diff --git a/build/build_images.sh b/build/build_images.sh
index b4a023c..d56b79e 100755
--- a/build/build_images.sh
+++ b/build/build_images.sh
@@ -151,6 +151,12 @@ pull_base_image() {
   local attempts=${2:-3}
   local delay=${3:-5}
 
+  # If the image already exists locally, skip pulling.
+  if docker image inspect "$image_ref" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "   Local image present; skip pull: $image_ref"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
   for ((i=1; i<=attempts; i++)); do
     echo "   Pulling base image ($i/$attempts): $image_ref"
     if docker pull "$image_ref" >/dev/null; then