diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/test-deploy.yml b/.gitea/workflows/test-deploy.yml
index 2ea72c08..b0d5194d 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/test-deploy.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/test-deploy.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@ name: Deploy Test
 
 on:
   pull_request:
-    branches: '*'
+    branches:
+      - main
   push:
     branches:
       - main
diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/test-k8s-deploy.yml b/.gitea/workflows/test-k8s-deploy.yml
index a9964b72..bbd1d508 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/test-k8s-deploy.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/test-k8s-deploy.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@ name: K8s Deploy Test
 
 on:
   pull_request:
-    branches: '*'
+    branches:
+      - main
   push:
     branches: '*'
     paths:
diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/test-k8s-deployment-control.yml b/.gitea/workflows/test-k8s-deployment-control.yml
index 9ab2526d..3784451b 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/test-k8s-deployment-control.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/test-k8s-deployment-control.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@ name: K8s Deployment Control Test
 
 on:
   pull_request:
-    branches: '*'
+    branches:
+      - main
   push:
     branches: '*'
     paths:
diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/test-webapp.yml b/.gitea/workflows/test-webapp.yml
index 99c5138f..8a3a60f9 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/test-webapp.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/test-webapp.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@ name: Webapp Test
 
 on:
   pull_request:
-    branches: '*'
+    branches:
+      - main
   push:
     branches:
       - main
diff --git a/AI-FRIENDLY-PLAN.md b/AI-FRIENDLY-PLAN.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..58d239f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/AI-FRIENDLY-PLAN.md
@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+# Plan: Make Stack-Orchestrator AI-Friendly
+
+## Goal
+
+Make the stack-orchestrator repository easier for AI tools (Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot) to understand and use for generating stacks, including adding a `create-stack` command.
+
+---
+
+## Part 1: Documentation & Context Files
+
+### 1.1 Add CLAUDE.md
+
+Create a root-level context file for AI assistants.
+
+**File:** `CLAUDE.md`
+
+Contents:
+- Project overview (what stack-orchestrator does)
+- Stack creation workflow (step-by-step)
+- File naming conventions
+- Required vs optional fields in stack.yml
+- Common patterns and anti-patterns
+- Links to example stacks (simple, medium, complex)
+
+### 1.2 Add JSON Schema for stack.yml
+
+Create formal validation schema.
+
+**File:** `schemas/stack-schema.json`
+
+Benefits:
+- AI tools can validate generated stacks
+- IDEs provide autocomplete
+- CI can catch errors early
+
+### 1.3 Add Template Stack with Comments
+
+Create an annotated template for reference.
+
+**File:** `stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/_template/stack.yml`
+
+```yaml
+# Stack definition template - copy this directory to create a new stack
+version: "1.2"  # Required: 1.0, 1.1, or 1.2
+name: my-stack  # Required: lowercase, hyphens only
+description: "Human-readable description"  # Optional
+repos:          # Git repositories to clone
+  - github.com/org/repo
+containers:     # Container images to build (must have matching container-build/)
+  - cerc/my-container
+pods:           # Deployment units (must have matching docker-compose-{pod}.yml)
+  - my-pod
+```
+
+### 1.4 Document Validation Rules
+
+Create explicit documentation of constraints currently scattered in code.
+
+**File:** `docs/stack-format.md`
+
+Contents:
+- Container names must start with `cerc/`
+- Pod names must match compose file: `docker-compose-{pod}.yml`
+- Repository format: `host/org/repo[@ref]`
+- Stack directory name should match `name` field
+- Version field options and differences
+
+---
+
+## Part 2: Add `create-stack` Command
+
+### 2.1 Command Overview
+
+```bash
+laconic-so create-stack --repo github.com/org/my-app [--name my-app] [--type webapp]
+```
+
+**Behavior:**
+1. Parse repo URL to extract app name (if --name not provided)
+2. Create `stacks/{name}/stack.yml`
+3. Create `container-build/cerc-{name}/Dockerfile` and `build.sh`
+4. Create `compose/docker-compose-{name}.yml`
+5. Update list files (repository-list.txt, container-image-list.txt, pod-list.txt)
+
+### 2.2 Files to Create
+
+| File | Purpose |
+|------|---------|
+| `stack_orchestrator/create/__init__.py` | Package init |
+| `stack_orchestrator/create/create_stack.py` | Command implementation |
+
+### 2.3 Files to Modify
+
+| File | Change |
+|------|--------|
+| `stack_orchestrator/main.py` | Add import and `cli.add_command()` |
+
+### 2.4 Command Options
+
+| Option | Required | Description |
+|--------|----------|-------------|
+| `--repo` | Yes | Git repository URL (e.g., github.com/org/repo) |
+| `--name` | No | Stack name (defaults to repo name) |
+| `--type` | No | Template type: webapp, service, empty (default: webapp) |
+| `--force` | No | Overwrite existing files |
+
+### 2.5 Template Types
+
+| Type | Base Image | Port | Use Case |
+|------|------------|------|----------|
+| webapp | node:20-bullseye-slim | 3000 | React/Vue/Next.js apps |
+| service | python:3.11-slim | 8080 | Python backend services |
+| empty | none | none | Custom from scratch |
+
+---
+
+## Part 3: Implementation Summary
+
+### New Files (6)
+
+1. `CLAUDE.md` - AI assistant context
+2. `schemas/stack-schema.json` - Validation schema
+3. `stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/_template/stack.yml` - Annotated template
+4. `docs/stack-format.md` - Stack format documentation
+5. `stack_orchestrator/create/__init__.py` - Package init
+6. `stack_orchestrator/create/create_stack.py` - Command implementation
+
+### Modified Files (1)
+
+1. `stack_orchestrator/main.py` - Register create-stack command
+
+---
+
+## Verification
+
+```bash
+# 1. Command appears in help
+laconic-so --help | grep create-stack
+
+# 2. Dry run works
+laconic-so --dry-run create-stack --repo github.com/org/test-app
+
+# 3. Creates all expected files
+laconic-so create-stack --repo github.com/org/test-app
+ls stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/test-app/
+ls stack_orchestrator/data/container-build/cerc-test-app/
+ls stack_orchestrator/data/compose/docker-compose-test-app.yml
+
+# 4. Build works with generated stack
+laconic-so --stack test-app build-containers
+```
diff --git a/STACK-CREATION-GUIDE.md b/STACK-CREATION-GUIDE.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..57d4c7f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/STACK-CREATION-GUIDE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,413 @@
+# Implementing `laconic-so create-stack` Command
+
+A plan for adding a new CLI command to scaffold stack files automatically.
