diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index a5bd13d..df83900 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@ COMMUNITY_NAME="My Community"
 # Deployment mode: "single" for one community, "global" for aggregator
 COMMUNITY_MODE="single"
 
+# Hosting mode: "selfhosted" (full admin control) or "saas" (platform fields immutable)
+HOSTING_MODE="selfhosted"
+
 # ==============================================================================
 # Database (PostgreSQL 16 + pgvector)
 # ==============================================================================
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 1c915b3..5ba6b8a 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ services:
       COMMUNITY_DID: ${COMMUNITY_DID}
       COMMUNITY_NAME: ${COMMUNITY_NAME}
       COMMUNITY_MODE: ${COMMUNITY_MODE:-single}
+      HOSTING_MODE: ${HOSTING_MODE:-selfhosted}
       CORS_ORIGINS: https://${COMMUNITY_DOMAIN}
       PUBLIC_URL: https://${COMMUNITY_DOMAIN}
       OAUTH_CLIENT_ID: ${OAUTH_CLIENT_ID}
diff --git a/docs/configuration.md b/docs/configuration.md
index af2b476..b75c1d5 100644
--- a/docs/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/configuration.md
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ All Barazo environment variables with descriptions, defaults, and examples.
 | `COMMUNITY_DOMAIN` | Yes | -- | Domain name (e.g., `forum.example.com`). Used by Caddy for SSL. |
 | `COMMUNITY_DID` | No | -- | AT Protocol DID. Created automatically during first setup. |
 | `COMMUNITY_MODE` | No | `single` | `single` for one community, `global` for aggregator mode |
+| `HOSTING_MODE` | No | `selfhosted` | `selfhosted`, `saas` |
 
 ## Database (PostgreSQL)