diff --git a/backend/src/tasks/task-pool-state.ts b/backend/src/tasks/task-pool-state.ts
index 17b02a3b..de72b2d9 100644
--- a/backend/src/tasks/task-pool-state.ts
+++ b/backend/src/tasks/task-pool-state.ts
@@ -6,10 +6,12 @@
  * task-service.ts and routes/tasks.ts.
  *
  * State is in-memory and resets on server restart.
- * By default, the pool is OPEN (not paused).
+ * By default, the pool is PAUSED (closed) - admin must explicitly start it.
+ * This prevents workers from immediately grabbing tasks on deploy before
+ * the system is ready.
  */
 
-let taskPoolPaused = false;
+let taskPoolPaused = true;
 
 export function isTaskPoolPaused(): boolean {
   return taskPoolPaused;
diff --git a/k8s/scraper-worker.yaml b/k8s/scraper-worker.yaml
index ddff6f34..2e490d22 100644
--- a/k8s/scraper-worker.yaml
+++ b/k8s/scraper-worker.yaml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ metadata:
   name: scraper-worker
   namespace: dispensary-scraper
 spec:
-  replicas: 5
+  replicas: 25
   selector:
     matchLabels:
       app: scraper-worker