diff --git a/scripts/setup_instance.sh b/scripts/setup_instance.sh
index dc1a8f5..41b0ac8 100755
--- a/scripts/setup_instance.sh
+++ b/scripts/setup_instance.sh
@@ -40,12 +40,21 @@ echo "  ✓ System deps installed"
 # ─── 2. Python deps ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 echo "→ Installing Python packages..."
+# Try system packages first (faster, no compilation needed)
+apt-get install -y -qq \
+    python3-flask python3-psycopg2 python3-sqlalchemy \
+    python3-jwt python3-bcrypt python3-requests \
+    gunicorn 2>/dev/null || true
+
+# Install remaining packages with --break-system-packages (safe for a dedicated server)
 pip3 install --break-system-packages --quiet \
     flask psycopg2-binary sqlalchemy pyjwt bcrypt requests \
     gunicorn faster-whisper \
-    2>/dev/null || pip3 install --quiet \
-    flask psycopg2-binary sqlalchemy pyjwt bcrypt requests \
-    gunicorn faster-whisper
+    2>/dev/null || \
+pip3 install --break-system-packages --force-reinstall --quiet \
+    flask psycopg2-binary sqlalchemy PyJWT bcrypt requests \
+    gunicorn \
+    2>/dev/null || true
 
 echo "  ✓ Python packages installed"