diff --git a/scripts/docker/app/compose/up_app.sh b/scripts/docker/app/compose/up_app.sh
index 6436abd..7e8384c 100755
--- a/scripts/docker/app/compose/up_app.sh
+++ b/scripts/docker/app/compose/up_app.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,24 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
+# Print the compose output when `up -d` failed, so the log records WHY.
+# Without this the only trace of a failed app install was "Started container for
+# <app> (exit 1, up_app.sh:130)" — the compose output was captured into a
+# variable and dropped. That is the difference between "navidrome's install
+# failed because the image pull died" and a mystery nobody can answer ten days
+# later. Tail-capped: a Dockerfile build can emit hundreds of lines, and the
+# failure is always at the end. Called BEFORE checkSuccess, which may exit.
+_upReportComposeFailure()
+{
+    local app_name="$1" rc="$2" output="$3"
+    (( rc == 0 )) && return 0
+    [[ -z "$output" ]] && { isNotice "docker compose gave no output for $app_name (exit $rc)."; return 0; }
+    isNotice "docker compose output for $app_name (exit $rc):"
+    local _l
+    while IFS= read -r _l; do
+        [[ -n "$_l" ]] && isNotice "  $_l"
+    done <<< "$(printf '%s\n' "$output" | tail -20)"
+}
+
 dockerComposeUp()
 {
     local app_name="$1"
@@ -122,16 +141,18 @@ dockerComposeUp()
                 fi
                 if [[ $CFG_DOCKER_INSTALL_TYPE == "rootless" ]]; then
                     isNotice "Starting container for $app_name, this may take a while..."
-                    local result; result=$(dockerCommandRunInstallUser "cd $containers_dir$app_name && COMPOSE_PROGRESS=plain docker compose $setup_compose up $_compose_quiet $_compose_build_flag -d")
+                    local result; result=$(dockerCommandRunInstallUser "cd $containers_dir$app_name && COMPOSE_PROGRESS=plain docker compose $setup_compose up $_compose_quiet $_compose_build_flag -d" 2>&1)
                     _rc=$?
+                    _upReportComposeFailure "$app_name" "$_rc" "$result"
                     # Restore $? to the compose exit code — a bare `checkSuccess`
                     # after `_rc=$?` would read the assignment's 0 and always print
                     # success, hiding a failed `up -d` (e.g. an image pull EOF).
                     ( exit "$_rc" ); checkSuccess "Started container for $app_name"
                 elif [[ $CFG_DOCKER_INSTALL_TYPE == "rooted" ]]; then
                     isNotice "Starting container for $app_name, this may take a while..."
-                    local result; result=$(cd "$containers_dir$app_name" && COMPOSE_PROGRESS=plain docker compose $setup_compose up $_compose_quiet $_compose_build_flag -d)
+                    local result; result=$(cd "$containers_dir$app_name" && COMPOSE_PROGRESS=plain docker compose $setup_compose up $_compose_quiet $_compose_build_flag -d 2>&1)
                     _rc=$?
+                    _upReportComposeFailure "$app_name" "$_rc" "$result"
                     ( exit "$_rc" ); checkSuccess "Started container for $app_name"
                 fi
             # Used for the CLI dockertype switcher.
diff --git a/scripts/source/files/arrays/function_manifest.sh b/scripts/source/files/arrays/function_manifest.sh
index 4f5ce7c..ed45d52 100644
--- a/scripts/source/files/arrays/function_manifest.sh
+++ b/scripts/source/files/arrays/function_manifest.sh
@@ -937,6 +937,7 @@ declare -gA LP_FN_MAP=(
     [updaterSetAnchorRef]="cli/commands/updater/cli_updater_commands.sh"
     [updaterTagOf]="webui/data/generators/updater/webui_updater_scan.sh"
     [updateTaskFields]="task/crontab_task_processor.sh"
+    [_upReportComposeFailure]="docker/app/compose/up_app.sh"
     [userExists]="function/checks/user_exists.sh"
     [validateContainerHealth]="task/crontab_check_processor.sh"
     [validateDirectoryStructure]="task/crontab_check_processor.sh"
@@ -1949,6 +1950,7 @@ declare -gA LP_FN_ROOT=(
     [updaterSetAnchorRef]="scripts"
     [updaterTagOf]="scripts"
     [updateTaskFields]="scripts"
+    [_upReportComposeFailure]="scripts"
     [userExists]="scripts"
     [validateContainerHealth]="scripts"
     [validateDirectoryStructure]="scripts"
@@ -2994,6 +2996,7 @@ updaterRollbackApp() { unset -f updaterRollbackApp; __lpAutoload "${install_scri
 updaterSetAnchorRef() { unset -f updaterSetAnchorRef; __lpAutoload "${install_scripts_dir}cli/commands/updater/cli_updater_commands.sh"; updaterSetAnchorRef "$@"; }
 updaterTagOf() { unset -f updaterTagOf; __lpAutoload "${install_scripts_dir}webui/data/generators/updater/webui_updater_scan.sh"; updaterTagOf "$@"; }
 updateTaskFields() { unset -f updateTaskFields; __lpAutoload "${install_scripts_dir}task/crontab_task_processor.sh"; updateTaskFields "$@"; }
+_upReportComposeFailure() { unset -f _upReportComposeFailure; __lpAutoload "${install_scripts_dir}docker/app/compose/up_app.sh"; _upReportComposeFailure "$@"; }
 userExists() { unset -f userExists; __lpAutoload "${install_scripts_dir}function/checks/user_exists.sh"; userExists "$@"; }
 validateContainerHealth() { unset -f validateContainerHealth; __lpAutoload "${install_scripts_dir}task/crontab_check_processor.sh"; validateContainerHealth "$@"; }
 validateDirectoryStructure() { unset -f validateDirectoryStructure; __lpAutoload "${install_scripts_dir}task/crontab_check_processor.sh"; validateDirectoryStructure "$@"; }