diff --git a/scripts/deploy-site.sh b/scripts/deploy-site.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index b8a8e75..5f2fd95
--- a/scripts/deploy-site.sh
+++ b/scripts/deploy-site.sh
@@ -28,7 +28,13 @@ npm run build
 
 if [[ -d "$SITE_ROOT" ]]; then
   echo "==> Publish dist/ -> $SITE_ROOT/"
-  rsync -av --delete "${REPO_ROOT}/dist/" "${SITE_ROOT}/"
+  if command -v rsync >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    rsync -av --delete "${REPO_ROOT}/dist/" "${SITE_ROOT}/"
+  else
+    echo "    (rsync not installed — using rm + cp; install rsync for faster syncs: apt-get install -y rsync)"
+    find "$SITE_ROOT" -mindepth 1 -exec rm -rf {} +
+    cp -a "${REPO_ROOT}/dist/." "$SITE_ROOT/"
+  fi
   echo "==> Done. Reload nginx if needed: systemctl reload nginx"
 else
   echo "WARN: SITE_ROOT '$SITE_ROOT' is not a directory — not copying dist."