diff --git a/web/build b/web/build
index 87f8dccd9..264b59d9f 100755
--- a/web/build
+++ b/web/build
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ echo "updating dependencies"
 bundle install --path vendor/bundle
 #bundle update
 
+# make sure we have node dependencies (needed for react)
+npm install
+
 set +e
 # clean assets, because they may be lingering from last build
 bundle exec rake assets:clean