diff --git a/monitoring/Dockerfile b/monitoring/Dockerfile
index 905477466c..08c93e5f24 100644
--- a/monitoring/Dockerfile
+++ b/monitoring/Dockerfile
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 # Dockerfile for interuss/monitoring
 #
+# This file should generally be used via `make image` and/or `make image-dev`
+# from the repo root.
+#
 # The image generated by this Dockerfile (via ./build.sh) includes the entire
 # `monitoring` folder contents in /app/monitoring and has installed dependencies
 # necessary to run any of the monitoring tools.  See documentation for any of
@@ -9,7 +12,31 @@
 #
 # This image is intended to be built from the repository root context/folder.
 
-FROM ghcr.io/astral-sh/uv:0.12.5-python3.13-trixie-slim AS base
+# Stage hierarchy:
+#            ghcr.io/astral-sh/uv
+#                     │
+#                     ▼
+#             [base-system]
+#       • Install system packages (apt)
+#       • RUN uv sync (base dependencies)
+#       • CACHED as long as uv.lock does not change
+#                     │
+#          ┌──────────┴──────────┐
+#          │ (default)           │
+#          ▼                     ▼
+#     [base-system]     [dev-dependencies]
+#          │            • RUN uv sync --group dev
+#          │            • CACHED as long as uv.lock does not change
+#          │                     │
+#          └──────────┬──────────┘
+#                     ▼
+#                  [final] (FROM ${BASE_STAGE})
+#            • ADD ./monitoring
+#            • Ready for prod/dev
+
+ARG BASE_STAGE=base-system
+
+FROM ghcr.io/astral-sh/uv:0.12.5-python3.13-trixie-slim AS base-system
 # Not -alpine because: https://stackoverflow.com/a/58028091/651139
 
 # Install system tools
@@ -28,30 +55,22 @@ RUN if [ "$(uname -m)" = "aarch64" ]; then \
 
 RUN mkdir -p /app/
 
-# This image should be built by passing in `version` and `commit_hash` based on information from git (see `make image`)
-# This version information becomes available in the environment variables specified below
-ARG version
-ARG commit_hash
-ENV MONITORING_VERSION=$version
-ENV GIT_COMMIT_HASH=$commit_hash
-
 # Install dependencies
 ENV UV_LINK_MODE=copy
 ENV UV_PROJECT_ENVIRONMENT=/venv/
 ENV VIRTUAL_ENV=/venv/
-ENV SETUPTOOLS_SCM_PRETEND_VERSION_FOR_MONITORING=$version
 RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/uv \
     --mount=type=bind,source=./uv.lock,target=/app/uv.lock \
     --mount=type=bind,source=./pyproject.toml,target=/app/pyproject.toml \
     cd /app/ && \
     uv sync --locked --no-install-project --compile-bytecode
 
-# Ensure UV don't check dependencies or lock file, since we installed everything before
+# Ensure UV doesn't check dependencies or lock file (we've already installed everything for the base system above)
 ENV UV_FROZEN=1
 ENV UV_NO_SYNC=1
 
 # Ensure the cache folder is present and writable by anyone
-# (Some command run with limited privileges)
+# (Some commands run with limited privileges)
 RUN mkdir -p /.cache/uv/ && chmod 777 /.cache/uv/
 # Also fix the root folder where python is downloaded
 RUN find /root/ -type d -exec chmod a+rx {} +
@@ -59,35 +78,45 @@ RUN find /root/ -type d -exec chmod a+rx {} +
 # Start in this folder
 WORKDIR /app/monitoring
 
-# Add core content from repo
-ADD ./interfaces /app/interfaces
-ADD ./monitoring /app/monitoring
-
-# Add health check to the /app root and make it executable
-COPY ./monitoring/health_check.sh /app/health_check.sh
-RUN chmod 766 /app/health_check.sh
-
-# Additional preparations for uss_qualifier/webapp
-RUN mkdir -p /app/uss-host-files
-
-# This script indicates the status of the container
-HEALTHCHECK --interval=3s CMD sh /app/health_check.sh
-
 # Discover `monitoring` module in Python
 ENV PYTHONPATH=/app
 
 # Add venv to path
 ENV PATH="/venv/bin/:$PATH"
 
-
 # No entry point maximizes flexibility in the use of this image
 ENTRYPOINT []
 
-FROM base AS with-dev-dependencies
+FROM base-system AS dev-dependencies
 
+# Install dev dependencies (unsetting flag not to check dependencies)
 RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/uv \
     --mount=type=bind,source=./uv.lock,target=/app/uv.lock \
     --mount=type=bind,source=./pyproject.toml,target=/app/pyproject.toml \
     cd /app/ && \
     unset UV_FROZEN && \
     uv sync --locked --no-install-project --compile-bytecode --group dev
+
+FROM ${BASE_STAGE} AS final
+
+# This image should be built by passing in `version` and `commit_hash` based on information from git (see `make image`)
+# This version information becomes available in the environment variables specified below
+ARG version
+ARG commit_hash
+ENV MONITORING_VERSION=$version
+ENV GIT_COMMIT_HASH=$commit_hash
+ENV SETUPTOOLS_SCM_PRETEND_VERSION_FOR_MONITORING=$version
+
+# Add core content from repo
+ADD ./interfaces /app/interfaces
+ADD ./monitoring /app/monitoring
+
+# Add health check to the /app root and make it executable
+COPY ./monitoring/health_check.sh /app/health_check.sh
+RUN chmod 766 /app/health_check.sh
+
+# Additional preparations for uss_qualifier/webapp
+RUN mkdir -p /app/uss-host-files
+
+# This script indicates the status of the container
+HEALTHCHECK --interval=3s CMD sh /app/health_check.sh
diff --git a/monitoring/build.sh b/monitoring/build.sh
index 136ca42938..b20baa25ff 100755
--- a/monitoring/build.sh
+++ b/monitoring/build.sh
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ docker image build \
     -t "${TAG}" \
     --build-arg version="$(scripts/git/version.sh monitoring --long)" \
     --build-arg commit_hash="$(git rev-parse HEAD)" \
-    --target base \
     . \
   || exit 1
 
diff --git a/monitoring/build_dev.sh b/monitoring/build_dev.sh
index 772c9ee9e2..ccca5a6da6 100755
--- a/monitoring/build_dev.sh
+++ b/monitoring/build_dev.sh
@@ -17,9 +17,9 @@ TAG="${1:-interuss/monitoring}"
 docker image build \
     -f monitoring/Dockerfile \
     -t "${TAG}-dev" \
+    --build-arg BASE_STAGE=dev-dependencies \
     --build-arg version="$(scripts/git/version.sh monitoring --long)" \
     --build-arg commit_hash="$(git rev-parse HEAD)" \
-    --target with-dev-dependencies \
     . \
   || exit 1