diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 9501df45c29..acb2a417e3c 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -13,6 +13,12 @@ Docker provides a consistent, isolated environment with all dependencies pre-con
 #### Prerequisites
 
 - Docker Desktop or Docker Engine
+- Docker Compose **v2.24 or newer** (check with `docker compose version`). The dev
+  Compose file marks its `env_file` entries optional using the long-form
+  `path`/`required` syntax; older clients reject it with
+  `services.gateway.env_file.0 must be a string`. `make docker-start` verifies the
+  version and tells you to upgrade — direct `docker compose` callers get that raw
+  message instead.
 - pnpm (for caching optimization)
 
 #### Setup Steps
@@ -43,6 +49,30 @@ Docker provides a consistent, isolated environment with all dependencies pre-con
    ```
    `make docker-start` reads `config.yaml` and starts `provisioner` only for provisioner/Kubernetes sandbox mode.
 
+   Prefer this wrapper over invoking Compose yourself: it checks your Compose
+   version, creates the missing `.env` files, and exports `DEER_FLOW_ROOT`.
+
+   If you do run Compose directly, run it **from the repository root** and set
+   `DEER_FLOW_ROOT` to the absolute path of your checkout. Compose interpolates
+   that variable into host-side paths (`DEER_FLOW_HOST_BASE_DIR`,
+   `THREADS_HOST_PATH`) that the AIO and provisioner sandbox modes bind-mount;
+   leaving it unset renders them as `/backend/.deer-flow`, so those mounts
+   silently miss your checkout instead of failing:
+
+   ```bash
+   # macOS / Linux
+   DEER_FLOW_ROOT="$PWD" docker compose -f docker/docker-compose-dev.yaml up --build
+   ```
+
+   ```powershell
+   # Windows PowerShell
+   $env:DEER_FLOW_ROOT = (Get-Location).Path
+   docker compose -f docker/docker-compose-dev.yaml up --build
+   ```
+
+   Do not reuse that `-f` path from inside `docker/` — it resolves to
+   `docker/docker/docker-compose-dev.yaml` and fails with a file-not-found error.
+
    All services will start with hot-reload enabled:
    - Frontend changes are automatically reloaded
    - Backend changes trigger automatic restart
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a8931e3643e..c3e20b86228 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -260,6 +260,10 @@ Use the table below as a practical starting point when choosing how to run DeerF
 
 #### Option 1: Docker (Recommended)
 
+Requires Docker Desktop / Docker Engine and **Docker Compose v2.24+**
+(`docker compose version`). Older Compose clients cannot parse the optional
+`env_file` syntax in `docker/docker-compose-dev.yaml`.
+
 **Development** (hot-reload, source mounts):
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/README_zh.md b/README_zh.md
index 9eee6394369..bfaba44cec0 100644
--- a/README_zh.md
+++ b/README_zh.md
@@ -246,6 +246,10 @@ DeerFlow 新近集成了 BytePlus 自研的智能搜索与抓取工具集——[
 
 #### 方式一：Docker（推荐）
 
+需要 Docker Desktop / Docker Engine，以及 **Docker Compose v2.24+**
+（`docker compose version`）。更旧的 Compose 客户端无法解析
+`docker/docker-compose-dev.yaml` 里的可选 `env_file` 语法。
+
 **开发模式**（支持热更新，挂载源码）：
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_compose_default_bind_host.py b/backend/tests/test_compose_default_bind_host.py
index 1064bb53ace..511fef03b06 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_compose_default_bind_host.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_compose_default_bind_host.py
@@ -110,3 +110,16 @@ def _bind_address(mapping: str) -> str | None:
 
