diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7a7aea65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+# ===========================================================================
+# Example Docker Compose file
+# ===========================================================================
+#
+# Purpose:
+# --------
+#
+# This file is an example Docker Compose configuration for self hosting
+# Maybe on your local machine or on a cloud VPS.
+#
+# The configuration below is a "standard" setup that works out of the box,
+# but if you're running this outside of a local network, it is recommended
+# to set the environment variables for extra security.
+#
+# Setup:
+# ------
+#
+# To run this, you should read the setup guide:
+#
+# https://github.com/maybe-finance/maybe/blob/main/docs/hosting/docker.md
+#
+# Troubleshooting:
+# ----------------
+#
+# If you run into problems, you should open a Discussion here:
+#
+# https://github.com/maybe-finance/maybe/discussions/categories/general
+#
+
+x-db-env: &db_env
+  POSTGRES_USER: ${POSTGRES_USER:-maybe_user}
+  POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD:-maybe_password}
+  POSTGRES_DB: ${POSTGRES_DB:-maybe_production}
+
+x-rails-env: &rails_env
+  <<: *db_env
+  SECRET_KEY_BASE: ${SECRET_KEY_BASE:-a7523c3d0ae56415046ad8abae168d71074a79534a7062258f8d1d51ac2f76d3c3bc86d86b6b0b307df30d9a6a90a2066a3fa9e67c5e6f374dbd7dd4e0778e13}
+  SELF_HOSTED: "true"
+  RAILS_FORCE_SSL: "false"
+  RAILS_ASSUME_SSL: "false"
+  DB_HOST: db
+  DB_PORT: 5432
+  REDIS_URL: redis://redis:6379/1
+# NOTE: enabling OpenAI will incur costs when you use AI-related features in the app (chat, rules).  Make sure you have set appropriate spend limits on your account before adding this.
+  OPENAI_ACCESS_TOKEN: ${OPENAI_ACCESS_TOKEN}
+
+services:
+  web:
+    image: ghcr.io/maybe-finance/maybe:latest
+    volumes:
+      - app-storage:/rails/storage
+    ports:
+      - 3000:3000
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    environment:
+      <<: *rails_env
+    depends_on:
+      db:
+        condition: service_healthy
+      redis:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    networks:
+      - maybe_net
+
+  worker:
+    image: ghcr.io/maybe-finance/maybe:latest
+    command: bundle exec sidekiq
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    depends_on:
+      redis:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    environment:
+      <<: *rails_env
+    networks:
+      - maybe_net
+
+  db:
+    image: postgres:16
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    volumes:
+      - postgres-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
+    environment:
+      <<: *db_env
+    healthcheck:
+      test: [ "CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U $$POSTGRES_USER -d $$POSTGRES_DB" ]
+      interval: 5s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
+    networks:
+      - maybe_net
+
+  redis:
+    image: redis:latest
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    volumes:
+      - redis-data:/data
+    healthcheck:
+      test: [ "CMD", "redis-cli", "ping" ]
+      interval: 5s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
+    networks:
+      - maybe_net
+
+volumes:
+  app-storage:
+  postgres-data:
+  redis-data:
+
+networks:
+  maybe_net:
+    driver: bridge
diff --git a/start.sh b/start.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..64573c97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/start.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,237 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+# Colors for output
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+BLUE='\033[0;34m'
+NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+
+# Function to print colored output
+print_status() {
+    echo -e "${BLUE}[INFO]${NC} $1"
+}
+
+print_success() {
+    echo -e "${GREEN}[SUCCESS]${NC} $1"
+}
+
+print_warning() {
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}[WARNING]${NC} $1"
+}
+
+print_error() {
+    echo -e "${RED}[ERROR]${NC} $1"
+}
+
+# Function to check if Docker is running
+check_docker() {
+    if ! docker info > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        print_error "Docker is not running. Please start Docker and try again."
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    print_success "Docker is running"
+}
+
+# Function to check if Docker Compose is installed
+check_docker_compose() {
+    if ! docker compose version > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        print_error "Docker Compose is not installed. Please install Docker Compose and try again."
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    print_success "Docker Compose is available"
+}
+
+# Function to create docker-compose.yml if it doesn't exist
+create_docker_compose() {
+    if [ ! -f docker-compose.yml ]; then
+        print_status "Creating docker-compose.yml from compose.example.yml..."
+        cp compose.example.yml docker-compose.yml
+        print_success "docker-compose.yml created successfully"
+    else
+        print_status "docker-compose.yml already exists"
+    fi
+}
+
+# Function to create .env file if it doesn't exist
+create_env_file() {
+    if [ ! -f .env ]; then
+        print_status "Creating .env file with default values..."
