diff --git a/apps/dreamverse/docker/.dockerignore b/apps/dreamverse/docker/.dockerignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 2fb18db60..000000000
--- a/apps/dreamverse/docker/.dockerignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,40 +0,0 @@
-.git/
-**/.git/
-.venv/
-**/.venv/
-**/__pycache__/
-**/*.pyc
-**/*.pyo
-**/*.egg-info/
-.pytest_cache/
-**/.pytest_cache/
-.mypy_cache/
-.ruff_cache/
-.cache/
-
-apps/dreamverse/web/node_modules/
-apps/dreamverse/web/.next/
-apps/dreamverse/web/out/
-apps/dreamverse/web/dist/
-apps/dreamverse/web/test-results/
-apps/dreamverse/web/playwright-report/
-
-apps/dreamverse/outputs/
-apps/dreamverse/dreamverse/outputs/
-apps/dreamverse/dreamverse/prompts.local/
-apps/dreamverse/logs/
-outputs/
-logs/
-slurm-logs/
-wandb/
-
-.env
-.env.*
-**/prompts.local/
-.codex/
-.agents/exploration/
-.vscode/
-.idea/
-*.log
-*.tmp
-*.pdf
diff --git a/apps/dreamverse/docker/Dockerfile.dockerignore b/apps/dreamverse/docker/Dockerfile.dockerignore
index 2fb18db60..ae61bdaa1 100644
--- a/apps/dreamverse/docker/Dockerfile.dockerignore
+++ b/apps/dreamverse/docker/Dockerfile.dockerignore
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 **/.git/
 .venv/
 **/.venv/
+.*dreamverse*/
 **/__pycache__/
 **/*.pyc
 **/*.pyo
@@ -24,6 +25,9 @@ apps/dreamverse/dreamverse/outputs/
 apps/dreamverse/dreamverse/prompts.local/
 apps/dreamverse/logs/
 outputs/
+outputs_video/
+quality_check_outputs/
+data/
 logs/
 slurm-logs/
 wandb/
@@ -32,7 +36,9 @@ wandb/
 .env.*
 **/prompts.local/
 .codex/
-.agents/exploration/
+.agents/
+.opencode/
+.agent_tmp/
 .vscode/
 .idea/
 *.log
diff --git a/apps/dreamverse/docker/docker_build.sh b/apps/dreamverse/docker/docker_build.sh
index a496a8dbb..5c3ae5c23 100755
--- a/apps/dreamverse/docker/docker_build.sh
+++ b/apps/dreamverse/docker/docker_build.sh
@@ -4,13 +4,43 @@ set -euo pipefail
 SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd -- "$(dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
 REPO_ROOT="$(cd -- "${SCRIPT_DIR}/../../.." && pwd)"
 IMAGE="${DREAMVERSE_IMAGE:-dreamverse:dev}"
+ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE="${REPO_ROOT}/.dockerignore"
+DOCKERFILE_DOCKERIGNORE="${SCRIPT_DIR}/Dockerfile.dockerignore"
+CREATED_ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE_SYMLINK=0
+
+cleanup_root_dockerignore_symlink() {
+  if [[ "${CREATED_ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE_SYMLINK}" == "1" && -L "${ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE}" ]] && \
+    [[ "$(readlink "${ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE}")" == "${DOCKERFILE_DOCKERIGNORE}" ]]; then
+    rm -- "${ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE}"
+  fi
+}
+trap cleanup_root_dockerignore_symlink EXIT INT TERM
+
+if [[ -z "${DOCKER_BUILDKIT:-}" ]] && docker buildx version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  export DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1
+fi
 
 build_args=()
 [[ -n "${CUDA_TAG:-}"        ]] && build_args+=(--build-arg "CUDA_TAG=${CUDA_TAG}")
 [[ -n "${BUILD_FASTVIDEO_KERNEL_FROM_SOURCE:-}" ]] && \
   build_args+=(--build-arg "BUILD_FASTVIDEO_KERNEL_FROM_SOURCE=${BUILD_FASTVIDEO_KERNEL_FROM_SOURCE}")
 
-exec docker build \
+if [[ "${DOCKER_BUILDKIT:-}" == "1" ]]; then
+  if [[ -L "${ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE}" ]] && \
+    [[ "$(readlink "${ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE}")" == "${DOCKERFILE_DOCKERIGNORE}" ]]; then
+    rm -- "${ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE}"
+    printf 'Removed stale temporary root .dockerignore symlink: %s\n' "${ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE}"
+  fi
+elif [[ -e "${ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE}" || -L "${ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE}" ]]; then
+  printf 'Using existing root .dockerignore: %s\n' "${ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE}"
+else
+  ln -s -- "${DOCKERFILE_DOCKERIGNORE}" "${ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE}"
+  CREATED_ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE_SYMLINK=1
+  printf 'Created temporary root .dockerignore symlink for legacy Docker builder: %s -> %s\n' \
+    "${ROOT_DOCKERIGNORE}" "${DOCKERFILE_DOCKERIGNORE}"
+fi
+
+docker build \
   -f "${SCRIPT_DIR}/Dockerfile" \
   -t "${IMAGE}" \
   "${build_args[@]}" \