diff --git a/infrastructure/services/Jenkinsfile b/infrastructure/services/Jenkinsfile
index a807532..f3c54b1 100644
--- a/infrastructure/services/Jenkinsfile
+++ b/infrastructure/services/Jenkinsfile
@@ -254,11 +254,11 @@ with app.test_client() as client:
         }        
         stage('🐳 Build & Push Docker Image') {
             when {
-                    equals expected: 'deploy', actual: params.ACTION
+                equals expected: 'deploy', actual: params.ACTION
             }
             steps {
                 withCredentials([
-                    [$class: 'AmazonWebServicesCredentialsBinding', 
+                    [$class: 'AmazonWebServicesCredentialsBinding',
                     credentialsId: 'aws-ci',
                     accessKeyVariable: 'AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID',
                     secretKeyVariable: 'AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY'],
@@ -278,45 +278,50 @@ with app.test_client() as client:
                             echo "ECR Repository: ${ECR_REPO_URI}"
                             echo "Image Tag: ${IMAGE_TAG}"
                             
-                            # Login to ECR
-                            echo "🔐 Logging into ECR..."
-                            aws ecr get-login-password --region $AWS_REGION | docker login --username AWS --password-stdin $ECR_REGISTRY
-                            
-                            # Check if ECR repository exists, create if not
-                            echo "📦 Checking ECR repository..."
-                            if ! aws ecr describe-repositories --repository-names $ECR_REPO_NAME --region $AWS_REGION 2>/dev/null; then
-                                echo "🏗️ Creating ECR repository..."
-                                aws ecr create-repository --repository-name $ECR_REPO_NAME --region $AWS_REGION
+                            # Check if ECR repository exists FIRST (before login)
+                            echo "📦 Checking if ECR repository exists..."
+                            if aws ecr describe-repositories --repository-names ${ECR_REPO_NAME} --region ${AWS_REGION} 2>/dev/null; then
+                                echo "✅ ECR repository exists - proceeding with Docker operations"
+                                
+                                # Login to ECR only if repository exists
+                                echo "🔐 Logging into ECR..."
+                                aws ecr get-login-password --region ${AWS_REGION} | docker login --username AWS --password-stdin ${ECR_REGISTRY}
+                                
+                                # Build Docker image
+                                echo "🔨 Building Docker image..."
+                                docker build -t ${ECR_REPO_NAME}:${IMAGE_TAG} .
+                                docker build -t ${ECR_REPO_NAME}:build-${BUILD_NUMBER} .
+                                
+                                # Tag for ECR
+                                docker tag ${ECR_REPO_NAME}:${IMAGE_TAG} ${ECR_REPO_URI}:${IMAGE_TAG}
+                                docker tag ${ECR_REPO_NAME}:${IMAGE_TAG} ${ECR_REPO_URI}:build-${BUILD_NUMBER}
+                                
+                                # Push to ECR
+                                echo "🚀 Pushing to ECR..."
+                                docker push ${ECR_REPO_URI}:${IMAGE_TAG}
+                                docker push ${ECR_REPO_URI}:build-${BUILD_NUMBER}
+                                
+                                # Clean up local images
+                                docker rmi ${ECR_REPO_NAME}:${IMAGE_TAG} || true
+                                docker rmi ${ECR_REPO_NAME}:build-${BUILD_NUMBER} || true
+                                docker rmi ${ECR_REPO_URI}:${IMAGE_TAG} || true
+                                docker rmi ${ECR_REPO_URI}:build-${BUILD_NUMBER} || true
+                                
+                                echo "✅ Docker build and push completed"
+                                echo "📍 Image available at: ${ECR_REPO_URI}:${IMAGE_TAG}"
+                            else
+                                echo "⚠️ ECR repository '${ECR_REPO_NAME}' doesn't exist yet"
+                                echo "📝 Terraform will create it in the Apply stage"
+                                echo "⏭️ Skipping Docker build/push for this initial deployment"
+                                echo ""
+                                echo "ℹ️ NOTE: After this pipeline completes, the ECR repository will exist."
+                                echo "   Run the pipeline again to build and push the Docker image."
                             fi
-                            
-                            # Build Docker image
-                            echo "🔨 Building Docker image..."
-                            docker build -t $ECR_REPO_NAME:${IMAGE_TAG} .
-                            docker build -t $ECR_REPO_NAME:build-${BUILD_NUMBER} .
-                            
-                            # Tag for ECR
-                            docker tag $ECR_REPO_NAME:${IMAGE_TAG} $ECR_REPO_URI:${IMAGE_TAG}
-                            docker tag $ECR_REPO_NAME:${IMAGE_TAG} $ECR_REPO_URI:build-${BUILD_NUMBER}
-                            
-                            # Push to ECR
-                            echo "🚀 Pushing to ECR..."
-                            docker push $ECR_REPO_URI:${IMAGE_TAG}
-                            docker push $ECR_REPO_URI:build-${BUILD_NUMBER}
-                            
-                            # Clean up local images
-                            docker rmi $ECR_REPO_NAME:${IMAGE_TAG} || true
-                            docker rmi $ECR_REPO_NAME:build-${BUILD_NUMBER} || true
-                            docker rmi $ECR_REPO_URI:${IMAGE_TAG} || true
-                            docker rmi $ECR_REPO_URI:build-${BUILD_NUMBER} || true
-                            
-                            echo "✅ Docker build and push completed"
-                            echo "📍 Image available at: $ECR_REPO_URI:${IMAGE_TAG}"
                         '''
                     }
                 }
             }
-        }
-        
+        }        
         stage('🚀 Infrastructure Bootstrap') {
             when {
                 not { equals expected: 'destroy', actual: params.ACTION }