diff --git a/src/Commands/ProtocolStart.php b/src/Commands/ProtocolStart.php
index bba3456..d970f2d 100644
--- a/src/Commands/ProtocolStart.php
+++ b/src/Commands/ProtocolStart.php
@@ -234,7 +234,6 @@ private function startDirect(string $dir): int
         // duplicate stop+start cycle that kills what we just started.
         $this->provisionSlaveWatchers($dir, $ctx);
         $this->startDevServices($dir, $ctx);
-        $this->runPostStartHooks($dir, $ctx);
         $this->runSecurityAudit($dir, $ctx);
         $this->runSoc2Check($dir, $ctx);
         $this->verifyHealth($dir, $ctx);
@@ -248,6 +247,12 @@ private function startDirect(string $dir): int
         $statusArgs = new ArrayInput(['--dir' => $dir]);
         $this->getApplication()->find('status')->run($statusArgs, $this->output);
 
+        // Wait for container readiness with Fibonacci backoff (up to 2 min)
+        // before running post_start hooks — all other steps must have
+        // completed and displayed their output first.
+        $this->waitForContainerReady($dir);
+        $this->runPostStartHooks($dir, $ctx);
+
         return Command::SUCCESS;
     }
 
@@ -680,13 +685,54 @@ private function startDevServices(string $dir, array $ctx): void
         }
     }
 
+    private function waitForContainerReady(string $dir): void
+    {
+        $runner = $this->runner;
+        $runner->run('Waiting for container readiness', function() use ($runner, $dir) {
+            $runner->log("dir={$dir}");
+
+            // Log what docker sees right now
+            $containerName = ContainerName::resolveFromDir($dir);
+            $runner->log("resolveFromDir container=" . ($containerName ?: '(none)'));
+            if (!$containerName) {
+                $names = Docker::getContainerNamesFromDockerComposeFile($dir);
+                $runner->log("compose containers=" . json_encode($names));
+            }
+
+            // List running docker containers for context
+            $ps = Shell::run("docker ps --format '{{.Names}} {{.Status}}' 2>&1");
+            $runner->log("docker ps:\n" . ($ps ?: '(empty)'));
+
+            $ready = Lifecycle::waitForContainer($dir, function($msg) use ($runner) {
+                $runner->log($msg);
+            });
+            if (!$ready) {
+                throw new \RuntimeException('Container did not become ready within ' . Lifecycle::MAX_WAIT . ' seconds');
+            }
+        }, 'READY');
+    }
+
     private function runPostStartHooks(string $dir, array $ctx): void
     {
         $runner = $this->runner;
         $runner->run('Post-start hooks', function() use ($runner, $dir, $ctx) {
+            $runner->log("dir={$dir} strategy={$ctx['strategy']}");
+
+            // Check protocol.json exists and is readable
+            $protocolJson = rtrim($dir, '/') . '/protocol.json';
+            $runner->log("protocol.json exists=" . (is_file($protocolJson) ? 'yes' : 'no'));
+            if (is_file($protocolJson)) {
+                $raw = file_get_contents($protocolJson);
+                $decoded = json_decode($raw, true);
+                $runner->log("protocol.json lifecycle keys=" . json_encode(
+                    array_keys($decoded['lifecycle'] ?? [])
+                ));
+            }
+
             $hookKey = 'lifecycle.post_start';
             if ($ctx['strategy'] === 'none') {
                 $devHooks = Json::read('lifecycle.post_start_dev', null, $dir);
+                $runner->log("lifecycle.post_start_dev raw=" . json_encode($devHooks));
                 if (is_array($devHooks)) {
                     $hookKey = 'lifecycle.post_start_dev';
                     $runner->log("strategy=none, using {$hookKey}");
@@ -694,8 +740,10 @@ private function runPostStartHooks(string $dir, array $ctx): void
             }
 
             $postStart = Json::read($hookKey, [], $dir);
+            $runner->log("{$hookKey} raw=" . json_encode($postStart));
+
             if (empty($postStart) || !is_array($postStart)) {
-                $runner->log("No {$hookKey} hooks configured");
+                $runner->log("No {$hookKey} hooks configured — skipping");
                 return;
             }
 
@@ -703,9 +751,12 @@ private function runPostStartHooks(string $dir, array $ctx): void
             $bgEnv = rtrim($dir, '/') . '/.env.deployment';
             if (is_file($bgEnv)) {
                 $envFile = $bgEnv;
+                $runner->log("envFile={$envFile}");
+            } else {
+                $runner->log("no .env.deployment found");
             }
 
