diff --git a/api/config.go b/api/config.go
index 596a7ff..7b8c963 100644
--- a/api/config.go
+++ b/api/config.go
@@ -2,9 +2,17 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"os"
+	"strings"
+	"path/filepath"
 )
 
 func parseConfig() error {
+	binPath, err := filepath.Abs(filepath.Dir(os.Args[0]))
+	if err != nil {
+		logger.Fatalf("cannot load binary path: %v", err)
+		return err
+	}
+
 	defaults := map[string]string{
 		"POSTGRES": "postgres://postgres:postgres@localhost/commento?sslmode=disable",
 
@@ -13,6 +21,8 @@ func parseConfig() error {
 
 		"CDN_PREFIX": "",
 
+		"STATIC": binPath,
+
 		"SMTP_USERNAME":     "",
 		"SMTP_PASSWORD":     "",
 		"SMTP_HOST":         "",
@@ -42,5 +52,23 @@ func parseConfig() error {
 		os.Setenv("CDN_PREFIX", os.Getenv("ORIGIN"))
 	}
 
+	static := os.Getenv("STATIC")
+	for strings.HasSuffix(static, "/") {
+		static = static[0:len(static)-1]
+	}
+
+	file, err := os.Stat(static)
+	if err != nil {
+		logger.Errorf("cannot load %s: %v", static, err)
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if !file.IsDir() {
+		logger.Errorf("COMMENTO_STATIC=%s is not a directory", static)
+		return errorNotADirectory
+	}
+
+	os.Setenv("STATIC", static)
+
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/api/config_test.go b/api/config_test.go
index ae0d477..0bfb378 100644
--- a/api/config_test.go
+++ b/api/config_test.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package main
 import (
 	"os"
 	"testing"
+	"path/filepath"
 )
 
 func TestParseConfigBasics(t *testing.T) {
@@ -31,3 +32,55 @@ func TestParseConfigBasics(t *testing.T) {
 		return
 	}
 }
+
+func TestParseConfigStatic(t *testing.T) {
+	os.Setenv("COMMENTO_ORIGIN", "https://commento.io")
+
+	if err := parseConfig(); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected error when parsing config: %v", err)
+		return
+	}
+
+	binPath, err := filepath.Abs(filepath.Dir(os.Args[0]))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("cannot load binary path: %v", err)
+		return
+	}
+
+	if os.Getenv("STATIC") != binPath {
+		t.Errorf("COMMENTO_STATIC != %s when unset", binPath)
+		return
+	}
+
+	os.Setenv("COMMENTO_STATIC", "/usr/")
+
+	if err := parseConfig(); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected error when parsing config: %v", err)
+		return
+	}
+
+	if os.Getenv("STATIC") != "/usr" {
+		t.Errorf("COMMENTO_STATIC != /usr when unset")
+		return
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParseConfigStaticDNE(t *testing.T) {
+	os.Setenv("COMMENTO_ORIGIN", "https://commento.io")
+	os.Setenv("COMMENTO_STATIC", "/does/not/exist/surely/")
+
+	if err := parseConfig(); err == nil {
+		t.Errorf("expected error not found when a non-existant directory is used")
+		return
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParseConfigStaticNotADirectory(t *testing.T) {
+	os.Setenv("COMMENTO_ORIGIN", "https://commento.io")
+	os.Setenv("COMMENTO_STATIC", os.Args[0])
+
+	if err := parseConfig(); err != errorNotADirectory {
+		t.Errorf("expected error not found when a file is used")
+		return
+	}
+}
diff --git a/api/database_migrations.go b/api/database_migrations.go
index 3d385b9..1d48d49 100644
--- a/api/database_migrations.go
+++ b/api/database_migrations.go
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 func performMigrations() error {
-	return performMigrationsFromDir("db")
+	return performMigrationsFromDir(os.Getenv("STATIC") + "/db")
 }
 
