diff --git a/.changeset/stale-rocks-wonder.md b/.changeset/stale-rocks-wonder.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..620dfb6d471
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/stale-rocks-wonder.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+"app-builder-lib": patch
+"dmg-builder": patch
+---
+
+fix: dmg-license as an optional dependency while still enabling docs site to build properly
diff --git a/netlify-docs.sh b/netlify-docs.sh
index 01b1ce0d562..4ce11f49fd5 100644
--- a/netlify-docs.sh
+++ b/netlify-docs.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 pip3 install pipenv
 pipenv install
+echo "Installing pnpm"
+npx pnpm install --store=./node_modules/.pnpm-store
+echo "Building site docs"
 mkdocs build
diff --git a/netlify.toml b/netlify.toml
index c5352a0c861..6b976166435 100644
--- a/netlify.toml
+++ b/netlify.toml
@@ -4,3 +4,6 @@
 [Build]
   Publish = ""
   Functions = ""
+
+[build.environment]
+  NPM_FLAGS = "--version"
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index c0dc697ae16..85a55c7dde2 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@
   "repository": "https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder",
   "///": "All dependencies for all packages (hoisted)",
   "////": "All typings are added into root `package.json` to avoid duplication errors in the IDE compiler (several `node.d.ts` files).",
+  "dependencies": {
+    "dmg-license": "1.0.9"
+  },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@babel/plugin-transform-modules-commonjs": "7.15.0",
     "@changesets/changelog-github": "0.4.1",
diff --git a/packages/app-builder-lib/package.json b/packages/app-builder-lib/package.json
index 208f78bacf6..08b3db1957a 100644
--- a/packages/app-builder-lib/package.json
+++ b/packages/app-builder-lib/package.json
@@ -101,8 +101,9 @@
     "@types/is-ci": "3.0.0",
     "@types/js-yaml": "4.0.3",
     "@types/semver": "7.3.8",
+    "dmg-builder": "workspace:*",
     "electron-builder-squirrel-windows": "workspace:*"
   },
-  "//": "electron-builder-squirrel-windows added as dev dep for tests (as otherwise `require` doesn't work using Yarn 2)",
+  "//": "electron-builder-squirrel-windows and dmg-builder added as dev dep for tests (as otherwise `require` doesn't work using Yarn 2)",
   "typings": "./out/index.d.ts"
 }
diff --git a/packages/dmg-builder/package.json b/packages/dmg-builder/package.json
index e5df83d9ea0..47d62e26dc5 100644
--- a/packages/dmg-builder/package.json
+++ b/packages/dmg-builder/package.json
@@ -20,11 +20,13 @@
 		"app-builder-lib": "workspace:*",
 		"builder-util": "workspace:*",
 		"builder-util-runtime": "workspace:*",
-		"dmg-license": "^1.0.9",
 		"fs-extra": "^10.0.0",
 		"iconv-lite": "^0.6.2",
 		"js-yaml": "^4.1.0"
 	},
+	"optionalDependencies": {
+		"dmg-license": "^1.0.9"
+	},
 	"devDependencies": {
 		"@types/fs-extra": "9.0.12",
 		"@types/js-yaml": "4.0.3",
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index 1d0d07ef85e..ce752e0cd2b 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ importers:
       catharsis: 0.9.0
       conventional-changelog-cli: 2.1.1
       dmd: 6.0.0
+      dmg-license: 1.0.9
       eslint: 7.30.0
       eslint-config-prettier: 8.3.0
       eslint-plugin-prettier: 3.4.0
@@ -31,6 +32,8 @@ importers:
       typescript: 4.3.5
       typescript-json-schema: 0.50.1
       v8-compile-cache: 2.3.0
+    dependencies:
+      dmg-license: 1.0.9
     devDependencies:
       '@babel/plugin-transform-modules-commonjs': 7.15.0
       '@changesets/changelog-github': 0.4.1
@@ -98,6 +101,7 @@ importers:
       builder-util-runtime: workspace:*
       chromium-pickle-js: ^0.2.0
       debug: ^4.3.2
+      dmg-builder: workspace:*
       ejs: ^3.1.6
       electron-builder-squirrel-windows: workspace:*
       electron-osx-sign: ^0.5.0
@@ -167,6 +171,7 @@ importers:
       '@types/is-ci': 3.0.0
       '@types/js-yaml': 4.0.3
       '@types/semver': 7.3.8
+      dmg-builder: link:../dmg-builder
       electron-builder-squirrel-windows: link:../electron-builder-squirrel-windows
 
   packages/builder-util:
@@ -241,10 +246,11 @@ importers:
       app-builder-lib: link:../app-builder-lib
       builder-util: link:../builder-util
       builder-util-runtime: link:../builder-util-runtime
-      dmg-license: 1.0.9
       fs-extra: 10.0.0
       iconv-lite: 0.6.3
       js-yaml: 4.1.0
+    optionalDependencies:
+      dmg-license: 1.0.9
     devDependencies:
       '@types/fs-extra': 9.0.12
       '@types/js-yaml': 4.0.3