-            $runner->log("Running " . count($postStart) . " {$hookKey} hook(s) in {$dir}");
+            $runner->log("Dispatching " . count($postStart) . " {$hookKey} hook(s)");
             Lifecycle::runPostStart($dir, function($msg) use ($runner) {
                 $runner->log($msg);
             }, $envFile, $hookKey);
diff --git a/src/Commands/ProtocolStop.php b/src/Commands/ProtocolStop.php
index a0a9e58..8e61bb3 100644
--- a/src/Commands/ProtocolStop.php
+++ b/src/Commands/ProtocolStop.php
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ protected function configure(): void
             // configure an argument
             ->addArgument('project', InputArgument::OPTIONAL, 'Project name (for slave nodes, run from anywhere)')
             ->addOption('dir', 'd', InputOption::VALUE_OPTIONAL, 'Directory Path', null)
+            ->addOption('force', 'f', InputOption::VALUE_NONE, 'Force stop, ignoring any existing lock')
             // ...
         ;
     }
@@ -96,8 +97,14 @@ protected function execute(InputInterface $input, OutputInterface $output): int
         $output->writeln('');
 
         if (!$this->lock()) {
-            $output->writeln('The command is already running in another process.');
-            return Command::SUCCESS;
+            if ($input->getOption('force')) {
+                $output->writeln('<comment>Forcing lock override...</comment>');
+                $this->release();
+                $this->lock();
+            } else {
+                $output->writeln('The command is already running in another process. Use --force (-f) to override.');
+                return Command::SUCCESS;
+            }
         }
 
         $dir = $this->resolveDirectory();
diff --git a/src/Commands/ProtocolUpdate.php b/src/Commands/ProtocolUpdate.php
index e898fbf..a249ac4 100644
--- a/src/Commands/ProtocolUpdate.php
+++ b/src/Commands/ProtocolUpdate.php
@@ -82,10 +82,17 @@ protected function execute(InputInterface $input, OutputInterface $output): int
         Shell::passthru("git -C " . escapeshellarg($protocoldir) . " fetch --all --tags");
 
         if ($input->getOption('nightly')) {
-            // Nightly: reset to branch tip
-            $branch = Git::branch($protocoldir) ?: 'main';
+            // Nightly: checkout the branch and pull the tip.
+            // Git::branch() returns garbage in detached HEAD (e.g. from a
+            // previous tag checkout), so detect that and default to main.
+            $rawBranch = trim(Shell::run(
+                "git -C " . escapeshellarg($protocoldir) . " symbolic-ref --short HEAD 2>/dev/null"
+            ));
+            $branch = $rawBranch ?: 'main';
+
             $output->writeln("<comment>Updating to nightly ({$remote}/{$branch})</comment>");
-            Shell::passthru("git -C " . escapeshellarg($protocoldir) . " reset --hard {$remote}/{$branch}");
+            Shell::passthru("git -C " . escapeshellarg($protocoldir) . " checkout " . escapeshellarg($branch));
+            Shell::passthru("git -C " . escapeshellarg($protocoldir) . " reset --hard " . escapeshellarg("{$remote}/{$branch}"));
         } else {
             // Release: find the latest semver tag
             $latestTag = trim(Shell::run(
diff --git a/src/Commands/ReleaseCreate.php b/src/Commands/ReleaseCreate.php
index 3ec690f..c0dbb31 100644
--- a/src/Commands/ReleaseCreate.php
+++ b/src/Commands/ReleaseCreate.php
@@ -122,22 +122,33 @@ protected function execute(InputInterface $input, OutputInterface $output): int
         // Check clean working tree
         $status = trim(Shell::run("git -C " . escapeshellarg($repo_dir) . " status --porcelain 2>/dev/null"));
         if ($status) {
-            $output->writeln('<fg=yellow>Warning: Working tree is not clean.</>');
+            $output->writeln('<error>Working tree is not clean. Commit your changes before creating a release.</error>');
             $output->writeln('');
             $output->writeln($status);
-            $output->writeln('');
+            return Command::FAILURE;
+        }
 
