diff --git a/app/data/stacks/mainnet-laconic/deploy/commands.py b/app/data/stacks/mainnet-laconic/deploy/commands.py
index 0ac4845f..5dfeed34 100644
--- a/app/data/stacks/mainnet-laconic/deploy/commands.py
+++ b/app/data/stacks/mainnet-laconic/deploy/commands.py
@@ -13,45 +13,18 @@
 # You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
 # along with this program.  If not, see <http:#www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 
-import click
-import os
-from shutil import copyfile
-import sys
-from .util import get_stack_config_filename, get_parsed_deployment_spec
+from util import get_yaml
 
-default_spec_file_content = """stack: mainnet-laconic
-data_dir: /my/path
-node_name: my-node-name
+default_spec_file_content = """config:
+    node_moniker: my-node-name
+    chain_id: my-chain-id
+"""
+
+init_help_text = """Add helpful text here on setting config variables.
 """
 
 
-def make_default_deployment_dir():
-    return "deployment-001"
-
-@click.command()
-@click.option("--output", required=True, help="Write yaml spec file here")
-@click.pass_context
-def init(ctx, output):
-    with open(output, "w") as output_file:
-        output_file.write(default_spec_file_content)
-
-
-@click.command()
-@click.option("--spec-file", required=True, help="Spec file to use to create this deployment")
-@click.option("--deployment-dir", help="Create deployment files in this directory")
-@click.pass_context
-def create(ctx, spec_file, deployment_dir):
-    # This function fails with a useful error message if the file doens't exist
-    parsed_spec = get_parsed_deployment_spec(spec_file)
-    if ctx.debug:
-        print(f"parsed spec: {parsed_spec}")
-    if deployment_dir is None:
-        deployment_dir = make_default_deployment_dir()
-    if os.path.exists(deployment_dir):
-        print(f"Error: {deployment_dir} already exists")
-        sys.exit(1)
-    os.mkdir(deployment_dir)
-    # Copy spec file and the stack file into the deployment dir
-    copyfile(spec_file, os.path.join(deployment_dir, os.path.basename(spec_file)))
-    stack_file = get_stack_config_filename(parsed_spec.stack)
-    copyfile(stack_file, os.path.join(deployment_dir, os.path.basename(stack_file)))
+def init(ctx):
+    print(init_help_text)
+    yaml = get_yaml()
+    return yaml.parse(default_spec_file_content)
diff --git a/app/deployment_create.py b/app/deployment_create.py
index 5a9ddbcd..0dc6bd54 100644
--- a/app/deployment_create.py
+++ b/app/deployment_create.py
@@ -14,20 +14,12 @@
 # along with this program.  If not, see <http:#www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 
 import click
+from importlib import util
 import os
 from pathlib import Path
 from shutil import copyfile, copytree
 import sys
-import ruamel.yaml
-from .util import get_stack_file_path, get_parsed_deployment_spec, get_parsed_stack_config, global_options
-
-
-def _get_yaml():
-    # See: https://stackoverflow.com/a/45701840/1701505
-    yaml = ruamel.yaml.YAML()
-    yaml.preserve_quotes = True
-    yaml.indent(sequence=3, offset=1)
-    return yaml
+from .util import get_stack_file_path, get_parsed_deployment_spec, get_parsed_stack_config, global_options, get_yaml
 
 
 def _make_default_deployment_dir():
@@ -47,7 +39,7 @@ def _get_named_volumes(stack):
     named_volumes = []
     parsed_stack = get_parsed_stack_config(stack)
     pods = parsed_stack["pods"]
-    yaml = _get_yaml()
+    yaml = get_yaml()
     for pod in pods:
         pod_file_path = os.path.join(_get_compose_file_dir(), f"docker-compose-{pod}.yml")
         parsed_pod_file = yaml.load(open(pod_file_path, "r"))
@@ -96,21 +88,34 @@ def _fixup_pod_file(pod, spec, compose_dir):
                     pod["volumes"][volume] = new_volume_spec
 
 
+def call_stack_deploy_init(stack):
+    # Link with the python file in the stack
+    # Call a function in it
+    # If no function found, return None
+    python_file_path = get_stack_file_path(stack).parent.joinpath("deploy", "commands.py")
+    spec = util.spec_from_file_location("commands", python_file_path)
+    imported_stack = util.module_from_spec(spec)
+    spec.loader.exec_module(imported_stack)
+    return imported_stack.init()
+
+
 @click.command()
 @click.option("--output", required=True, help="Write yaml spec file here")
 @click.pass_context
 def init(ctx, output):
-    yaml = _get_yaml()
+    yaml = get_yaml()
     stack = global_options(ctx).stack
     verbose = global_options(ctx).verbose
+    default_spec_file_content = call_stack_deploy_init(stack)
     spec_file_content = {"stack": stack}
+    spec_file_content.update(default_spec_file_content)
     if verbose:
         print(f"Creating spec file for stack: {stack}")
     named_volumes = _get_named_volumes(stack)
     if named_volumes:
         volume_descriptors = {}
         for named_volume in named_volumes:
-            volume_descriptors[named_volume] = f"../data/{named_volume}"
+            volume_descriptors[named_volume] = f"./data/{named_volume}"
         spec_file_content["volumes"] = volume_descriptors
     with open(output, "w") as output_file:
         yaml.dump(spec_file_content, output_file)
@@ -142,7 +147,7 @@ def create(ctx, spec_file, deployment_dir):
     destination_compose_dir = os.path.join(deployment_dir, "compose")
     os.mkdir(destination_compose_dir)
     data_dir = Path(__file__).absolute().parent.joinpath("data")
-    yaml = _get_yaml()
+    yaml = get_yaml()
     for pod in pods:
         pod_file_path = os.path.join(_get_compose_file_dir(), f"docker-compose-{pod}.yml")
         parsed_pod_file = yaml.load(open(pod_file_path, "r"))
diff --git a/app/util.py b/app/util.py
index 69eda4af..2b12cfbc 100644
--- a/app/util.py
+++ b/app/util.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 
 import os.path
 import sys
-import yaml
+import ruamel.yaml
 from pathlib import Path
 
 
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ def get_parsed_stack_config(stack):
     stack_file_path = stack if isinstance(stack, os.PathLike) else get_stack_file_path(stack)
     try:
         with stack_file_path:
-            stack_config = yaml.safe_load(open(stack_file_path, "r"))
+            stack_config = get_yaml().load(open(stack_file_path, "r"))
             return stack_config
     except FileNotFoundError as error:
         # We try here to generate a useful diagnostic error
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ def get_parsed_deployment_spec(spec_file):
     spec_file_path = Path(spec_file)
     try:
         with spec_file_path:
-            deploy_spec = yaml.safe_load(open(spec_file_path, "r"))
+            deploy_spec = get_yaml().load(open(spec_file_path, "r"))
             return deploy_spec
     except FileNotFoundError as error:
         # We try here to generate a useful diagnostic error
@@ -69,6 +69,14 @@ def get_parsed_deployment_spec(spec_file):
         sys.exit(1)
 
 
+def get_yaml():
+    # See: https://stackoverflow.com/a/45701840/1701505
+    yaml = ruamel.yaml.YAML()
+    yaml.preserve_quotes = True
+    yaml.indent(sequence=3, offset=1)
+    return yaml
+
+
 # TODO: this is fragile wrt to the subcommand depth
 # See also: https://github.com/pallets/click/issues/108
 def global_options(ctx):