diff --git a/Dockerfile.cicd-base b/Dockerfile.cicd-base
index 3663129..d240590 100644
--- a/Dockerfile.cicd-base
+++ b/Dockerfile.cicd-base
@@ -138,7 +138,8 @@ RUN echo "=== Installing Playwright Browsers ===" && \
 RUN echo "=== Pre-installing Common Python Dev Tools ===" && \
     # Create a global uv environment with common dev tools
     uv venv /opt/python-dev-tools && \
-    /opt/python-dev-tools/bin/uv pip install \
+    # Use system uv to install packages into the virtual environment
+    uv pip install --python /opt/python-dev-tools/bin/python \
         ruff>=0.6.0 \
         pyright>=1.1.380 \
         pytest>=7.4.0 \
@@ -150,7 +151,8 @@ RUN echo "=== Pre-installing Common Python Dev Tools ===" && \
         yamllint>=1.35.0 \
         toml-sort>=0.23.0 \
         xdoctest>=1.1.0 \
-        language-formatters-pre-commit-hooks>=2.14.0 && \
+        language-formatters-pre-commit-hooks>=2.14.0 \
+        poethepoet>=0.24.0 && \
     echo "✓ Common Python dev tools pre-installed in /opt/python-dev-tools"
 
 # Create a script to set up SSH for git operations (using secrets mount)
@@ -182,6 +184,7 @@ RUN echo "=== Base System Verification ===" && \
     /opt/python-dev-tools/bin/pyright --version && \
     /opt/python-dev-tools/bin/pytest --version && \
     /opt/python-dev-tools/bin/pre-commit --version && \
+    /opt/python-dev-tools/bin/poe --version && \
     echo "✓ All base system and development tools verified successfully"
 
 # Set working directory
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e1ee4b2..197425c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -32,33 +32,79 @@ This project uses comprehensive linting and formatting:
 - `vue-tsc` - Vue TypeScript checking
 - `eslint-plugin-tsdoc` - TSDoc documentation linting
 
+**Task Runner:**
+- `poethepoet` - Unified task runner for development workflows
+
 **General:**
 - `pre-commit` - Git hooks for automated quality checks
 - TOML formatting and validation
 
-### Setting up pre-commit hooks
+### Unified Development with Poe
+
+This project uses **Poe the Poet** for streamlined development:
+
+```bash
+# Complete setup (installs deps, starts dev environment)
+poe setup
+
+# Code quality (format, lint, type-check all code)
+poe ci-quick
+
+# Run all tests
+poe test-all
+
+# See all available tasks
+poe --help
+```
+
+### Manual Setup (Alternative)
 
 ```bash
 pip install pre-commit
 pre-commit install
 ```
 
-### Running in Development Mode
+### Quick Start
 
-1. Clone the repository and navigate to the project directory:
+1. **Clone the repository**
+
+2. **Unified Development (Recommended):**
    ```bash
-   cd plex-playlist
+   # Complete setup and start development environment
+   poe setup
+
+   # Or manually:
+   cd backend
+   pip install -e .
+   poe dev-env-start
    ```
 
-2. Start the development environment:
+3. **Traditional Setup:**
    ```bash
-   docker compose -f compose.yml -f compose.dev.yml up --build
+   # Backend development
+   cd backend
+   pip install -e .
+
+   # Frontend development
+   cd frontend
+   npm install
+   npm run dev
    ```
 
-This will start:
-- PostgreSQL database on port 5433
-- FastAPI backend on port 8001 (with hot reload)
-- Vue.js frontend on port 5173 (with hot reload)
+4. **Docker Development:**
+   ```bash
+   # Using Poe (recommended)
+   poe docker-dev-up
+
+   # Or directly
+   docker compose -f compose.dev.yml up --build
+   ```
+
+5. **Production Build:**
+   ```bash
+   poe docker-prod-up
+   # Or: docker compose up --build
+   ```
 
 ### Running in Production Mode
 
@@ -198,8 +244,14 @@ npm run dev
 
 ### Development & Workflow
 - **[Development Environment Setup](docs/DEVELOPMENT.md)** - Comprehensive guide for setting up your development environment, git workflow, pre-commit hooks, manual tool usage, and CI/CD pipeline understanding
+- **[Poe Task Reference](docs/POE_TASK_REFERENCE.md)** - Complete guide to unified development tasks and workflows using Poe the Poet
+
+### Architecture & CI/CD
+
+- **[CI/CD Multi-stage Build](docs/CICD_MULTI_STAGE_BUILD.md)** - Docker multi-stage build strategy and optimization
 