+
+---
+
+## Overview
+
+Add a `create-stack` command that generates all required files for a new stack:
+
+```bash
+laconic-so create-stack --name my-stack --type webapp
+```
+
+**Output:**
+```
+stack_orchestrator/data/
+├── stacks/my-stack/stack.yml
+├── container-build/cerc-my-stack/
+│   ├── Dockerfile
+│   └── build.sh
+└── compose/docker-compose-my-stack.yml
+
+Updated: repository-list.txt, container-image-list.txt, pod-list.txt
+```
+
+---
+
+## CLI Architecture Summary
+
+### Command Registration Pattern
+
+Commands are Click functions registered in `main.py`:
+
+```python
+# main.py (line ~70)
+from stack_orchestrator.create import create_stack
+cli.add_command(create_stack.command, "create-stack")
+```
+
+### Global Options Access
+
+```python
+from stack_orchestrator.opts import opts
+
+if not opts.o.quiet:
+    print("message")
+if opts.o.dry_run:
+    print("(would create files)")
+```
+
+### Key Utilities
+
+| Function | Location | Purpose |
+|----------|----------|---------|
+| `get_yaml()` | `util.py` | YAML parser (ruamel.yaml) |
+| `get_stack_path(stack)` | `util.py` | Resolve stack directory path |
+| `error_exit(msg)` | `util.py` | Print error and exit(1) |
+
+---
+
+## Files to Create
+
+### 1. Command Module
+
+**`stack_orchestrator/create/__init__.py`**
+```python
+# Empty file to make this a package
+```
+
+**`stack_orchestrator/create/create_stack.py`**
+```python
+import click
+import os
+from pathlib import Path
+from shutil import copy
+from stack_orchestrator.opts import opts
+from stack_orchestrator.util import error_exit, get_yaml
+
+# Template types
+STACK_TEMPLATES = {
+    "webapp": {
+        "description": "Web application with Node.js",
+        "base_image": "node:20-bullseye-slim",
+        "port": 3000,
+    },
+    "service": {
+        "description": "Backend service",
+        "base_image": "python:3.11-slim",
+        "port": 8080,
+    },
+    "empty": {
+        "description": "Minimal stack with no defaults",
+        "base_image": None,
+        "port": None,
+    },
+}
+
+
+def get_data_dir() -> Path:
+    """Get path to stack_orchestrator/data directory"""
+    return Path(__file__).absolute().parent.parent.joinpath("data")
+
+
+def validate_stack_name(name: str) -> None:
+    """Validate stack name follows conventions"""
+    import re
+    if not re.match(r'^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]*[a-z0-9]$', name) and len(name) > 2:
+        error_exit(f"Invalid stack name '{name}'. Use lowercase alphanumeric with hyphens.")
+    if name.startswith("cerc-"):
+        error_exit("Stack name should not start with 'cerc-' (container names will add this prefix)")
+
+
+def create_stack_yml(stack_dir: Path, name: str, template: dict, repo_url: str) -> None:
+    """Create stack.yml file"""
+    config = {
+        "version": "1.2",
+        "name": name,
+        "description": template.get("description", f"Stack: {name}"),
+        "repos": [repo_url] if repo_url else [],
+        "containers": [f"cerc/{name}"],
+        "pods": [name],
+    }
+
+    stack_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    with open(stack_dir / "stack.yml", "w") as f:
+        get_yaml().dump(config, f)
+
+
+def create_dockerfile(container_dir: Path, name: str, template: dict) -> None:
+    """Create Dockerfile"""
+    base_image = template.get("base_image", "node:20-bullseye-slim")
+    port = template.get("port", 3000)
+
+    dockerfile_content = f'''# Build stage
+FROM {base_image} AS builder
+
+WORKDIR /app
+COPY package*.json ./
+RUN npm ci
+COPY . .
+RUN npm run build
+
+# Production stage
+FROM {base_image}
+
+WORKDIR /app
+COPY package*.json ./
+RUN npm ci --only=production
+COPY --from=builder /app/dist ./dist
+
+EXPOSE {port}
+CMD ["npm", "run", "start"]
+'''
+
+    container_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    with open(container_dir / "Dockerfile", "w") as f:
+        f.write(dockerfile_content)
+
+
+def create_build_script(container_dir: Path, name: str) -> None:
+    """Create build.sh script"""
+    build_script = f'''#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Build cerc/{name}
+
+source ${{CERC_CONTAINER_BASE_DIR}}/build-base.sh
+
+SCRIPT_DIR=$( cd -- "$( dirname -- "${{BASH_SOURCE[0]}}" )" &> /dev/null && pwd )
+
+docker build -t cerc/{name}:local \\
+    -f ${{SCRIPT_DIR}}/Dockerfile \\
+    ${{build_command_args}} \\
+    ${{CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR}}/{name}
+'''
+
+    build_path = container_dir / "build.sh"
+    with open(build_path, "w") as f:
+        f.write(build_script)
+
+    # Make executable
+    os.chmod(build_path, 0o755)
+
+
+def create_compose_file(compose_dir: Path, name: str, template: dict) -> None:
+    """Create docker-compose file"""
+    port = template.get("port", 3000)
+
+    compose_content = {
+        "version": "3.8",
+        "services": {
+            name: {
+                "image": f"cerc/{name}:local",
+                "restart": "unless-stopped",
+                "ports": [f"${{HOST_PORT:-{port}}}:{port}"],
+                "environment": {
+                    "NODE_ENV": "${NODE_ENV:-production}",
+                },
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    with open(compose_dir / f"docker-compose-{name}.yml", "w") as f:
+        get_yaml().dump(compose_content, f)
+
+
+def update_list_file(data_dir: Path, filename: str, entry: str) -> None:
+    """Add entry to a list file if not already present"""
+    list_path = data_dir / filename
+
+    # Read existing entries
+    existing = set()
+    if list_path.exists():
+        with open(list_path, "r") as f:
+            existing = set(line.strip() for line in f if line.strip())
+
+    # Add new entry
+    if entry not in existing:
+        with open(list_path, "a") as f:
+            f.write(f"{entry}\n")
+
+
+@click.command()
+@click.option("--name", required=True, help="Name of the new stack (lowercase, hyphens)")
+@click.option("--type", "stack_type", default="webapp",
+              type=click.Choice(list(STACK_TEMPLATES.keys())),
+              help="Stack template type")
+@click.option("--repo", help="Git repository URL (e.g., github.com/org/repo)")
+@click.option("--force", is_flag=True, help="Overwrite existing files")
+@click.pass_context
+def command(ctx, name: str, stack_type: str, repo: str, force: bool):
+    """Create a new stack with all required files.
+
+    Examples:
+
+        laconic-so create-stack --name my-app --type webapp
+
+        laconic-so create-stack --name my-service --type service --repo github.com/org/repo
+    """
+    # Validate
+    validate_stack_name(name)
+
+    template = STACK_TEMPLATES[stack_type]
+    data_dir = get_data_dir()
+
+    # Define paths
+    stack_dir = data_dir / "stacks" / name
+    container_dir = data_dir / "container-build" / f"cerc-{name}"
+    compose_dir = data_dir / "compose"
+
+    # Check for existing files
+    if not force:
+        if stack_dir.exists():
+            error_exit(f"Stack already exists: {stack_dir}\nUse --force to overwrite")
+        if container_dir.exists():
