diff --git a/docs/index.md b/docs/index.md
index ee497ffed05..81da350d038 100644
--- a/docs/index.md
+++ b/docs/index.md
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ In this section we will build a simple documentation site on your local machine.
 > Prerequisites
 > - Familiarity with the command line
 > - Install [.NET SDK](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download) 8.0 or higher
-> - Install [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) v20 or higher
+> - Install [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) v20 or higher (Optional: It's required when using [Create PDF Files](https://filzrev.github.io/docfx/docs/pdf.html))
 
 Make sure you have [.NET SDK](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download) installed, then open a terminal and enter the following command to install the latest docfx:
 
diff --git a/src/Docfx.App/PdfBuilder.cs b/src/Docfx.App/PdfBuilder.cs
index 0eefbe13c67..124d39b71d8 100644
--- a/src/Docfx.App/PdfBuilder.cs
+++ b/src/Docfx.App/PdfBuilder.cs
@@ -48,11 +48,6 @@ class Outline
         public string? pdfFooterTemplate { get; init; }
     }
 
-    static PdfBuilder()
-    {
-        PlaywrightHelper.EnsurePlaywrightNodeJsPath();
-    }
-
     public static Task Run(BuildJsonConfig config, string configDirectory, string? outputDirectory = null)
     {
         var outputFolder = Path.GetFullPath(Path.Combine(
@@ -70,6 +65,8 @@ public static async Task CreatePdf(string outputFolder)
         if (pdfTocs.Count == 0)
             return;
 
+        PlaywrightHelper.EnsurePlaywrightNodeJsPath();
+
         Program.Main(["install", "chromium"]);
 
         var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder();