diff --git a/Dockerfile.backend b/Dockerfile.backend
index 1dd820a..5a9fe54 100644
--- a/Dockerfile.backend
+++ b/Dockerfile.backend
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ ENV PATH="$VIRTUAL_ENV/bin:$PATH"
 
 # Copy dependency files first for better caching
 COPY backend/pyproject.toml backend/uv.lock* ./
+# Hatchling metadata references ../README.md from backend/pyproject.toml.
+COPY README.md /README.md
 
 # Install dependencies
 RUN uv sync --frozen