+            error_exit(f"Container build dir exists: {container_dir}\nUse --force to overwrite")
+
+    # Dry run check
+    if opts.o.dry_run:
+        print(f"Would create stack '{name}' with template '{stack_type}':")
+        print(f"  - {stack_dir}/stack.yml")
+        print(f"  - {container_dir}/Dockerfile")
+        print(f"  - {container_dir}/build.sh")
+        print(f"  - {compose_dir}/docker-compose-{name}.yml")
+        print(f"  - Update repository-list.txt")
+        print(f"  - Update container-image-list.txt")
+        print(f"  - Update pod-list.txt")
+        return
+
+    # Create files
+    if not opts.o.quiet:
+        print(f"Creating stack '{name}' with template '{stack_type}'...")
+
+    create_stack_yml(stack_dir, name, template, repo)
+    if opts.o.verbose:
+        print(f"  Created {stack_dir}/stack.yml")
+
+    create_dockerfile(container_dir, name, template)
+    if opts.o.verbose:
+        print(f"  Created {container_dir}/Dockerfile")
+
+    create_build_script(container_dir, name)
+    if opts.o.verbose:
+        print(f"  Created {container_dir}/build.sh")
+
+    create_compose_file(compose_dir, name, template)
+    if opts.o.verbose:
+        print(f"  Created {compose_dir}/docker-compose-{name}.yml")
+
+    # Update list files
+    if repo:
+        update_list_file(data_dir, "repository-list.txt", repo)
+        if opts.o.verbose:
+            print(f"  Added {repo} to repository-list.txt")
+
+    update_list_file(data_dir, "container-image-list.txt", f"cerc/{name}")
+    if opts.o.verbose:
+        print(f"  Added cerc/{name} to container-image-list.txt")
+
+    update_list_file(data_dir, "pod-list.txt", name)
+    if opts.o.verbose:
+        print(f"  Added {name} to pod-list.txt")
+
+    # Summary
+    if not opts.o.quiet:
+        print(f"\nStack '{name}' created successfully!")
+        print(f"\nNext steps:")
+        print(f"  1. Edit {stack_dir}/stack.yml")
+        print(f"  2. Customize {container_dir}/Dockerfile")
+        print(f"  3. Run: laconic-so --stack {name} build-containers")
+        print(f"  4. Run: laconic-so --stack {name} deploy-system up")
+```
+
+### 2. Register Command in main.py
+
+**Edit `stack_orchestrator/main.py`**
+
+Add import:
+```python
+from stack_orchestrator.create import create_stack
+```
+
+Add command registration (after line ~78):
+```python
+cli.add_command(create_stack.command, "create-stack")
+```
+
+---
+
+## Implementation Steps
+
+### Step 1: Create module structure
+```bash
+mkdir -p stack_orchestrator/create
+touch stack_orchestrator/create/__init__.py
+```
+
+### Step 2: Create the command file
+Create `stack_orchestrator/create/create_stack.py` with the code above.
+
+### Step 3: Register in main.py
+Add the import and `cli.add_command()` line.
+
+### Step 4: Test the command
+```bash
+# Show help
+laconic-so create-stack --help
+
+# Dry run
+laconic-so --dry-run create-stack --name test-app --type webapp
+
+# Create a stack
+laconic-so create-stack --name test-app --type webapp --repo github.com/org/test-app
+
+# Verify
+ls -la stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/test-app/
+cat stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/test-app/stack.yml
+```
+
+---
+
+## Template Types
+
+| Type | Base Image | Port | Use Case |
+|------|------------|------|----------|
+| `webapp` | node:20-bullseye-slim | 3000 | React/Vue/Next.js apps |
+| `service` | python:3.11-slim | 8080 | Python backend services |
+| `empty` | none | none | Custom from scratch |
+
+---
+
+## Future Enhancements
+
+1. **Interactive mode** - Prompt for values if not provided
+2. **More templates** - Go, Rust, database stacks
+3. **Template from existing** - `--from-stack existing-stack`
+4. **External stack support** - Create in custom directory
+5. **Validation command** - `laconic-so validate-stack --name my-stack`
+
+---
+
+## Files Modified
+
+| File | Change |
+|------|--------|
+| `stack_orchestrator/create/__init__.py` | New (empty) |
+| `stack_orchestrator/create/create_stack.py` | New (command implementation) |
+| `stack_orchestrator/main.py` | Add import and `cli.add_command()` |
+
+---
+
+## Verification
+
+```bash
+# 1. Command appears in help
+laconic-so --help | grep create-stack
+
+# 2. Dry run works
+laconic-so --dry-run create-stack --name verify-test --type webapp
+
+# 3. Full creation works
+laconic-so create-stack --name verify-test --type webapp
+ls stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/verify-test/
+ls stack_orchestrator/data/container-build/cerc-verify-test/
+ls stack_orchestrator/data/compose/docker-compose-verify-test.yml
+
+# 4. Build works
+laconic-so --stack verify-test build-containers
+
+# 5. Cleanup
+rm -rf stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/verify-test
+rm -rf stack_orchestrator/data/container-build/cerc-verify-test
+rm stack_orchestrator/data/compose/docker-compose-verify-test.yml
+```
diff --git a/docs/cli.md b/docs/cli.md
index 1421291e..92cf776a 100644
--- a/docs/cli.md
+++ b/docs/cli.md
@@ -65,3 +65,71 @@ Force full rebuild of packages:
 ```
 $ laconic-so build-npms --include <package-name> --force-rebuild
 ```
+
+## deploy
+
+The `deploy` command group manages persistent deployments. The general workflow is `deploy init` to generate a spec file, then `deploy create` to create a deployment directory from the spec, then runtime commands like `deploy up` and `deploy down`.
+
+### deploy init
+
+Generate a deployment spec file from a stack definition:
+```
+$ laconic-so --stack <stack-name> deploy init --output <spec-file>
+```
+
+Options:
+- `--output` (required): write spec file here
+- `--config`: provide config variables for the deployment
+- `--config-file`: provide config variables in a file
+- `--kube-config`: provide a config file for a k8s deployment
+- `--image-registry`: provide a container image registry url for this k8s cluster
+- `--map-ports-to-host`: map ports to the host (`any-variable-random`, `localhost-same`, `any-same`, `localhost-fixed-random`, `any-fixed-random`)
+
+### deploy create
+
+Create a deployment directory from a spec file:
+```
+$ laconic-so --stack <stack-name> deploy create --spec-file <spec-file> --deployment-dir <dir>
+```
+
+Update an existing deployment in-place (preserving data volumes and env file):
+```
+$ laconic-so --stack <stack-name> deploy create --spec-file <spec-file> --deployment-dir <dir> --update
+```
+
+Options:
+- `--spec-file` (required): spec file to use
+- `--deployment-dir`: target directory for deployment files
+- `--update`: update an existing deployment directory, preserving data volumes and env file. Changed files are backed up with a `.bak` suffix. The deployment's `config.env` and `deployment.yml` are also preserved.
+- `--network-dir`: network configuration supplied in this directory
+- `--initial-peers`: initial set of persistent peers
+
+### deploy up
+
+Start a deployment:
+```
+$ laconic-so deployment --dir <deployment-dir> up
+```
+
+### deploy down
+
+Stop a deployment:
+```
+$ laconic-so deployment --dir <deployment-dir> down
+```
+Use `--delete-volumes` to also remove data volumes.
