diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d5b083a..0f635e1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -113,6 +113,7 @@ Skip this step if your base image is ubuntu or opensuse-leap. If you are buildin
 | Parameter        | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    | Type   | Default Value           |
 |------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------|-------------------------|
 | CUSTOM_TAG       | Environment name for provider image tagging. The default value is `demo`.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      | String | `demo`                  |
+| EARTHLY_BIN      | Path to earthly binary on the host system (e.g. /usr/local/bin/earthly). If empty the docker image of earthly is used.  | String |                   |
 | IMAGE_REGISTRY   | Image registry name that will store the image artifacts. The default value points to the *ttl.sh* image registry, an anonymous and ephemeral Docker image registry where images live for a maximum of 24 hours by default. If you wish to make the images exist longer than 24 hours, you can use any other image registry to suit your needs. | String | `ttl.sh`                |
 | OS_DISTRIBUTION  | OS distribution of your choice. For example, it can be `ubuntu` or `opensuse-leap`.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            | String | `ubuntu`                |
 | IMAGE_REPO       | Image repository name in your chosen registry.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 | String | `$OS_DISTRIBUTION`      |
diff --git a/earthly.sh b/earthly.sh
index 84650b7..e092247 100755
--- a/earthly.sh
+++ b/earthly.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/bash
+
+set -e
+
 function build_with_proxy() {
     export HTTP_PROXY=$HTTP_PROXY
     export HTTPS_PROXY=$HTTPS_PROXY
@@ -37,7 +40,9 @@ if ! docker run --rm --privileged alpine sh -c 'echo "Privileged container test"
     echo "Privileged containers are not allowed for the current user."
     exit 1
 fi
-if [ -z "$HTTP_PROXY" ] && [ -z "$HTTPS_PROXY"]; then
+if [ ! -z "${EARTHLY_BIN}" ]; then
+   "${EARTHLY_BIN}" --allow-privileged "$@"
+elif [ -z "$HTTP_PROXY" ] && [ -z "$HTTPS_PROXY"]; then
     build_without_proxy "$@"
 else
     build_with_proxy "$@"