diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 4a892f7..a91400b 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ GitOps-style Docker Compose setup for a self-hosted VPS running Nextcloud, Gitea
 
 ## Architecture
 
-Four independent service stacks, each with its own `docker-compose.yml`:
+A root `docker-compose.yml` uses `include` to compose four service stacks, each with its own `docker-compose.yml`:
 
 - **caddy/** — Reverse proxy with auto HTTPS. All services route through the shared `proxy` Docker network.
 - **nextcloud/** — Nextcloud 29 + PostgreSQL 16 + Redis 7 + cron container. Has its own `.env` for DB credentials and Nextcloud config. Uses internal `nextcloud-internal` network for DB/Redis isolation.
@@ -16,8 +16,9 @@ Four independent service stacks, each with its own `docker-compose.yml`:
 - **monitoring/** — Grafana Alloy collecting Docker logs (Loki) and node metrics (Prometheus) to Grafana Cloud. Has its own `.env` for cloud credentials.
 
 Key design patterns:
+- Root `docker-compose.yml` includes all stacks via `include:` — single command to manage everything
 - All stacks share the external `proxy` Docker network for Caddy routing
-- Each service's compose file requires `--env-file .env` (root-level) for `DATA_ROOT` and `DOMAIN`
+- Root `.env` provides `DATA_ROOT` and `DOMAIN` (pass via `--env-file .env`)
 - Service-specific secrets live in per-service `.env` files (loaded via `env_file:` in compose)
 - All persistent data under `${DATA_ROOT}` (default `/opt/docker-data/`)
 
@@ -27,6 +28,11 @@ Key design patterns:
 # Deploy everything (installs Docker if needed, creates dirs, starts all stacks)
 ./scripts/deploy.sh
 
+# Manage all services
+docker compose --env-file .env up -d
+docker compose --env-file .env logs -f
+docker compose --env-file .env down
+
 # Manage individual services
 docker compose -f <service>/docker-compose.yml --env-file .env up -d
 docker compose -f <service>/docker-compose.yml --env-file .env logs -f
@@ -43,10 +49,11 @@ docker exec caddy caddy reload --config /etc/caddy/Caddyfile
 ## Adding a New Service
 
 1. Create `myapp/docker-compose.yml` joining the `proxy` external network, with data under `${DATA_ROOT}/myapp/`
-2. Add reverse proxy entry in `caddy/Caddyfile`
-3. Add data directory creation to `scripts/deploy.sh`
-4. Add backup steps to `scripts/backup.sh` if it has persistent data
-5. Create DNS A record for the subdomain
+2. Add `- path: myapp/docker-compose.yml` to root `docker-compose.yml`
+3. Add reverse proxy entry in `caddy/Caddyfile`
+4. Add data directory creation to `scripts/deploy.sh`
+5. Add backup steps to `scripts/backup.sh` if it has persistent data
+6. Create DNS A record for the subdomain
 
 ## Environment Files
 
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c843b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+include:
+  - path: caddy/docker-compose.yml
+  - path: nextcloud/docker-compose.yml
+  - path: gitea/docker-compose.yml
+  - path: monitoring/docker-compose.yml
diff --git a/scripts/deploy.sh b/scripts/deploy.sh
index 76e3859..d1f3fa8 100755
--- a/scripts/deploy.sh
+++ b/scripts/deploy.sh
@@ -73,23 +73,11 @@ for svc in nextcloud gitea monitoring; do
 done
 
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-# Start stacks in order
+# Start all stacks
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-echo "==> Starting Caddy..."
-docker compose -f "$REPO_ROOT/caddy/docker-compose.yml" --env-file "$REPO_ROOT/.env" pull
-docker compose -f "$REPO_ROOT/caddy/docker-compose.yml" --env-file "$REPO_ROOT/.env" up -d
-
-echo "==> Starting Nextcloud..."
-docker compose -f "$REPO_ROOT/nextcloud/docker-compose.yml" --env-file "$REPO_ROOT/.env" pull
-docker compose -f "$REPO_ROOT/nextcloud/docker-compose.yml" --env-file "$REPO_ROOT/.env" up -d
-
-echo "==> Starting Gitea..."
-docker compose -f "$REPO_ROOT/gitea/docker-compose.yml" --env-file "$REPO_ROOT/.env" pull
-docker compose -f "$REPO_ROOT/gitea/docker-compose.yml" --env-file "$REPO_ROOT/.env" up -d
-
-echo "==> Starting Monitoring..."
-docker compose -f "$REPO_ROOT/monitoring/docker-compose.yml" --env-file "$REPO_ROOT/.env" pull
-docker compose -f "$REPO_ROOT/monitoring/docker-compose.yml" --env-file "$REPO_ROOT/.env" up -d
+echo "==> Pulling and starting all services..."
+docker compose --env-file "$REPO_ROOT/.env" --project-directory "$REPO_ROOT" pull
+docker compose --env-file "$REPO_ROOT/.env" --project-directory "$REPO_ROOT" up -d
 
 echo ""
 echo "==> All services started. Verify with: docker ps"