diff --git a/apps/api/Dockerfile b/apps/api/Dockerfile
index f6ca0cc..04fc011 100644
--- a/apps/api/Dockerfile
+++ b/apps/api/Dockerfile
@@ -21,7 +21,10 @@ FROM installer AS builder
 COPY --from=pruner /app/out/full/ .
 COPY tsconfig.base.json ./
 RUN pnpm exec prisma generate --schema=apps/api/prisma/schema.prisma
-RUN pnpm turbo build --filter=@tower/api
+# Build internal workspace packages that api depends on first
+RUN pnpm turbo build --filter=@tower/config --filter=@tower/logger --filter=@tower/search --filter=@tower/types
+# Build the api itself using nest CLI directly from the package directory
+RUN cd apps/api && pnpm exec nest build
 
 # ─── Production runner ───
 FROM node:22-alpine AS runner