diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 34b1fd6..a3c8bf0 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ ADMIN_PUBKEYS=npub1examplepubkey1,npub1examplepubkey2
 # Nostr relays (comma-separated)
 RELAYS=wss://relay.damus.io,wss://nos.lol,wss://relay.nostr.band
 
-# Database
+# Database (use an absolute `file:` URL in production, e.g. file:/home/bbe/BelgianBitcoinEmbassy/backend/prisma/prod.db)
 DATABASE_URL="file:./dev.db"
 
 # JWT
diff --git a/backend/package-lock.json b/backend/package-lock.json
index 497a009..a9b1ee1 100644
--- a/backend/package-lock.json
+++ b/backend/package-lock.json
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
         "@prisma/client": "^6.0.0",
         "cors": "^2.8.5",
         "dotenv": "^16.4.5",
+        "dotenv-cli": "^11.0.0",
         "express": "^4.21.0",
         "helmet": "^8.1.0",
         "jsonwebtoken": "^9.0.2",
@@ -1074,6 +1075,20 @@
         "url": "https://opencollective.com/express"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/cross-spawn": {
+      "version": "7.0.6",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/cross-spawn/-/cross-spawn-7.0.6.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-uV2QOWP2nWzsy2aMp8aRibhi9dlzF5Hgh5SHaB9OiTGEyDTiJJyx0uy51QXdyWbtAHNua4XJzUKca3OzKUd3vA==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "path-key": "^3.1.0",
+        "shebang-command": "^2.0.0",
+        "which": "^2.0.1"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">= 8"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/debug": {
       "version": "2.6.9",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/debug/-/debug-2.6.9.tgz",
@@ -1138,6 +1153,48 @@
         "url": "https://dotenvx.com"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/dotenv-cli": {
+      "version": "11.0.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/dotenv-cli/-/dotenv-cli-11.0.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-r5pA8idbk7GFWuHEU7trSTflWcdBpQEK+Aw17UrSHjS6CReuhrrPcyC3zcQBPQvhArRHnBo/h6eLH1fkCvNlww==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "cross-spawn": "^7.0.6",
+        "dotenv": "^17.1.0",
+        "dotenv-expand": "^12.0.0",
+        "minimist": "^1.2.6"
+      },
+      "bin": {
+        "dotenv": "cli.js"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/dotenv-cli/node_modules/dotenv": {
+      "version": "17.3.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/dotenv/-/dotenv-17.3.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-IO8C/dzEb6O3F9/twg6ZLXz164a2fhTnEWb95H23Dm4OuN+92NmEAlTrupP9VW6Jm3sO26tQlqyvyi4CsnY9GA==",
+      "license": "BSD-2-Clause",
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=12"
+      },
+      "funding": {
+        "url": "https://dotenvx.com"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/dotenv-expand": {
+      "version": "12.0.3",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/dotenv-expand/-/dotenv-expand-12.0.3.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-uc47g4b+4k/M/SeaW1y4OApx+mtLWl92l5LMPP0GNXctZqELk+YGgOPIIC5elYmUH4OuoK3JLhuRUYegeySiFA==",
+      "license": "BSD-2-Clause",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "dotenv": "^16.4.5"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=12"
+      },
+      "funding": {
+        "url": "https://dotenvx.com"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/dunder-proto": {
       "version": "1.0.1",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/dunder-proto/-/dunder-proto-1.0.1.tgz",
@@ -1580,6 +1637,12 @@
         "node": ">= 0.10"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/isexe": {
+      "version": "2.0.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/isexe/-/isexe-2.0.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-RHxMLp9lnKHGHRng9QFhRCMbYAcVpn69smSGcq3f36xjgVVWThj4qqLbTLlq7Ssj8B+fIQ1EuCEGI2lKsyQeIw==",
+      "license": "ISC"
+    },
     "node_modules/jiti": {
       "version": "2.6.1",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/jiti/-/jiti-2.6.1.tgz",
@@ -1750,6 +1813,15 @@
         "node": ">= 0.6"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/minimist": {