 func performMigrationsFromDir(dir string) error {
diff --git a/api/errors.go b/api/errors.go
index b8ba5bc..f53a54f 100644
--- a/api/errors.go
+++ b/api/errors.go
@@ -43,3 +43,4 @@ var errorUnassociatedSession = errors.New("No user associated with that session.
 var errorSessionAlreadyInUse = errors.New("Session is already in use.")
 var errorCannotReadResponse = errors.New("Cannot read response.")
 var errorNotModerator = errors.New("You need to be a moderator to do that.")
+var errorNotADirectory = errors.New("The given path is not a directory.")
diff --git a/api/router_static.go b/api/router_static.go
index 772a118..45c048f 100644
--- a/api/router_static.go
+++ b/api/router_static.go
@@ -28,24 +28,26 @@ func initStaticRouter(router *mux.Router) error {
 	asset := make(map[string]string)
 
 	for _, dir := range []string{"js", "css", "images"} {
-		files, err := ioutil.ReadDir("./" + dir)
+		sl := string(os.PathSeparator)
+		dir = sl + dir
+
+		files, err := ioutil.ReadDir(os.Getenv("STATIC") + dir)
 		if err != nil {
-			logger.Errorf("cannot read directory ./%s: %v", dir, err)
+			logger.Errorf("cannot read directory %s%s: %v", os.Getenv("STATIC"), dir, err)
 			return err
 		}
 
 		for _, file := range files {
-			sl := string(os.PathSeparator)
-			p := sl + dir + sl + file.Name()
+			p := dir + sl + file.Name()
 
-			contents, err := ioutil.ReadFile("." + p)
+			contents, err := ioutil.ReadFile(os.Getenv("STATIC") + p)
 			if err != nil {
-				logger.Errorf("cannot read file %s: %v", p, err)
+				logger.Errorf("cannot read file %s%s: %v", os.Getenv("STATIC"), p, err)
 				return err
 			}
 
 			prefix := ""
-			if dir == "js" {
+			if dir == "/js" {
 				prefix = "window.commento_origin='" + os.Getenv("ORIGIN") + "';\n"
 				prefix += "window.commento_cdn='" + os.Getenv("CDN_PREFIX") + "';\n"
 			}
@@ -69,22 +71,26 @@ func initStaticRouter(router *mux.Router) error {
 
 	html := make(map[string]string)
 	for _, page := range pages {
-		contents, err := ioutil.ReadFile(page + ".html")
+		sl := string(os.PathSeparator)
+		page = sl + page
+		file := page + ".html"
+
+		contents, err := ioutil.ReadFile(os.Getenv("STATIC") + file)
 		if err != nil {
-			logger.Errorf("cannot read file %s.html: %v", page, err)
+			logger.Errorf("cannot read file %s%s: %v", os.Getenv("STATIC"), file, err)
 			return err
 		}
 
 		t, err := template.New(page).Delims("<<<", ">>>").Parse(string(contents))
 		if err != nil {
-			logger.Errorf("cannot parse /%s template: %v", page, err)
+			logger.Errorf("cannot parse %s%s template: %v", os.Getenv("STATIC"), file, err)
 			return err
 		}
 
 		var buf bytes.Buffer
 		t.Execute(&buf, &staticHtmlPlugs{CdnPrefix: os.Getenv("CDN_PREFIX")})
 
-		html["/" + page] = buf.String()
+		html[page] = buf.String()
 	}
 
 	for _, page := range pages {
diff --git a/api/smtp_templates.go b/api/smtp_templates.go
index 2889121..1f42f15 100644
--- a/api/smtp_templates.go
+++ b/api/smtp_templates.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"os"
 	"fmt"
 	"html/template"
 )
@@ -38,9 +39,9 @@ Subject: {{.Subject}}
 	for _, name := range names {
 		var err error
 		templates[name] = template.New(name)
-		templates[name], err = template.ParseFiles(fmt.Sprintf("email/%s.html", name))
+		templates[name], err = template.ParseFiles(fmt.Sprintf("%s/templates/%s.html", os.Getenv("COMMENTO_STATIC"), name))
 		if err != nil {
-			logger.Fatalf("cannot parse %s.html: %v\n", name, err)
+			logger.Fatalf("cannot parse %s/templates/%s.html: %v", os.Getenv("STATIC"), name, err)
 			return errorMalformedTemplate
 		}
 	}