+
+### deploy ps
+
+Show running services:
+```
+$ laconic-so deployment --dir <deployment-dir> ps
+```
+
+### deploy logs
+
+View service logs:
+```
+$ laconic-so deployment --dir <deployment-dir> logs
+```
+Use `-f` to follow and `-n <count>` to tail.
diff --git a/docs/docker-compose-deployment.md b/docs/docker-compose-deployment.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..55688600
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/docker-compose-deployment.md
@@ -0,0 +1,550 @@
+# Docker Compose Deployment Guide
+
+## Introduction
+
+### What is a Deployer?
+
+In stack-orchestrator, a **deployer** provides a uniform interface for orchestrating containerized applications. This guide focuses on Docker Compose deployments, which is the default and recommended deployment mode.
+
+While stack-orchestrator also supports Kubernetes (`k8s`) and Kind (`k8s-kind`) deployments, those are out of scope for this guide. See the [Kubernetes Enhancements](./k8s-deployment-enhancements.md) documentation for advanced deployment options.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+To deploy stacks using Docker Compose, you need:
+
+- Docker Engine (20.10+)
+- Docker Compose plugin (v2.0+)
+- Python 3.8+
+- stack-orchestrator installed (`laconic-so`)
+
+**That's it!** No additional infrastructure is required. If you have Docker installed, you're ready to deploy.
+
+## Deployment Workflow
+
+The typical deployment workflow consists of four main steps:
+
+1. **Setup repositories and build containers** (first time only)
+2. **Initialize deployment specification**
+3. **Create deployment directory**
+4. **Start and manage services**
+
+## Quick Start Example
+
+Here's a complete example using the built-in `test` stack:
+
+```bash
+# Step 1: Setup (first time only)
+laconic-so --stack test setup-repositories
+laconic-so --stack test build-containers
+
+# Step 2: Initialize deployment spec
+laconic-so --stack test deploy init --output test-spec.yml
+
+# Step 3: Create deployment directory
+laconic-so --stack test deploy create \
+  --spec-file test-spec.yml \
+  --deployment-dir test-deployment
+
+# Step 4: Start services
+laconic-so deployment --dir test-deployment start
+
+# View running services
+laconic-so deployment --dir test-deployment ps
+
+# View logs
+laconic-so deployment --dir test-deployment logs
+
+# Stop services (preserves data)
+laconic-so deployment --dir test-deployment stop
+```
+
+## Deployment Workflows
+
+Stack-orchestrator supports two deployment workflows:
+
+### 1. Deployment Directory Workflow (Recommended)
+
+This workflow creates a persistent deployment directory that contains all configuration and data.
+
+**When to use:**
+- Production deployments
+- When you need to preserve configuration
+- When you want to manage multiple deployments
+- When you need persistent volume data
+
+**Example:**
+
+```bash
+# Initialize deployment spec
+laconic-so --stack fixturenet-eth deploy init --output eth-spec.yml
+
+# Optionally edit eth-spec.yml to customize configuration
+
+# Create deployment directory
+laconic-so --stack fixturenet-eth deploy create \
+  --spec-file eth-spec.yml \
+  --deployment-dir my-eth-deployment
+
+# Start the deployment
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-eth-deployment start
+
+# Manage the deployment
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-eth-deployment ps
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-eth-deployment logs
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-eth-deployment stop
+```
+
+### 2. Quick Deploy Workflow
+
+This workflow deploys directly without creating a persistent deployment directory.
+
+**When to use:**
+- Quick testing
+- Temporary deployments
+- Simple stacks that don't require customization
+
+**Example:**
+
+```bash
+# Start the stack directly
+laconic-so --stack test deploy up
+
+# Check service status
+laconic-so --stack test deploy port test 80
+
+# View logs
+laconic-so --stack test deploy logs
+
+# Stop (preserves volumes)
+laconic-so --stack test deploy down
+
+# Stop and remove volumes
+laconic-so --stack test deploy down --delete-volumes
+```
+
+## Real-World Example: Ethereum Fixturenet
+
+Deploy a local Ethereum testnet with Geth and Lighthouse:
+
+```bash
+# Setup (first time only)
+laconic-so --stack fixturenet-eth setup-repositories
+laconic-so --stack fixturenet-eth build-containers
+
+# Initialize with default configuration
+laconic-so --stack fixturenet-eth deploy init --output eth-spec.yml
+
+# Create deployment
+laconic-so --stack fixturenet-eth deploy create \
+  --spec-file eth-spec.yml \
+  --deployment-dir fixturenet-eth-deployment
+
+# Start the network
+laconic-so deployment --dir fixturenet-eth-deployment start
+
+# Check status
+laconic-so deployment --dir fixturenet-eth-deployment ps
+
+# Access logs from specific service
+laconic-so deployment --dir fixturenet-eth-deployment logs fixturenet-eth-geth-1
+
+# Stop the network (preserves blockchain data)
+laconic-so deployment --dir fixturenet-eth-deployment stop
+
+# Start again - blockchain data is preserved
+laconic-so deployment --dir fixturenet-eth-deployment start
+
+# Clean up everything including data
+laconic-so deployment --dir fixturenet-eth-deployment stop --delete-volumes
+```
+
+## Configuration
+
+### Passing Configuration Parameters
+
+Configuration can be passed in three ways:
+
+**1. At init time via `--config` flag:**
+
+```bash
+laconic-so --stack test deploy init --output spec.yml \
+  --config PARAM1=value1,PARAM2=value2
+```
+
+**2. Edit the spec file after init:**
+
+```bash
+# Initialize
+laconic-so --stack test deploy init --output spec.yml
+
+# Edit spec.yml
+vim spec.yml
+```
+
+Example spec.yml:
+```yaml
+stack: test
+config:
+  PARAM1: value1
+  PARAM2: value2
+```
+
+**3. Docker Compose defaults:**
+
+Environment variables defined in the stack's `docker-compose-*.yml` files are used as defaults. Configuration from the spec file overrides these defaults.
+
+### Port Mapping
+
+By default, services are accessible on randomly assigned host ports. To find the mapped port:
+
+```bash
+# Find the host port for container port 80 on service 'webapp'
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment port webapp 80
+
+# Output example: 0.0.0.0:32768
+```
+
+To configure fixed ports, edit the spec file before creating the deployment:
+
+```yaml
+network:
+  ports:
+    webapp:
+      - '8080:80'  # Maps host port 8080 to container port 80
+    api:
+      - '3000:3000'
+```
+
+Then create the deployment:
+
+```bash
+laconic-so --stack my-stack deploy create \
+  --spec-file spec.yml \
+  --deployment-dir my-deployment
+```
+
+### Volume Persistence
+
+Volumes are preserved between stop/start cycles by default:
+
+```bash
+# Stop but keep data
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment stop
+
+# Start again - data is still there
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment start
+```
+
+To completely remove all data:
+
+```bash
+# Stop and delete all volumes
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment stop --delete-volumes
