diff --git a/vercel-preparation.sh b/vercel-preparation.sh
index 35ebfe01..481c152b 100755
--- a/vercel-preparation.sh
+++ b/vercel-preparation.sh
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ set -euo pipefail
 # move into the folder of this script
 cd "$(dirname "$0")"
 
+
+rm -rf apps/backend/.vercel/output/functions/api.func/node_modules
+
 mkdir -p apps/backend/.vercel/output/functions/api.func/
 # copying `backend` to `backend/.vercel/...` directly may cause problems
 cp -RP apps/backend/. apps/backend-copy/