     # ADDR:HOST:CONTAINER -> bound; HOST:CONTAINER or CONTAINER -> unbound.
     return segments[0] if len(segments) >= 3 else None
+
+
+def test_dev_compose_env_files_are_optional():
+    """Missing .env files must not fail `docker compose -f docker/docker-compose-dev.yaml`."""
+    compose = yaml.safe_load(COMPOSE_PATHS["dev"].read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    expected = {
+        "provisioner": "../.env",
+        "frontend": "../frontend/.env",
+        "gateway": "../.env",
+    }
+    for service_name, path in expected.items():
+        entries = compose["services"][service_name]["env_file"]
+        assert entries == [{"path": path, "required": False}], f"{service_name} env_file must be optional; got: {entries!r}"
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_docker_sandbox_mode_detection.py b/backend/tests/test_docker_sandbox_mode_detection.py
index c95f7430f08..e244992f526 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_docker_sandbox_mode_detection.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_docker_sandbox_mode_detection.py
@@ -106,17 +106,213 @@ def test_detect_mode_unknown_provider_falls_back_to_local():
     assert _detect_mode_with_config(config) == "local"
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("docker_command", ["logs --gateway", "restart"])
+def _seed_compose_file(tmp_root: Path) -> None:
+    """Give require_compose_file the file it validates."""
+    (tmp_root / "docker-compose-dev.yaml").write_text("services: {}\n", encoding="utf-8")
+
+
+def _seed_env_examples(tmp_root: Path) -> None:
+    """Provide the templates ensure_env_files copies from."""
+    (tmp_root / ".env.example").write_text("# test\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    frontend = tmp_root / "frontend"
+    frontend.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
+    (frontend / ".env.example").write_text("# test\n", encoding="utf-8")
+
+
+def _run_docker_sh(tmp_root: Path, body: str) -> None:
+    """Run docker.sh against a temp checkout, stubbing the real Compose version probe.
+
+    Keep SCRIPT_DIR at the real scripts/ directory so stop's cleanup-containers.sh
+    path still resolves; only PROJECT_ROOT / DOCKER_DIR are redirected.
+    """
+    command = f"""
+source '{SCRIPT_PATH}'
+PROJECT_ROOT='{tmp_root}'
+DOCKER_DIR='{tmp_root}'
+require_compose_version() {{ :; }}
+{body}
+"""
+    subprocess.check_call([BASH_EXECUTABLE, "-lc", command])
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("docker_command", ["logs --gateway", "stop", "restart"])
 def test_compose_commands_set_deer_flow_root_before_compose(docker_command):
-    """Log and restart commands should resolve mounts from the repository root."""
+    """Read-only compose commands should resolve mounts from the repository root."""
     with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmpdir:
-        command = f"""
-source '{SCRIPT_PATH}'
-PROJECT_ROOT='{tmpdir}'
-DOCKER_DIR='{tmpdir}'
+        tmp_root = Path(tmpdir)
+        _seed_compose_file(tmp_root)
+        _run_docker_sh(
+            tmp_root,
+            f"""
 COMPOSE_CMD=capture_compose
 capture_compose() {{ test "${{DEER_FLOW_ROOT:-}}" = "$PROJECT_ROOT"; }}
 unset DEER_FLOW_ROOT
 {docker_command}
+""",
+        )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("docker_command", ["logs --gateway", "stop", "restart"])
