diff --git a/app/page.tsx b/app/page.tsx
index bcfb4a7..846f4fe 100644
--- a/app/page.tsx
+++ b/app/page.tsx
@@ -3,8 +3,23 @@ import { ArrowRight, Search, Star, Sparkles, Zap, Shield, Heart } from 'lucide-r
 import { getStats } from '@/lib/db'
 import { AwesomeIcon } from '@/components/ui/awesome-icon'
 
+// Make this page dynamic to avoid pre-rendering during build
+export const dynamic = 'force-dynamic'
+export const revalidate = 0
+
 export default function Home() {
-  const stats = getStats()
+  // Provide fallback stats if database doesn't exist (e.g., during Docker build)
+  let stats = { totalLists: 100, totalRepositories: 10000, totalReadmes: 10000, lastUpdated: null }
+
+  // Try to get real stats from database, fall back to defaults if not available
+  try {
+    stats = getStats()
+  } catch (error) {
+    // Database not available (e.g., during build) - use fallback stats
+    if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production') {
+      console.warn('Database not available, using fallback stats')
+    }
+  }
   return (
     <div className="min-h-screen bg-linear-to-br from-background via-background to-primary/5">
       {/* Hero Section */}
diff --git a/lib/db.ts b/lib/db.ts
index b09e181..7c113d6 100644
--- a/lib/db.ts
+++ b/lib/db.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import Database from 'better-sqlite3'
 import { join } from 'path'
+import { existsSync } from 'fs'
 
 // Database path - using user's .awesome directory
 const DB_PATH = process.env.AWESOME_DB_PATH || join(process.env.HOME || '', '.awesome', 'awesome.db')
@@ -8,6 +9,10 @@ let db: Database.Database | null = null
 
 export function getDb(): Database.Database {
   if (!db) {
+    // Check if database file exists before trying to open it
+    if (!existsSync(DB_PATH)) {
+      throw new Error(`Database file not found at ${DB_PATH}`)
+    }
     db = new Database(DB_PATH, { readonly: true })
     // Enable WAL mode for better concurrency
     db.pragma('journal_mode = WAL')