diff --git a/start.sh b/start.sh
index fe13ea8..cab47ca 100755
--- a/start.sh
+++ b/start.sh
@@ -35,6 +35,29 @@ fi
 # * Create a default tsconfig.json file in the functions' working directory.
 cp -n $SERVER_PATH/tsconfig.json $FUNCTIONS_WORKING_DIR/tsconfig.json
 
+# * Validate dependencies for minification compatibility
+echo "Validating dependencies for minification compatibility..."
+CURRENT_DIR=$(pwd)
+
+# Set SERVER_PATH if not already set (for local testing)
+if [ -z "$SERVER_PATH" ]; then
+    SERVER_PATH="$CURRENT_DIR"
+fi
+
+# Only run validation if the validation script exists and we have a package.json
+if [ -f "$SERVER_PATH/validate-minification.js" ] && [ -f "$FUNCTIONS_WORKING_DIR/package.json" ]; then
+    cd $FUNCTIONS_WORKING_DIR
+    if node "$SERVER_PATH/validate-minification.js"; then
+        echo "✅ Dependency validation passed"
+    else
+        echo "⚠️  Dependency validation found potential issues (see output above)"
+        echo "   Functions will still start, but some dependencies may not work properly in production"
+    fi
+    cd "$CURRENT_DIR"
+else
+    echo "Skipping dependency validation (validation script or package.json not found)"
+fi
+
 # * Start nodemon that listens to package.json and lock files and run npm/pnpm/yarn install,
 # * Then run another nodemon that listens to the functions directory and run the server
 FUNCTIONS_WORKING_DIR=$FUNCTIONS_WORKING_DIR \
diff --git a/validate-minification.js b/validate-minification.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e57cd3e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/validate-minification.js
@@ -0,0 +1,238 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('path');
+
+/**
+ * Validation script to check if user's installed dependencies contain files
+ * that may prevent minification. Uses same logic as start.sh to find the
+ * correct package.json file in user's mounted functions folder.
+ */
+
+function findUserPackageJson() {
+  // Use same logic as start.sh to find the correct package.json
+  if (fs.existsSync('./functions/package.json')) {
+    // ./functions/package.json exists
+    return {
+      workingDir: './functions',
+      packageJsonPath: './functions/package.json',
+      nodeModulesPath: './functions/node_modules'
+    };
+  } else if (fs.existsSync('./package.json')) {
+    // ./package.json exists (but not ./functions/package.json)
+    return {
+      workingDir: '.',
+      packageJsonPath: './package.json',
+      nodeModulesPath: './node_modules'
+    };
+  } else {
+    // No package.json found
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
+function checkNodeModulesForNonMinifiableFiles() {
+  const userPaths = findUserPackageJson();
+  
+  if (!userPaths) {
+    console.log('No package.json found in user functions');
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  if (!fs.existsSync(userPaths.nodeModulesPath)) {
+    console.log('No node_modules directory found. Run npm/yarn/pnpm install first.');
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  const packageJson = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(userPaths.packageJsonPath, 'utf8'));
+  const prodDependencies = packageJson.dependencies || {};
+  
+  if (Object.keys(prodDependencies).length === 0) {
+    console.log('✅ No production dependencies to validate');
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  console.log(`🔍 Validating ${Object.keys(prodDependencies).length} production dependencies for minification compatibility...`);
+  console.log(`📁 Working directory: ${userPaths.workingDir}`);
+
+  const issues = [];
+
+  for (const depName of Object.keys(prodDependencies)) {
+    const depPath = path.join(userPaths.nodeModulesPath, depName);
+    
+    if (!fs.existsSync(depPath)) {
+      console.log(`  ⚠️  ${depName} not found in node_modules (may need installation)`);
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    console.log(`  Checking ${depName}...`);
+    
+    const depIssues = checkDependencyFiles(depPath, depName);
+    if (depIssues.length > 0) {
+      issues.push({ name: depName, issues: depIssues });
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (issues.length > 0) {
+    console.log('\n❌ Found dependencies with potential minification issues:');
+    issues.forEach(({ name, issues }) => {
+      console.log(`\n  📦 ${name}:`);
+      issues.forEach(issue => console.log(`    - ${issue}`));
+    });
+    
+    console.log('\n💡 These files may prevent proper minification in serverless environments.');
+    console.log('   Consider finding pure JavaScript alternatives or ensure your deployment');
+    console.log('   platform can handle these file types.');
+    
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  console.log('\n✅ All production dependencies appear minification-friendly');
+  return true;
+}
+
+function checkDependencyFiles(depPath, depName) {
+  const issues = [];
+  
+  try {
+    // Check for common non-minifiable file patterns
+    const problematicPatterns = [
+      { pattern: /\.node$/, description: 'native binary files (.node)' },