+def test_read_only_commands_do_not_create_env_files(docker_command):
+    """Only start may write configuration; logs/stop/restart must leave a checkout alone."""
+    with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmpdir:
+        tmp_root = Path(tmpdir)
+        _seed_compose_file(tmp_root)
+        _seed_env_examples(tmp_root)
+
+        _run_docker_sh(tmp_root, f"COMPOSE_CMD=true\n{docker_command}")
+
+        assert not (tmp_root / ".env").exists(), f"{docker_command} created .env"
+        assert not (tmp_root / "frontend" / ".env").exists(), f"{docker_command} created frontend/.env"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("docker_command", ["logs --gateway", "stop", "restart"])
+def test_read_only_commands_run_without_env_examples(docker_command):
+    """A missing .env.example must never block stopping or inspecting containers."""
+    with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmpdir:
+        tmp_root = Path(tmpdir)
+        _seed_compose_file(tmp_root)
+
+        _run_docker_sh(tmp_root, f"COMPOSE_CMD=true\n{docker_command}")
+
+
+def test_ensure_env_files_copies_from_examples():
+    """start's env-file step should create .env files from their examples when missing."""
+    with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmpdir:
+        tmp_root = Path(tmpdir)
+        _seed_env_examples(tmp_root)
+
+        command = f"""
+source '{SCRIPT_PATH}'
+PROJECT_ROOT='{tmp_root}'
+ensure_env_files
+"""
+        subprocess.check_call([BASH_EXECUTABLE, "-lc", command])
+
+        assert (tmp_root / ".env").is_file()
+        assert (tmp_root / "frontend" / ".env").is_file()
+        assert (tmp_root / ".env").read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "# test\n"
+        assert (tmp_root / "frontend" / ".env").read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "# test\n"
+
+
+def test_ensure_env_files_leaves_existing_env_untouched():
+    """ensure_env_files must not overwrite an already-present .env."""
+    with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmpdir:
+        tmp_root = Path(tmpdir)
+        _seed_env_examples(tmp_root)
+        (tmp_root / ".env").write_text("KEEP=me\n", encoding="utf-8")
+        frontend = tmp_root / "frontend"
+        (frontend / ".env").write_text("KEEP=frontend\n", encoding="utf-8")
+
+        command = f"""
+source '{SCRIPT_PATH}'
+PROJECT_ROOT='{tmp_root}'
+ensure_env_files
 """
         subprocess.check_call([BASH_EXECUTABLE, "-lc", command])
+
+        assert (tmp_root / ".env").read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "KEEP=me\n"
+        assert (frontend / ".env").read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "KEEP=frontend\n"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("reported_version", "expected_returncode"),
+    [
+        ("2.23.3", 1),
+        ("2.5.0", 1),
+        ("2.24.0", 0),
+        ("v2.40.2-desktop.1", 0),
+        ("3.0.1", 0),
+        ("", 0),  # undetectable: warn, but do not block
+    ],
+)
+def test_require_compose_version_enforces_minimum(reported_version, expected_returncode):
+    """Old clients get our actionable message instead of a raw Compose parser error."""
+    # Stub both binaries so an empty plugin probe cannot fall through to the
+    # real hyphenated docker-compose installed on the developer machine.
+    command = f"""