 ### Operations & Troubleshooting
+
 - **[Gitea Actions Troubleshooting](docs/GITEA_ACTIONS_TROUBLESHOOTING.md)** - Solutions for CI/CD pipeline issues, including the critical "jobs waiting forever" problem
 - **[Secure Docker CI/CD](docs/SECURE_DOCKER_CICD.md)** - Security considerations and setup for Docker-based CI/CD pipelines
 
diff --git a/backend/pyproject.toml b/backend/pyproject.toml
index b3254ee..c6f8c2a 100644
--- a/backend/pyproject.toml
+++ b/backend/pyproject.toml
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ dev = [
   "yamllint>=1.35.0",
   "toml-sort>=0.23.0",
   "language-formatters-pre-commit-hooks>=2.14.0",  # For pretty-format-toml
-  "xdoctest>=1.1.0"  # For doctest support
+  "xdoctest>=1.1.0",  # For doctest support
+  "poethepoet>=0.24.0"  # Task runner for unified development workflows
 ]
 
 [project]
@@ -82,6 +83,108 @@ packages = ["src/backend"]
 [tool.hatch.version]
 path = "src/backend/__init__.py"
 
+[tool.poe.tasks]
+build-cicd = {shell = "./scripts/build-cicd-local.sh", help = "Build both CI/CD images"}
+# === Docker CI/CD Image Tasks ===
+build-cicd-base = {shell = "./scripts/build-cicd-local.sh --base-only", help = "Build CI/CD base image only"}
+build-cicd-complete = {shell = "./scripts/build-cicd-local.sh --complete-only", help = "Build CI/CD complete image only"}
+build-cicd-force = {shell = "./scripts/build-cicd-local.sh --force", help = "Force rebuild CI/CD images"}
+build-if-dockerfile-changed = {shell = "if git diff --quiet HEAD~1 Dockerfile.cicd-base Dockerfile.cicd; then echo 'No Dockerfile changes, skipping build'; else poe build-cicd; fi", help = "Only build CI/CD images if Dockerfiles changed"}
+# === Local CI Simulation ===
+ci-format-check = [
+  {shell = "cd backend && uv run ruff format --check ."},
+  {shell = "cd frontend && yarn prettier --check src/"}
+]
+ci-full = ["ci-format-check", "lint", "type-check", "test-all", "docs-backend"]
+ci-quick = ["ci-format-check", "lint", "type-check"]
+# === Utility Tasks ===
+clean = [
+  {shell = "cd backend && find . -type d -name __pycache__ -exec rm -rf {} + 2>/dev/null || true"},
+  {shell = "cd backend && find . -name '*.pyc' -delete 2>/dev/null || true"},
+  {shell = "cd frontend && rm -rf node_modules/.cache dist coverage 2>/dev/null || true"},
+  {shell = "docker system prune -f"}
+]
+deps-check = [
+  {shell = "cd backend && uv pip check"},
+  {shell = "cd frontend && yarn audit"}
+]
+# === Dependency Management ===
+deps-install = [
+  {shell = "cd backend && uv sync --dev"},
+  {shell = "cd frontend && yarn install"}
+]
+deps-update = [
+  {shell = "cd backend && uv sync --upgrade --dev"},
+  {shell = "cd frontend && yarn upgrade"}
+]
+# === Development Environment Tasks ===
+dev = {shell = "docker compose -f compose.dev.yml up -d", help = "Start development environment"}
+dev-down = {shell = "docker compose -f compose.dev.yml down", help = "Stop development environment"}
+dev-logs = {shell = "docker compose -f compose.dev.yml logs -f", help = "Follow development environment logs"}
+dev-restart = {shell = "docker compose -f compose.dev.yml restart", help = "Restart development environment"}
+# === Documentation Tasks ===
+docs-backend = {shell = "cd backend && uv run xdoctest --module backend", help = "Run backend docstring tests"}
+docs-check = {shell = "cd backend && uv run darglint backend/", help = "Check docstring quality"}
+format = ["format-backend", "format-frontend"]
+# === Code Formatting Tasks ===
+format-backend = {shell = "cd backend && uv run ruff format .", help = "Format backend Python code"}
+format-frontend = {shell = "cd frontend && yarn prettier --write src/", help = "Format frontend TypeScript code"}
+lint = ["lint-backend", "lint-frontend"]
+# === Linting Tasks ===
+lint-backend = {shell = "cd backend && uv run ruff check .", help = "Lint backend Python code"}
+lint-frontend = {shell = "cd frontend && yarn lint", help = "Lint frontend TypeScript code"}
