The start.sh script was showing the "TZU IS RUNNING!" success message immediately after executing docker-compose up -d, without checking if all containers had actually started successfully. This could be misleading if any service failed during startup, leaving users with a false impression that the system was working when containers had actually crashed or failed to build.

Changes Made

Container Status Validation

Added check_container_status() function that:

• Waits up to 30 attempts (150 seconds total) for all containers to reach running state
• Validates all 4 expected services: postgresql, backend, frontend, nginx
• Handles multiple Docker Compose status formats ("running", "Up X minutes", "Up X seconds (healthy)", etc.)
• Provides specific error messages indicating exactly which services failed and their status

Health Check Validation

Added check_health_status() function that:

• Checks health status for services with configured healthchecks (PostgreSQL)
• Provides informative warnings about health status
• Doesn't fail startup for health issues (containers may still be initializing)

Error Handling & User Experience

• Clear error messages show which specific containers failed and why
• Helpful troubleshooting commands provided when validation fails:

  💡 Try running: cd docker && docker compose logs
  💡 Or check individual container status: cd docker && docker compose ps

• Script exits with error code 1 when validation fails, preventing misleading success messages

Backward Compatibility

• Preserves all existing functionality and output formatting
• Compatible with existing Docker Compose command detection (docker-compose vs docker compose)
• No changes to success flow when all containers start properly

Before vs After

Before:

🔧 Starting services...
[containers fail to build]
⏳ Waiting for system initialization...
🎉 TZU IS RUNNING!  # Misleading - nothing is actually running

After:

🔧 Starting services... 
[containers fail to build]
⏳ Waiting for system initialization...
⏳ Waiting for containers to start...
❌ Container validation failed after 30 attempts
❌ Failed services: postgresql(not_found) backend(not_found) frontend(not_found) nginx(not_found)
❌ Failed to start all containers properly
💡 Try running: cd docker && docker compose logs

This ensures users get accurate feedback about the actual state of their TZU deployment and clear guidance on how to troubleshoot issues.

Fixes #27.

💡 You can make Copilot smarter by setting up custom instructions, customizing its development environment and configuring Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. Learn more Copilot coding agent tips in the docs.