+source '{SCRIPT_PATH}'
+docker() {{ echo '{reported_version}'; }}
+docker-compose() {{ echo '{reported_version}'; }}
+require_compose_version
+"""
+    result = subprocess.run(
+        [BASH_EXECUTABLE, "-lc", command],
+        capture_output=True,
+        text=True,
+        encoding="utf-8",
+    )
+
+    assert result.returncode == expected_returncode, result.stdout + result.stderr
+    if expected_returncode != 0:
+        assert "too old" in result.stdout
+        assert "docs.docker.com/compose/install" in result.stdout
+
+
+def test_require_compose_version_falls_back_to_hyphenated_binary():
+    """Plugin missing + docker-compose 2.24: version check passes and stop uses that binary.
+
+    Regression for the half-fallback where require_compose_version accepted
+    docker-compose but COMPOSE_CMD stayed hardcoded to `docker compose`.
+    """
+    with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmpdir:
+        tmp_root = Path(tmpdir)
+        _seed_compose_file(tmp_root)
+        marker = tmp_root / "hyphenated_invoke.txt"
+
+        command = f"""
+source '{SCRIPT_PATH}'
+PROJECT_ROOT='{tmp_root}'
+DOCKER_DIR='{tmp_root}'
+docker() {{
+  if [ "$1" = compose ]; then
+    echo "docker: unknown command" >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
+  command docker "$@"
+}}
+docker-compose() {{
+  if [ "$1" = version ]; then
+    echo '2.24.0'
+    return 0
+  fi
+  # Real wrapper ops (down/logs/...) must hit this binary, not `docker compose`.
+  printf '%s\n' "$*" > '{marker}'
+}}
+unset DEER_FLOW_ROOT
+stop
+"""
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            [BASH_EXECUTABLE, "-lc", command],
+            capture_output=True,
+            text=True,
+            encoding="utf-8",
+        )
+
+        assert result.returncode == 0, result.stdout + result.stderr
+        assert marker.is_file(), "stop never invoked docker-compose for the compose operation"
+        assert "down" in marker.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+
+
+def test_require_compose_version_rejects_old_hyphenated_binary():
+    """An old docker-compose binary must still fail the floor check."""
+    command = f"""
+source '{SCRIPT_PATH}'
+docker() {{
+  if [ "$1" = compose ]; then
+    return 1
+  fi
+  command docker "$@"
+}}
+docker-compose() {{ echo '2.23.3'; }}
+require_compose_version
+"""
+    result = subprocess.run(
+        [BASH_EXECUTABLE, "-lc", command],
+        capture_output=True,
+        text=True,
+        encoding="utf-8",
+    )
+
+    assert result.returncode == 1, result.stdout + result.stderr
+    assert "too old" in result.stdout
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose-dev.yaml b/docker/docker-compose-dev.yaml
index c4dfa801e31..799a88de794 100644
--- a/docker/docker-compose-dev.yaml
+++ b/docker/docker-compose-dev.yaml
@@ -1,5 +1,27 @@
 # DeerFlow Development Environment
-# Usage: docker-compose -f docker-compose-dev.yaml up --build
+#
+# Requires Docker Compose >= 2.24. The env_file entries below use the long-form
+# path/required syntax so a missing ../.env or ../frontend/.env does not abort
+# Compose on Windows ("file not found" / "Le fichier spécifique est
+# introuvable"). Clients older than 2.24 do not understand that field and
+# reject this file with:
+#   validating docker-compose-dev.yaml: services.gateway.env_file.0 must be a string