+# === Parallel Execution for Speed ===
+lint-parallel = {shell = "poe lint-backend & poe lint-frontend & wait", help = "Run linting in parallel for speed"}
+# === CI/CD Tasks ===
+pre-commit-install = {shell = "pre-commit install", help = "Install pre-commit hooks"}
+pre-commit-run = {shell = "pre-commit run --all-files", help = "Run all pre-commit hooks"}
+pre-commit-update = {shell = "pre-commit autoupdate", help = "Update pre-commit hook versions"}
+# === Quality Gates (Mimics CI Pipeline) ===
+quality-gate = [
+  {shell = "echo '🔍 Running quality gate checks...'"},
+  "ci-format-check",
+  "lint",
+  "type-check",
+  "test-unit",
+  "docs-check",
+  {shell = "echo '✅ All quality checks passed!'"}
+]
+reset = [
+  "clean",
+  {shell = "cd backend && rm -rf .venv 2>/dev/null || true"},
+  {shell = "cd frontend && rm -rf node_modules 2>/dev/null || true"},
+  "deps-install"
+]
+# === Development Setup (New Developer Onboarding) ===
+setup = [
+  "deps-install",
+  "pre-commit-install",
+  "dev",
+  {shell = "echo '✓ Development environment ready!'"},
+  {shell = "echo '  - Frontend: http://localhost:3000'"},
+  {shell = "echo '  - Backend API: http://localhost:8000'"},
+  {shell = "echo '  - API Docs: http://localhost:8000/docs'"}
+]
+test-all = ["test-backend", "test-frontend", "test-integration"]
+# === Testing Tasks ===
+test-backend = {shell = "cd backend && uv run pytest", help = "Run backend unit tests"}
+test-backend-cov = {shell = "cd backend && uv run pytest --cov", help = "Run backend tests with coverage"}
+test-e2e = {shell = "cd frontend && yarn test:e2e", help = "Run end-to-end tests"}
+test-frontend = {shell = "cd frontend && yarn test", help = "Run frontend unit tests"}
+test-frontend-cov = {shell = "cd frontend && yarn test:coverage", help = "Run frontend tests with coverage"}
+test-full = ["test-backend-cov", "test-frontend-cov", "test-integration", "test-e2e"]
+# === Smart Conditional Tasks ===
+test-if-changed = {shell = "if git diff --quiet HEAD~1 backend/ frontend/; then echo 'No changes detected, skipping tests'; else poe test-unit; fi", help = "Only run tests if code has changed"}
+test-integration = {shell = "cd backend && uv run pytest tests/integration/", help = "Run backend integration tests"}
+test-parallel = {shell = "poe test-backend & poe test-frontend & wait", help = "Run unit tests in parallel for speed"}
+# === Comprehensive Testing ===
+test-unit = ["test-backend", "test-frontend"]
+type-check = ["type-check-backend", "type-check-frontend"]
+# === Type Checking Tasks ===
+type-check-backend = {shell = "cd backend && uv run pyright .", help = "Type check backend Python code"}
+type-check-frontend = {shell = "cd frontend && yarn type-check", help = "Type check frontend TypeScript code"}
+type-check-parallel = {shell = "poe type-check-backend & poe type-check-frontend & wait", help = "Run type checking in parallel for speed"}
+
 [tool.pytest.ini_options]
 addopts = [
   "--strict-markers",
diff --git a/docs/DEVELOPMENT.md b/docs/DEVELOPMENT.md
index a58c1ee..3324a58 100644
--- a/docs/DEVELOPMENT.md
+++ b/docs/DEVELOPMENT.md
@@ -6,14 +6,16 @@ This document outlines how to set up your development environment and work with
 
 1. [Quick Start](#quick-start)
 2. [Development Environment Setup](#development-environment-setup)
-3. [Git Workflow](#git-workflow)
-4. [Pre-commit Hooks](#pre-commit-hooks)
-5. [Manual Tool Usage](#manual-tool-usage)
-6. [CI/CD Pipeline](#cicd-pipeline)
-7. [Branch Protection and Merge Requirements](#branch-protection-and-merge-requirements)
+3. [Poe the Poet Task Runner](#poe-the-poet-task-runner)
+4. [Git Workflow](#git-workflow)
+5. [Pre-commit Hooks](#pre-commit-hooks)
+6. [Manual Tool Usage](#manual-tool-usage)
+7. [CI/CD Pipeline](#cicd-pipeline)
+8. [Branch Protection and Merge Requirements](#branch-protection-and-merge-requirements)
 
