diff --git a/infra/docker-compose.local.yml b/infra/docker-compose.local.yml
index a148115..cef59b0 100644
--- a/infra/docker-compose.local.yml
+++ b/infra/docker-compose.local.yml
@@ -56,6 +56,10 @@ services:
   oz-init:
     image: docker.io/openzaak/open-zaak:${OPENZAAK_TAG:-1.28.2}
     environment: &oz-env
+      # 1 uWSGI worker, not the image default of 4×4 (#147) — idle workers pressure the runner; the
+      # -init/-celery containers share this anchor and ignore it (they don't run uwsgi).
+      UWSGI_PROCESSES: "1"
+      UWSGI_THREADS: "2"
       DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE: openzaak.conf.docker
       SECRET_KEY: ${OZ_SECRET_KEY:-dev-only-not-for-production}
       DB_HOST: oz-db
@@ -138,6 +142,9 @@ services:
     # bind-mounted here (this twin is the local/no-make path). See ADR-0007.
     image: docker.io/openzaak/open-notificaties:${OPENNOTIFICATIES_TAG:-1.16.1}
     environment: &nrc-env
+      # 1 uWSGI worker, not the image default of 4×4 (#147) — see the oz-env note above.
+      UWSGI_PROCESSES: "1"
+      UWSGI_THREADS: "2"
       DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE: nrc.conf.docker
       SECRET_KEY: ${NRC_SECRET_KEY:-dev-only-not-for-production}
       DB_HOST: nrc-db
diff --git a/infra/docker-compose.yml b/infra/docker-compose.yml
index c7a1fde..ee5d0aa 100644
--- a/infra/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/infra/docker-compose.yml
@@ -51,6 +51,12 @@ services:
   oz-init:
     image: docker.io/openzaak/open-zaak:${OPENZAAK_TAG:-1.28.2}
     environment: &oz-env
+      # 1 uWSGI worker, not the image default of 4×4 (#147, same lever as #145): OpenZaak serves
+      # single-request smoke checks here and is not load-tested, so 4 idle Django workers just pin
+      # ~800 MB and pressure the shared runner. The -init (setup_configuration) and -celery containers
+      # share this anchor and ignore it — they don't run uwsgi.
+      UWSGI_PROCESSES: "1"
+      UWSGI_THREADS: "2"
       DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE: openzaak.conf.docker
       SECRET_KEY: ${OZ_SECRET_KEY:-dev-only-not-for-production}
       DB_HOST: oz-db
@@ -135,6 +141,9 @@ services:
     # needs no baked config.
     image: docker.io/openzaak/open-notificaties:${OPENNOTIFICATIES_TAG:-1.16.1}
     environment: &nrc-env
+      # 1 uWSGI worker, not the image default of 4×4 (#147) — see the oz-env note above.
+      UWSGI_PROCESSES: "1"
+      UWSGI_THREADS: "2"
       DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE: nrc.conf.docker
       SECRET_KEY: ${NRC_SECRET_KEY:-dev-only-not-for-production}
       DB_HOST: nrc-db