diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/staging.yaml b/.gitea/workflows/staging.yaml
index 78d0e9d..60b687e 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/staging.yaml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/staging.yaml
@@ -198,7 +198,8 @@ jobs:
             # Check if service has a healthcheck defined
             has_healthcheck=$(docker inspect --format='{{if .Config.Healthcheck}}true{{else}}false{{end}}' $service 2>/dev/null || echo "false")
             if [ "$has_healthcheck" = "true" ]; then
-              for i in 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10; do
+              # 24 attempts x 10 seconds = 4 minutes max wait (backend with fresh migrations can take ~3 min)
+              for i in $(seq 1 24); do
                 health=$(docker inspect --format='{{.State.Health.Status}}' $service 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
                 if [ "$health" = "healthy" ]; then
                   echo "OK: $service is healthy"
@@ -208,13 +209,13 @@ jobs:
                   docker logs $service --tail 50 2>/dev/null || true
                   exit 1
                 fi
-                if [ $i -eq 10 ]; then
+                if [ $i -eq 24 ]; then
                   echo "ERROR: $service health check timed out (status: $health)"
                   docker logs $service --tail 50 2>/dev/null || true
                   exit 1
                 fi
-                echo "Waiting for $service healthcheck... (attempt $i/10, status: $health)"
-                sleep 5
+                echo "Waiting for $service healthcheck... (attempt $i/24, status: $health)"
+                sleep 10
               done
             else
               echo "SKIP: $service has no healthcheck defined"