diff --git a/lib/coolify.ts b/lib/coolify.ts
index c37b7c7..936bb65 100644
--- a/lib/coolify.ts
+++ b/lib/coolify.ts
@@ -527,7 +527,8 @@ export async function createDockerComposeApp(
     destination_uuid: opts.destinationUuid ?? COOLIFY_DEFAULT_DESTINATION_UUID,
     name: opts.name,
     description: opts.description,
-    docker_compose_raw: opts.composeRaw,
+    // Coolify requires docker_compose_raw to be base64-encoded
+    docker_compose_raw: Buffer.from(opts.composeRaw, 'utf8').toString('base64'),
     instant_deploy: opts.instantDeploy ?? false,
   });
   const created = await coolifyFetch('/applications/dockercompose', {