+```
+
+Volume data is stored in `<deployment-dir>/data/`.
+
+## Common Operations
+
+### Viewing Logs
+
+```bash
+# All services, continuous follow
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment logs --follow
+
+# Last 100 lines from all services
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment logs --tail 100
+
+# Specific service only
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment logs webapp
+
+# Combine options
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment logs --tail 50 --follow webapp
+```
+
+### Executing Commands in Containers
+
+```bash
+# Execute a command in a running service
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment exec webapp ls -la
+
+# Interactive shell
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment exec webapp /bin/bash
+
+# Run command with specific environment variables
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment exec webapp env VAR=value command
+```
+
+### Checking Service Status
+
+```bash
+# List all running services
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment ps
+
+# Check using Docker directly
+docker ps
+```
+
+### Updating a Running Deployment
+
+If you need to change configuration after deployment:
+
+```bash
+# 1. Edit the spec file
+vim my-deployment/spec.yml
+
+# 2. Regenerate configuration
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment update
+
+# 3. Restart services to apply changes
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment stop
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment start
+```
+
+## Multi-Service Deployments
+
+Many stacks deploy multiple services that work together:
+
+```bash
+# Deploy a stack with multiple services
+laconic-so --stack laconicd-with-console deploy init --output spec.yml
+laconic-so --stack laconicd-with-console deploy create \
+  --spec-file spec.yml \
+  --deployment-dir laconicd-deployment
+
+laconic-so deployment --dir laconicd-deployment start
+
+# View all services
+laconic-so deployment --dir laconicd-deployment ps
+
+# View logs from specific services
+laconic-so deployment --dir laconicd-deployment logs laconicd
+laconic-so deployment --dir laconicd-deployment logs console
+```
+
+## ConfigMaps
+
+ConfigMaps allow you to mount configuration files into containers:
+
+```bash
+# 1. Create the config directory in your deployment
+mkdir -p my-deployment/data/my-config
+echo "database_url=postgres://localhost" > my-deployment/data/my-config/app.conf
+
+# 2. Reference in spec file
+vim my-deployment/spec.yml
+```
+
+Add to spec.yml:
+```yaml
+configmaps:
+  my-config: ./data/my-config
+```
+
+```bash
+# 3. Restart to apply
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment stop
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment start
+```
+
+The files will be mounted in the container at `/config/` (or as specified by the stack).
+
+## Deployment Directory Structure
+
+A typical deployment directory contains:
+
+```
+my-deployment/
+├── compose/
+│   └── docker-compose-*.yml    # Generated compose files
+├── config.env                   # Environment variables
+├── deployment.yml              # Deployment metadata
+├── spec.yml                    # Deployment specification
+└── data/                       # Volume mounts and configs
+    ├── service-data/           # Persistent service data
+    └── config-maps/            # ConfigMap files
+```
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Common Issues
+
+**Problem: "Cannot connect to Docker daemon"**
+
+```bash
+# Ensure Docker is running
+docker ps
+
+# Start Docker if needed (macOS)
+open -a Docker
+
+# Start Docker (Linux)
+sudo systemctl start docker
+```
+
+**Problem: "Port already in use"**
+
+```bash
+# Either stop the conflicting service or use different ports
+# Edit spec.yml before creating deployment:
+
+network:
+  ports:
+    webapp:
+      - '8081:80'  # Use 8081 instead of 8080
+```
+
+**Problem: "Image not found"**
+
+```bash
+# Build containers first
+laconic-so --stack your-stack build-containers
+```
+
+**Problem: Volumes not persisting**
+
+```bash
+# Check if you used --delete-volumes when stopping
+# Volume data is in: <deployment-dir>/data/
+
+# Don't use --delete-volumes if you want to keep data:
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment stop
+
+# Only use --delete-volumes when you want to reset completely:
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment stop --delete-volumes
+```
+
+**Problem: Services not starting**
+
+```bash
+# Check logs for errors
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment logs
+
+# Check Docker container status
+docker ps -a
+
+# Try stopping and starting again
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment stop
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment start
+```
+
+### Inspecting Deployment State
+
+```bash
+# Check deployment directory structure
+ls -la my-deployment/
+
+# Check running containers
+docker ps
+
+# Check container details
+docker inspect <container-name>
+
+# Check networks
+docker network ls
+
+# Check volumes
+docker volume ls
+```
+
+## CLI Commands Reference
+
+### Stack Operations
+
+```bash
+# Clone required repositories
+laconic-so --stack <name> setup-repositories
+
+# Build container images
+laconic-so --stack <name> build-containers
+```
+
+### Deployment Initialization
+
+```bash
+# Initialize deployment spec with defaults
+laconic-so --stack <name> deploy init --output <spec-file>
+
+# Initialize with configuration
+laconic-so --stack <name> deploy init --output <spec-file> \
+  --config PARAM1=value1,PARAM2=value2
+```
+
+### Deployment Creation
+
+```bash
+# Create deployment directory from spec
+laconic-so --stack <name> deploy create \
+  --spec-file <spec-file> \
+  --deployment-dir <dir>
+```
+
+### Deployment Management
+
+```bash
+# Start all services
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> start
+
+# Stop services (preserves volumes)
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> stop
+
+# Stop and remove volumes
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> stop --delete-volumes
+
+# List running services
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> ps
+
+# View logs
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> logs [--tail N] [--follow] [service]
+
+# Show mapped port
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> port <service> <private-port>
+
+# Execute command in service
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> exec <service> <command>
+
+# Update configuration
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> update
+```
+
+### Quick Deploy Commands
+
+```bash
+# Start stack directly
+laconic-so --stack <name> deploy up
+
+# Stop stack
+laconic-so --stack <name> deploy down [--delete-volumes]
+
+# View logs
+laconic-so --stack <name> deploy logs
+
+# Show port mapping
+laconic-so --stack <name> deploy port <service> <port>
+```
+
+## Related Documentation
+
+- [CLI Reference](./cli.md) - Complete CLI command documentation
