diff --git a/.forgejo/workflows/production.yaml b/.forgejo/workflows/production.yaml
index 4e757b39..94bf8551 100644
--- a/.forgejo/workflows/production.yaml
+++ b/.forgejo/workflows/production.yaml
@@ -159,7 +159,11 @@ jobs:
         run: mix ecto.setup
 
       - name: Start Phoenix server in background
-        run: mix phx.server &
+        run: |
+          mix phx.server > phoenix.log 2>&1 &
+          echo $! > phoenix.pid
+          echo "Phoenix server started with PID $(cat phoenix.pid)"
+          tail -f phoenix.log &
         env:
           SECRET_KEY_BASE: ${{ secrets.SECRET_KEY_BASE || 'dev_secret_key_base_for_testing_only_min_64_chars_required_here' }}
           PHX_HOST: localhost