diff --git a/workspace/sprint_1_2/CODEBASE/deps/implementation/backend_deploy/gitea_modal_build.py b/workspace/sprint_1_2/CODEBASE/deps/implementation/backend_deploy/gitea_modal_build.py
index fddf3c3..7d13e0e 100644
--- a/workspace/sprint_1_2/CODEBASE/deps/implementation/backend_deploy/gitea_modal_build.py
+++ b/workspace/sprint_1_2/CODEBASE/deps/implementation/backend_deploy/gitea_modal_build.py
@@ -138,8 +138,10 @@ def build_and_push(
         "--verbosity", "info",
     ]
 
+    # Configure the environment variables to include DOCKER_CONFIG if auth exists
+    current_env = os.environ.copy()
     if docker_config_dir:
-        kaniko_cmd.extend(["--docker-config", str(docker_config_dir)])
+        current_env["DOCKER_CONFIG"] = str(docker_config_dir)
 
     print(f"Running Kaniko: {' '.join(kaniko_cmd)}")
     result = subprocess.run(kaniko_cmd, capture_output=True, text=True)