diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 1e475d4..dc5e7d0 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ COPY . .
 # via the /relay nginx proxy at runtime (instead of hardcoding localhost)
 ENV VITE_NOSTR_RELAYS=""
 
+# Enable mock data mode — no backend API server in this deployment,
+# so auth and content use built-in mock/local data instead of timing out
+ENV VITE_USE_MOCK_DATA=true
+
 # Build the application
 RUN npm run build