diff --git a/files/service/config.json.dev.template b/files/service/config.json.dev.template
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6c08925e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/files/service/config.json.dev.template
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+{
+  "default": {
+    "database": {
+      "host": "${DB_HOST}",
+      "user": "${DB_USER}",
+      "password": "${DB_PASSWORD}",
+      "database": "${DB_NAME}",
+      "ssl": ${DB_SSL}
+    },
+    "email": {
+      "serviceAccount": "${EMAIL_FROM}",
+      "transport": "smtp",
+      "transportOpts": {
+        "host": "${EMAIL_HOST}",
+        "port": ${EMAIL_PORT},
+        "secure": ${EMAIL_SECURE},
+        "ignoreTLS": ${EMAIL_IGNORE_TLS},
+        "auth": {
+          "user": "${EMAIL_USER}",
+          "pass": "${EMAIL_PASSWORD}"
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "xlsform": {
+      "host": "127.0.0.1", // localhost doesn't work here - don't know why (shrug)
+      "port": 5001
+    },
+    "enketo": {
+      "url": "http://localhost:8005/-",
+      "apiKey": "enketorules"
+    },
+    "env": {
+      "domain": "http://localhost:8989",
+      "sysadminAccount": "${SYSADMIN_EMAIL}"
+    },
+    "oidc": {
+      "enabled": ${OIDC_ENABLED},
+      "issuerUrl": "${OIDC_ISSUER_URL}",
+      "clientId": "${OIDC_CLIENT_ID}",
+      "clientSecret": "${OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET}"
+    },
+    "external": {
+      "sentry": {
+        "orgSubdomain": "${SENTRY_ORG_SUBDOMAIN}",
+        "key": "${SENTRY_KEY}",
+        "project": "${SENTRY_PROJECT}"
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/files/service/scripts/start-odk.sh b/files/service/scripts/start-odk.sh
index dd92d804..575aed95 100755
--- a/files/service/scripts/start-odk.sh
+++ b/files/service/scripts/start-odk.sh
@@ -2,10 +2,16 @@
 
 echo "generating local service configuration.."
 
+TEMPLATE_PATH=/usr/share/odk/config.json.template
+
+if [ "$ENV" = "DEV" ]; then
+    TEMPLATE_PATH=/usr/share/odk/config.json.dev.template
+fi
+
 ENKETO_API_KEY=$(cat /etc/secrets/enketo-api-key) \
 BASE_URL=$( [ "${HTTPS_PORT}" = 443 ] && echo https://"${DOMAIN}" || echo https://"${DOMAIN}":"${HTTPS_PORT}" ) \
 envsubst '$DOMAIN $BASE_URL $SYSADMIN_EMAIL $ENKETO_API_KEY $DB_HOST $DB_USER $DB_PASSWORD $DB_NAME $DB_SSL $EMAIL_FROM $EMAIL_HOST $EMAIL_PORT $EMAIL_SECURE $EMAIL_IGNORE_TLS $EMAIL_USER $EMAIL_PASSWORD $OIDC_ENABLED $OIDC_ISSUER_URL $OIDC_CLIENT_ID $OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET $SENTRY_ORG_SUBDOMAIN $SENTRY_KEY $SENTRY_PROJECT' \
-    < /usr/share/odk/config.json.template \
+    < $TEMPLATE_PATH \
     > /usr/odk/config/local.json
 
 SENTRY_RELEASE="$(cat sentry-versions/server)"
diff --git a/service.dockerfile b/service.dockerfile
index 11f5e280..6e9ff6c3 100644
--- a/service.dockerfile
+++ b/service.dockerfile
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ COPY server/ ./
 COPY files/service/scripts/ ./
 
 COPY files/service/config.json.template /usr/share/odk/
+COPY files/service/config.json.dev.template /usr/share/odk/
 COPY files/service/odk-cmd /usr/bin/
 
 COPY --from=intermediate /tmp/sentry-versions/ ./sentry-versions