diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 4ee1da3..1eeb511 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ deploy:
 
       [Service]
       WorkingDirectory=${APP_DIR}
-      Environment="PATH=${VENV_DIR}/bin"
+      Environment="PATH=${VENV_DIR}/bin" "DISABLE_SCHEDULER=true"
       ExecStart=${VENV_DIR}/bin/uwsgi \\
         --master \\
         --enable-threads \\
diff --git a/app.py b/app.py
index da5e29a..137b968 100644
--- a/app.py
+++ b/app.py
@@ -802,6 +802,13 @@ def scheduler_worker():
 def start_scheduler():
     """Start the background scheduler."""
     global scheduler_thread, scheduler_running
+    
+    # Check if scheduler is disabled via environment variable
+    disable_scheduler = os.environ.get('DISABLE_SCHEDULER', '').lower() in ('true', '1', 'yes')
+    if disable_scheduler:
+        log.info("Scheduler disabled by DISABLE_SCHEDULER environment variable")
+        return
+    
     if not scheduler_running:
         scheduler_running = True
         scheduler_thread = threading.Thread(target=scheduler_worker, daemon=True)