diff --git a/dockerfiles/super_node/Dockerfile b/dockerfiles/super_node/Dockerfile
index af3d4f27..fbed02a6 100644
--- a/dockerfiles/super_node/Dockerfile
+++ b/dockerfiles/super_node/Dockerfile
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ USER $USER
 # note: using $USER is merged, but not in the stable release yet
 COPY --chown=5000:5000 --from=builder /go/src/github.com/vulcanize/vulcanizedb/$CONFIG_FILE config.toml
 COPY --chown=5000:5000 --from=builder /go/src/github.com/vulcanize/vulcanizedb/dockerfiles/super_node/startup_script.sh .
+COPY --chown=5000:5000 --from=builder /go/src/github.com/vulcanize/vulcanizedb/dockerfiles/super_node/entrypoint.sh .
 
 
 # keep binaries immutable
@@ -51,9 +52,8 @@ COPY --from=builder /go/src/github.com/vulcanize/vulcanizedb/vulcanizedb vulcani
 COPY --from=builder /go/src/github.com/pressly/goose/cmd/goose/goose goose
 COPY --from=builder /go/src/github.com/vulcanize/vulcanizedb/db/migrations migrations/vulcanizedb
 COPY --from=builder /go/src/github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/ipfs ipfs
-# XXX dir is already writeable RUN touch vulcanizedb.log
 
 EXPOSE $EXPOSE_PORT_1
 EXPOSE $EXPOSE_PORT_2
 
-CMD ["./startup_script.sh"]
+ENTRYPOINT ["/app/entrypoint.sh"]
diff --git a/dockerfiles/super_node/entrypoint.sh b/dockerfiles/super_node/entrypoint.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..04dcf74c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dockerfiles/super_node/entrypoint.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Runs the db migrations and starts the super node services
+
+# Exit if the variable tests fail
+set -e
+set +x
+
+# Check the database variables are set
+# XXX set defaults, don't silently fail
+#test $DATABASE_HOSTNAME
+#test $DATABASE_NAME
+#test $DATABASE_PORT
+#test $DATABASE_USER
+#test $DATABASE_PASSWORD
+#test $IPFS_INIT
+#test $IPFS_PATH
+VDB_COMMAND=${VARIABLE:-headerSync}
+set +e
+
+# Construct the connection string for postgres
+VDB_PG_CONNECT=postgresql://$DATABASE_USER:$DATABASE_PASSWORD@$DATABASE_HOSTNAME:$DATABASE_PORT/$DATABASE_NAME?sslmode=disable
+
+# Run the DB migrations
+echo "Connecting with: $VDB_PG_CONNECT"
+echo "Running database migrations"
+./goose -dir migrations/vulcanizedb postgres "$VDB_PG_CONNECT" up
+rv=$?
+
+if [ $rv != 0 ]; then
+  echo "Could not run migrations. Are the database details correct?"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Export our database variables so that the IPFS Postgres plugin can use them
+export IPFS_PGHOST=$DATABASE_HOSTNAME
+export IPFS_PGUSER=$DATABASE_USER
+export IPFS_PGDATABASE=$DATABASE_NAME
+export IPFS_PGPORT=$DATABASE_PORT
+export IPFS_PGPASSWORD=$DATABASE_PASSWORD
+
+
+if [ ! -d "~/.ipfs" ]; then
+  # initialize PG-IPFS
+  echo "Initializing Postgres-IPFS profile"
+  ./ipfs init --profile=postgresds
+
+  rv=$?
+  if [ $rv != 0 ]; then
+    echo "Could not initialize ipfs"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+fi
+
+echo "Beginning the vulcanizedb super node process"
+DEFAULT_OPTIONS="--config=config.toml"
+VDB_FULL_CL=${VARIABLE:-$DEFAULT_OPTIONS}
+# XXX stdout, not logfile
+./vulcanizedb ${VDB_COMMAND} $VDB_FULL_CL
+rv=$?
+
+if [ $rv != 0 ]; then
+  echo "VulcanizeDB startup failed"
+  exit 1
+fi
\ No newline at end of file