+# make docker-start checks the version and says so; direct `docker compose`
+# callers get the message above instead.
+#
+# Supported entry: from the repository root, run `make docker-start`. That
+# wrapper checks the Compose version, creates missing .env files, exports
+# DEER_FLOW_ROOT, and invokes Compose from this directory with a relative
+# filename.
+#
+# Running Compose yourself works too, but export DEER_FLOW_ROOT as the absolute
+# checkout path first (see CONTRIBUTING.md for the Windows form). Unset, the
+# DEER_FLOW_HOST_BASE_DIR and THREADS_HOST_PATH values below render as
+# /backend/.deer-flow, so the provisioner bind-mounts the wrong host paths:
+#   DEER_FLOW_ROOT="$PWD" docker compose -f docker/docker-compose-dev.yaml up --build
+# The -f path resolves against your shell's directory, not against this file:
+# from the repository root use docker/docker-compose-dev.yaml; from inside
+# docker/ use the bare docker-compose-dev.yaml, as make docker-start does.
 #
 # Services:
 #   - nginx: Reverse proxy (port 2026)
@@ -57,6 +79,12 @@ services:
       # On Docker Desktop/OrbStack, use your actual host paths like /Users/username/...
       # Set these in your shell before running docker-compose:
       #   export DEER_FLOW_ROOT=/absolute/path/to/deer-flow
+      # Deliberately left without a ${DEER_FLOW_ROOT:-...} fallback. The obvious
+      # candidate, $PWD, is exported by POSIX shells but not by PowerShell or
+      # cmd, so the default would resolve to an empty string on Windows — the
+      # platform this variable exists to get right. A wrong-but-plausible host
+      # path mounts an empty directory instead of failing, so we require the
+      # caller to be explicit; make docker-start sets it for you.
       - THREADS_HOST_PATH=${DEER_FLOW_ROOT}/backend/.deer-flow/threads
       # Per-user data base directory for user-scoped skill mounts
       - DEER_FLOW_HOST_BASE_DIR=${DEER_FLOW_ROOT}/backend/.deer-flow
@@ -74,7 +102,8 @@ services:
       # The same value must be set on the gateway side via config.yaml sandbox.provisioner_api_key.
       - PROVISIONER_API_KEY=${PROVISIONER_API_KEY:-}
     env_file:
-      - ../.env
+      - path: ../.env
+        required: false
     extra_hosts:
       - "host.docker.internal:host-gateway"
     networks:
@@ -139,7 +168,8 @@ services:
       - CI=true
       - DEER_FLOW_INTERNAL_GATEWAY_BASE_URL=http://gateway:8001
     env_file:
-      - ../frontend/.env
+      - path: ../frontend/.env
+        required: false
     networks:
       - deer-flow-dev
     restart: unless-stopped
@@ -212,7 +242,8 @@ services:
       - NO_PROXY=${NO_PROXY:-}${NO_PROXY:+,}localhost,127.0.0.1,::1,gateway,frontend,nginx,provisioner,openviking,host.docker.internal
       - no_proxy=${no_proxy:-}${no_proxy:+,}localhost,127.0.0.1,::1,gateway,frontend,nginx,provisioner,openviking,host.docker.internal
     env_file:
-      - ../.env
+      - path: ../.env
+        required: false
     extra_hosts:
       # For Linux: map host.docker.internal to host gateway
       - "host.docker.internal:host-gateway"
diff --git a/scripts/docker.sh b/scripts/docker.sh
index a53052ecc87..8b84a370735 100755
--- a/scripts/docker.sh
+++ b/scripts/docker.sh
@@ -12,8 +12,137 @@ SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
 PROJECT_ROOT="$(dirname "$SCRIPT_DIR")"
 DOCKER_DIR="$PROJECT_ROOT/docker"
 
