diff --git a/run.sh b/run.sh
index 163a554..7f25cc9 100644
--- a/run.sh
+++ b/run.sh
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 # startup script inside the container for tubearchivist
 
 # check environment
+if [[ -z "$DJANGO_DEBUG" ]]; then
+    export DJANGO_DEBUG=False
+fi
+
 if [[ -z "$ELASTIC_USER" ]]; then
     export ELASTIC_USER=elastic
 fi