diff --git a/deploy.sh b/deploy.sh
index 1e5a71b..a7d260c 100755
--- a/deploy.sh
+++ b/deploy.sh
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ if ! $FRONTEND_ONLY; then
         echo "  ✓ DB migrations applied"
 
         # Restart backend via systemd when available (preferred). Fallback to nohup only if the unit is missing.
-        if systemctl list-unit-files 2>/dev/null | grep -q '^pounce-backend\\.service'; then
+        if [ -f "/etc/systemd/system/pounce-backend.service" ]; then
             echo "  Restarting backend via systemd..."
             echo "user" | sudo -S systemctl restart pounce-backend
             sleep 2
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ if ! $BACKEND_ONLY; then
             echo "  ✓ Public files copied to standalone"
 
             # Restart frontend via systemd when available (preferred). Fallback to nohup only if the unit is missing.
-            if systemctl list-unit-files 2>/dev/null | grep -q '^pounce-frontend\\.service'; then
+            if [ -f "/etc/systemd/system/pounce-frontend.service" ]; then
                 echo "  Restarting frontend via systemd..."
                 echo "user" | sudo -S systemctl restart pounce-frontend
                 sleep 2