diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index cf72db4..83c1ad7 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ API_PORT=8000
 MAX_UPLOAD_SIZE=524288000
 
 # NPM Configuration (for frontend build)
-# Leave blank or set to https://registry.npmjs.org/ for default npm registry
-# Set to your custom npm proxy/registry URL if needed (e.g., http://your-nexus-server:8081/repository/npm-proxy/)
-NPM_REGISTRY=
+# Default: https://registry.npmjs.org/ (public npm registry)
+# For restricted environments, set to your custom npm proxy/registry URL
+# Example: http://your-nexus-server:8081/repository/npm-proxy/
+NPM_REGISTRY=https://registry.npmjs.org/
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 0fdcc5c..1d97582 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -38,7 +38,10 @@ services:
 
   app:
     container_name: warehouse13-app
-    build: .
+    build:
+      context: .
+      args:
+        NPM_REGISTRY: ${NPM_REGISTRY:-https://registry.npmjs.org/}
     ports:
       - "8000:8000"
     environment: