diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 909ecdb..14bf1b9 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 .PHONY: build push deploy redeploy logs shell disk-usage clean-cache health-check help
 
+# Use podman if docker is not available
+DOCKER := $(shell which docker 2>/dev/null || which podman 2>/dev/null)
+
 IMAGE_NAME=default-route-openshift-image-registry.apps.lab.apilab.us/clawdbox/clawdbox:latest
 NAMESPACE=clawdbox
 SSH_HOST=clawdbox.apps.lab.apilab.us
@@ -28,10 +31,10 @@ help:
 	@echo "  make restart      - Restart deployment (without push)"
 
 build:
-	docker build -t $(IMAGE_NAME) .
+	$(DOCKER) build -t $(IMAGE_NAME) .
 
 push: build
-	docker push $(IMAGE_NAME)
+	$(DOCKER) push $(IMAGE_NAME)
 
 deploy:
 	kubectl apply -f manifests/