diff --git a/start_flask.sh b/start_flask.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index 5f7d2b4..d28c1df
--- a/start_flask.sh
+++ b/start_flask.sh
@@ -38,4 +38,4 @@ if [ -z "$CELLXGENE_DATA" ] && [ -z "$CELLXGENE_BUCKET" ]; then
     exit 1
 fi
 
-cellxgene-gateway
\ No newline at end of file
+exec cellxgene-gateway
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/start_gunicorn.sh b/start_gunicorn.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index 994b899..4e6da8f
--- a/start_gunicorn.sh
+++ b/start_gunicorn.sh
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ cd "$SCRIPT_DIR"
 # Additional options you can add via environment variables:
 # - GUNICORN_MAX_REQUESTS: Restart worker after N requests (prevents memory leaks)
 # - GUNICORN_MAX_REQUESTS_JITTER: Add randomness to max-requests
-gunicorn cellxgene_gateway.gateway:app \
+exec gunicorn cellxgene_gateway.gateway:app \
     --workers "$WORKERS" \
     --worker-class "$WORKER_CLASS" \
     --bind "$BIND" \
diff --git a/start_uwsgi.sh b/start_uwsgi.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index 54966f4..7cfaa58
--- a/start_uwsgi.sh
+++ b/start_uwsgi.sh
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ export GATEWAY_ENABLE_BACKED_MODE=${GATEWAY_ENABLE_BACKED_MODE:-true}
 # Check if uwsgi is installed
 if ! command -v uwsgi &> /dev/null; then
     echo "Error: uwsgi not found. Install with: pip install uwsgi"
+    exit 1
 else
     # Display configuration
     echo "Starting Cellxgene Gateway with uWSGI..."
@@ -70,7 +71,7 @@ else
     # Start uWSGI with optimized settings
     # Additional options you can add via environment variables:
     # - UWSGI_MAX_REQUESTS: Restart worker after N requests (prevents memory leaks)
-    uwsgi \
+    exec uwsgi \
         --http "$HOST:$PORT" \
         --module cellxgene_gateway.gateway:app \
         --workers "$WORKERS" \