diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..27c8c41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+.git
+dist
+logs
+docs
+.env
+.env.*
+profiles.json
+.znf
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..97930d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# Builds the dbclone CLI. The image carries only the static binary and the docker CLI:
+# every dump and restore still runs inside your local mongo/mysql containers.
+FROM golang:1.26-alpine AS build
+WORKDIR /src
+COPY go.mod go.sum ./
+RUN go mod download
+COPY . .
+ARG VERSION=docker
+RUN CGO_ENABLED=0 go build -ldflags "-s -w -X main.version=${VERSION}" -o /dbclone .
+
+FROM alpine:3.21
+RUN apk add --no-cache docker-cli
+COPY --from=build /dbclone /usr/local/bin/dbclone
+WORKDIR /work
+ENTRYPOINT ["dbclone"]
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9ae2dab..ab08476 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -75,6 +75,25 @@ go install github.com/phuthuycoding/dbclone@latest   # any OS with Go
 or download a binary from [Releases](https://github.com/phuthuycoding/dbclone/releases)
 (linux / macOS / windows, amd64 / arm64).
 
+### Or run everything with Docker Compose
+
+No Go, no binary: the repo's [`compose.yaml`](compose.yaml) starts local MongoDB and MySQL from
+the official images, already carrying the root credentials dbclone expects, and builds the CLI
+into a small image that talks to them over the Docker socket.
+
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/phuthuycoding/dbclone && cd dbclone
+docker compose up -d                      # mongodb + mysql
+docker compose run --rm dbclone -check    # ✓ Docker, ✓ mongo, ✓ mysql
+docker compose run --rm dbclone           # add profiles, pick FROM / TO / databases
+docker compose run --rm dbclone -from staging -only mongo:shop -yes
+```
+
+Profiles persist in the `dbclone-config` volume; logs land in `./logs`. Override ports or
+names with `DBCLONE_MONGO_PORT`, `DBCLONE_MYSQL_PORT`, `DBCLONE_MONGO_CONTAINER`,
+`DBCLONE_MYSQL_CONTAINER`, and the local root password with `DBCLONE_LOCAL_PASSWORD`
+(default `dbclone`; it only guards the databases on your machine).
+
 ## Usage
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/compose.yaml b/compose.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f70db26
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compose.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+# Everything dbclone needs, with nothing installed on the host but Docker:
+#
+#   docker compose up -d                 # local MongoDB + MySQL from the official images
+#   docker compose run --rm dbclone      # the CLI itself, talking to them over the Docker socket
+#
+# Ports, container names and the local root password can be overridden from the
+# environment (DBCLONE_MONGO_PORT, DBCLONE_MYSQL_PORT, DBCLONE_MONGO_CONTAINER,
+# DBCLONE_MYSQL_CONTAINER, DBCLONE_LOCAL_PASSWORD). The password only guards databases
+# on your own machine; dbclone reads it from the containers and never asks for it.
+
+services:
+  mongodb:
+    image: mongo:7
+    container_name: ${DBCLONE_MONGO_CONTAINER:-mongodb}
+    environment:
+      MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_USERNAME: root
+      MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${DBCLONE_LOCAL_PASSWORD:-dbclone}
+    ports:
+      - "${DBCLONE_MONGO_PORT:-27017}:27017"
+    volumes:
+      - mongodb-data:/data/db
+    restart: unless-stopped
+
+  mysql:
+    image: mysql:8.4
+    container_name: ${DBCLONE_MYSQL_CONTAINER:-mysql}
+    environment:
+      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${DBCLONE_LOCAL_PASSWORD:-dbclone}
+    ports:
+      - "${DBCLONE_MYSQL_PORT:-3306}:3306"
+    volumes:
+      - mysql-data:/var/lib/mysql
+    restart: unless-stopped
+
+  # Not started by `up`; run it on demand: docker compose run --rm dbclone [flags]
+  dbclone:
+    build: .
+    image: dbclone:local
+    profiles: [cli]
+    environment:
+      DBCLONE_MONGO_CONTAINER: ${DBCLONE_MONGO_CONTAINER:-mongodb}
+      DBCLONE_MYSQL_CONTAINER: ${DBCLONE_MYSQL_CONTAINER:-mysql}
+    volumes:
+      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock   # dbclone runs `docker exec` into the two containers above
+      - dbclone-config:/root/.config/dbclone        # profiles.json (mode 0600) survives between runs
+      - ./logs:/work/logs                           # per-run tool output lands next to this file
+    working_dir: /work
+    stdin_open: true
+    tty: true
+    depends_on:
+      - mongodb
+      - mysql
+
+volumes:
+  mongodb-data:
+  mysql-data:
+  dbclone-config:
diff --git a/docs/launch/reddit.md b/docs/launch/reddit.md
index e6b8e85..43f0e08 100644
--- a/docs/launch/reddit.md
+++ b/docs/launch/reddit.md
@@ -51,8 +51,9 @@ genuinely answers someone's question.
 
 ## r/selfhosted — ONLY in the "New Project Megathread" until 2027-01-02 (rule 6, verified)
 
-Comment, Fri 2026-10-16: 3 lines. Rule 2 wants "production ready and have docs" — point at
-the README flag table and `-check`. Wednesday exception (rule 5) allows tool posts with the
+Comment, Fri 2026-10-16: 3 lines. Lead with `docker compose up -d && docker compose run --rm dbclone`
+(nothing but Docker on the host — the self-hosted angle). Rule 2 wants "production ready and
+have docs" — point at the README flag table and `-check`. Wednesday exception (rule 5) allows tool posts with the
 right flair; still a 3-month-old project is megathread-only, so wait.
 
 ## r/commandline — NOT before 2026-11-02 (rule 5: no projects newer than 30 days, verified)