diff --git a/src/commands/actors/push.ts b/src/commands/actors/push.ts
index 298c437e3..4c6daffb3 100644
--- a/src/commands/actors/push.ts
+++ b/src/commands/actors/push.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,18 @@ const DEFAULT_ACTOR_VERSION_NUMBER = '0.0';
 // that changes, we have to add it.
 const DEFAULT_BUILD_TAG = 'latest';
 
+// Default standby mode configuration when usesStandbyMode is enabled in actor.json
+const DEFAULT_STANDBY_OPTIONS = {
+	isEnabled: true,
+	disableStandbyFieldsOverride: false,
+	maxRequestsPerActorRun: 4,
+	desiredRequestsPerActorRun: 3,
+	idleTimeoutSecs: 300,
+	build: 'latest',
+	memoryMbytes: 1024,
+	shouldPassActorInput: false,
+};
+
 export class ActorsPushCommand extends ApifyCommand<typeof ActorsPushCommand> {
 	static override name = 'push' as const;
 
@@ -196,6 +208,12 @@ export class ActorsPushCommand extends ApifyCommand<typeof ActorsPushCommand> {
 						},
 					],
 				};
+
+				// Enable standby mode if configured in actor.json
+				if (actorConfig!.usesStandbyMode) {
+					newActor.actorStandby = DEFAULT_STANDBY_OPTIONS as ActorCollectionCreateOptions['actorStandby'];
+				}
+
 				actor = await apifyClient.actors().create(newActor);
 				actorId = actor.id;
 				isActorCreatedNow = true;
@@ -203,10 +221,17 @@ export class ActorsPushCommand extends ApifyCommand<typeof ActorsPushCommand> {
 			}
 		}
 
+		const actorClient = apifyClient.actor(actorId);
+
+		// Update standby mode on existing actor if configured in actor.json but not enabled on actor
+		if (!isActorCreatedNow && actorConfig!.usesStandbyMode && !actor.actorStandby?.isEnabled) {
+			await actorClient.update({ actorStandby: DEFAULT_STANDBY_OPTIONS });
+			info({ message: 'Enabled standby mode for Actor.' });
+		}
+
 		info({ message: `Deploying Actor '${actorConfig!.name}' to Apify.` });
 
 		const filesSize = await sumFilesSizeInBytes(filePathsToPush, cwd);
-		const actorClient = apifyClient.actor(actorId);
 
 		let sourceType;
 		let sourceFiles;
diff --git a/test/api/commands/push.test.ts b/test/api/commands/push.test.ts
index 5f07c5bf2..166f9ea70 100644
--- a/test/api/commands/push.test.ts
+++ b/test/api/commands/push.test.ts
@@ -349,4 +349,108 @@ describe('[api] apify push', () => {
 		},
 		TEST_TIMEOUT,
 	);
+
+	it(
+		'should enable standby mode when usesStandbyMode is true in actor.json',
+		async () => {
+			toggleCwdBetweenFullAndParentPath();
+
+			const standbyActorName = `${ACTOR_NAME}-standby`;
+
+			await mkdir(joinCwdPath(standbyActorName), { recursive: true });
+			forceNewCwd(standbyActorName);
+
+			// Create a minimal actor with usesStandbyMode enabled
+			const actorJson = {
+				actorSpecification: 1,
+				name: standbyActorName,
+				version: '0.0',
+				buildTag: 'latest',
+				usesStandbyMode: true,
+			};
+
+			await writeFile(joinPath(LOCAL_CONFIG_PATH), JSON.stringify(actorJson, null, '\t'));
+
+			await testRunCommand(ActorsPushCommand, { flags_noPrompt: true, flags_force: true });
+
+			const userInfo = await getLocalUserInfo();
+			const actorId = `${userInfo.username}/${standbyActorName}`;
+			actorsForCleanup.add(actorId);
+			const createdActorClient = testUserClient.actor(actorId);
+			const createdActor = await createdActorClient.get();
+
+			// Verify all standby options are set to default values
+			expect(createdActor?.actorStandby).to.be.eql({
+				isEnabled: true,
+				disableStandbyFieldsOverride: false,
+				maxRequestsPerActorRun: 4,
+				desiredRequestsPerActorRun: 3,
+				idleTimeoutSecs: 300,
+				build: 'latest',
+				memoryMbytes: 1024,
+				shouldPassActorInput: false,
+			});
+
+			if (createdActor) await createdActorClient.delete();
+		},
+		TEST_TIMEOUT,
+	);
+
+	it(
+		'should enable standby mode on existing actor when usesStandbyMode is true in actor.json',
+		async () => {
+			toggleCwdBetweenFullAndParentPath();
+
+			// Create an actor without standby mode first
+			const testActorWithoutStandby = {
+				...TEST_ACTOR,
+				name: `${ACTOR_NAME}-standby-update`,
+			};
+			const testActor = await testUserClient.actors().create(testActorWithoutStandby);
+			actorsForCleanup.add(testActor.id);
+			const testActorClient = testUserClient.actor(testActor.id);
+
+			// Verify standby is not enabled initially
+			const initialActor = await testActorClient.get();
+			expect(initialActor?.actorStandby?.isEnabled).to.not.be.eql(true);
+
+			await mkdir(joinCwdPath(testActorWithoutStandby.name), { recursive: true });
+			forceNewCwd(testActorWithoutStandby.name);
+
+			// Create actor.json with usesStandbyMode enabled
+			const actorJson = {
+				actorSpecification: 1,
+				name: testActorWithoutStandby.name,
+				version: '0.0',
+				buildTag: 'latest',
+				usesStandbyMode: true,
+			};
+
+			await writeFile(joinPath(LOCAL_CONFIG_PATH), JSON.stringify(actorJson, null, '\t'));
+
+			// Push to existing actor - this should update standby mode
+			await testRunCommand(ActorsPushCommand, {
+				args_actorId: testActor.id,
+				flags_noPrompt: true,
+				flags_force: true,
+			});
+
+			const updatedActor = await testActorClient.get();
+
+			// Verify all standby options are set to default values
+			expect(updatedActor?.actorStandby).to.be.eql({
+				isEnabled: true,
+				disableStandbyFieldsOverride: false,
+				maxRequestsPerActorRun: 4,
+				desiredRequestsPerActorRun: 3,
+				idleTimeoutSecs: 300,
+				build: 'latest',
+				memoryMbytes: 1024,
+				shouldPassActorInput: false,
+			});
+
+			if (updatedActor) await testActorClient.delete();
+		},
+		TEST_TIMEOUT,
+	);
 });