-            $helper = $this->getHelper('question');
-            $question = new ConfirmationQuestion('Commit all changes before creating the release? [y/N] ', false);
-            if ($helper->ask($input, $output, $question)) {
-                Shell::run("git -C " . escapeshellarg($repo_dir) . " add -A");
-                Shell::run("git -C " . escapeshellarg($repo_dir) . " commit -m " . escapeshellarg("Pre-release cleanup for {$version}"));
-                $output->writeln(' - Committed all changes');
-                $output->writeln('');
-            } else {
-                $output->writeln('<error>Aborting. Commit or stash your changes first.</error>');
-                return Command::FAILURE;
-            }
+        // Fetch remote and check if local is behind
+        $remote = Git::remoteName($repo_dir) ?: 'origin';
+        $branch = Git::branch($repo_dir);
+        Shell::run("git -C " . escapeshellarg($repo_dir) . " fetch " . escapeshellarg($remote) . " 2>&1");
+
+        $behind = (int) trim(Shell::run(
+            "git -C " . escapeshellarg($repo_dir)
+            . " rev-list --count HEAD.." . escapeshellarg("{$remote}/{$branch}") . " 2>/dev/null"
+        ));
+        if ($behind > 0) {
+            $output->writeln("<error>Local branch '{$branch}' is {$behind} commit(s) behind {$remote}/{$branch}.</error>");
+            $output->writeln('<error>Pull the latest changes before creating a release.</error>');
+            return Command::FAILURE;
+        }
+
+        $ahead = (int) trim(Shell::run(
+            "git -C " . escapeshellarg($repo_dir)
+            . " rev-list --count " . escapeshellarg("{$remote}/{$branch}") . "..HEAD 2>/dev/null"
+        ));
+        if ($ahead > 0) {
+            $output->writeln("<comment>Local branch is {$ahead} commit(s) ahead — these will be pushed with the release.</comment>");
         }
 
         // Check tag doesn't exist
@@ -163,12 +174,34 @@ protected function execute(InputInterface $input, OutputInterface $output): int
 
         // Push
         if (!$input->getOption('no-push')) {
-            $remote = Git::remoteName($repo_dir) ?: 'origin';
-            $branch = Git::branch($repo_dir);
-
-            Shell::passthru("git -C " . escapeshellarg($repo_dir) . " push " . escapeshellarg($remote) . " " . escapeshellarg($branch));
-            Shell::passthru("git -C " . escapeshellarg($repo_dir) . " push " . escapeshellarg($remote) . " " . escapeshellarg($version));
-            $output->writeln(" - Pushed to {$remote}");
+            // Push branch first — abort entirely if rejected
+            $branchPushResult = Shell::run(
+                "git -C " . escapeshellarg($repo_dir) . " push " . escapeshellarg($remote) . " " . escapeshellarg($branch) . " 2>&1",
+                $branchPushExit
+            );
+            if ($branchPushExit !== 0) {
+                $output->writeln('<error>Branch push rejected. Removing local tag and undoing VERSION commit.</error>');
+                $output->writeln($branchPushResult);
+                // Rollback: delete local tag and undo the VERSION commit
+                Shell::run("git -C " . escapeshellarg($repo_dir) . " tag -d " . escapeshellarg($version) . " 2>/dev/null");
+                Shell::run("git -C " . escapeshellarg($repo_dir) . " reset --soft HEAD~1 2>/dev/null");
+                Shell::run("git -C " . escapeshellarg($repo_dir) . " checkout -- VERSION 2>/dev/null");
+                $output->writeln('<comment>Rolled back local tag and VERSION commit. Pull the latest changes and try again.</comment>');
+                return Command::FAILURE;
+            }
+            $output->writeln(" - Pushed branch to {$remote}");
+
+            // Push tag
+            $tagPushResult = Shell::run(
+                "git -C " . escapeshellarg($repo_dir) . " push " . escapeshellarg($remote) . " " . escapeshellarg($version) . " 2>&1",
+                $tagPushExit
+            );
+            if ($tagPushExit !== 0) {
+                $output->writeln('<error>Tag push failed.</error>');
+                $output->writeln($tagPushResult);
+                return Command::FAILURE;
+            }
+            $output->writeln(" - Pushed tag {$version} to {$remote}");
 
             // Create GitHub Release
             $draft = $input->getOption('draft');
diff --git a/src/Helpers/Lifecycle.php b/src/Helpers/Lifecycle.php
index dc67ce7..432a67a 100644
--- a/src/Helpers/Lifecycle.php
+++ b/src/Helpers/Lifecycle.php
@@ -2,9 +2,73 @@
 namespace Gitcd\Helpers;
 
 use Gitcd\Utils\Json;
+use Gitcd\Helpers\Docker;
+use Gitcd\Helpers\ContainerName;
 
