diff --git a/modal/_container_entrypoint.py b/modal/_container_entrypoint.py
index bba1fed06..39b2e26a0 100644
--- a/modal/_container_entrypoint.py
+++ b/modal/_container_entrypoint.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 # ruff: noqa: E402
 import os
 
+from modal._runtime import execution_context
 from modal._runtime.user_code_imports import Service, import_class_service, import_single_function_service
 
 telemetry_socket = os.environ.get("MODAL_TELEMETRY_SOCKET")
@@ -428,21 +429,22 @@ def main(container_args: api_pb2.ContainerArguments, client: Client):
                 param_args = ()
                 param_kwargs = {}
 
-            if function_def.is_class:
-                service = import_class_service(
-                    function_def,
-                    ser_cls,
-                    param_args,
-                    param_kwargs,
-                )
-            else:
-                service = import_single_function_service(
-                    function_def,
-                    ser_cls,
-                    ser_fun,
-                    param_args,
-                    param_kwargs,
-                )
+            with execution_context._import_context():
+                if function_def.is_class:
+                    service = import_class_service(
+                        function_def,
+                        ser_cls,
+                        param_args,
+                        param_kwargs,
+                    )
+                else:
+                    service = import_single_function_service(
+                        function_def,
+                        ser_cls,
+                        ser_fun,
+                        param_args,
+                        param_kwargs,
+                    )
 
             # If the cls/function decorator was applied in local scope, but the app is global, we can look it up
             if service.app is not None:
diff --git a/modal/_runtime/execution_context.py b/modal/_runtime/execution_context.py
index 95f480699..d3592ac41 100644
--- a/modal/_runtime/execution_context.py
+++ b/modal/_runtime/execution_context.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 # Copyright Modal Labs 2024
+from contextlib import contextmanager
 from contextvars import ContextVar
 from typing import Callable, Optional
 
@@ -87,3 +88,15 @@ def _reset_current_context_ids():
 
 _current_input_id: ContextVar = ContextVar("_current_input_id")
 _current_function_call_id: ContextVar = ContextVar("_current_function_call_id")
+
+_is_currently_importing = False  # we set this to True while a container is importing user code
+
+
+@contextmanager
+def _import_context():
+    global _is_currently_importing
+    _is_currently_importing = True
+    try:
+        yield
+    finally:
+        _is_currently_importing = False
diff --git a/modal/runner.py b/modal/runner.py
index 7c773d892..3b1b92ae4 100644
--- a/modal/runner.py
+++ b/modal/runner.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 from grpclib import GRPCError, Status
 from synchronicity.async_wrap import asynccontextmanager
 
+import modal._runtime.execution_context
 import modal_proto.api_pb2
 from modal_proto import api_pb2
 
@@ -19,7 +20,6 @@
 from ._object import _get_environment_name, _Object
 from ._pty import get_pty_info
 from ._resolver import Resolver
-from ._runtime.execution_context import is_local
 from ._traceback import print_server_warnings, traceback_contains_remote_call
 from ._utils.async_utils import TaskContext, gather_cancel_on_exc, synchronize_api
 from ._utils.deprecation import deprecation_error
@@ -262,12 +262,9 @@ async def _run_app(
     if environment_name is None:
         environment_name = typing.cast(str, config.get("environment"))
 
-    if not is_local():
-        raise InvalidError(
-            "Can not run an app from within a container."
-            " Are you calling app.run() directly?"
-            " Consider using the `modal run` shell command."
-        )
+    if modal._runtime.execution_context._is_currently_importing:
+        raise InvalidError("Can not run an app in global scope within a container")
+
     if app._running_app:
         raise InvalidError(
             "App is already running and can't be started again.\n"
diff --git a/test/container_test.py b/test/container_test.py
index c153b83a4..6beb20617 100644
--- a/test/container_test.py
+++ b/test/container_test.py
@@ -536,11 +536,8 @@ def test_grpc_failure(servicer, event_loop):
 def test_missing_main_conditional(servicer, capsys):
     _run_container(servicer, "test.supports.missing_main_conditional", "square")
     output = capsys.readouterr()
-    assert "Can not run an app from within a container" in output.err
-
+    assert "Can not run an app in global scope within a container" in output.err
     assert servicer.task_result.status == api_pb2.GenericResult.GENERIC_STATUS_FAILURE
-    assert "modal run" in servicer.task_result.traceback
-
     exc = deserialize(servicer.task_result.data, None)
     assert isinstance(exc, InvalidError)