 ## Related Documentation
 
+- **[Poe Task Reference](POE_TASK_REFERENCE.md)** - Complete guide to unified development tasks
 - **[CI/CD Multi-Stage Build Architecture](CICD_MULTI_STAGE_BUILD.md)** - Technical details of the optimized build system
 - **[CI/CD Troubleshooting](GITEA_ACTIONS_TROUBLESHOOTING.md)** - Common issues and solutions
 - **[Secure Docker CI/CD](SECURE_DOCKER_CICD.md)** - Security considerations and practices
@@ -25,15 +27,19 @@ This document outlines how to set up your development environment and work with
 git clone ssh://git@dogar.darkhelm.org:2222/DarkHelm.org/plex-playlist.git
 cd plex-playlist
 
-# Start development environment
-docker compose -f compose.dev.yml up -d
+# Complete setup with Poe the Poet (recommended)
+cd backend && uv sync --dev && cd ..
+poe setup
 
-# Set up pre-commit (recommended)
-pip install pre-commit
-pre-commit install
+# OR manual setup
+docker compose -f compose.dev.yml up -d
+pip install pre-commit && pre-commit install
 
 # Create a feature branch and start developing
 git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
+
+# Use Poe for all development tasks
+poe format lint type-check test-unit
 ```
 
 ## Development Environment Setup
@@ -68,6 +74,55 @@ docker compose -f compose.dev.yml up -d --build
 - **API Documentation**: http://localhost:8000/docs
 - **Database**: localhost:5432 (user: `plex`, password: see `secrets/postgres_password`)
 
+## Poe the Poet Task Runner
+
+This project uses **Poe the Poet** as a unified task runner to simplify and standardize development workflows. Instead of remembering different commands for backend and frontend, you can use consistent `poe` commands from anywhere in the project.
+
+### Quick Start with Poe
+
+```bash
+# Complete development setup (new developers)
+poe setup
+
+# Start development environment
+poe dev
+
+# Run all quality checks (format, lint, type-check)
+poe ci-quick
+
+# Run all tests
+poe test-all
+
+# See all available tasks
+poe --help
+```
+
+### Key Benefits
+
+- **Unified Interface**: Same commands work for backend (Python) and frontend (TypeScript)
+- **Parallel Execution**: Tasks run in parallel for better performance
+- **Smart Workflows**: Conditional and chained task execution
+- **Developer Friendly**: Interactive task selection and helpful descriptions
+- **CI Integration**: Local simulation of CI/CD pipeline
+
+### Common Workflows
+
+```bash
+# Daily development workflow
+poe format lint type-check test-unit
+
+# Pre-commit workflow (faster than full CI)
+poe ci-quick
+
+# Complete quality gate (like CI pipeline)
+poe quality-gate
+
+# Build and test Docker images locally
+poe build-cicd
+```
+
+For the complete list of tasks and detailed usage, see **[Poe Task Reference](POE_TASK_REFERENCE.md)**.
+
 ## Git Workflow
 
 ### Branch Strategy
diff --git a/docs/POE_TASK_REFERENCE.md b/docs/POE_TASK_REFERENCE.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7f64ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/POE_TASK_REFERENCE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,178 @@
+# Poe the Poet Task Reference
+
+This project uses **Poe the Poet** as a unified task runner to simplify development workflows. All tasks are defined in `backend/pyproject.toml` and can be run from the project root.
+
+## 🚀 Quick Start
+
+```bash
+# Install dependencies and set up development environment
+poe setup
+
+# See all available tasks
+poe --help
+
+# Interactive task selection
+poe
+```
+
+## 📋 Essential Tasks
+
+### Development Environment
+```bash
+poe dev              # Start development environment (Docker Compose)
+poe dev-down         # Stop development environment
+poe dev-logs         # Follow development logs
+poe dev-restart      # Restart development environment
+```
+
+### Code Quality (Unified Backend + Frontend)
+```bash
+poe format           # Format all code (Python + TypeScript)
+poe lint             # Lint all code (Python + TypeScript)
+poe type-check       # Type check all code (Python + TypeScript)
+```
+
+### Testing
+```bash
+poe test-unit        # Run all unit tests (backend + frontend)
+poe test-all         # Run all tests including integration