 class Lifecycle
 {
+    /** Maximum total wait time for container readiness (seconds). */
+    public const MAX_WAIT = 120;
+
+    /**
+     * Wait for the container to be running using Fibonacci backoff.
+     *
+     * Sequence: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 …
+     * Gives up after MAX_WAIT seconds total elapsed.
+     *
+     * @return bool true if container became ready, false on timeout
+     */
+    public static function waitForContainer(string $repoDir, ?callable $logger = null): bool
+    {
+        $containerName = ContainerName::resolveFromDir($repoDir);
+        if (!$containerName) {
+            // Fallback: grab names from compose file
+            $names = Docker::getContainerNamesFromDockerComposeFile($repoDir);
+            $containerName = $names[0] ?? null;
+        }
+
+        if (!$containerName) {
+            if ($logger) $logger("No container name resolved — skipping readiness wait");
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        if ($logger) $logger("Waiting for container '{$containerName}' to be ready (max " . self::MAX_WAIT . "s)…");
+
+        $elapsed = 0;
+        $a = 1;
+        $b = 1;
+
+        while ($elapsed < self::MAX_WAIT) {
+            if (Docker::isDockerContainerRunning($containerName)) {
+                if ($logger) $logger("Container '{$containerName}' is running after {$elapsed}s");
+                return true;
+            }
+
+            $delay = min($a, self::MAX_WAIT - $elapsed);
+            if ($delay <= 0) {
+                break;
+            }
+
+            if ($logger) $logger("Container not ready, retrying in {$delay}s (elapsed {$elapsed}s)…");
+            sleep($delay);
+            $elapsed += $delay;
+
+            // Fibonacci step
+            $next = $a + $b;
+            $a = $b;
+            $b = $next;
+        }
+
+        // Final check after the last sleep
+        if (Docker::isDockerContainerRunning($containerName)) {
+            if ($logger) $logger("Container '{$containerName}' is running after {$elapsed}s");
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        if ($logger) $logger("Container '{$containerName}' not ready after {$elapsed}s — giving up");
+        return false;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Run post_start lifecycle hooks from protocol.json.
      *
@@ -23,13 +87,33 @@ class Lifecycle
     public static function runPostStart(string $repoDir, ?callable $logger = null, ?string $envFile = null, string $hookKey = 'lifecycle.post_start'): void
     {
         $hooks = Json::read($hookKey, [], $repoDir);
+
+        if ($logger) {
+            $logger("hookKey={$hookKey} repoDir={$repoDir}");
+            $logger("raw hooks value: " . json_encode($hooks));
+        }
+
         if (!is_array($hooks) || empty($hooks)) {
+            if ($logger) $logger("No hooks to run (empty or not an array)");
             return;
         }
 
+        // Log container resolution so we can see what exec will target
+        $containerName = ContainerName::resolveActive($repoDir);
+        if ($logger) {
+            $logger("resolveActive container=" . ($containerName ?: '(none)'));
+            if (!$containerName) {
+                $fallbackNames = Docker::getContainerNamesFromDockerComposeFile($repoDir);
+                $logger("fallback compose containers=" . json_encode($fallbackNames));
+            }
+            $isRunning = $containerName ? Docker::isDockerContainerRunning($containerName) : false;
+            $logger("container running=" . ($isRunning ? 'yes' : 'no'));
+        }
+
         foreach ($hooks as $i => $hook) {
             $hook = trim($hook);
             if ($hook === '') {
+                if ($logger) $logger("[hook {$i}] skipped (empty string)");
                 continue;
             }
 
@@ -37,8 +121,27 @@ public static function runPostStart(string $repoDir, ?callable $logger = null, ?
             $cmd = "protocol exec -T -d " . escapeshellarg(rtrim($repoDir, '/'))
                 . " " . escapeshellarg($hook) . " 2>&1";
 
-            if ($logger) $logger("[hook {$i}] exec: {$hook}");
-            Shell::run($cmd);
+            if ($logger) $logger("[hook {$i}] cmd: {$cmd}");
+
+            $output = Shell::run($cmd, $exitCode);
+
+            if ($logger) {
+                $logger("[hook {$i}] exit_code={$exitCode}");
+                if ($output !== null && trim($output) !== '') {
+                    // Log output line by line to keep log readable
+                    foreach (explode("\n", trim($output)) as $line) {
+                        $logger("[hook {$i}] output: {$line}");
+                    }
+                } else {
+                    $logger("[hook {$i}] output: (empty)");
+                }
+            }
+
+            if ($exitCode !== 0 && $logger) {
+                $logger("[hook {$i}] WARNING: hook exited with non-zero code {$exitCode}");
+            }
         }
+
+        if ($logger) $logger("All {$hookKey} hooks complete");
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Helpers/ReleaseWatcher.php b/src/Helpers/ReleaseWatcher.php
index aa5c62f..8e780dd 100644
--- a/src/Helpers/ReleaseWatcher.php
+++ b/src/Helpers/ReleaseWatcher.php
@@ -464,7 +464,7 @@ private function protocolStopStart(string $stopDir, string $startDir): void
         $stopArg = escapeshellarg($stopDir);
         $startArg = escapeshellarg($startDir);
 
-        $cmd = "nohup sh -c 'php {$phpBin} stop --dir={$stopArg} && php {$phpBin} start --dir={$startArg}'"
+        $cmd = "nohup sh -c 'php {$phpBin} stop --force --dir={$stopArg} && php {$phpBin} start --force --dir={$startArg}'"
             . " >> " . escapeshellarg($logFile) . " 2>&1 </dev/null &";
 
         Log::context('watcher', [