diff --git a/web_server.py b/web_server.py
index 4360bad0..928cbb2f 100644
--- a/web_server.py
+++ b/web_server.py
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    raise SystemExit(
+        "SoulSync must be started with Gunicorn.\n"
+        "Use:\n"
+        "`gunicorn -c gunicorn.conf.py wsgi:application` for production, or\n"
+        "`gunicorn -c gunicorn.dev.conf.py wsgi:application` for local development."
+    )
+
 import os
 import json
 import asyncio
@@ -54303,11 +54311,3 @@ def start_runtime_services():
         print("WebSocket emitters started (Phase 1-7: global/dashboard/enrichment/tools/sync/automations/repair + rate monitor)")
 
         _runtime_started = True
-
-
-if __name__ == '__main__':
-    print("Starting SoulSync Web UI Server...")
-    print("Open your browser and navigate to http://127.0.0.1:8008")
-    print("Note: direct `python web_server.py` startup is a legacy fallback; use Gunicorn for production.")
-    start_runtime_services()
-    socketio.run(app, host='0.0.0.0', port=8008, debug=False, allow_unsafe_werkzeug=True)