diff --git a/src/lib/deploy.js b/src/lib/deploy.js
index 5c6cc17ce80929826c37441284269a554c40cc04..49096abe4bd5e9c8e1462416a58a563317194891 100644
--- a/src/lib/deploy.js
+++ b/src/lib/deploy.js
@@ -556,22 +556,45 @@ async function generateVerificationKey(
         process.exit(1);
       }
     }
-    // import and compile ZkProgram if smart contract to deploy verifies it
-    if (zkProgramNameArg) {
-      zkProgram = await getZkProgram(projectRoot, zkProgramNameArg);
-      const currentZkProgramDigest = await zkProgram.digest();
-      await zkProgram.compile();
 
-      const result = await zkApp.compile(zkAppAddress);
-      verificationKey = result.verificationKey;
+    const MAX_ITERATIONS = 5;
 
-      // Add ZkProgram name to cache of the smart contract that verifies it
-      cache[contractName].zkProgram = zkProgramNameArg;
-      // Initialize zkprogram cache if not defined
-      cache[zkProgramNameArg] = cache[zkProgramNameArg] ?? {};
-      cache[zkProgramNameArg].digest = currentZkProgramDigest;
+    // import and compile ZkProgram if smart contract to deploy verifies it
+    for (let i = 0; i < MAX_ITERATIONS; i++) {
+      if (zkProgramNameArg) {
+        zkProgram = await getZkProgram(projectRoot, zkProgramNameArg);
+        const currentZkProgramDigest = await zkProgram.digest();
+        await zkProgram.compile();
+
+        // Add ZkProgram name to cache of the smart contract that verifies it
+        cache[contractName].zkProgram = zkProgramNameArg;
+        // Initialize zkprogram cache if not defined
+        cache[zkProgramNameArg] = cache[zkProgramNameArg] ?? {};
+        cache[zkProgramNameArg].digest = currentZkProgramDigest;
+
+        zkProgramNameArg = null;
+  
+        try {
+          // attempt to compile the zkApp
+          const result = await zkApp.compile(zkAppAddress);
+    
+          verificationKey = result.verificationKey;
+        } catch (error) {
+          // if the zkApp compilation fails because the ZkProgram compilation output that the smart contract verifies is not found,
+          // the error message is parsed to get the ZkProgram name argument.
+          if (error.message.includes(`but we cannot find compilation output for`)) {
+            zkProgramNameArg = getZkProgramNameArg(error.message);
+          } else {
+            console.error(error);
+            process.exit(1);
+          }
+        }
+      } else {
+        break;
+      }
     }
 
+
     // update cache with new smart contract verification key and currrentDigest
     cache[contractName].verificationKey = verificationKey;
     cache[contractName].digest = currentDigest;