diff --git a/pglite-REL_17_4_WASM/build.sh b/pglite-REL_17_4_WASM/build.sh
index 88b8cc523e5f6..24d5abe638884 100755
--- a/pglite-REL_17_4_WASM/build.sh
+++ b/pglite-REL_17_4_WASM/build.sh
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ fi
 echo "pglite/build-$BUILD: begin target BUILD_PATH=$BUILD_PATH"
 
 WORKSPACE=$(pwd)
-PGROOT=/tmp/pglite
+PGROOT=${PGROOT:-/tmp/pglite}
 
 if [ -d ${WORKSPACE}/src/fe_utils ]
 then
diff --git a/tmp/.gitignore b/tmp/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..86d0cb2726c6c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tmp/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+# Ignore everything in this directory
+*
+# Except this file
+!.gitignore
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/wasm-build/build-pgcore.sh b/wasm-build/build-pgcore.sh
index f395478088a1d..76d3f5a96018d 100755
--- a/wasm-build/build-pgcore.sh
+++ b/wasm-build/build-pgcore.sh
@@ -217,6 +217,7 @@ END
         echo configure failed
         exit 218
     fi
+fi
 
     echo "
 
@@ -424,8 +425,6 @@ END
 	echo "TODO: node/wasi cmdline initdb for PGDATA=${PGDATA} "
     popd
 
-fi
-
 echo "build-pgcore: end($BUILD)
 
 
diff --git a/wasm-build/build-with-docker.sh b/wasm-build/build-with-docker.sh
index fb90c67ac0b3c..b6b546ddffcc4 100755
--- a/wasm-build/build-with-docker.sh
+++ b/wasm-build/build-with-docker.sh
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ cat .buildconfig
 
 mkdir -p dist/pglite dist/extensions-emsdk
 
+# needed to be able to do incremental builds with docker
+mkdir -p ${WORKSPACE}/postgres-pglite/tmp/sdk/build ${WORKSPACE}/postgres-pglite/tmp/pglite
+
 if echo -n $@|grep -q it$
 then
     PROMPT="&& bash ) || bash"
@@ -37,6 +40,8 @@ docker run $@ \
   --env-file .buildconfig \
   -e DEBUG=${DEBUG:-false} \
   --workdir=${DOCKER_WORKSPACE} \
+  -v ${WORKSPACE}/postgres-pglite/tmp/sdk/build:/tmp/sdk/build:rw \
+  -v ${WORKSPACE}/postgres-pglite/tmp/pglite:/tmp/pglite:rw \
   -v ${WORKSPACE}/postgres-pglite:${DOCKER_WORKSPACE}:rw \
   -v ${WORKSPACE}/postgres-pglite/dist:/tmp/sdk/dist:rw \
   $IMG_NAME:$IMG_TAG \