diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 7ce6356..934b8bf 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -50,6 +50,13 @@ FROM alpine:3.23 AS soundtouch-service
 
 RUN apk add --no-cache ca-certificates tzdata
 
+# Non-root prep (dormant). Everything below is set up so the service CAN run
+# as a fixed non-root user, but the image still runs as root by default
+# (APP_USER below) so this is not a breaking change yet. The UID/GID is pinned
+# (65532) so a mounted data volume's ownership stays predictable.
+RUN addgroup -g 65532 -S aftertouch \
+    && adduser -u 65532 -S -G aftertouch -H -h /app aftertouch
+
 WORKDIR /app
 
 COPY --from=builder /soundtouch-service /app/soundtouch-service
@@ -57,13 +64,32 @@ COPY --from=builder /soundtouch-service /app/soundtouch-service
 # Verify the binary works on the target platform
 RUN /app/soundtouch-service version || echo "Binary verification complete"
 
-RUN mkdir -p /app/data
+# Create the data dir and hand /app to the non-root user.
+RUN mkdir -p /app/data && chown -R aftertouch:aftertouch /app
+
+# Allow the non-root process to bind the privileged DNS port (:53) when DNS
+# Discovery is enabled, without granting the whole container extra privileges
+# at runtime. NET_BIND_SERVICE is in Docker's default capability set, so this
+# file capability is effective out of the box (no --cap-add needed). Done
+# after chown, which would otherwise clear it; the setcap tool is removed after.
+RUN apk add --no-cache --virtual .setcap libcap \
+    && setcap 'cap_net_bind_service=+ep' /app/soundtouch-service \
+    && apk del .setcap
 
 ENV PORT=8000
 ENV DATA_DIR=/app/data
 ENV LOG_PROXY_BODY=false
 ENV REDACT_PROXY_LOGS=true
 
+# The toggle. Defaults to root, so this image behaves exactly as before and
+# the change is non-breaking today. Enabling non-root is planned for v1.0.0
+# (BREAKING: a bind-mounted DATA_DIR must then be writable by uid 65532 — the
+# service logs the exact chown command at startup if it can't write). To
+# enable, either change this default to "aftertouch" (a one-line commit) or
+# build with --build-arg APP_USER=aftertouch.
+ARG APP_USER=root
+USER ${APP_USER}
+
 EXPOSE 8000
 
 ENTRYPOINT ["/app/soundtouch-service"]
diff --git a/cmd/soundtouch-service/main.go b/cmd/soundtouch-service/main.go
index 5f0e4fa..9a91f3a 100644
--- a/cmd/soundtouch-service/main.go
+++ b/cmd/soundtouch-service/main.go
@@ -1056,6 +1056,8 @@ func createDefaultSettings(ds *datastore.DataStore, config serviceConfig) datast
 }
 
 func initDataStore(dataDir string) *datastore.DataStore {
+	warnIfDataDirNotWritable(dataDir)
+
 	ds := datastore.NewDataStore(dataDir)
 	if err := ds.Initialize(); err != nil {
 		log.Printf("Warning: Failed to initialize datastore: %v", err)
@@ -1064,6 +1066,48 @@ func initDataStore(dataDir string) *datastore.DataStore {
 	return ds
 }
 
+// warnIfDataDirNotWritable probes the data dir and logs an actionable message
+// when the process can't write to it. The common cause is running the
+// container as non-root (uid 65532) while a bind-mounted host directory is
+// owned by someone else; without this the failure would surface later as a
+// cryptic permission error deep in a save. It only warns: the datastore's own
+// resilience handles the degraded state.
+func warnIfDataDirNotWritable(dataDir string) {
+	if dataDir == "" {
+		return
+	}
+
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(dataDir, 0o755); err != nil {
+		log.Printf("WARNING: data dir %s cannot be created: %v", sanitizeLog(dataDir), err)
+		logDataDirChownHint(dataDir)
+
+		return
+	}
+
+	probe := filepath.Join(dataDir, ".write-probe")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(probe, []byte("ok"), 0o600); err != nil {
+		log.Printf("WARNING: data dir %s is not writable: %v", sanitizeLog(dataDir), err)
+		logDataDirChownHint(dataDir)
+
+		return
+	}
+
+	_ = os.Remove(probe)
+}
+
+// logDataDirChownHint prints the one-time fix for a non-writable bind-mounted
+// data dir, using the process's own uid. Skipped where uid is unavailable
+// (e.g. Windows), where the hint wouldn't apply.
+func logDataDirChownHint(dataDir string) {
+	uid := os.Getuid()
+	if uid < 0 {
+		return
+	}
+
+	log.Printf("         The service runs as uid %d. If you bind-mounted a host directory as the data dir, "+
+		"make it writable once: chown -R %d:%d %s", uid, uid, uid, sanitizeLog(dataDir))
+}
+
 func initCertificateManager(dataDir, hostname string) *certmanager.CertificateManager {
 	cm := certmanager.NewCertificateManager(filepath.Join(dataDir, "certs"))