diff --git a/src/devhelm_mcp/server.py b/src/devhelm_mcp/server.py
index 0a4f28d..87a1cea 100644
--- a/src/devhelm_mcp/server.py
+++ b/src/devhelm_mcp/server.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 
 import argparse
 import asyncio
+import contextlib
 import os
 import sys
 from importlib.metadata import PackageNotFoundError
@@ -102,7 +103,7 @@ def _package_version() -> str:
     mod.register(mcp)
 
 
-def _strip_internal_schema_fields() -> None:
+async def _strip_internal_schema_fields() -> None:
     """Hide server-controlled / sensitive fields from the LLM-facing schema.
 
     Two targets:
@@ -127,8 +128,15 @@ def _strip_internal_schema_fields() -> None:
     ``run_middleware=False`` returns the source-of-truth ``Tool`` objects
     from the providers; the dereference middleware copies them on every
     ``tools/list`` and would lose any edits we made to the copies.
+
+    This function is async because ``mcp.list_tools()`` is async-only in
+    FastMCP. It must be awaited from inside the running event loop —
+    calling it via ``asyncio.run()`` at import time crashed Uvicorn
+    workers (``RuntimeError: asyncio.run() cannot be called from a
+    running event loop``) because Uvicorn imports user code from inside
+    its own ``asyncio_run(self.serve(...))`` call. v0.7.2 hotfix.
     """
-    tools = asyncio.run(mcp.list_tools(run_middleware=False))
+    tools = await mcp.list_tools(run_middleware=False)
     for tool in tools:
         params = tool.parameters
         if not isinstance(params, dict):
@@ -179,9 +187,6 @@ def _strip_field_from_object_schema(schema: dict[str, Any], field: str) -> None:
         schema_required.remove(field)
 
 
-_strip_internal_schema_fields()
-
-
 class _NormalizeMcpPath:
     """Rewrite ``/mcp`` → ``/mcp/`` (and ``/{key}/mcp`` → ``/{key}/mcp/``).
 
@@ -261,6 +266,17 @@ async def health_handler(request: Request) -> JSONResponse:
     # ``StreamableHTTPSessionManager`` — without it the inner app raises
     # "task group was not initialized" on the first POST. See
     # https://gofastmcp.com/deployment/asgi.
+    #
+    # We wrap that lifespan so the input-schema strip runs inside the
+    # running event loop *before* the inner app starts handling requests.
+    # Doing the strip at module import time crashed Uvicorn workers under
+    # Python 3.13 (``asyncio.run()`` from a running loop). v0.7.2 hotfix.
+    @contextlib.asynccontextmanager
+    async def _lifespan(app: Starlette) -> Any:
+        await _strip_internal_schema_fields()
+        async with mcp_app.lifespan(app):
+            yield
+
     starlette_app = Starlette(
         routes=[
             Route("/health", health_handler, methods=["GET"]),
@@ -268,7 +284,7 @@ async def health_handler(request: Request) -> JSONResponse:
             Mount("/{api_key}/mcp", app=mcp_app),
         ],
         middleware=middleware,
-        lifespan=mcp_app.lifespan,
+        lifespan=_lifespan,
     )
     # Wrap with the path normalizer so POST /mcp (no trailing slash) reaches
     # the inner app directly instead of bouncing through a 307. The
@@ -393,6 +409,12 @@ def _run_stdio() -> None:
     (which would also swallow real warnings / tracebacks the user needs
     to see).
     """
+    # Run the schema strip synchronously here — at this point we're still
+    # outside any event loop (FastMCP's ``mcp.run()`` will create its own
+    # below), so ``asyncio.run()`` is safe. For HTTP mode the equivalent
+    # call lives in the Starlette lifespan, see ``_get_app``.
+    asyncio.run(_strip_internal_schema_fields())
+
     extra: dict[str, Any] = {}
     try:
         mcp.run(show_banner=False, **extra)
diff --git a/tests/test_devex_round3_fixes.py b/tests/test_devex_round3_fixes.py
index b8a9eb1..495a9c9 100644
--- a/tests/test_devex_round3_fixes.py
+++ b/tests/test_devex_round3_fixes.py
@@ -25,13 +25,18 @@
 from fastmcp import Client
 from starlette.testclient import TestClient
 
-from devhelm_mcp.server import _package_version, app, mcp
+from devhelm_mcp.server import _package_version, _strip_internal_schema_fields, app, mcp
 
 RegisteredTools = dict[str, Any]
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(scope="module")
 def registered_tools() -> RegisteredTools:
+    # The schema strip now runs only inside the Starlette lifespan (HTTP)
+    # or before ``mcp.run()`` (stdio) — see v0.7.2 hotfix. Tests that
+    # inspect the registered tool schemas have to perform the strip
+    # explicitly, otherwise they see the raw FastMCP-generated schema.
+    asyncio.run(_strip_internal_schema_fields())
     tools = asyncio.run(mcp.list_tools())
     return {t.name: t for t in tools}
 
@@ -398,3 +403,48 @@ def test_health_endpoint_unaffected(self) -> None:
             resp = client.get("/health")
         assert resp.status_code == 200
         assert resp.json()["status"] == "healthy"
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# v0.7.2 hotfix — module import + lifespan must work from a running loop
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+
+
+class TestImportFromRunningLoopDoesNotCrash:
+    """v0.7.1 regressed by calling ``asyncio.run()`` at module import time.
+
+    Uvicorn imports the user app from inside ``asyncio.run(self.serve(...))``,
+    so by the time ``devhelm_mcp.server`` ran its top-level
+    ``_strip_internal_schema_fields()`` it was already inside a running
+    event loop and Python raised ``RuntimeError: asyncio.run() cannot be
+    called from a running event loop``. Cluster pods crashed in a tight
+    restart loop until the deployment was reverted.
+
+    The fix moved the strip into the Starlette lifespan (HTTP) and into
+    ``_run_stdio()`` (stdio). This test pins both halves: importing the
+    module from inside a running loop must succeed, and the lifespan
+    must perform the strip on entry.
+    """
+
+    def test_lifespan_entry_strips_internal_fields(self) -> None:
+        async def go() -> None:
+            # Re-import inside the running loop — this is what Uvicorn does.
+            import importlib
+
+            import devhelm_mcp.server as srv
+
+            srv = importlib.reload(srv)
+
+            async with srv.app.router.lifespan_context(srv.app):
+                tools = await srv.mcp.list_tools(run_middleware=False)
+                api_token_leaks = [
+                    t.name
+                    for t in tools
+                    if isinstance(t.parameters, dict)
+                    and "api_token" in (t.parameters.get("properties") or {})
+                ]
+                assert not api_token_leaks, (
+                    f"lifespan must strip api_token from {api_token_leaks!r}"
+                )
+
+        asyncio.run(go())
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index 02c3209..825c837 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ wheels = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "devhelm-mcp-server"
-version = "0.7.0"
+version = "0.7.1"
 source = { editable = "." }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "devhelm" },