+      { pattern: /\.exe$/, description: 'executable files (.exe)' },
+      { pattern: /\.dll$/, description: 'dynamic library files (.dll)' },
+      { pattern: /\.so(\.\d+)*$/, description: 'shared object files (.so)' },
+      { pattern: /\.dylib$/, description: 'dynamic library files (.dylib)' },
+      { pattern: /\.wasm$/, description: 'WebAssembly files (.wasm)' },
+      { pattern: /\.bin$/, description: 'binary files (.bin)' },
+      { pattern: /^binding\.gyp$/, description: 'native build configuration (binding.gyp)' },
+      { pattern: /\.a$/, description: 'static library files (.a)' },
+      { pattern: /\.lib$/, description: 'library files (.lib)' }
+    ];
+
+    // Check package.json for problematic configurations
+    const packageJsonPath = path.join(depPath, 'package.json');
+    if (fs.existsSync(packageJsonPath)) {
+      try {
+        const depPackageJson = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(packageJsonPath, 'utf8'));
+        
+        if (depPackageJson.scripts?.install) {
+          issues.push('has install script (may download binaries at runtime)');
+        }
+        
+        if (depPackageJson.scripts?.postinstall) {
+          issues.push('has postinstall script (may download binaries at runtime)');
+        }
+
+        if (depPackageJson.gypfile || depPackageJson.binding) {
+          issues.push('has native binding configuration');
+        }
+
+        // Check for OS/CPU restrictions (often indicates native code)
+        if (depPackageJson.os && depPackageJson.os.length > 0) {
+          issues.push('has OS restrictions (likely contains native code)');
+        }
+
+        if (depPackageJson.cpu && depPackageJson.cpu.length > 0) {
+          issues.push('has CPU architecture restrictions (likely contains native code)');
+        }
+      } catch (e) {
+        // Ignore JSON parse errors
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Recursively scan for problematic files (limited depth for performance)
+    scanDirectory(depPath, problematicPatterns, issues, 0, 3);
+
+    // Check for common directories that suggest native content
+    const problematicDirs = [
+      'build/Release',
+      'build/Debug', 
+      'prebuilds',
+      'bin',
+      'vendor',
+      'lib-cov'
+    ];
+    
+    problematicDirs.forEach(dir => {
+      if (fs.existsSync(path.join(depPath, dir))) {
+        issues.push(`contains ${dir} directory (likely contains binaries)`);
+      }
+    });
+
+    // Check for common native dependency patterns in the package name
+    const nativeNamePatterns = [
+      'fsevents', 'esbuild', 'swc', 'sharp', 'canvas', 'sqlite3', 
+      'bcrypt', 'argon2', 'node-sass', 'fibers', 'grpc', 'node-gyp'
+    ];
+    
+    if (nativeNamePatterns.some(pattern => depName.toLowerCase().includes(pattern))) {
+      issues.push('package name suggests native dependencies');
+    }
+
+  } catch (error) {
+    // If we can't read the dependency, it's probably fine
+  }
+
+  return [...new Set(issues)]; // Remove duplicates
+}
+
+function scanDirectory(dirPath, patterns, issues, currentDepth, maxDepth) {
+  if (currentDepth >= maxDepth) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  try {
+    const entries = fs.readdirSync(dirPath, { withFileTypes: true });
+    
+    for (const entry of entries) {
+      if (issues.length > 10) break; // Limit issues per dependency for readability
+      
+      const fullPath = path.join(dirPath, entry.name);
+      
+      if (entry.isDirectory()) {
+        // Skip certain directories to improve performance
+        if ([
+          'node_modules', 'test', 'tests', '__tests__', 'spec', 'docs', 
+          'examples', 'example', '.git', '.github', 'coverage'
+        ].includes(entry.name) || entry.name.startsWith('.')) {
+          continue;
+        }
+        scanDirectory(fullPath, patterns, issues, currentDepth + 1, maxDepth);
+      } else if (entry.isFile()) {
+        // Check file against patterns
+        for (const { pattern, description } of patterns) {
+          if (pattern.test(entry.name)) {
+            const issueText = `contains ${description}`;
+            if (!issues.includes(issueText)) {
+              issues.push(issueText);
+            }
+            break; // Only report each type once per dependency
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  } catch (error) {
+    // If we can't read a directory, skip it silently
+  }
+}
+
+// Run validation if script is executed directly
+if (require.main === module) {
+  console.log('🔍 Nhost Functions - Dependency Minification Validator');
+  console.log('   Checking user dependencies for minification compatibility...\n');
+  
+  const success = checkNodeModulesForNonMinifiableFiles();
+  
+  if (!success) {
+    console.log('\n⚠️  Some dependencies may cause issues in serverless environments.');
+    console.log('   This validation helps identify potential deployment problems.');
+  }
+  
+  process.exit(success ? 0 : 1);
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+  checkNodeModulesForNonMinifiableFiles,
+  checkDependencyFiles,
+  findUserPackageJson
+};
\ No newline at end of file