diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index f4d8eaa..435ba4a 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 \
     PIP_NO_CACHE_DIR=1 \
     UV_COMPILE_BYTECODE=1 \
     UV_NO_CACHE=1 \
+    UV_PYTHON_INSTALL_DIR=/opt/python \
     PATH="/app/.venv/bin:${PATH}" \
     PORT=8080
 
@@ -24,4 +25,6 @@ RUN python -m pip install --upgrade pip uv \
 
 USER appuser
 
-CMD ["gunicorn", "--bind", ":8080", "main:app"]
+RUN /app/.venv/bin/python -m scripts.publish_digest_before_read --help
+
+CMD ["/app/.venv/bin/python", "-m", "gunicorn", "--bind", ":8080", "main:app"]
diff --git a/docs/unified-daily-notification.md b/docs/unified-daily-notification.md
index 83245aa..484805e 100644
--- a/docs/unified-daily-notification.md
+++ b/docs/unified-daily-notification.md
@@ -65,6 +65,10 @@ monitoring checks, but run the archive-only publisher independently in an
 approved Cloud Run Job using the platform image and its frozen dependencies.
 
 Command: `/app/.venv/bin/python -m scripts.publish_digest_before_read`.
+Use `--help` for an offline CLI check; it exits before publication or the watchdog.
+The image keeps uv-managed Python under `/opt/python` so `appuser` can traverse
+its path. Build checks and runtime commands use `/app/.venv/bin/python` directly;
+the Docker build also checks publisher help after switching to `appuser`.
 The command imports the existing producer, never the service entrypoint. It does
 not run a drill, refresh a broker session, invoke a trading route, send Telegram,
 or access Secret Manager. Archive reads use the Storage SDK and the job's
diff --git a/scripts/publish_digest_before_read.py b/scripts/publish_digest_before_read.py
index c416209..90f1881 100644
--- a/scripts/publish_digest_before_read.py
+++ b/scripts/publish_digest_before_read.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 """Publish one completed-window candidate before the central read, without broker calls."""
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import argparse
 import json
 import os
 import signal
@@ -114,7 +115,9 @@ def publish(env, *, now=None, client=None, emit=None):
     return {"status": "published", "business_day": day, "readback_verified": True}
 
 
-def main():
+def main(argv=None):
+    argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__).parse_args(argv)
+
     def timeout(signum, frame):
         raise DeadlineExceeded()
 
diff --git a/tests/test_publish_digest_before_read.py b/tests/test_publish_digest_before_read.py
index 9f224d8..cfb557c 100644
--- a/tests/test_publish_digest_before_read.py
+++ b/tests/test_publish_digest_before_read.py
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ def test_main_redacts_exception_and_clears_watchdog(monkeypatch, capsys):
     monkeypatch.setattr(publisher.signal, "signal", lambda *a: None)
     monkeypatch.setattr(publisher.signal, "alarm", alarms.append)
     monkeypatch.setattr(publisher, "publish", lambda *a: (_ for _ in ()).throw(RuntimeError("private-value")))
-    assert publisher.main() == 1
+    assert publisher.main([]) == 1
     output = capsys.readouterr().out
     assert "private-value" not in output
     assert json.loads(output)["status"] == "failed"
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ def emit(*a):
         except Exception:
             pytest.fail("deadline must escape producer catch-all")
     monkeypatch.setattr(publisher, "publish", emit)
-    assert publisher.main() == 1
+    assert publisher.main([]) == 1
     assert json.loads(capsys.readouterr().out)["status"] == "failed"
 
 
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ def fail(*a):
     monkeypatch.setattr(publisher, "publish", fail)
     monkeypatch.setattr(publisher.signal, "signal", lambda *a: None)
     monkeypatch.setattr(publisher.signal, "alarm", lambda *a: None)
-    assert publisher.main() == 1
+    assert publisher.main([]) == 1
     output = capsys.readouterr().out
     assert "private resource" not in output
     assert json.loads(output)["stage"] == stage
@@ -250,3 +250,17 @@ def test_invalid_runtime_identity_is_rejected_before_idle_projection(key, value)
     with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="target_invalid"):
         publisher.publish({**ENV, "RUNTIME_TARGET_JSON": json.dumps(target)}, now=lambda: NOW,
                           emit=lambda *a, **kw: pytest.fail("must not project an invalid target"))
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("args, exit_code", [(["--help"], 0), (["--unknown"], 2)])
+def test_cli_arguments_exit_before_publication_or_watchdog(args, exit_code, monkeypatch, capsys):
+    def unexpected(*a, **kw):
+        pytest.fail("CLI argument handling must not start publication or the watchdog")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(publisher, "publish", unexpected)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(publisher.signal, "signal", unexpected)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(publisher.signal, "alarm", unexpected)
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as caught:
+        publisher.main(args)
+    assert caught.value.code == exit_code
+    output = capsys.readouterr()
+    assert "usage:" in (output.out if exit_code == 0 else output.err)