diff --git a/backend/src/services/puppeteer-preflight.ts b/backend/src/services/puppeteer-preflight.ts
index 276c0dd4..ea26835e 100644
--- a/backend/src/services/puppeteer-preflight.ts
+++ b/backend/src/services/puppeteer-preflight.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
  * Based on test-intercept.js which successfully captures 1000+ products
  */
 
-import { PreflightResult, CrawlRotator } from './crawl-rotator';
+import { PreflightResult, CrawlRotator, getEvomiConfig, buildEvomiProxyUrl } from './crawl-rotator';
 
 // GraphQL hash for FilteredProducts query - MUST match CLAUDE.md
 const FILTERED_PRODUCTS_HASH = 'ee29c060826dc41c527e470e9ae502c9b2c169720faa0a9f5d25e1b9a530a4a0';
@@ -105,26 +105,41 @@ export async function runPuppeteerPreflight(
   let browser: any = null;
 
   try {
-    // Step 0: Get a proxy from the pool
+    // Step 0: Get a proxy - prefer Evomi API, fall back to DB pool
     let proxyUrl: string | null = null;
     let expectedProxyHost: string | null = null;
 
-    if (crawlRotator) {
+    // Try Evomi first (dynamic residential proxies)
+    const evomiConfig = getEvomiConfig();
+    if (evomiConfig.enabled) {
+      // Use AZ as default state for preflight testing
+      const evomiProxy = buildEvomiProxyUrl('AZ', 'preflight-test');
+      if (evomiProxy) {
+        result.proxyAvailable = true;
+        proxyUrl = evomiProxy.url;
+        expectedProxyHost = evomiConfig.host;
+        result.expectedProxyIp = expectedProxyHost;
+        console.log(`[PuppeteerPreflight] Using Evomi proxy: ${evomiProxy.geo}`);
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Fall back to DB pool if Evomi not available
+    if (!proxyUrl && crawlRotator) {
       const currentProxy = crawlRotator.proxy.getCurrent();
       if (currentProxy) {
         result.proxyAvailable = true;
         proxyUrl = crawlRotator.proxy.getProxyUrl(currentProxy);
         expectedProxyHost = currentProxy.host;
         result.expectedProxyIp = expectedProxyHost;
-        console.log(`[PuppeteerPreflight] Using proxy: ${currentProxy.host}:${currentProxy.port}`);
-      } else {
-        result.error = 'No proxy available from pool';
-        console.log(`[PuppeteerPreflight] FAILED - No proxy available`);
-        return result;
+        console.log(`[PuppeteerPreflight] Using DB proxy: ${currentProxy.host}:${currentProxy.port}`);
       }
-    } else {
-      console.log(`[PuppeteerPreflight] WARNING: No CrawlRotator provided - using direct connection`);
-      result.proxyAvailable = true; // No proxy needed for direct
+    }
+
+    // No proxy available from either source
+    if (!proxyUrl) {
+      result.error = 'No proxy available (Evomi not configured, DB pool empty)';
+      console.log(`[PuppeteerPreflight] FAILED - No proxy available`);
+      return result;
     }
 
     // Dynamic imports to avoid loading Puppeteer unless needed