diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index f7e5c903bdf..856db13da6d 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -63,7 +63,6 @@ RUN ve/bin/pip install --no-cache-dir gunicorn
 COPY --from=build-frontend /home/node/dist specifyweb/frontend/static/js
 COPY --chown=specify:specify specifyweb /opt/specify7/specifyweb
 COPY --chown=specify:specify manage.py /opt/specify7/
-COPY --chown=specify:specify docker-entrypoint.sh /opt/specify7/
 COPY --chown=specify:specify Makefile /opt/specify7/
 COPY --chown=specify:specify specifyweb.wsgi /opt/specify7/
 
@@ -124,8 +123,6 @@ ENV LC_ALL=C.UTF-8
 ENV LANG=C.UTF-8
 ENV DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE='settings'
 
-ENTRYPOINT ["/opt/specify7/docker-entrypoint.sh"]
-
 EXPOSE 8000
 
 
@@ -156,6 +153,8 @@ FROM run-common AS run
 
 RUN mv specifyweb.wsgi specifyweb_wsgi.py
 
-CMD ["ve/bin/gunicorn", "-w", "3", "-b", "0.0.0.0:8000", "-t", "300", "specifyweb_wsgi"]
+COPY --chown=specify:specify docker-entrypoint.sh /opt/specify7/
+ENTRYPOINT ["/opt/specify7/docker-entrypoint.sh"]
+CMD ["sp7start"]
 
 
diff --git a/docker-entrypoint.sh b/docker-entrypoint.sh
index c565f8b4752..7b60d5c3483 100755
--- a/docker-entrypoint.sh
+++ b/docker-entrypoint.sh
@@ -1,16 +1,84 @@
 #!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-if [ "$1" = 've/bin/gunicorn' ] || [ "$1" = 've/bin/python' ]; then
-  echo "Updating static files in /volumes/static-files/."
-  rsync -a --delete specifyweb/frontend/static/ /volumes/static-files/frontend-static
-  cd /opt/specify7
-  echo "Applying Django migrations."
-  set +e
-  # The following commands are prone to failing
-  # See https://github.com/specify/specify7/issues/789 and https://github.com/specify/docker-compositions/issues/7
-  ve/bin/python manage.py migrate notifications
-  ve/bin/python manage.py migrate workbench
-  set -e
-fi
-exec "$@"
+
+# This entry point script implements a multi-mode image as described in
+# https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/opensource/demystifying-entrypoint-cmd-docker/
+#
+# It supports the following commands:
+#
+#  sp7start -- This is the default CMD. When the container is invoked
+#    this way it checks if any Django migrations need to be
+#    performed. If so it refuses to start and issues instructions to
+#    do the migrations. Otherwise it performs a normal Specify 7 start
+#    up.
+#
+#  sp7migrate -- When the container is invoked with this command it
+#    executes any outstanding migrations.
+#
+#  sp7migrate-and-start -- This command executes any migrations and
+#    then starts Specify 7. It is less safe than doing the migrations
+#    independently but is convenient in testing scenarios.
+#
+#  sp7worker -- This command starts the container in worker mode and
+#    is intended to simplify docker-compose.yml files.
+#
+# Any other command is executed as is.
+#
+# For the sp7start and sp7worker commands, any arguments are passed through to
+# the underlying gunicorn or celery command, respectively.
+
+
+set -euf -o pipefail
+
+sp7start () {
+    echo "Updating static files in /volumes/static-files/."
+    rsync -a --delete specifyweb/frontend/static/ /volumes/static-files/frontend-static
+
+    echo "Starting Specify 7."
+    exec ve/bin/gunicorn -w 3 -b 0.0.0.0:8000 -t 300 specifyweb_wsgi "$@"
+}
+
+sp7migrate () {
+    echo "Applying Django migrations."
+    ve/bin/python manage.py migrate notifications
+    ve/bin/python manage.py migrate workbench
+}
+
+case "$1" in
+    "sp7start" )
+        shift
+
+        if (ve/bin/python manage.py showmigrations notifications workbench | grep -q '\[ \]'); then
+            printf "\n\nSpecify 7 cannot start because Django migrations need to be applied.\n\n"
+            printf "Apply the migrations by:\n"
+            printf "1. Stopping any process that could be accessing your database \"$DATABASE_NAME\".\n"
+            printf "2. Backing up the database \"$DATABASE_NAME\".\n"
+            printf "3. Applying the migrations by running \"docker-compose run --rm THIS-CONTAINER sp7migrate\".\n"
+        else
+            sp7start "$@"
+        fi
+        ;;
+
+    "sp7migrate" )
+        shift
+
+        sp7migrate
+        ;;
+
+    "sp7migrate-and-start" )
+        shift
+
+        sp7migrate
+        sp7start "$@"
+        ;;
+
+    "sp7worker" )
+        shift
+
+        echo "Starting Specify 7 Worker."
+        exec ve/bin/celery -A specifyweb worker -l INFO --concurrency=1 "$@"
+        ;;
+
+    *)
+        exec "$@"
+        ;;
+esac