diff --git a/packages/backend/src/docker/docker.service.spec.ts b/packages/backend/src/docker/docker.service.spec.ts
index 531daee..7b5270a 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/docker/docker.service.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/docker/docker.service.spec.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { DockerAPIHttpError, DockerSocket } from '@hallmaster/docker.js';
-import type { Cluster } from '@hallmaster/prisma-client';
+import type { Bot, Cluster } from '@hallmaster/prisma-client';
 import { ConfigService } from '@nestjs/config';
 import type { TestingModule } from '@nestjs/testing';
 import { Test } from '@nestjs/testing';
@@ -68,4 +68,45 @@ describe('DockerService', () => {
       });
     });
   });
+
+  describe('start() with name collision', () => {
+    const bot: Bot = {
+      id: 'bot-1',
+      token: 'discord-token',
+      totalShards: 1,
+    } as unknown as Bot;
+
+    const cluster: Cluster = {
+      botId: 'bot-1',
+      id: 0,
+      containerId: null,
+      shardIds: [0],
+      status: 'STOPPED',
+    };
+
+    it('cleans up the stale container and retries when create returns 409', async () => {
+      configService.getOrThrow.mockReturnValue('ENV_NAME');
+      prismaService.dockerImage.findUnique.mockResolvedValue({
+        botId: 'bot-1',
+        serverName: 'docker.io',
+        image: 'foo/bar',
+        tag: 'latest',
+        username: null,
+        password: null,
+      });
+
+      // Image pull succeeds
+      // First create attempt fails with 409. Cleanup succeeds.
+      // Second create attempt succeeds. Then start succeeds.
+      dockerSocket.apiCall
+        .mockResolvedValueOnce(undefined) // pull
+        .mockRejectedValueOnce(new DockerAPIHttpError(409, 'name already in use')) // create #1
+        .mockResolvedValueOnce(undefined) // stop the stale one
+        .mockResolvedValueOnce(undefined) // remove the stale one
+        .mockResolvedValueOnce({ Id: 'new-container-id' } as never) // create #2
+        .mockResolvedValueOnce(undefined); // start
+
+      await expect(service.start(bot, cluster)).resolves.toBe('new-container-id');
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/docker/docker.service.ts b/packages/backend/src/docker/docker.service.ts
index c963a03..192407f 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/docker/docker.service.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/docker/docker.service.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,13 @@
 import type { Readable } from 'node:stream';
 
-import { DockerContainersAPI, DockerImagesAPI, DockerSocket, DockerAPIHttpError } from '@hallmaster/docker.js';
+import {
+  DockerContainersAPI,
+  DockerImagesAPI,
+  DockerSocket,
+  DockerAPIHttpError,
+  type DockerContainerCreated,
+  type DockerContainerCreationBody,
+} from '@hallmaster/docker.js';
 import { Bot, Cluster, DockerImage } from '@hallmaster/prisma-client';
 import { BadRequestException, Injectable, InternalServerErrorException, NotFoundException } from '@nestjs/common';
 import { ConfigService } from '@nestjs/config';
@@ -16,8 +23,12 @@ export class DockerService {
     private readonly dockerSocket: DockerSocket,
   ) {}
 
+  private isDockerApiError(error: unknown, status: number): boolean {
+    return error instanceof DockerAPIHttpError && error.status === status;
+  }
+
   private isContainerNotFound(error: unknown): boolean {
-    return error instanceof DockerAPIHttpError && error.status === 404;
+    return this.isDockerApiError(error, 404);
   }
 
   private async clearContainerId(cluster: Cluster): Promise<void> {
@@ -27,6 +38,37 @@ export class DockerService {
     });
   }
 
+  private async cleanupStaleContainerByName(name: string): Promise<void> {
+    const api = new DockerContainersAPI(this.dockerSocket);
+
+    try {
+      await api.stop(name);
+    } catch {
+      // proceed to remove even if stop fails
+    }
+
+    try {
+      await api.remove(name);
+    } catch (e) {
+      // Any 404 is treated as success: the container is gone, which is the goal.
+      if (!this.isContainerNotFound(e)) throw e;
+    }
+  }
+
+  private async createContainerOrCleanup(
+    api: DockerContainersAPI,
+    body: Partial<DockerContainerCreationBody>,
+    name: string,
+  ): Promise<DockerContainerCreated> {
+    try {
+      return await api.create(body, name);
+    } catch (e) {
+      if (!this.isDockerApiError(e, 409)) throw e;
+      await this.cleanupStaleContainerByName(name);
+      return await api.create(body, name);
+    }
+  }
+
   async verifyImage(dockerImage: {
     serverName: string;
     image: string;
@@ -140,7 +182,8 @@ export class DockerService {
     if (null === containerId) {
       await this.pullDockerImage(cluster, dockerImage);
       try {
-        const container = await dockerContainersAPI.create(
+        const container = await this.createContainerOrCleanup(
+          dockerContainersAPI,
           {
             Env: [
               `${discordBotTokenEnvName}=${bot.token}`,