diff --git a/litellm/proxy/proxy_cli.py b/litellm/proxy/proxy_cli.py
index 921d86c35c1..5f6ccfd9ba3 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/proxy_cli.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/proxy_cli.py
@@ -853,7 +853,14 @@ def run_server(  # noqa: PLR0915
                 ):
                     check_prisma_schema_diff(db_url=None)
                 else:
-                    PrismaManager.setup_database(use_migrate=not use_prisma_db_push)
+                    if not PrismaManager.setup_database(use_migrate=not use_prisma_db_push):
+                        import sys
+
+                        print(  # noqa
+                            "\033[1;31mLiteLLM Proxy: Database setup failed after multiple retries. "
+                            "The proxy cannot start safely. Please check your database connection and migration status.\033[0m"
+                        )
+                        sys.exit(1)
             else:
                 print(  # noqa
                     f"Unable to connect to DB. DATABASE_URL found in environment, but prisma package not found."  # noqa