diff --git a/install/production-filesystem/services/scripts/check-0-permissions.sh b/install/production-filesystem/services/scripts/check-0-permissions.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8e717a40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/install/production-filesystem/services/scripts/check-0-permissions.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+# check-0-permissions.sh: Verify file system permissions for critical paths.
+#
+# This script ensures that the application has the necessary read and write
+# permissions for its operational directories. It distinguishes between running
+# as root (user 0) and a non-privileged user.
+#
+# As root, it will proactively fix ownership and permissions.
+# As a non-root user, it will only warn about issues.
+
+# --- Color Codes ---
+RED='\033[1;31m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+RESET='\033[0m'
+
+# --- Main Logic ---
+
+# Define paths that need read-only access
+READ_ONLY_PATHS="
+${NETALERTX_APP}
+${NETALERTX_SERVER}
+${NETALERTX_FRONT}
+${SYSTEM_SERVICES_CONFIG}
+${VIRTUAL_ENV}
+"
+
+# Define paths that need read-write access
+READ_WRITE_PATHS="
+${NETALERTX_API}
+${NETALERTX_LOG}
+${SYSTEM_SERVICES_RUN}
+${NETALERTX_CONFIG}
+$(dirname "${NETALERTX_DB_FILE}")
+"
+
+# If running as root, fix permissions first
+if [ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo "Running as root. Ensuring correct ownership and permissions..."
+
+    # Set ownership to netalertx user and group for all read-write paths
+    chown -R netalertx:netalertx ${READ_WRITE_PATHS}
+
+    # Set directory and file permissions for all read-write paths
+    find ${READ_WRITE_PATHS} -type d -exec chmod 700 {} +
+    find ${READ_WRITE_PATHS} -type f -exec chmod 600 {} +
+fi
+
+# --- Permission Validation ---
+
+failures=0
+
+# Check all paths
+ALL_PATHS="${READ_ONLY_PATHS} ${READ_WRITE_PATHS}"
+for path in $ALL_PATHS; do
+    if [ ! -e "$path" ]; then
+        failures=1
+        >&2 printf "%s" "${RED}"
+        >&2 cat <<EOF
+══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+❌ CRITICAL: Path does not exist.
+
+   The required path "${path}" could not be found. The application
+   cannot start without its complete directory structure.
+══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+EOF
+        >&2 printf "%s" "${RESET}"
+    elif [ ! -r "$path" ]; then
+        failures=1
+        >&2 printf "%s" "${YELLOW}"
+        >&2 cat <<EOF
+══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+⚠️  ATTENTION: Read permission denied.
+
+    The application cannot read from "${path}". This will cause
+    unpredictable errors. Please correct the file system permissions.
+══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+EOF
+        >&2 printf "%s" "${RESET}"
+    fi
+done
+
+# Check read-write paths specifically for write access
+for path in $READ_WRITE_PATHS; do
+    if [ -e "$path" ] && [ ! -w "$path" ]; then
+        failures=1
+        >&2 printf "%s" "${YELLOW}"
+        >&2 cat <<EOF
+══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+⚠️  ATTENTION: Write permission denied.
+
+    The application cannot write to "${path}". This will prevent it from
+    saving data, logs, or configuration.
+
+    To fix this automatically, restart the container with root privileges
+    (e.g., remove the "user:" directive in your Docker Compose file).
+══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+EOF
+        >&2 printf "%s" "${RESET}"
+    fi
+done
+
+# If there were any failures, exit
+if [ "$failures" -ne 0 ]; then
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "Permission checks passed successfully."
+
+
diff --git a/install/production-filesystem/services/scripts/check-permissions.sh b/install/production-filesystem/services/scripts/check-permissions.sh
deleted file mode 100644
index 590e7d6f..00000000
--- a/install/production-filesystem/services/scripts/check-permissions.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-
-# TODO Add sanity checks here to ensure we can read from
-# ${NETALERTX_APP}
-# ${NETALERTX_SERVER}
-# ${NETALERTX_FRONT}
-# ${SYSTEM_SERVICES_CONFIG}
-# ${VIRTUAL_ENV}
-
-# And read/write tempdirs
-# ${NETALERTX_API}
-# ${NETALERTX_LOGS}
-# ${SYSTEM_SERVICES_RUN}
-