diff --git a/.beans/nuzlocke-tracker-yz9t--optimize-backend-dev-dockerfile-layer-caching.md b/.beans/nuzlocke-tracker-yz9t--optimize-backend-dev-dockerfile-layer-caching.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6b0b438
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.beans/nuzlocke-tracker-yz9t--optimize-backend-dev-dockerfile-layer-caching.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+---
+# nuzlocke-tracker-yz9t
+title: Optimize backend dev Dockerfile layer caching
+status: completed
+type: task
+priority: normal
+created_at: 2026-02-13T14:45:23Z
+updated_at: 2026-02-13T14:47:48Z
+---
+
+Seed data changes (11MB in src/app/seeds/) invalidate the pip install layer because COPY src/ comes before RUN pip install -e. Fix by creating a minimal package stub before pip install, then copying full source after.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/backend/Dockerfile b/backend/Dockerfile
index 117a424..9dec158 100644
--- a/backend/Dockerfile
+++ b/backend/Dockerfile
@@ -10,10 +10,15 @@ RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
 
 # Install Python dependencies
 COPY pyproject.toml README.md alembic.ini ./
-COPY src/ ./src/
+
+# Create minimal package stub so editable install can resolve the package
+RUN mkdir -p src/app && touch src/app/__init__.py
 
 RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -e .
 
+# Copy source (will be overridden by volume mount in dev)
+COPY src/ ./src/
+
 # Expose port
 EXPOSE 8000