+        cat > .env << EOL
+# Database configuration
+POSTGRES_USER=maybe_user
+POSTGRES_PASSWORD=maybe_password
+POSTGRES_DB=maybe_production
+
+# Rails configuration
+SECRET_KEY_BASE=a7523c3d0ae56415046ad8abae168d71074a79534a7062258f8d1d51ac2f76d3c3bc86d86b6b0b307df30d9a6a90a2066a3fa9e67c5e6f374dbd7dd4e0778e13
+SELF_HOSTED=true
+RAILS_FORCE_SSL=false
+RAILS_ASSUME_SSL=false
+
+# OpenAI configuration (optional - for AI features)
+# OPENAI_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_openai_token_here
+EOL
+        print_success ".env file created successfully"
+        print_warning "Please review and update the .env file with your specific configuration"
+    else
+        print_status ".env file already exists"
+    fi
+}
+
+# Function to create necessary directories
+create_directories() {
+    mkdir -p storage logs tmp
+    print_success "Created necessary directories"
+}
+
+# Function to check if services are healthy
+check_services_health() {
+    print_status "Checking if services are healthy..."
+    
+    # Wait for database to be ready
+    local max_attempts=30
+    local attempt=1
+    
+    while [ $attempt -le $max_attempts ]; do
+        if docker compose exec -T db pg_isready -U maybe_user -d maybe_production > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+            print_success "Database is ready"
+            break
+        fi
+        
+        if [ $attempt -eq $max_attempts ]; then
+            print_error "Database failed to become ready after $max_attempts attempts"
+            exit 1
+        fi
+        
+        print_status "Waiting for database... (attempt $attempt/$max_attempts)"
+        sleep 2
+        attempt=$((attempt + 1))
+    done
+    
+    # Wait for Redis to be ready
+    attempt=1
+    while [ $attempt -le $max_attempts ]; do
+        if docker compose exec -T redis redis-cli ping > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+            print_success "Redis is ready"
+            break
+        fi
+        
+        if [ $attempt -eq $max_attempts ]; then
+            print_error "Redis failed to become ready after $max_attempts attempts"
+            exit 1
+        fi
+        
+        print_status "Waiting for Redis... (attempt $attempt/$max_attempts)"
+        sleep 2
+        attempt=$((attempt + 1))
+    done
+}
+
+# Function to run database setup
+setup_database() {
+    print_status "Setting up database..."
+    docker compose exec -T web rails db:prepare
+    print_success "Database setup completed"
+}
+
+# Function to display final status
+display_status() {
+    echo ""
+    print_success "Maybe is now running!"
+    echo ""
+    echo -e "${GREEN}Access the application:${NC}"
+    echo "  Web interface: http://localhost:3000"
+    echo ""
+    echo -e "${GREEN}Useful commands:${NC}"
+    echo "  View logs:        docker compose logs -f"
+    echo "  Stop services:    docker compose down"
+    echo "  Restart services: docker compose restart"
+    echo "  Shell access:     docker compose exec web bash"
+    echo ""
+    echo -e "${GREEN}Services running:${NC}"
+    docker compose ps
+}
+
+# Main execution
+main() {
+    echo -e "${BLUE}================================${NC}"
+    echo -e "${BLUE}  Maybe Finance App Starter${NC}"
+    echo -e "${BLUE}================================${NC}"
+    echo ""
+    
+    # Check prerequisites
+    print_status "Checking prerequisites..."
+    check_docker
+    check_docker_compose
+    
+    # Create necessary files and directories
+    print_status "Setting up configuration files..."
+    create_docker_compose
+    create_env_file
+    create_directories
+    
+    # Build and start the containers
+    print_status "Building and starting containers..."
+    docker compose build --no-cache
+    docker compose up -d
+    
+    # Wait for services to be ready
+    print_status "Waiting for services to start..."
+    sleep 10
+    
+    # Check if services are running
+    if ! docker compose ps | grep -q "Up"; then
+        print_error "Some services failed to start. Check the logs with 'docker compose logs'"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    
+    # Check service health
+    check_services_health
+    
+    # Setup database
+    setup_database
+    
+    # Display final status
+    display_status
+}
+
+# Handle script arguments
+case "${1:-}" in
+    "stop")
+        print_status "Stopping Maybe services..."
+        docker compose down
+        print_success "Services stopped"
+        ;;
+    "restart")
+        print_status "Restarting Maybe services..."
+        docker compose restart
+        print_success "Services restarted"
+        ;;
+    "logs")
+        docker compose logs -f
+        ;;
+    "shell")
+        docker compose exec web bash
+        ;;
+    "help"|"-h"|"--help")
+        echo "Usage: $0 [command]"
+        echo ""
+        echo "Commands:"
+        echo "  (no args)  Start the Maybe application"
+        echo "  stop       Stop all services"
+        echo "  restart    Restart all services"
+        echo "  logs       Show service logs"
+        echo "  shell      Open shell in web container"
+        echo "  help       Show this help message"
+        ;;
+    "")
+        main
+        ;;
+    *)
+        print_error "Unknown command: $1"
+        echo "Use '$0 help' for usage information"
+        exit 1
+        ;;
+esac 
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