diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index de9a2a5d0f..db0548f233 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -2,15 +2,12 @@ FROM meedan/ruby
 MAINTAINER Meedan <sysops@meedan.com>
 
 # install dependencies
-# TODO are these really dependecies for meedan/check-web?  these seem like vestiges of meedan/check-api
 RUN apt-get update -qq && apt-get install -y imagemagick && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
 # node modules
-COPY package.json /app/package.json
-RUN cd /app && npm install
-
-# TODO tempting to have a separate Dockerfile for testing
-# this Dockerfile becomes FROM meedan/nodejs and leave the tests in a FROM meedan/ruby based image
+ADD package.json /tmp/package.json
+RUN cd /tmp && npm install
+RUN mkdir -p /app && cp -a /tmp/node_modules /app/
 
 # ruby gems
 COPY test/Gemfile test/Gemfile.lock /app/test/
diff --git a/docker-entrypoint.sh b/docker-entrypoint.sh
index 8172f4fd3e..10493f58d0 100644
--- a/docker-entrypoint.sh
+++ b/docker-entrypoint.sh
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
 #!/bin/bash
-
-npm run build && npm run publish
+if [ ! -d /app/build/web/js ]; then
+  npm run build;
+fi
+npm run publish
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 3a0d844546..767ad813e4 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@
   },
   "scripts": {
     "logo": "cd src/assets/images/logo && ./generate.sh && cd ..",
-    "style:rtl": "mkdir -p .tmp && node-sass src/app/styles/stylesheet-rtl.scss --output-style=compressed > .tmp/stylesheet-rtl.css.tmp && postcss --use autoprefixer -o build/web/css/stylesheet-rtl.css .tmp/stylesheet-rtl.css.tmp && rm .tmp/stylesheet-rtl.css.tmp",
-    "style:ltr": "mkdir -p .tmp && node-sass src/app/styles/stylesheet.scss --output-style=compressed > .tmp/stylesheet.css.tmp && postcss --use autoprefixer -o build/web/css/stylesheet.css .tmp/stylesheet.css.tmp && rm .tmp/stylesheet.css.tmp",
+    "style:rtl": "node-sass src/app/styles/stylesheet-rtl.scss --output-style=compressed > /tmp/stylesheet-rtl.css.tmp && postcss --use autoprefixer -o build/web/css/stylesheet-rtl.css /tmp/stylesheet-rtl.css.tmp",
+    "style:ltr": "node-sass src/app/styles/stylesheet.scss --output-style=compressed > /tmp/stylesheet.css.tmp && postcss --use autoprefixer -o build/web/css/stylesheet.css /tmp/stylesheet.css.tmp",
     "style:all": "npm run style:ltr && npm run style:rtl",
     "style:rebuild": "npm rebuild node-sass && mkdir -p build/web/css 2>/dev/null && npm run style:all",
     "style:watch:all": "watch 'npm run style:all' ./src/app/styles",