diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 825a2d538..aa350f9ae 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -69,7 +69,8 @@
     "prep:layeroverview": "mkdir -p ./src/assets/generated/layers; echo {\\\"themes\\\":[]} > ./src/assets/generated/known_themes.json && echo {\\\"layers\\\": []} > ./src/assets/generated/known_layers.json && rm -f ./src/assets/generated/layers/*.json && rm -f ./src/assets/generated/themes/*.json && cp ./assets/layers/usersettings/usersettings.json ./src/assets/generated/layers/usersettings.json && echo '{}' > ./src/assets/generated/layers/favourite.json",
     "generate": "npm run generate:licenses && npm run generate:images && npm run generate:charging-stations && npm run generate:translations && npm run refresh:layeroverview && npm run generate:service-worker",
     "generate:charging-stations": "cd ./assets/layers/charging_station && vite-node csvToJson.ts && cd -",
-    "prepare-deploy": "npm run generate:service-worker && ./scripts/build.sh",
+    "prepare-deploy": "npm run generate:service-worker && ./scripts/prepare-build.sh && npm run build",
+    "build": "./scripts/build.sh",
     "lint": "npm run lint:prettier && npm run lint:eslint",
     "lint:eslint": "eslint ./src",
     "lint:prettier": "prettier  --check '**/*.ts' '**/*.svelte'",
diff --git a/scripts/build.sh b/scripts/build.sh
old mode 100755
new mode 100644
index ec1507aff..1d1b5b8a0
--- a/scripts/build.sh
+++ b/scripts/build.sh
@@ -4,45 +4,8 @@ echo "Starting build"
 # The build script; we build the application step by step as building everything at once takes too much RAM
 # Should be run from the repository root
 # This is the main deployment script
-rm -rf dist/*
-rm -rf .cache
-mkdir dist 2> /dev/null
-mkdir dist/assets 2> /dev/null
 
 
-export NODE_OPTIONS="--max-old-space-size=16384"
-
-# This script ends every line with '&&' to chain everything. A failure will thus stop the build
-npm run generate:editor-layer-index &&
-npm run prep:layeroverview &&
-npm run generate && # includes a single "refresh:layeroverview". Resetting the files is unnecessary as they are not in there in the first place
-npm run refresh:layeroverview && # run refresh:layeroverview a second time to propagate all calls
-npm run refresh:layeroverview && # run refresh:layeroverview a third time to fix some issues with the favourite layer all calls
-
-npm run generate:layouts
-
-if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
-    echo "ERROR - stopping the build"
-    exit 1
-fi
-
-
-
-BRANCH=`git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD`
-echo "The branch name is $BRANCH"
-
-if [ $BRANCH = "master" ] || [ $BRANCH = "develop" ]
-then
-    ASSET_URL="./"
-    export ASSET_URL
-    echo "$ASSET_URL"
-else
-  # ASSET_URL="$BRANCH"
-  ASSET_URL="./"
-  export ASSET_URL
-  echo "$ASSET_URL"
-fi
-
 # sanity check
 if [[ -f "bookcases.html" ]]
 then
diff --git a/scripts/prepare-build.sh b/scripts/prepare-build.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..e25890919
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/prepare-build.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+#! /usr/bin/env bash
+
+echo "Starting prepare-build"
+# The build script; we build the application step by step as building everything at once takes too much RAM
+# Should be run from the repository root
+# This is the main deployment script
+rm -rf dist/*
+rm -rf .cache
+mkdir dist 2> /dev/null
+mkdir dist/assets 2> /dev/null
+
+
+export NODE_OPTIONS="--max-old-space-size=16384"
+
+# This script ends every line with '&&' to chain everything. A failure will thus stop the build
+npm run generate:editor-layer-index &&
+npm run prep:layeroverview &&
+npm run generate && # includes a single "refresh:layeroverview". Resetting the files is unnecessary as they are not in there in the first place
+npm run refresh:layeroverview && # run refresh:layeroverview a second time to propagate all calls
+npm run refresh:layeroverview && # run refresh:layeroverview a third time to fix some issues with the favourite layer all calls
+
+npm run generate:layouts
+
+if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+    echo "ERROR - stopping the build"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+
+
+BRANCH=`git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD`
+echo "The branch name is $BRANCH"
+
+if [ $BRANCH = "master" ] || [ $BRANCH = "develop" ]
+then
+    ASSET_URL="./"
+    export ASSET_URL
+    echo "$ASSET_URL"
+else
+  # ASSET_URL="$BRANCH"
+  ASSET_URL="./"
+  export ASSET_URL
+  echo "$ASSET_URL"
+fi
+
+# sanity check
+if [[ -f "bookcases.html" ]]
+then
+  echo "Bookcases exists"
+else
+  echo "Bookcases.html does not exist - aborting"
+  exit 1
+fi