diff --git a/nginx/config/local-server.conf b/nginx/config/local-server.conf
index 17d764a4..cc813fb6 100644
--- a/nginx/config/local-server.conf
+++ b/nginx/config/local-server.conf
@@ -39,8 +39,11 @@ location ~ [^/]\.php(/|$) {
     fastcgi_buffer_size 32k;
 }
 
-# serve static files directly
+# serve static files directly, fall through to front controller if not found.
+# This is needed for v21+ installs where static assets (amd/build/, pix/, fonts/)
+# live under server/ not public/, so nginx can't serve them directly.
 location ~* ^.+.(jpg|jpeg|gif|css|png|js|ico|html|xml|txt)$ {
     access_log        off;
     expires           max;
+    try_files         $uri /index.php?$query_string;
 }