diff --git a/docker-compose-dev.yml b/docker-compose-dev.yml
index 159276d..2487efe 100644
--- a/docker-compose-dev.yml
+++ b/docker-compose-dev.yml
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ services:
       DATABASE_URL: postgresql+asyncpg://orchestrator:orchestrator@db:5432/orchestrator
       DEBUG: "true"
       APP_NAME: "LetsBe Orchestrator"
+      ADMIN_API_KEY: "dev-admin-key-12345"  # Dev only - generate secure key for prod
     depends_on:
       db:
         condition: service_healthy
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 4cb326a..5b16ede 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ services:
       DATABASE_URL: postgresql+asyncpg://orchestrator:orchestrator@db:5432/orchestrator
       DEBUG: "false"  # set false in prod
       APP_NAME: "LetsBe Orchestrator"
+      ADMIN_API_KEY: "${ADMIN_API_KEY}"  # Required for admin endpoints (token management)
       # optionally, if your app supports it:
       # BASE_URL: https://orchestrator.example.com
     depends_on: