## 1. Database Initialization

- [x] 1.1 Create `init_database()` function in `apps/api/src/database.py`
- [x] 1.2 Add alembic programmatic upgrade call
- [x] 1.3 Add connection retry logic with backoff
- [x] 1.4 Modify startup event to call `init_database()` before seeding
- [x] 1.5 Update seed functions to check table existence first

## 2. Error Handling and Logging

- [x] 2.1 Add clear error messages for connection failures
- [x] 2.2 Add clear error messages for missing tables
- [x] 2.3 Add clear error messages for auth failures
- [x] 2.4 Log migration status on startup

## 3. Docker Integration

- [x] 3.1 Update Dockerfile to wait for database readiness
- [x] 3.2 Update docker-compose files with init order
- [x] 3.3 Add health check script for database

## 4. Testing

- [x] 4.1 Test with fresh database (no tables)
- [x] 4.2 Test with existing database (migrations already applied)
- [x] 4.3 Test database connection failure handling
- [x] 4.4 Run quality gates (ruff, mypy, pytest)