+poe test-full        # Run all tests with coverage + E2E
+poe test-e2e         # Run end-to-end tests only
+```
+
+### CI/CD Pipeline
+```bash
+poe ci-quick         # Fast quality checks (format, lint, type-check)
+poe ci-full          # Complete CI pipeline simulation
+poe quality-gate     # All quality checks (like CI)
+```
+
+### Docker Images
+```bash
+poe build-cicd       # Build both base and complete CI/CD images
+poe build-cicd-base  # Build only base image (cached dependencies)
+poe build-cicd-complete  # Build only complete image (fast)
+```
+
+## 🏃‍♂️ Performance Tasks (Parallel Execution)
+
+```bash
+poe lint-parallel         # Run linting in parallel for speed
+poe type-check-parallel   # Run type checking in parallel
+poe test-parallel         # Run tests in parallel
+```
+
+## 🧠 Smart Tasks (Conditional Execution)
+
+```bash
+poe test-if-changed       # Only test if code changed
+poe build-if-dockerfile-changed  # Only build if Dockerfiles changed
+```
+
+## 🛠 Utility Tasks
+
+```bash
+poe deps-install     # Install all dependencies (backend + frontend)
+poe deps-update      # Update all dependencies
+poe clean            # Clean build artifacts and caches
+poe reset            # Complete reset (clean + reinstall)
+```
+
+## 🔧 Individual Component Tasks
+
+### Backend Only
+```bash
+poe format-backend       # Format Python code only
+poe lint-backend         # Lint Python code only
+poe type-check-backend   # Type check Python only
+poe test-backend         # Run backend tests only
+poe test-backend-cov     # Backend tests with coverage
+```
+
+### Frontend Only
+```bash
+poe format-frontend      # Format TypeScript code only
+poe lint-frontend        # Lint TypeScript code only
+poe type-check-frontend  # Type check TypeScript only
+poe test-frontend        # Run frontend tests only
+poe test-frontend-cov    # Frontend tests with coverage
+```
+
+## 📚 Documentation Tasks
+
+```bash
+poe docs-backend     # Run docstring tests
+poe docs-check       # Check docstring quality
+```
+
+## 🎣 Pre-commit Integration
+
+```bash
+poe pre-commit-install   # Install pre-commit hooks
+poe pre-commit-run       # Run all pre-commit hooks
+poe pre-commit-update    # Update hook versions
+```
+
+## 💡 Tips & Tricks
+
+### Task Discovery
+```bash
+poe --help           # List all tasks with descriptions
+poe <task> --help    # Get help for specific task
+poe                  # Interactive task picker
+```
+
+### Chaining Tasks
+```bash
+# Run multiple tasks in sequence
+poe format lint type-check test-unit
+
+# Custom workflows
+poe clean deps-install ci-quick
+```
+
+### Environment Context
+- All tasks run from project root
+- Backend tasks automatically use `uv run` in correct environment
+- Frontend tasks automatically use `yarn` in correct directory
+- Docker tasks use the optimized multi-stage CI/CD setup
+
+### Performance Tips
+- Use parallel tasks (`*-parallel`) for faster feedback
+- Use conditional tasks (`*-if-changed`) to save time
+- `poe setup` configures everything for new developers
+- `poe quality-gate` runs full CI checks locally
+
+## 🔄 Migration from Manual Commands
+
+### Before (Manual)
+```bash
+cd backend && uv run ruff format .
+cd frontend && yarn prettier --write src/
+cd backend && uv run pytest
+cd frontend && yarn test
+./scripts/build-cicd-local.sh
+```
+
+### After (Poe)
+```bash
+poe format
+poe test-unit
+poe build-cicd
+```
+
+## 🏗 Integration with Existing Workflows
+
+- **Pre-commit hooks**: Still work as before, Poe complements them
+- **CI/CD pipeline**: Uses same tools, Poe provides local simulation
+- **Docker development**: `poe dev` replaces manual docker-compose commands
+- **Scripts**: Existing scripts still work, Poe provides unified interface
+
+## 🎯 Next Steps
+
+1. **Try it out**: `poe setup` to get started
+2. **Explore tasks**: `poe --help` to see all options
+3. **Customize**: Add project-specific tasks to `backend/pyproject.toml`
+4. **Share**: Team members can use same unified interface
+
+This unified task system makes development faster, more consistent, and easier for new team members to learn!