+- [Adding a New Stack](./adding-a-new-stack.md) - Creating custom stacks
+- [Specification](./spec.md) - Internal structure and design
+- [Kubernetes Enhancements](./k8s-deployment-enhancements.md) - Advanced K8s deployment options
+- [Web App Deployment](./webapp.md) - Deploying web applications
+
+## Examples
+
+For more examples, see the test scripts:
+- `scripts/quick-deploy-test.sh` - Quick deployment example
+- `tests/deploy/run-deploy-test.sh` - Comprehensive test showing all features
+
+## Summary
+
+- Docker Compose is the default and recommended deployment mode
+- Two workflows: deployment directory (recommended) or quick deploy
+- The standard workflow is: setup → build → init → create → start
+- Configuration is flexible with multiple override layers
+- Volume persistence is automatic unless explicitly deleted
+- All deployment state is contained in the deployment directory
+- For Kubernetes deployments, see separate K8s documentation
+
+You're now ready to deploy stacks using stack-orchestrator with Docker Compose!
diff --git a/laconic-network-deployment.md b/laconic-network-deployment.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d30661b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/laconic-network-deployment.md
@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+# Deploying to the Laconic Network
+
+## Overview
+
+The Laconic network uses a **registry-based deployment model** where everything is published as blockchain records.
+
+## Key Documentation in stack-orchestrator
+
+- `docs/laconicd-with-console.md` - Setting up a laconicd network
+- `docs/webapp.md` - Webapp building/running
+- `stack_orchestrator/deploy/webapp/` - Implementation (14 modules)
+
+## Core Concepts
+
+### LRN (Laconic Resource Name)
+Format: `lrn://laconic/[namespace]/[name]`
+
+Examples:
+- `lrn://laconic/deployers/my-deployer-name`
+- `lrn://laconic/dns/example.com`
+- `lrn://laconic/deployments/example.com`
+
+### Registry Record Types
+
+| Record Type | Purpose |
+|-------------|---------|
+| `ApplicationRecord` | Published app metadata |
+| `WebappDeployer` | Deployment service offering |
+| `ApplicationDeploymentRequest` | User's request to deploy |
+| `ApplicationDeploymentAuction` | Optional bidding for deployers |
+| `ApplicationDeploymentRecord` | Completed deployment result |
+
+## Deployment Workflows
+
+### 1. Direct Deployment
+
+```
+User publishes ApplicationDeploymentRequest
+    → targets specific WebappDeployer (by LRN)
+    → includes payment TX hash
+    → Deployer picks up request, builds, deploys, publishes result
+```
+
+### 2. Auction-Based Deployment
+
+```
+User publishes ApplicationDeploymentAuction
+    → Deployers bid (commit/reveal phases)
+    → Winner selected
+    → User publishes request targeting winner
+```
+
+## Key CLI Commands
+
+### Publish a Deployer Service
+```bash
+laconic-so publish-webapp-deployer --laconic-config config.yml \
+  --api-url https://deployer-api.example.com \
+  --name my-deployer \
+  --payment-address laconic1... \
+  --minimum-payment 1000alnt
+```
+
+### Request Deployment (User Side)
+```bash
+laconic-so request-webapp-deployment --laconic-config config.yml \
+  --app lrn://laconic/apps/my-app \
+  --deployer lrn://laconic/deployers/xyz \
+  --make-payment auto
+```
+
+### Run Deployer Service (Deployer Side)
+```bash
+laconic-so deploy-webapp-from-registry --laconic-config config.yml --discover
+```
+
+## Laconic Config File
+
+All tools require a laconic config file (`laconic.toml`):
+
+```toml
+[cosmos]
+address_prefix = "laconic"
+chain_id = "laconic_9000-1"
+endpoint = "http://localhost:26657"
+key = "<account-name>"
+password = "<account-password>"
+```
+
+## Setting Up a Local Laconicd Network
+
+```bash
+# Clone and build
+laconic-so --stack fixturenet-laconic-loaded setup-repositories
+laconic-so --stack fixturenet-laconic-loaded build-containers
+laconic-so --stack fixturenet-laconic-loaded deploy create
+laconic-so deployment --dir laconic-loaded-deployment start
+
+# Check status
+laconic-so deployment --dir laconic-loaded-deployment exec cli "laconic registry status"
+```
+
+## Key Implementation Files
+
+| File | Purpose |
+|------|---------|
+| `publish_webapp_deployer.py` | Register deployment service on network |
+| `publish_deployment_auction.py` | Create auction for deployers to bid on |
+| `handle_deployment_auction.py` | Monitor and bid on auctions (deployer-side) |
+| `request_webapp_deployment.py` | Create deployment request (user-side) |
+| `deploy_webapp_from_registry.py` | Process requests and deploy (deployer-side) |
+| `request_webapp_undeployment.py` | Request app removal |
+| `undeploy_webapp_from_registry.py` | Process removal requests |
+| `util.py` | LaconicRegistryClient - all registry interactions |
+
+## Payment System
+
+- **Token Denom**: `alnt` (Laconic network tokens)
+- **Payment Options**:
+  - `--make-payment`: Create new payment with amount (or "auto" for deployer's minimum)
+  - `--use-payment`: Reference existing payment TX
+
+## What's NOT Well-Documented
+
+1. No end-to-end tutorial for full deployment workflow
+2. Stack publishing (vs webapp) process unclear
+3. LRN naming conventions not formally specified
+4. Payment economics and token mechanics
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/data/compose/docker-compose-test.yml b/stack_orchestrator/data/compose/docker-compose-test.yml
index 7c8e8e95..ae11ca13 100644
--- a/stack_orchestrator/data/compose/docker-compose-test.yml
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/data/compose/docker-compose-test.yml
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ services:
       CERC_TEST_PARAM_2: "CERC_TEST_PARAM_2_VALUE"
       CERC_TEST_PARAM_3: ${CERC_TEST_PARAM_3:-FAILED}
     volumes:
+      - ../config/test/script.sh:/opt/run.sh
+      - ../config/test/settings.env:/opt/settings.env
       - test-data-bind:/data
       - test-data-auto:/data2
       - test-config:/config:ro
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/data/config/test/script.sh b/stack_orchestrator/data/config/test/script.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..34a19ab1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/data/config/test/script.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+echo "Hello"
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/data/config/test/settings.env b/stack_orchestrator/data/config/test/settings.env
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..813f7578
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/data/config/test/settings.env
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+ANSWER=42
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/data/container-build/cerc-test-container/Dockerfile b/stack_orchestrator/data/container-build/cerc-test-container/Dockerfile
index f4ef5506..46021613 100644
--- a/stack_orchestrator/data/container-build/cerc-test-container/Dockerfile
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/data/container-build/cerc-test-container/Dockerfile
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
-FROM ubuntu:latest
+FROM alpine:latest
 
