diff --git a/entrypoint.sh b/entrypoint.sh
index ec32ba08d..83575d742 100755
--- a/entrypoint.sh
+++ b/entrypoint.sh
@@ -1,33 +1,42 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
+set -e  # Exit on error
 echo "Debug mode: $DEBUG"
 echo "Environment: $ENVIRONMENT"
 
+# Run Alembic migrations with proper error handling
 
-# # Run Alembic migrations
-# echo "Running database migrations..."
-# poetry run alembic upgrade head
-
-# # Check if the migrations were successful
-# if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
-#     echo "Migrations completed successfully."
-# else
-#     echo "Migration failed, exiting."
-#     exit 1
-# fi
-
+# Note on UserAlreadyExists error handling:
+# During database migrations, we attempt to create a default user. If this user
+# already exists (e.g., from a previous deployment or migration), it's not a
+# critical error and shouldn't prevent the application from starting. This is
+# different from other migration errors which could indicate database schema
+# inconsistencies and should cause the startup to fail. This check allows for
+# smooth redeployments and container restarts while maintaining data integrity.
+echo "Running database migrations..."
+MIGRATION_OUTPUT=$(poetry run alembic upgrade head 2>&1) || {
+    if [[ $MIGRATION_OUTPUT == *"UserAlreadyExists"* ]] || [[ $MIGRATION_OUTPUT == *"User default_user@example.com already exists"* ]]; then
+        echo "Warning: Default user already exists, continuing startup..."
+    else
+        echo "Migration failed with unexpected error:"
+        echo "$MIGRATION_OUTPUT"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+}
 
 echo "Starting Gunicorn"
 
-if [ "$ENVIRONMENT" = "dev" ]; then
-  if [ "$DEBUG" = true ]; then
-    echo "Waiting for the debugger to attach..."
+# Add startup delay to ensure DB is ready
+sleep 2
 
-    python -m debugpy --wait-for-client --listen 0.0.0.0:5678 -m gunicorn -w 3 -k uvicorn.workers.UvicornWorker -t 30000 --bind=0.0.0.0:8000 --log-level debug --reload cognee.api.client:app
-  else
-    gunicorn -w 3 -k uvicorn.workers.UvicornWorker -t 30000 --bind=0.0.0.0:8000 --log-level debug --reload cognee.api.client:app
-  fi
+# Modified Gunicorn startup with error handling
+if [ "$ENVIRONMENT" = "dev" ]; then
+    if [ "$DEBUG" = true ]; then
+        echo "Waiting for the debugger to attach..."
+        exec python -m debugpy --wait-for-client --listen 0.0.0.0:5678 -m gunicorn -w 3 -k uvicorn.workers.UvicornWorker -t 30000 --bind=0.0.0.0:8000 --log-level debug --reload cognee.api.client:app
+    else
+        exec gunicorn -w 3 -k uvicorn.workers.UvicornWorker -t 30000 --bind=0.0.0.0:8000 --log-level debug --reload cognee.api.client:app
+    fi
 else
-  gunicorn -w 3 -k uvicorn.workers.UvicornWorker -t 30000 --bind=0.0.0.0:8000 --log-level error cognee.api.client:app
-  # python ./cognee/api/client.py
-fi
\ No newline at end of file
+    exec gunicorn -w 3 -k uvicorn.workers.UvicornWorker -t 30000 --bind=0.0.0.0:8000 --log-level error cognee.api.client:app 
+fi