diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8168bc0..be05745 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -76,10 +76,23 @@ Hosts in the Ouranos lab:
 ```bash
 cd mnemosyne/
 python manage.py migrate                       # Apply Django ORM migrations
-python manage.py setup_neo4j_indexes           # Create Neo4j vector + full-text indexes
 python manage.py load_library_types            # Load LIBRARY_TYPE_DEFAULTS into Neo4j
+# --- seed the system embedding model in /admin/llm_manager/llmmodel/ here ---
+python manage.py setup_neo4j_indexes           # Create Neo4j vector + full-text indexes
 ```
 
+> **Seed the embedding model before running `setup_neo4j_indexes`.** Vector
+> index dimensions are read from the row in ``llm_manager_llmmodel`` that
+> has ``is_system_embedding_model=True`` and a non-null ``vector_dimensions``.
+> There is deliberately no hardcoded fallback: an index built at the wrong
+> dimension silently breaks every search. The command will exit non-zero
+> with a clear error if no such row exists, which is also why the
+> ``docker compose`` ``init`` sidecar treats vector-index creation as
+> best-effort on first boot — the stack starts healthy, migrations and
+> library-type seed data land, and you run
+> ``docker compose exec app python manage.py setup_neo4j_indexes`` once
+> the embedding-model row is in place.
+
 ### Start the web app
 
 The Django REST API serves `/library/api/*` (libraries, collections, items, search, workspaces, ingest) and Django admin. Use Gunicorn in production; `runserver` for dev.
@@ -199,14 +212,16 @@ cp .env.example .env && $EDITOR .env
 # Pull the image (or build locally with `docker compose build`)
 docker compose pull
 
-# DB migrations (one-shot)
-docker compose run --rm app migrate
-
-# Neo4j indexes + library_type defaults (one-shot)
-docker compose run --rm app setup
-
-# Bring the stack up
+# Bring the stack up — the `init` sidecar runs migrations + library_type
+# defaults automatically. Vector indexes are deferred until you seed the
+# system embedding model (see below) — the sidecar logs a clear notice
+# and exits 0 either way, so the stack comes up healthy on first boot.
 docker compose up -d
+
+# Seed the system embedding model at /admin/llm_manager/llmmodel/
+# (mark one row `is_system_embedding_model=True` with `vector_dimensions`
+# set to whatever your embedding provider returns), then:
+docker compose exec app python manage.py setup_neo4j_indexes
 ```
 
 ### Day-to-day
diff --git a/mnemosyne/docker/entrypoint.sh b/mnemosyne/docker/entrypoint.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c8fc456
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mnemosyne/docker/entrypoint.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Mnemosyne container entrypoint.
+#
+# The same image runs all three processes — the compose service supplies
+# `web`, `mcp`, `worker`, or `migrate` as CMD.
+
+set -e
+
+case "$1" in
+  web)
+    # Django REST API + admin (gunicorn → wsgi).
+    exec gunicorn \
+      --config /app/docker/gunicorn.conf.py \
+      --bind 0.0.0.0:8000 \
+      --workers "${GUNICORN_WORKERS:-3}" \
+      --access-logfile - \
+      --error-logfile - \
+      mnemosyne.wsgi:application
+    ;;
+
+  mcp)
+    # FastMCP over Streamable HTTP at /mcp/, mounted by mnemosyne.asgi.
+    exec uvicorn \
+      --host 0.0.0.0 \
+      --port 8001 \
+      --workers "${UVICORN_WORKERS:-1}" \
+      mnemosyne.asgi:app
+    ;;
+
+  worker)
+    # Celery worker covering embedding + ingest + batch + default queues.
+    # In production you may want to split these onto separate worker
+    # services for queue-level isolation; one process is fine to start.
+    exec celery -A mnemosyne worker \
+      --loglevel="${CELERY_LOG_LEVEL:-info}" \
+      --queues="${CELERY_QUEUES:-celery,embedding,batch}" \
+      --concurrency="${CELERY_CONCURRENCY:-2}"
+    ;;
+
+  beat)
+    # Celery scheduled tasks (only needed if/when periodic jobs are wired).
+    exec celery -A mnemosyne beat \
+      --loglevel="${CELERY_LOG_LEVEL:-info}"
+    ;;
+
+  migrate)
+    # One-shot DB migration runner — invoke before bringing services up
+    # for the first time or after a deploy.
+    exec python manage.py migrate --noinput
+    ;;
+
+  setup)
+    # One-shot init — Neo4j indexes + library_type seed data.
+    python manage.py setup_neo4j_indexes
+    python manage.py load_library_types
+    ;;
+
+  init)
+    # Bundled one-shot init run by the `init` sidecar on every
+    # `docker compose up`. Idempotent: re-runs are no-ops unless
+    # migrations or library-type seed data need to change.
+    #
+    # Vector-index creation intentionally runs in *best-effort* mode:
+    # ``setup_neo4j_indexes`` requires a system embedding model with a
+    # configured ``vector_dimensions`` value, and that model is data an
+    # operator seeds via the admin UI after the stack comes up for the
+    # first time. Blocking the whole stack on first boot would force
+    # every new deployer through a manual dance with the init sidecar's
+    # entrypoint; instead we log loudly and carry on, and the operator
+    # runs the command once post-boot:
+    #
+    #     docker compose exec app python manage.py setup_neo4j_indexes
+    #
+    # Full-text and neomodel constraint indexes are created by the same
+    # command and are *not* dimension-sensitive, but they also only land
+    # after the operator re-runs it — acceptable because search against
+    # an empty graph is itself a no-op.
+    set -e
+    python manage.py migrate --noinput
+    python manage.py load_library_types
+    if ! python manage.py setup_neo4j_indexes; then
+      echo ""
+      echo "============================================================"
+      echo "NOTICE: Neo4j index creation was skipped."
+      echo ""
+      echo "This is expected on a fresh deployment — vector indexes"
+      echo "require a system embedding model with vector_dimensions set."
+      echo ""
+      echo "Seed the embedding model in the Django admin"
+      echo "  (/admin/llm_manager/llmmodel/, mark one row as"
+      echo "   is_system_embedding_model=True with vector_dimensions set),"
+      echo "then run:"
+      echo ""
+      echo "  docker compose exec app python manage.py setup_neo4j_indexes"
+      echo ""
+      echo "Search endpoints will return empty results until this is done."
+      echo "============================================================"
+      echo ""
+    fi
+    ;;
+
+  shell)
+    # Drop into the management shell for ad-hoc work.
+    exec python manage.py shell
+    ;;
+
+  *)
+    # Fall through: run whatever was passed (e.g. `manage.py <cmd>`).
+    exec "$@"
+    ;;
+esac