-# Docker Compose command with project name
-COMPOSE_CMD="docker compose -p deer-flow-dev -f docker-compose-dev.yaml"
+# Docker Compose command with project name.
+# Use a filename relative to DOCKER_DIR (we always `cd` there) so Windows
+# Docker Desktop does not receive a Git Bash `/c/...` path it cannot open.
+COMPOSE_FILE="docker-compose-dev.yaml"
+# Selected by require_compose_version: prefer the V2 plugin, else hyphenated binary.
+# Kept as an array so "docker compose" stays two words under set -u / quoting.
+COMPOSE_BIN=(docker compose)
+
+_refresh_compose_cmd() {
+    COMPOSE_CMD="${COMPOSE_BIN[*]} -p deer-flow-dev -f ${COMPOSE_FILE}"
+}
+_refresh_compose_cmd
+
+# docker-compose-dev.yaml marks its env_file entries optional with the long-form
+# `- path: ... / required: false` syntax, understood by Compose v2.24.0 and up.
+# Older clients abort while parsing the file, before any preflight below can run.
+COMPOSE_MIN_VERSION="2.24.0"
+
+ensure_from_example() {
+    local dest="$1"
+    local src="$2"
+    local label="$3"
+
+    if [ -f "$dest" ]; then
+        return 0
+    fi
+    if [ -f "$src" ]; then
+        cp "$src" "$dest"
+        echo -e "${BLUE}Created ${label} from $(basename "$src")${NC}"
+        return 0
+    fi
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}✗ ${label} not found and no $(basename "$src") to copy from.${NC}"
+    echo "Create ${dest} before starting Docker."
+    exit 1
+}
+
+require_compose_file() {
+    if [ -f "$DOCKER_DIR/$COMPOSE_FILE" ]; then
+        return 0
+    fi
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}✗ ${COMPOSE_FILE} not found at ${DOCKER_DIR}/${COMPOSE_FILE}${NC}"
+    echo "Run this from the DeerFlow repository root, e.g. 'make docker-start'."
+    echo "Do not run 'docker compose -f docker/${COMPOSE_FILE}' from inside docker/ — that resolves to docker/docker/${COMPOSE_FILE}."
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Prefer the Compose V2 plugin (`docker compose`); fall back to the legacy
+# hyphenated binary (`docker-compose`) when the plugin is missing. Whatever
+# binary answers is retained in COMPOSE_BIN / COMPOSE_CMD so start/logs/stop/
+# restart use the same executable. Must run in the current shell (not $(...))
+# so the COMPOSE_BIN assignment survives. Direct callers get no such check:
+# see CONTRIBUTING.md.
+_probe_compose() {
+    local out
+
+    out="$(docker compose version --short 2>/dev/null || true)"
+    if [ -n "$out" ]; then
+        COMPOSE_BIN=(docker compose)
+        _refresh_compose_cmd
+        COMPOSE_VERSION_RAW="$out"
+        return 0
+    fi
+    out="$(docker-compose version --short 2>/dev/null || true)"
+    if [ -n "$out" ]; then
+        COMPOSE_BIN=(docker-compose)
+        _refresh_compose_cmd
+        COMPOSE_VERSION_RAW="$out"
+        return 0
+    fi
+    COMPOSE_VERSION_RAW=""
+    return 1
+}
+
+# Fail with an actionable message instead of the parser error an older client
+# emits for the optional env_file syntax.
+require_compose_version() {
+    local raw major minor min_major min_minor
+
+    min_major="${COMPOSE_MIN_VERSION%%.*}"
+    min_minor="${COMPOSE_MIN_VERSION#*.}"
+    min_minor="${min_minor%%.*}"
+
+    COMPOSE_VERSION_RAW=""
+    _probe_compose || true
+    raw="${COMPOSE_VERSION_RAW#v}"
+    major="${raw%%.*}"
+    minor="${raw#*.}"
+    minor="${minor%%.*}"
+    major="${major//[!0-9]/}"
+    minor="${minor//[!0-9]/}"
+
+    if [ -z "$major" ] || [ -z "$minor" ]; then
+        echo -e "${YELLOW}⚠ Could not determine the Docker Compose version; ${COMPOSE_MIN_VERSION} or newer is required.${NC}"
+        return 0
+    fi
+    if [ "$major" -gt "$min_major" ] || { [ "$major" -eq "$min_major" ] && [ "$minor" -ge "$min_minor" ]; }; then
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}✗ Docker Compose ${raw} is too old — ${COMPOSE_MIN_VERSION} or newer is required.${NC}"
+    echo "${COMPOSE_FILE} marks its env_file entries optional using the long-form"
+    echo "'- path: ... / required: false' syntax, which your client cannot parse."
+    echo "Update Docker Desktop, or install a current Compose v2 plugin:"
+    echo "  https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Compose interpolates ${DEER_FLOW_ROOT} into host-side paths
+# (DEER_FLOW_HOST_BASE_DIR, THREADS_HOST_PATH) that AIO/provisioner sandbox
+# modes bind-mount. Unset, those render as /backend/.deer-flow — a plausible
+# looking absolute path on the wrong root, so mounts silently miss the checkout.
+ensure_deer_flow_root() {
+    if [ -z "$DEER_FLOW_ROOT" ]; then
+        export DEER_FLOW_ROOT="$PROJECT_ROOT"
+    fi
+}
+
+# Read-only with respect to configuration; safe for logs/stop/restart.
+compose_preflight() {
+    require_compose_file
+    require_compose_version
+    ensure_deer_flow_root
+}
+
+# Only `start` may create files. Compose env_file entries fail closed on Windows
+# when .env is missing ("The specified file cannot be found" /
+# "Le fichier spécifique est introuvable").
+ensure_env_files() {
+    ensure_from_example "$PROJECT_ROOT/.env" "$PROJECT_ROOT/.env.example" ".env"
+    ensure_from_example "$PROJECT_ROOT/frontend/.env" "$PROJECT_ROOT/frontend/.env.example" "frontend/.env"
+}
 
