diff --git a/build.gradle.kts b/build.gradle.kts
index 201bc32..56dfb14 100644
--- a/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/build.gradle.kts
@@ -421,6 +421,12 @@ jib {
         environment =
             mapOf(
                 // Disable Spring Boot Docker Compose support when running in container
+                // Docker Compose integration is disabled in the container image.
+                // It is only useful for local development (HTTP profile) where
+                // the host has Docker and a compose.yaml. Inside a container,
+                // Docker Compose cannot start sibling containers without a
+                // Docker socket mount, so it must be turned off.
+                // The application-stdio.properties also disables it for STDIO mode.
                 "SPRING_DOCKER_COMPOSE_ENABLED" to "false",
             )
 
diff --git a/dev-docs/DEVELOPMENT.md b/dev-docs/DEVELOPMENT.md
index 5ccc4c1..a9624c1 100644
--- a/dev-docs/DEVELOPMENT.md
+++ b/dev-docs/DEVELOPMENT.md
@@ -65,9 +65,12 @@ java -jar build/libs/solr-mcp-1.0.0-SNAPSHOT.jar
 #### HTTP Mode
 
 ```bash
-./gradlew bootRun --args='--spring.profiles.active=http'
+PROFILES=http ./gradlew bootRun
 ```
 
+Spring Boot Docker Compose will automatically start the services declared in `compose.yaml`
+(Solr, ZooKeeper, and optionally LGTM for observability) before the application starts.
+
 The server will start on http://localhost:8080
 
 ### Environment Variables
@@ -131,7 +134,7 @@ The [MCP Inspector](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/inspector) provides
 
 ```bash
 # Start the server in HTTP mode
-./gradlew bootRun --args='--spring.profiles.active=http'
+PROFILES=http ./gradlew bootRun
 
 # In another terminal, start MCP Inspector
 npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector
diff --git a/dev-docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md b/dev-docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md
index c18f232..2e14db4 100644
--- a/dev-docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md
+++ b/dev-docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ rm -rf .gradle
 
 1. **Verify server is running in HTTP mode**
    ```bash
-   ./gradlew bootRun --args='--spring.profiles.active=http'
+   PROFILES=http ./gradlew bootRun
    ```
 
 2. **Check port is correct**
@@ -408,7 +408,7 @@ If you're still having issues:
 ./gradlew bootRun 2>&1 | tee server.log
 
 # HTTP mode - Spring Boot logging
-./gradlew bootRun --args='--spring.profiles.active=http'
+PROFILES=http ./gradlew bootRun
 ```
 
 ### Solr Logs
diff --git a/security-docs/AUTH0_SETUP.md b/security-docs/AUTH0_SETUP.md
index 1672621..4d1027d 100644
--- a/security-docs/AUTH0_SETUP.md
+++ b/security-docs/AUTH0_SETUP.md
@@ -287,15 +287,7 @@ OAUTH2_ISSUER_URI=https://your-tenant.auth0.com/
 The application must run in `http` profile to enable OAuth2 security:
 
 ```bash
-# Option 1: Using environment variable
-export PROFILES=http
-./gradlew bootRun
-
-# Option 2: Using Spring Boot argument
-./gradlew bootRun --args='--spring.profiles.active=http'
-
-# Option 3: Using Gradle property
-./gradlew bootRun -Dspring.profiles.active=http
+PROFILES=http ./gradlew bootRun
 ```
 
 ### Application Configuration Details
diff --git a/src/main/resources/application-http.properties b/src/main/resources/application-http.properties
index 12e2d94..95daa2e 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/application-http.properties
+++ b/src/main/resources/application-http.properties
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@ spring.main.web-application-type=servlet
 spring.ai.mcp.server.type=sync
 spring.ai.mcp.server.protocol=stateless
 spring.ai.mcp.server.stdio=false
+# Docker Compose integration: automatically start Solr and other services on bootRun.
+# Spring Boot detects compose.yaml and starts declared services before the application context.
+spring.docker.compose.enabled=true
 # OAuth2 Security Configuration
 # Configure the issuer URI for your OAuth2 authorization server
 # For Auth0: https://<your-auth0-domain>/.well-known/openid-configuration
diff --git a/src/main/resources/application-stdio.properties b/src/main/resources/application-stdio.properties
index f72e9e8..b8864df 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/application-stdio.properties
+++ b/src/main/resources/application-stdio.properties
@@ -7,3 +7,6 @@ spring.ai.mcp.server.stdio=true
 spring.autoconfigure.exclude=\
   org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.security.servlet.SecurityAutoConfiguration,\
   org.springframework.boot.actuate.autoconfigure.security.servlet.ManagementWebSecurityAutoConfiguration
+# Docker Compose integration is only useful in HTTP mode for local development.
+# Disable it in STDIO mode to avoid startup delays and unexpected container management.
+spring.docker.compose.enabled=false