-RUN apt-get update && export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive && export DEBCONF_NOWARNINGS="yes" && \
-    apt-get install -y software-properties-common && \
-    apt-get install -y nginx && \
-    apt-get clean && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* /tmp/* /var/tmp/*
+RUN apk add --no-cache nginx
 
 EXPOSE 80
 
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/data/container-build/cerc-test-container/run.sh b/stack_orchestrator/data/container-build/cerc-test-container/run.sh
index d06f4df4..b4da05ed 100755
--- a/stack_orchestrator/data/container-build/cerc-test-container/run.sh
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/data/container-build/cerc-test-container/run.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#!/usr/bin/env sh
 set -e
 
 if [ -n "$CERC_SCRIPT_DEBUG" ]; then
@@ -8,14 +8,14 @@ fi
 echo "Test container starting"
 
 DATA_DEVICE=$(df | grep "/data$" | awk '{ print $1 }')
-if [[ -n "$DATA_DEVICE" ]]; then
+if [ -n "$DATA_DEVICE" ]; then
   echo "/data: MOUNTED dev=${DATA_DEVICE}"
 else
   echo "/data: not mounted"
 fi
 
 DATA2_DEVICE=$(df | grep "/data2$" | awk '{ print $1 }')
-if [[ -n "$DATA_DEVICE" ]]; then
+if [ -n "$DATA_DEVICE" ]; then
   echo "/data2: MOUNTED dev=${DATA2_DEVICE}"
 else
   echo "/data2: not mounted"
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ fi
 
 # Test if the container's filesystem is old (run previously) or new
 for d in /data /data2; do
-  if [[ -f "$d/exists" ]];
+  if [ -f "$d/exists" ];
   then
       TIMESTAMP=`cat $d/exists`
       echo "$d filesystem is old, created: $TIMESTAMP"
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ fi
 if [ -d "/config" ]; then
   echo "/config: EXISTS"
   for f in /config/*; do
-    if [[ -f "$f" ]] || [[ -L "$f" ]]; then
+    if [ -f "$f" ] || [ -L "$f" ]; then
       echo "$f:"
       cat "$f"
       echo ""
@@ -64,4 +64,4 @@ else
 fi
 
 # Run nginx which will block here forever
-/usr/sbin/nginx -g "daemon off;"
+nginx -g "daemon off;"
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/fixturenet-optimism/deploy/commands.py b/stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/fixturenet-optimism/deploy/commands.py
index a11a1d01..bbec0f81 100644
--- a/stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/fixturenet-optimism/deploy/commands.py
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/fixturenet-optimism/deploy/commands.py
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
 # along with this program.  If not, see <http:#www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 
 from stack_orchestrator.deploy.deployment_context import DeploymentContext
-from ruamel.yaml import YAML
 
 
 def create(context: DeploymentContext, extra_args):
@@ -28,17 +27,12 @@ def create(context: DeploymentContext, extra_args):
         "compose", "docker-compose-fixturenet-eth.yml"
     )
 
-    with open(fixturenet_eth_compose_file, "r") as yaml_file:
-        yaml = YAML()
-        yaml_data = yaml.load(yaml_file)
-
     new_script = "../config/fixturenet-optimism/run-geth.sh:/opt/testnet/run.sh"
 
-    if new_script not in yaml_data["services"]["fixturenet-eth-geth-1"]["volumes"]:
-        yaml_data["services"]["fixturenet-eth-geth-1"]["volumes"].append(new_script)
+    def add_geth_volume(yaml_data):
+        if new_script not in yaml_data["services"]["fixturenet-eth-geth-1"]["volumes"]:
+            yaml_data["services"]["fixturenet-eth-geth-1"]["volumes"].append(new_script)
 