 load_proxy_env_from_dotenv() {
     local env_file="$PROJECT_ROOT/.env"
@@ -189,6 +318,9 @@ start() {
     echo "=========================================="
     echo ""
 
+    # Validate the toolchain before creating any config files below.
+    compose_preflight
+
     sandbox_mode="$(detect_sandbox_mode)"
 
     services="redis frontend gateway nginx"
@@ -207,7 +339,7 @@ start() {
             exit 1
         fi
         echo -e "${YELLOW}Mounting host Docker socket into gateway (DooD = host root-equivalent). See SECURITY.md.${NC}"
-        COMPOSE_CMD="$COMPOSE_CMD -f $DOCKER_DIR/docker-compose.dood.yaml"
+        COMPOSE_CMD="$COMPOSE_CMD -f docker-compose.dood.yaml"
     fi
 
     echo -e "${BLUE}Runtime: Gateway embedded agent runtime${NC}"
@@ -219,13 +351,11 @@ start() {
     fi
     echo ""
     
-    # Set DEER_FLOW_ROOT for provisioner if not already set
-    if [ -z "$DEER_FLOW_ROOT" ]; then
-        export DEER_FLOW_ROOT="$PROJECT_ROOT"
-        echo -e "${BLUE}Setting DEER_FLOW_ROOT=$DEER_FLOW_ROOT${NC}"
-        echo ""
-    fi
-    
+    # Set by compose_preflight above; shown because the provisioner turns it into
+    # host-side bind-mount paths.
+    echo -e "${BLUE}Using DEER_FLOW_ROOT=$DEER_FLOW_ROOT${NC}"
+    echo ""
+
     # Ensure config.yaml exists before starting.
     if [ ! -f "$PROJECT_ROOT/config.yaml" ]; then
         if [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT/config.example.yaml" ]; then
@@ -260,6 +390,7 @@ start() {
         fi
     fi
 
+    ensure_env_files
     load_proxy_env_from_dotenv
 
     echo "Building and starting containers..."
@@ -283,12 +414,8 @@ start() {
 logs() {
     local service=""
 
-    # DEER_FLOW_ROOT is referenced in docker-compose-dev.yaml; set it before
-    # reading logs so Compose does not resolve mounted paths from an empty root.
-    if [ -z "$DEER_FLOW_ROOT" ]; then
-        export DEER_FLOW_ROOT="$PROJECT_ROOT"
-    fi
-    
+    compose_preflight
+
     case "$1" in
         --frontend)
             service="frontend"
@@ -325,11 +452,7 @@ logs() {
 
 # Stop Docker development environment
 stop() {
-    # DEER_FLOW_ROOT is referenced in docker-compose-dev.yaml; set it before
-    # running compose down to suppress "variable is not set" warnings.
-    if [ -z "$DEER_FLOW_ROOT" ]; then
-        export DEER_FLOW_ROOT="$PROJECT_ROOT"
-    fi
+    compose_preflight
     echo "Stopping Docker development services..."
     cd "$DOCKER_DIR" && $COMPOSE_CMD down
     echo "Cleaning up sandbox containers..."
@@ -339,11 +462,7 @@ stop() {
 
 # Restart Docker development environment
 restart() {
-    # DEER_FLOW_ROOT is referenced in docker-compose-dev.yaml; set it before
-    # restarting services so Compose resolves mounted paths from this checkout.
-    if [ -z "$DEER_FLOW_ROOT" ]; then
-        export DEER_FLOW_ROOT="$PROJECT_ROOT"
-    fi
+    compose_preflight
     echo "========================================"
     echo "  Restarting DeerFlow Docker Services"
     echo "========================================"