diff --git a/pkg/synapse.service b/pkg/synapse.service
index 1624e92..dc4aa41 100644
--- a/pkg/synapse.service
+++ b/pkg/synapse.service
@@ -41,16 +41,14 @@ Group=root
 NoNewPrivileges=false
 PrivateTmp=false
 
-# File system access - minimal restrictions for XDP/BPF
+# File system access - disabled for XDP/BPF compatibility
+# ReadWritePaths/ReadOnlyPaths create mount namespaces that fail if /sys/fs/bpf doesn't exist
 ProtectSystem=false
 ProtectHome=false
-# XDP/BPF requires access to /sys/fs/bpf and network interfaces
-ReadWritePaths=/var/log/synapse /var/run /var/lib/synapse /etc/synapse/certs /sys/fs/bpf
-ReadOnlyPaths=/sys/class/net /sys/devices /proc/sys/net
 
-# Capabilities (required for XDP/BPF)
-AmbientCapabilities=CAP_NET_ADMIN CAP_SYS_ADMIN CAP_BPF CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE
-CapabilityBoundingSet=CAP_NET_ADMIN CAP_SYS_ADMIN CAP_BPF CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE
+# Capabilities (required for XDP/BPF and iptables)
+AmbientCapabilities=CAP_NET_ADMIN CAP_NET_RAW CAP_SYS_ADMIN CAP_BPF CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE
+CapabilityBoundingSet=CAP_NET_ADMIN CAP_NET_RAW CAP_SYS_ADMIN CAP_BPF CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE
 
 # Network - must have full network access for XDP
 PrivateNetwork=false
diff --git a/src/firewall/nftables.rs b/src/firewall/nftables.rs
index 92794d3..f2473e6 100644
--- a/src/firewall/nftables.rs
+++ b/src/firewall/nftables.rs
@@ -137,8 +137,19 @@ table inet {table} {{
 
         if !output.status.success() {
             let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr);
-            log::error!("Failed to initialize nftables: {}", stderr);
-            return Err(format!("Failed to initialize nftables: {}", stderr).into());
+
+            // Check for common error patterns and provide user-friendly messages
+            if stderr.contains("Operation not supported") {
+                log::debug!("nftables kernel support not available: {}", stderr);
+                return Err("nftables kernel support not available (Operation not supported) - this is common in containers or systems without nf_tables kernel module".into());
+            } else if stderr.contains("Permission denied") {
+                return Err("nftables permission denied - ensure synapse runs as root with CAP_NET_ADMIN".into());
+            } else if stderr.contains("No such file or directory") {
+                return Err("nftables failed - nft command or required files not found".into());
+            } else {
+                log::debug!("nftables initialization failed: {}", stderr);
+                return Err(format!("nftables initialization failed: {}", stderr.lines().next().unwrap_or("unknown error")).into());
+            }
         }
 
         Ok(())
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 8bf3c9e..b4efd98 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -261,6 +261,9 @@ async fn async_main(args: Args, config: Config) -> Result<()> {
     if config.network.disable_xdp {
         log::warn!("XDP disabled by config, will use nftables fallback");
     } else {
+        // Suppress libbpf output - errors will be handled gracefully with fallback to nftables/iptables
+        libbpf_rs::set_print(None);
+
         for iface in &iface_names {
             let boxed_open: Box<MaybeUninit<libbpf_rs::OpenObject>> = Box::new(MaybeUninit::uninit());
             let open_object: &'static mut MaybeUninit<libbpf_rs::OpenObject> = Box::leak(boxed_open);