diff --git a/docker/Dockerfile b/docker/Dockerfile
index 7eedb183..336d09cb 100644
--- a/docker/Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/Dockerfile
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Multi-stage build for PowerMem Server
 FROM node:20-slim as frontend-builder
 WORKDIR /dashboard-build
-RUN corepack enable && corepack prepare pnpm@latest --activate
+RUN corepack enable && corepack prepare pnpm@9.15.9 --activate
 COPY dashboard/package.json dashboard/pnpm-lock.yaml ./
 RUN pnpm install
 COPY dashboard/ ./
diff --git a/src/server/cli/server.py b/src/server/cli/server.py
index 90451f02..c478bf90 100644
--- a/src/server/cli/server.py
+++ b/src/server/cli/server.py
@@ -17,6 +17,11 @@ def _is_embedded_storage() -> bool:
     - OceanBase/SeekDB in embedded mode (OCEANBASE_HOST is empty)
     """
     try:
+        # Ensure `.env` is loaded before constructing settings classes that do not
+        # read env files themselves (e.g. OceanBaseConfig uses env_file=None).
+        from powermem.config_loader import _load_dotenv_if_available
+        _load_dotenv_if_available()
+
         from powermem.config_loader import DatabaseSettings
         db_settings = DatabaseSettings()
         provider = db_settings.provider.lower()
@@ -72,9 +77,6 @@ def server(host, port, workers, reload, log_level):
         )
         config.workers = 1
 
-    # Debug: Print current log format (can be removed later)
-    print(f"[DEBUG] Current log_format: {config.log_format}", file=sys.stderr)
-
     # Setup logging BEFORE starting uvicorn to ensure all logs have timestamps
     setup_logging()