diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index f131ac0..4c329dd 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -53,7 +53,13 @@ EXABGP_MEM_LIMIT=6g
 # gNMI streaming telemetry (telegraf, test profile). GNMI_ADDRESSES is a
 # quoted, comma-separated host:port list — add a router here once gNMI/grpc
 # is enabled on it and the management path is reachable.
-GNMI_ADDRESSES="10.100.0.100:57400", "10.100.0.200:57400"
+# NOTE: the outer SINGLE quotes are required. Docker Compose's .env parser
+# treats an unquoted mid-line comma as a variable-name boundary and errors
+# out on the double-quoted list form; wrapping in single quotes makes it a
+# literal string. Telegraf substitutes the string body verbatim into
+# `addresses = [ ${GNMI_ADDRESSES} ]` in telegraf.conf, so the double
+# quotes and comma inside are preserved.
+GNMI_ADDRESSES='"10.100.0.100:57400", "10.100.0.200:57400"'
 GNMI_USERNAME=changeme
 GNMI_PASSWORD=changeme
 
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 857b0ec..ce48256 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -399,7 +399,9 @@ services:
       - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD:-openbmp}
       # gNMI fleet — quoted, comma-separated host:port list. Default = the two
       # ESXi CORE routers; extend via GNMI_ADDRESSES in .env for more routers.
-      - 'GNMI_ADDRESSES=${GNMI_ADDRESSES:-"10.100.0.100:57400", "10.100.0.200:57400"}'
+      # Default value must not contain an unquoted comma -- compose's parser
+      # treats it as a variable-name boundary. See .env.example note.
+      - GNMI_ADDRESSES=${GNMI_ADDRESSES:-"10.100.0.100:57400"}
       - GNMI_USERNAME=${GNMI_USERNAME:-webui}
       - GNMI_PASSWORD=${GNMI_PASSWORD:-cisco}