diff --git a/backend/services/identity-service/Dockerfile b/backend/services/identity-service/Dockerfile
index cf5dd90d..c3dec490 100644
--- a/backend/services/identity-service/Dockerfile
+++ b/backend/services/identity-service/Dockerfile
@@ -33,9 +33,9 @@ RUN ls -la dist/src/ && test -f dist/src/main.js
 # Production stage - use Debian slim for OpenSSL compatibility
 FROM node:20-slim
 
-# Create non-root user first
+# Create non-root user with home directory (npm cache needs it)
 RUN groupadd -g 1001 nodejs && \
-    useradd -u 1001 -g nodejs nestjs
+    useradd -u 1001 -g nodejs -m nestjs
 
 # Install OpenSSL, CA certificates, and curl for health checks
 RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
diff --git a/backend/services/referral-service/Dockerfile b/backend/services/referral-service/Dockerfile
index 2c41398f..b5c457db 100644
--- a/backend/services/referral-service/Dockerfile
+++ b/backend/services/referral-service/Dockerfile
@@ -33,9 +33,9 @@ RUN ls -la dist/ && test -f dist/main.js
 # Production stage - use Debian slim for OpenSSL compatibility
 FROM node:20-slim
 
-# Create non-root user first
+# Create non-root user with home directory (npm cache needs it)
 RUN groupadd -g 1001 nodejs && \
-    useradd -u 1001 -g nodejs nestjs
+    useradd -u 1001 -g nodejs -m nestjs
 
 # Install OpenSSL and curl for health checks
 RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \