY] = startPromise;
   try {
     return await startPromise;
-  } catch (error) {
-    delete globalState[BOSS_START_KEY];
-    throw error;
+  } finally {
+    if (globalState[BOSS_START_KEY] === startPromise) {
+      delete globalState[BOSS_START_KEY];
+    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/jobs/reminder-worker.ts b/src/lib/jobs/reminder-worker.ts
index d3ccefc3a..e61f62348 100644
--- a/src/lib/jobs/reminder-worker.ts
+++ b/src/lib/jobs/reminder-worker.ts
@@ -14,9 +14,8 @@
  * Usage: Run as a standalone process or call startReminderWorker() from a
  * custom server setup. In dev, use: npx tsx src/lib/jobs/reminder-worker.ts
  */
-import { PgBoss } from "pg-boss";
 import { markWorkerStarted, recordError } from "@/lib/jobs/worker-status";
-import { setGlobalBoss } from "@/lib/jobs/boss-instance";
+import { createWorkerBoss, setGlobalBoss } from "@/lib/jobs/boss-instance";
 import { assertSubsystemEnabled } from "@/lib/process-type";
 import { DATABASE_URL, workerLog } from "./reminder/shared";
 import {
@@ -50,7 +49,7 @@ export async function startReminderWorker() {
     return;
   }
 
-  const boss = new PgBoss(DATABASE_URL);
+  const boss = createWorkerBoss(DATABASE_URL);
 
   boss.on("error", (error: unknown) => {
     workerLog("error", "boss emitted error", error);
diff --git a/src/lib/jobs/reminder/__tests__/shared.test.ts b/src/lib/jobs/reminder/__tests__/shared.test.ts
index feecd51c3..bb6b11ed1 100644
--- a/src/lib/jobs/reminder/__tests__/shared.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/jobs/reminder/__tests__/shared.test.ts
@@ -1,15 +1,4 @@
-/**
- * F-DB-1 — the worker Prisma client must inherit the same pool ceiling +
- * session timeouts as the web client (`src/lib/db.ts`).
- *
- * Before this fix the worker adapter was built with a bare
- * `{ connectionString }`, so a pathological nightly drain on a heavy tenant
- * could run unbounded, pin a connection indefinitely, and wedge the shared
- * worker pool. This test pins the contract: `getWorkerPrisma()` constructs its
- * `PrismaPg` adapter with `max` from `getPoolMax()` and the `options` startup
- * string from `buildSessionOptions()`.
- */
-import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
 const adapterCtor = vi.fn();
 const clientCtor = vi.fn();
@@ -23,6 +12,7 @@ vi.mock("@prisma/adapter-pg", () => ({
 }));
 
 vi.mock("@/generated/prisma/client", () => ({
+  Prisma: {},
   PrismaClient: class {
     constructor(...args: unknown[]) {
       clientCtor(...args);
@@ -30,78 +20,24 @@ vi.mock("@/generated/prisma/client", () => ({
   },
 }));
 
-describe("getWorkerPrisma", () => {
+describe("worker Prisma connection ownership", () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
     vi.resetModules();
     adapterCtor.mockClear();
     clientCtor.mockClear();
-    process.env.DATABASE_URL = "postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/db";
-    delete process.env.DATABASE_POOL_MAX;
-    delete process.env.DATABASE_STATEMENT_TIMEOUT_MS;
+    process.env.DATABASE_URL =
+      "postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/db?connection_limit=20&pool_timeout=20";
   });
 
-  afterEach(() => {
-    delete process.env.DATABASE_POOL_MAX;
-    delete process.env.DATABASE_STATEMENT_TIMEOUT_MS;
-  });
-
-  it("builds the adapter with a pool cap and session timeouts", async () => {
-    const { getWorkerPrisma } = await import("../shared");
-    // Importing ../shared pulls in src/lib/db.ts, which constructs the web
-    // client's adapter at module load. Clear so we count only the worker's.
-    adapterCtor.mockClear();
-    clientCtor.mockClear();
-    getWorkerPrisma();
+  it("reuses the process Prisma client instead of opening a second pool", async () => {
+    const [{ prisma }, { getWorkerPrisma }] = await Promise.all([
+      import("@/lib/db"),
+      import("../shared"),
+    ]);
 
+    expect(getWorkerPrisma()).toBe(prisma);
+    expect(getWorkerPrisma()).toBe(prisma);
     expect(adapterCtor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
-    const config = adapterCtor.mock.calls[0][0] as {
-      connectionString: string;
-      max: number;
-      options?: string;
-    };
-    expect(config.connectionString).toBe(
-      "postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/db",
-    );
-    // Default pool ceiling — must not fall back to the pg library default of 10.
-    expect(config.max).toBe(20);
-    // Both session timeouts applied at connection establishment.
-    expect(config.options).toContain("-c statement_timeout=60000");
-    expect(config.options).toContain(
-      "-c idle_in_transaction_session_timeout=60000",
-    );
-  });
-
-  it("honours the shared env knobs", async () => {
-    process.env.DATABASE_POOL_MAX = "12";
-    process.env.DATABASE_STATEMENT_TIMEOUT_MS = "30000";
-    const { getWorkerPrisma } = await import("../shared");
-    adapterCtor.mockClear();
-    getWorkerPrisma();
-
-    const config = adapterCtor.mock.calls[0][0] as {
-      max: number;
-      options?: string;
-    };
-    expect(config.max).toBe(12);
-    expect(config.options).toContain("-c statement_timeout=30000");
-  });
-
-  it("omits the options string when the timeout is disabled", async () => {
-    process.env.DATABASE_STATEMENT_TIMEOUT_MS = "0";
-    const { getWorkerPrisma } = await import("../shared");
-    adapterCtor.mockClear();
-    getWorkerPrisma();
-
-    const config = adapterCtor.mock.calls[0][0] as { options?: string };
-    expect(config.options).toBeUndefined();
-  });
-
-  it("reuses a single client across calls", async () => {
-    const { getWorkerPrisma } = await import("../shared");
-    clientCtor.mockClear();
-    const a = getWorkerPrisma();
-    const b = getWorkerPrisma();
-    expect(a).toBe(b);
     expect(clientCtor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/lib/jobs/reminder/shared.ts b/src/lib/jobs/reminder/shared.ts
index 079ab63f7..5a14af029 100644
--- a/src/lib/jobs/reminder/shared.ts
+++ b/src/lib/jobs/reminder/shared.ts
@@ -4,9 +4,8 @@
  * Extracted from reminder-worker.ts, which owns the queue names, cron
  * schedules, and boss.work registrations.
  */
-import { PrismaClient } from "@/generated/prisma/client";
-import { PrismaPg } from "@prisma/adapter-pg";
-import { buildSessionOptions, getPoolMax } from "@/lib/db";
+import type { PrismaClient } from "@/generated/prisma/client";
+import { prisma } from "@/lib/db";
 
 export function parseTimeToMinutes(value: string): number {
   const [h, m] = value.split(":").map(Number);
@@ -31,31 +30,10 @@ export const DATABASE_URL = process.env.DATABASE_URL!;
 // immediate semantics.
 export const BOOT_BACKFILL_STAGGER_SECONDS = 30;
 
-// Reuse a single PrismaClient across all job handlers to avoid connection pool exhaustion
-
-let workerPrisma: PrismaClient | null = null;
-
+// Every queue handler shares the process-level client and its single bounded
+// pg.Pool. Separate worker clients multiplied the configured connection limit.
 export function getWorkerPrisma(): PrismaClient {
-  if (!workerPrisma) {
-    // Apply the same pool ceiling + session timeouts the web client uses
-    // (`src/lib/db.ts`). Without them the worker client ran unbounded: a
-    // pathological nightly drain on a heavy tenant could pin a connection
-    // indefinitely and wedge the shared worker pool. `getPoolMax()` caps the
-    // slot count; `buildSessionOptions()` applies `statement_timeout` +
-    // `idle_in_transaction_session_timeout` at connection establishment so
-    // every worker session is timeout-bounded from its first query. Both share
-    // the same `DATABASE_POOL_MAX` / `DATABASE_STATEMENT_TIMEOUT_MS` env knobs
-    // as the web tier, and the web + worker containers share one Postgres so a
-    // single ceiling covers both pools.
-    const sessionOptions = buildSessionOptions();
-    const adapter = new PrismaPg({
-      connectionString: DATABASE_URL,
-      max: getPoolMax(),
-      ...(sessionOptions ? { options: sessionOptions } : {}),
-    });
-    workerPrisma = new PrismaClient({ adapter });
-  }
-  return workerPrisma;
+  return prisma;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/proxy.ts b/src/proxy.ts
index f8712927d..f42321058 100644
--- a/src/proxy.ts
+++ b/src/proxy.ts
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ export function proxy(request: NextRequest) {
   // Worker-only container: refuse HTTP traffic with a clear hint instead of
   // serving requests that would either crash (no DB pool ready for writes from
   // the worker) or duplicate work that the dedicated web container is doing.
-  if (!shouldRunWeb()) {
+  if (!shouldRunWeb() && pathname !== "/api/health") {
     return NextResponse.json(
       {
         data: null,