diff --git a/backend/Dockerfile b/backend/Dockerfile
index 401eb536a3..f694654f5e 100644
--- a/backend/Dockerfile
+++ b/backend/Dockerfile
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+# ==============================================================================
+# Frontend: build
+# ==============================================================================
 FROM oven/bun:1 AS frontend-build
 
 WORKDIR /app
@@ -15,15 +18,18 @@ ARG VITE_API_URL=
 
 RUN bun run build
 
+# ==============================================================================
+# Dependency: pull in the standalone uv binary
+# ==============================================================================
+FROM ghcr.io/astral-sh/uv:0.12.2 AS uv-binary
 
-FROM python:3.14
+# ==============================================================================
+# Runtime: backend build + app run
+# ==============================================================================
+FROM python:3.14 AS runtime
 
 ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1
 
-# Install uv
-# Ref: https://docs.astral.sh/uv/guides/integration/docker/#installing-uv
-COPY --from=ghcr.io/astral-sh/uv:0.9.26 /uv /uvx /bin/
-
 # Compile bytecode
 # Ref: https://docs.astral.sh/uv/guides/integration/docker/#compiling-bytecode
 ENV UV_COMPILE_BYTECODE=1
@@ -38,6 +44,9 @@ WORKDIR /app/
 # Ref: https://docs.astral.sh/uv/guides/integration/docker/#using-the-environment
 ENV PATH="/app/.venv/bin:$PATH"
 
+# provision package manager
+COPY --from=uv-binary /uv /usr/local/bin/uv
+
 # Install dependencies
 # Ref: https://docs.astral.sh/uv/guides/integration/docker/#intermediate-layers
 RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/uv \