diff --git a/scripts/start_dev.sh b/scripts/start_dev.sh
index 9f3d535..6b3e66b 100755
--- a/scripts/start_dev.sh
+++ b/scripts/start_dev.sh
@@ -3,9 +3,14 @@ set -euo pipefail
 
 cd "$(dirname "$0")/.."
 source .venv/bin/activate
-ENV_FILE=".env"
-if [ ! -f "$ENV_FILE" ]; then
-  echo "missing $ENV_FILE. copy .env.example to .env first."
+if [ -f ".env.development" ]; then
+  ENV_FILE=".env.development"
+elif [ -f ".env" ]; then
+  ENV_FILE=".env"
+else
+  echo "missing .env.development or .env. copy .env.example first."
   exit 1
 fi
+
+echo "Loading environment from '$ENV_FILE'"
 exec uvicorn app.main:app --env-file "$ENV_FILE" --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8000 --reload