diff --git a/start-with-env.sh b/start-with-env.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..867a71c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/start-with-env.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# PM2 wrapper that ensures defense env is always loaded, even on KeepAlive auto-restart
+# Production fix for the recurring PM2 env-drop quirk.
+set -a
+[ -f /opt/llm-gateway/.env.defense ] && source /opt/llm-gateway/.env.defense
+[ -f /opt/llm-gateway/.env ] && source /opt/llm-gateway/.env
+set +a
+exec /usr/bin/node /opt/llm-gateway/packages/gateway/dist/server.js