diff --git a/api/package.json b/api/package.json
index 98b6334b..43a78026 100644
--- a/api/package.json
+++ b/api/package.json
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
     "typecheck": "tsc --noEmit",
     "reset": "npm install && npm run containers:restart",
     "reset:hard": "npm clean-install && npm run containers:rebuild",
-    "cli": "DEBUG=ts-node* ts-node --files --log-error --compiler-options '{\"diagnostics\": true}' src/cli.ts"
+    "cli": "HEXABOT_CLI=1 ts-node --files --log-error --compiler-options '{\"diagnostics\": true}' src/cli.ts"
   },
   "lint-staged": {
     "*.{js,ts}": "eslint --fix -c \".eslintrc-staged.js\""
diff --git a/api/src/config/index.ts b/api/src/config/index.ts
index 1869bc81..74033d61 100644
--- a/api/src/config/index.ts
+++ b/api/src/config/index.ts
@@ -149,9 +149,11 @@ export const config: Config = {
       process.env.MONGO_URI || 'mongodb://dev_only:dev_only@localhost:27017/',
     dbName: process.env.MONGO_DB || 'hexabot',
     autoMigrate:
-      process.env.MONGO_AUTO_MIGRATE === 'true'
-        ? Boolean(process.env.MONGO_AUTO_MIGRATE)
-        : false,
+      // Either auto-migration is explicitly enabled and the node is primary (cluster case)
+      (process.env.MONGO_AUTO_MIGRATE === 'true' &&
+        (process.env.API_IS_PRIMARY_NODE || 'true') === 'true') ||
+      // Otherwise, run only in dev mode
+      !(process.env.NODE_ENV || 'development').toLowerCase().includes('prod'),
   },
   env: process.env.NODE_ENV || 'development',
   authentication: {
diff --git a/api/src/migration/migration.service.ts b/api/src/migration/migration.service.ts
index ae87c58d..c3669d59 100644
--- a/api/src/migration/migration.service.ts
+++ b/api/src/migration/migration.service.ts
@@ -52,8 +52,8 @@ export class MigrationService implements OnApplicationBootstrap {
     }
     this.logger.log('Mongoose connection established');
 
-    const isProduction = config.env.toLowerCase().includes('prod');
-    if (!isProduction && config.mongo.autoMigrate) {
+    const isCLI = Boolean(process.env.HEXABOT_CLI);
+    if (!isCLI && config.mongo.autoMigrate) {
       this.logger.log('Executing migrations ...');
       const { value: version = '2.1.9' } =
         await this.metadataService.getMetadata('db-version');
diff --git a/api/src/migration/migrations/1735840203378-v-2-2-0.migration.ts b/api/src/migration/migrations/1735840203378-v-2-2-0.migration.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 7f0e40fb..00000000
--- a/api/src/migration/migrations/1735840203378-v-2-2-0.migration.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-import mongoose from 'mongoose';
-
-module.exports = {
-  async up() {
-    // Migration logic
-  },
-  async down() {
-    // Rollback logic
-  },
-};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docker/.env.example b/docker/.env.example
index e14ad335..31accd7c 100644
--- a/docker/.env.example
+++ b/docker/.env.example
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 # API & Common
-NODE_ENV=dev
+NODE_ENV=development
 APP_DOMAIN=localhost
 SSL_EMAIL=hello@hexabot.ai
 API_PORT=4000
 APP_FRONTEND_PORT=8080
 APP_SCRIPT_COMPODOC_PORT=9003
 API_ORIGIN=http://${APP_DOMAIN}:${API_PORT}
+API_IS_PRIMARY_NODE=true
 FRONTEND_BASE_URL=http://${APP_DOMAIN}:${APP_FRONTEND_PORT}
 FRONTEND_ORIGIN=${FRONTEND_BASE_URL},http://${APP_DOMAIN}:8081,http://${APP_DOMAIN}:5173,http://${APP_DOMAIN},https://${APP_DOMAIN}
 JWT_SECRET=dev_only