+      "version": "1.2.8",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/minimist/-/minimist-1.2.8.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-2yyAR8qBkN3YuheJanUpWC5U3bb5osDywNB8RzDVlDwDHbocAJveqqj1u8+SVD7jkWT4yvsHCpWqqWqAxb0zCA==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "funding": {
+        "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/ljharb"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/morgan": {
       "version": "1.10.1",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/morgan/-/morgan-1.10.1.tgz",
@@ -1931,6 +2003,15 @@
         "node": ">= 0.8"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/path-key": {
+      "version": "3.1.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/path-key/-/path-key-3.1.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-ojmeN0qd+y0jszEtoY48r0Peq5dwMEkIlCOu6Q5f41lfkswXuKtYrhgoTpLnyIcHm24Uhqx+5Tqm2InSwLhE6Q==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=8"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/path-to-regexp": {
       "version": "0.1.13",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/path-to-regexp/-/path-to-regexp-0.1.13.tgz",
@@ -2196,6 +2277,27 @@
       "integrity": "sha512-E5LDX7Wrp85Kil5bhZv46j8jOeboKq5JMmYM3gVGdGH8xFpPWXUMsNrlODCrkoxMEeNi/XZIwuRvY4XNwYMJpw==",
       "license": "ISC"
     },
+    "node_modules/shebang-command": {
+      "version": "2.0.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/shebang-command/-/shebang-command-2.0.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-kHxr2zZpYtdmrN1qDjrrX/Z1rR1kG8Dx+gkpK1G4eXmvXswmcE1hTWBWYUzlraYw1/yZp6YuDY77YtvbN0dmDA==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "shebang-regex": "^3.0.0"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=8"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/shebang-regex": {
+      "version": "3.0.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/shebang-regex/-/shebang-regex-3.0.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-7++dFhtcx3353uBaq8DDR4NuxBetBzC7ZQOhmTQInHEd6bSrXdiEyzCvG07Z44UYdLShWUyXt5M/yhz8ekcb1A==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=8"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/side-channel": {
       "version": "1.1.0",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/side-channel/-/side-channel-1.1.0.tgz",
@@ -2436,6 +2538,21 @@
       "engines": {
         "node": ">= 0.8"
       }
+    },
+    "node_modules/which": {
+      "version": "2.0.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/which/-/which-2.0.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-BLI3Tl1TW3Pvl70l3yq3Y64i+awpwXqsGBYWkkqMtnbXgrMD+yj7rhW0kuEDxzJaYXGjEW5ogapKNMEKNMjibA==",
+      "license": "ISC",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "isexe": "^2.0.0"
+      },
+      "bin": {
+        "node-which": "bin/node-which"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">= 8"
+      }
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/backend/package.json b/backend/package.json
index f22feb0..cd041a2 100644
--- a/backend/package.json
+++ b/backend/package.json
@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@
     "dev": "tsx watch src/index.ts",
     "build": "tsc",
     "start": "node dist/index.js",
-    "db:push": "prisma db push",
-    "db:seed": "prisma db seed",
-    "db:studio": "prisma studio"
+    "db:push": "dotenv -e ../.env -- prisma db push",
+    "db:seed": "dotenv -e ../.env -- prisma db seed",
+    "db:studio": "dotenv -e ../.env -- prisma studio",
+    "migrate:deploy": "dotenv -e ../.env -- prisma migrate deploy"
   },
   "prisma": {
     "seed": "tsx prisma/seed.ts"
@@ -16,6 +17,7 @@
     "@prisma/client": "^6.0.0",
     "cors": "^2.8.5",
     "dotenv": "^16.4.5",
+    "dotenv-cli": "^11.0.0",
     "express": "^4.21.0",
     "helmet": "^8.1.0",
     "jsonwebtoken": "^9.0.2",
diff --git a/backend/prisma/seed.ts b/backend/prisma/seed.ts
index f8d4662..ca55298 100644
--- a/backend/prisma/seed.ts
+++ b/backend/prisma/seed.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
+import dotenv from 'dotenv';
+import path from 'path';
 import { PrismaClient } from '@prisma/client';
 
+dotenv.config({ path: path.resolve(__dirname, '../../.env') });
+
 const prisma = new PrismaClient();
 
 async function main() {