diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ab11749..565d14f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -93,7 +93,21 @@ That's it. `pull` grabs the latest images, `up -d` restarts the containers.
 
 ### ⚠️ **Stuck on the old version?**
 
-**If the dashboard still shows old data after updating:**
+**If `git pull` fails or `docker compose up` keeps building from source instead of pulling images**, your clone predates a March 2026 repository migration that rewrote commit history. A normal `git pull` cannot fix this. Run:
+
+```bash
+# Back up any local config you want to keep (.env, etc.)
+cd ..
+rm -rf Shadowbroker
+git clone https://github.com/BigBodyCobain/Shadowbroker.git
+cd Shadowbroker
+docker compose pull
+docker compose up -d
+```
+
+**How to tell if you're affected:** If `docker compose up` shows `RUN apt-get`, `RUN npm ci`, or `RUN pip install` — it's building from source instead of pulling pre-built images. You need a fresh clone.
+
+**Other troubleshooting:**
 
 * **Force re-pull:** `docker compose pull --no-cache`
 * **Prune old images:** `docker image prune -f`
diff --git a/backend/main.py b/backend/main.py
index a1a3944..80e9f26 100644
--- a/backend/main.py
+++ b/backend/main.py
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from typing import Any
 from json import JSONDecodeError
 
+APP_VERSION = "0.9.6"
+
 logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO)
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 _start_time = time.time()
@@ -6667,6 +6669,7 @@ async def health_check(request: Request):
     last = d.get("last_updated")
     return {
         "status": "ok",
+        "version": APP_VERSION,
         "last_updated": last,
         "sources": {
             "flights": len(d.get("commercial_flights", [])),
diff --git a/backend/services/schemas.py b/backend/services/schemas.py
index c707d01..67818c4 100644
--- a/backend/services/schemas.py
+++ b/backend/services/schemas.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ from typing import Optional, Dict, List, Any
 
 class HealthResponse(BaseModel):
     status: str
+    version: str = ""
     last_updated: Optional[str] = None
     sources: Dict[str, int]
     freshness: Dict[str, str]
diff --git a/compose.sh b/compose.sh
index 1594c99..255c94a 100755
--- a/compose.sh
+++ b/compose.sh
@@ -45,6 +45,27 @@ if [ ! -f "$COMPOSE_FILE" ]; then
     exit 1
 fi
 
+# Detect stale compose file from pre-migration clones (before March 2026).
+# The current compose file uses "image:" to pull pre-built images from GHCR.
+# Old versions had "build:" directives that compile from local source — much
+# slower and will NOT pick up new releases.
+if grep -q '^\s*build:' "$COMPOSE_FILE" 2>/dev/null; then
+    echo ""
+    echo "================================================================"
+    echo "  [!] WARNING: Your docker-compose.yml is outdated."
+    echo ""
+    echo "  It contains 'build:' directives, which means Docker is"
+    echo "  compiling from local source instead of pulling pre-built"
+    echo "  images. You will NOT receive updates this way."
+    echo ""
+    echo "  Fix: re-clone the repository:"
+    echo "    cd .. && rm -rf $(basename "$SCRIPT_DIR")"
+    echo "    git clone https://github.com/BigBodyCobain/Shadowbroker.git"
+    echo "    cd Shadowbroker && docker compose pull && docker compose up -d"
+    echo "================================================================"
+    echo ""
+fi
+
 while [ "$#" -gt 0 ]; do
     case "$1" in
         --engine)
diff --git a/start.bat b/start.bat
index 66b01b4..0d25b0e 100644
--- a/start.bat
+++ b/start.bat
@@ -6,6 +6,26 @@ echo     S H A D O W B R O K E R   --   STARTUP
 echo ===================================================
 echo.
 
+:: Check for stale docker-compose.yml from pre-migration clones
+findstr /R /C:"build:" docker-compose.yml >nul 2>&1
+if %errorlevel% equ 0 (
+    echo.
+    echo ================================================================
+    echo   [!] WARNING: Your docker-compose.yml is outdated.
+    echo.
+    echo   It contains 'build:' directives, which means Docker will
+    echo   compile from local source instead of pulling pre-built images.
+    echo   You will NOT receive updates this way.
+    echo.
+    echo   If you use Docker, re-clone the repository:
+    echo     git clone https://github.com/BigBodyCobain/Shadowbroker.git
+    echo     cd Shadowbroker
+    echo     docker compose pull
+    echo     docker compose up -d
+    echo ================================================================
+    echo.
+)
+
 :: Check for Python
 where python >nul 2>&1
 if %errorlevel% neq 0 (
diff --git a/start.sh b/start.sh
index 844ecf1..42b4096 100644
--- a/start.sh
+++ b/start.sh
@@ -8,6 +8,24 @@ echo "   S H A D O W B R O K E R   -   macOS / Linux Start   "
 echo "======================================================="
 echo ""
 
+# Check for stale docker-compose.yml from pre-migration clones
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+if [ -f "$SCRIPT_DIR/docker-compose.yml" ] && grep -q '^\s*build:' "$SCRIPT_DIR/docker-compose.yml" 2>/dev/null; then
+    echo ""
+    echo "================================================================"
+    echo "  [!] WARNING: Your docker-compose.yml is outdated."
+    echo ""
+    echo "  It contains 'build:' directives, which means Docker will"
+    echo "  compile from local source instead of pulling pre-built images."
+    echo "  You will NOT receive updates this way."
+    echo ""
+    echo "  If you use Docker, re-clone the repository:"
+    echo "    git clone https://github.com/BigBodyCobain/Shadowbroker.git"
+    echo "    cd Shadowbroker && docker compose pull && docker compose up -d"
+    echo "================================================================"
+    echo ""
+fi
+
 # Check for Node.js
 if ! command -v npm &> /dev/null; then
     echo "[!] ERROR: npm is not installed. Please install Node.js 18+ (https://nodejs.org/)"