diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
index ae84fa66..e3c99575 100644
--- a/.dockerignore
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ build
 .git
 .gitignore
 
-# Env files (keep .env for build; exclude local overrides)
+# Env files (use build args instead; .env.template is copied for defaults)
+.env
 .env.local
 .env.*.local
\ No newline at end of file