diff --git a/backend/Dockerfile b/backend/Dockerfile
index 0159fdb..4a73b6e 100644
--- a/backend/Dockerfile
+++ b/backend/Dockerfile
@@ -36,5 +36,8 @@ RUN mkdir -p chroma/models && \
       https://chroma-onnx-models.s3.amazonaws.com/all-MiniLM-L6-v2/onnx.tar.gz && \
     tar -xzf chroma/models/onnx.tar.gz -C chroma/models/
 
+# Pre-build ChromaDB icons index so API starts instantly (not rebuilt each run)
+RUN python -c "from services.icon_finder_service import ICON_FINDER_SERVICE; print('Icons index ready')"
+
 EXPOSE 8000
 CMD ["uvicorn", "api.main:app", "--host", "0.0.0.0", "--port", "8000"]