diff --git a/setup.sh b/setup.sh
index 933aec1..a23d99c 100755
--- a/setup.sh
+++ b/setup.sh
@@ -108,6 +108,17 @@ echo "This may take a few minutes on first run..."
 echo ""
 
 podman build --network=host -t sneakyscan .
+
+# Initialize database if it doesn't exist or is empty
+echo ""
+echo "Initializing database..."
+podman run --rm --entrypoint python3 -w /app \
+    -v "$(pwd)/data:/app/data" \
+    -e DATABASE_URL=sqlite:////app/data/sneakyscanner.db \
+    -e INITIAL_PASSWORD="${INITIAL_PASSWORD:-}" \
+    sneakyscan init_db.py --db-url sqlite:////app/data/sneakyscanner.db
+echo "✓ Database initialized"
+
 podman-compose up -d
 
 # Wait for service to be healthy