diff --git a/next.config.ts b/next.config.ts
index 28f8871..0efb0b9 100644
--- a/next.config.ts
+++ b/next.config.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import type { NextConfig } from "next";
 
 const nextConfig: NextConfig = {
+  // Leaner production runtime: deploy uses .next/standalone and drops node_modules.
+  output: "standalone",
   reactStrictMode: true,
   images: {
     // Blog artwork is served from the Meshkee media host, so next/image needs