diff --git a/packages/techdocs-cli/package.json b/packages/techdocs-cli/package.json
index a8dab88c55..56e7941d4c 100644
--- a/packages/techdocs-cli/package.json
+++ b/packages/techdocs-cli/package.json
@@ -21,12 +21,13 @@
   "types": "",
   "scripts": {
     "start": "nodemon --",
-    "build": "./scripts/build.sh",
+    "build": "backstage-cli build --outputs cjs",
     "clean": "backstage-cli clean",
     "lint": "backstage-cli lint",
     "test": "backstage-cli test --testPathIgnorePatterns=src/e2e.test.ts",
     "test:e2e": "backstage-cli test src/e2e.test.ts",
-    "test:e2e:ci": "backstage-cli test --watchAll=false --ci src/e2e.test.ts"
+    "test:e2e:ci": "backstage-cli test --watchAll=false --ci src/e2e.test.ts",
+    "prepack": "./scripts/prepack.sh"
   },
   "bin": {
     "techdocs-cli": "bin/techdocs-cli"
@@ -57,6 +58,7 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "@backstage/backend-common": "^0.10.6",
     "@backstage/catalog-model": "^0.9.10",
+    "@backstage/cli-common": "^0.1.6",
     "@backstage/config": "^0.1.13",
     "@backstage/techdocs-common": "^0.11.6",
     "@types/dockerode": "^3.3.0",
diff --git a/packages/techdocs-cli/scripts/build.sh b/packages/techdocs-cli/scripts/prepack.sh
similarity index 60%
rename from packages/techdocs-cli/scripts/build.sh
rename to packages/techdocs-cli/scripts/prepack.sh
index ef2d625711..fa24b10167 100755
--- a/packages/techdocs-cli/scripts/build.sh
+++ b/packages/techdocs-cli/scripts/prepack.sh
@@ -20,21 +20,7 @@ SCRIPT_DIR=$(dirname $0)
 TECHDOCS_CLI_DIR="$SCRIPT_DIR"/..
 TECHDOCS_CLI_EMBEDDED_APP_DIR="$TECHDOCS_CLI_DIR"/../techdocs-cli-embedded-app
 
-compile_and_build_cli() {
-  echo "📄 Compiling..."
-  yarn workspace @techdocs/cli tsc > /dev/null
-  echo "📦️ Building..."
-  pushd $TECHDOCS_CLI_DIR > /dev/null
-  npx backstage-cli build --outputs cjs > /dev/null
-  popd > /dev/null
-}
-
-build_and_embed_app() {
-  echo "🚚 Embedding app..."
-  yarn workspace techdocs-cli-embedded-app build > /dev/null
-  cp -r "$TECHDOCS_CLI_EMBEDDED_APP_DIR"/dist "$TECHDOCS_CLI_DIR"/dist/techdocs-preview-bundle > /dev/null
-}
-
-compile_and_build_cli
-build_and_embed_app
+echo "🚚 Copying embedded app into dist/embedded-app"
+rm -r "$TECHDOCS_CLI_DIR"/dist/embedded-app
+cp -r "$TECHDOCS_CLI_EMBEDDED_APP_DIR"/dist "$TECHDOCS_CLI_DIR"/dist/embedded-app
 echo "🏁 Ready!"
diff --git a/packages/techdocs-cli/src/commands/serve/serve.ts b/packages/techdocs-cli/src/commands/serve/serve.ts
index 4d71de3e52..a6a671c2df 100644
--- a/packages/techdocs-cli/src/commands/serve/serve.ts
+++ b/packages/techdocs-cli/src/commands/serve/serve.ts
@@ -17,11 +17,30 @@
 import { Command } from 'commander';
 import path from 'path';
 import openBrowser from 'react-dev-utils/openBrowser';
+import { findPaths } from '@backstage/cli-common';
 import HTTPServer from '../../lib/httpServer';
 import { runMkdocsServer } from '../../lib/mkdocsServer';
 import { LogFunc, waitForSignal } from '../../lib/run';
 import { createLogger } from '../../lib/utility';
 
+function findPreviewBundlePath(): string {
+  try {
+    return path.join(
+      path.dirname(require.resolve('techdocs-cli-embedded-app/package.json')),
+      'dist',
+    );
+  } catch {
+    // If the techdocs-cli-embedded-app package is not available it means we're
+    // running a published package. For published packages the preview bundle is
+    // copied to dist/embedded-app be the prepack script.
+    //
+    // This can be tested by running `yarn pack` and extracting the resulting tarball into a directory.
+    // Within the extracted directory, run `npm install --only=prod`.
+    // Once that's done you can test the CLI in any directory using `node <tmp-dir>/package <command>`.
+    return findPaths(__dirname).resolveOwn('dist/embedded-app');
+  }
+}
+
 export default async function serve(cmd: Command) {
   const logger = createLogger({ verbose: cmd.verbose });
 
@@ -91,16 +110,9 @@ export default async function serve(cmd: Command) {
     );
   }
 
-  // Run the embedded-techdocs Backstage app
-  const techdocsPreviewBundlePath = path.join(
-    path.dirname(require.resolve('@techdocs/cli/package.json')),
-    'dist',
-    'techdocs-preview-bundle',
-  );
-
   const port = isDevMode ? backstageBackendPort : backstagePort;
   const httpServer = new HTTPServer(
-    techdocsPreviewBundlePath,
+    findPreviewBundlePath(),
     port,
     cmd.mkdocsPort,
     cmd.verbose,