diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index c2ff68f..78086d5 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -4,12 +4,25 @@ FROM python:3.10-slim
 # Set the working directory in the container to /app
 WORKDIR /app
 
-# Copy the local directory contents into the container
-COPY . .
+# Install system dependencies needed for building wheels (gcc, build-essential, python headers)
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
+    gcc \
+    build-essential \
+    python3-dev \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# Copy only requirements first to leverage Docker cache
+COPY requirements.txt .
+
+# Upgrade pip (recommended to avoid build issues)
+RUN pip install --upgrade pip
 
 # Install Python dependencies
 RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt
 
+# Copy the rest of the application
+COPY . .
+
 # Expose port 7860 to access the app
 EXPOSE 7860
 ENV GRADIO_SERVER_NAME="0.0.0.0"