diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index fbbd518ec..e5b775a75 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -110,16 +110,17 @@ frontend-%: node_modules
 --frontend-test-watch: WATCH=--single-run false
 --frontend-test-watch: --frontend-test
 
-node_modules: .npmrc package.json
+node_modules: package.json
 	npm ci --cache .npm --prefer-offline
 
 well-known: node_modules
 	npx webpack --progress
 
-.npmrc:
-	@# Using @echo instead of echo to avoid printing secret token to stdout
-	@echo '@fortawesome:registry=https://npm.fontawesome.com/' > .npmrc
-	@echo "//npm.fontawesome.com/:_authToken=$(FONTAWESOME_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN)" >> .npmrc
+# TODO: remove, as no npmrc is needed anymore 
+# .npmrc:
+# 	@# Using @echo instead of echo to avoid printing secret token to stdout
+# 	@echo '@fortawesome:registry=https://npm.fontawesome.com/' > .npmrc
+# 	@echo "//npm.fontawesome.com/:_authToken=$(FONTAWESOME_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN)" >> .npmrc
 
 
 .PHONY: clean