-    with open(fixturenet_eth_compose_file, "w") as yaml_file:
-        yaml = YAML()
-        yaml.dump(yaml_data, yaml_file)
+    context.modify_yaml(fixturenet_eth_compose_file, add_geth_volume)
 
     return None
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/test/stack.yml b/stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/test/stack.yml
index ac724c89..93d3ecd3 100644
--- a/stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/test/stack.yml
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/test/stack.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ version: "1.0"
 name: test
 description: "A test stack"
 repos:
-  - git.vdb.to/cerc-io/laconicd
   - git.vdb.to/cerc-io/test-project@test-branch
 containers:
   - cerc/test-container
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/deploy/deployment_context.py b/stack_orchestrator/deploy/deployment_context.py
index ffe0f71f..79fc4bb9 100644
--- a/stack_orchestrator/deploy/deployment_context.py
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/deploy/deployment_context.py
@@ -47,20 +47,6 @@ class DeploymentContext:
     def get_compose_file(self, name: str):
         return self.get_compose_dir() / f"docker-compose-{name}.yml"
 
-    def modify_yaml(self, file_path: Path, modifier_func):
-        """Load a YAML from the deployment, apply a modifier, and write back."""
-        if not file_path.absolute().is_relative_to(self.deployment_dir):
-            raise ValueError(f"File is not inside deployment directory: {file_path}")
-
-        yaml = get_yaml()
-        with open(file_path, "r") as f:
-            yaml_data = yaml.load(f)
-
-        modifier_func(yaml_data)
-
-        with open(file_path, "w") as f:
-            yaml.dump(yaml_data, f)
-
     def get_cluster_id(self):
         return self.id
 
@@ -82,3 +68,17 @@ class DeploymentContext:
             unique_cluster_descriptor = f"{path},{self.get_stack_file()},None,None"
             hash = hashlib.md5(unique_cluster_descriptor.encode()).hexdigest()[:16]
             self.id = f"{constants.cluster_name_prefix}{hash}"
+
+    def modify_yaml(self, file_path: Path, modifier_func):
+        """Load a YAML, apply a modification function, and write it back."""
+        if not file_path.absolute().is_relative_to(self.deployment_dir):
+            raise ValueError(f"File is not inside deployment directory: {file_path}")
+
+        yaml = get_yaml()
+        with open(file_path, "r") as f:
+            yaml_data = yaml.load(f)
+
+        modifier_func(yaml_data)
+
+        with open(file_path, "w") as f:
+            yaml.dump(yaml_data, f)
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/deploy/deployment_create.py b/stack_orchestrator/deploy/deployment_create.py
index 772fd02b..e7586059 100644
--- a/stack_orchestrator/deploy/deployment_create.py
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/deploy/deployment_create.py
@@ -19,9 +19,12 @@ import os
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import List
 import random
-from shutil import copy, copyfile, copytree
+from shutil import copy, copyfile, copytree, rmtree
 from secrets import token_hex
 import sys
+import filecmp
+import tempfile
+
 from stack_orchestrator import constants
 from stack_orchestrator.opts import opts
 from stack_orchestrator.util import (
@@ -524,6 +527,12 @@ def _check_volume_definitions(spec):
     "--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.option(
+    "--update",
+    is_flag=True,
+    default=False,
+    help="Update existing deployment directory, preserving data volumes and env file",
+)
 @click.option(
     "--helm-chart",
     is_flag=True,
@@ -536,13 +545,21 @@ def _check_volume_definitions(spec):
 @click.argument("extra_args", nargs=-1, type=click.UNPROCESSED)
 @click.pass_context
 def create(
-    ctx, spec_file, deployment_dir, helm_chart, network_dir, initial_peers, extra_args
+    ctx,
+    spec_file,
+    deployment_dir,
+    update,
+    helm_chart,
+    network_dir,
+    initial_peers,
+    extra_args,
 ):
     deployment_command_context = ctx.obj
     return create_operation(
         deployment_command_context,
         spec_file,
         deployment_dir,
+        update,
         helm_chart,
         network_dir,
         initial_peers,
@@ -556,9 +573,10 @@ def create_operation(
     deployment_command_context,
     spec_file,
     deployment_dir,
-    helm_chart,
-    network_dir,
-    initial_peers,
+    update=False,
+    helm_chart=False,
+    network_dir=None,
+    initial_peers=None,
     extra_args=(),
 ):
     parsed_spec = Spec(
@@ -568,23 +586,23 @@ def create_operation(
     stack_name = parsed_spec["stack"]
     deployment_type = parsed_spec[constants.deploy_to_key]
 
-    stack_file = get_stack_path(stack_name).joinpath(constants.stack_file_name)
-    parsed_stack = get_parsed_stack_config(stack_name)
     if opts.o.debug:
         print(f"parsed spec: {parsed_spec}")
+
     if deployment_dir is None:
         deployment_dir_path = _make_default_deployment_dir()
     else:
         deployment_dir_path = Path(deployment_dir)
-    if deployment_dir_path.exists():
-        error_exit(f"{deployment_dir_path} already exists")
-    os.mkdir(deployment_dir_path)
-    # Copy spec file and the stack file into the deployment dir
-    copyfile(spec_file, deployment_dir_path.joinpath(constants.spec_file_name))
-    copyfile(stack_file, deployment_dir_path.joinpath(constants.stack_file_name))
 
-    # Create deployment.yml with cluster-id
-    _create_deployment_file(deployment_dir_path)
+    if deployment_dir_path.exists():
+        if not update:
+            error_exit(f"{deployment_dir_path} already exists")
+        if opts.o.debug:
+            print(f"Updating existing deployment at {deployment_dir_path}")
+    else:
+        if update:
+            error_exit(f"--update requires that {deployment_dir_path} already exists")
+        os.mkdir(deployment_dir_path)
 
     # Branch to Helm chart generation flow if --helm-chart flag is set
     if deployment_type == "k8s" and helm_chart:
@@ -595,104 +613,41 @@ def create_operation(
         generate_helm_chart(stack_name, spec_file, deployment_dir_path)
         return  # Exit early for helm chart generation
 
-    # Existing deployment flow continues unchanged
-    # Copy any config varibles from the spec file into an env file suitable for compose
-    _write_config_file(
-        spec_file, deployment_dir_path.joinpath(constants.config_file_name)
-    )
-    # Copy any k8s config file into the deployment dir
-    if deployment_type == "k8s":
-        _write_kube_config_file(
-            Path(parsed_spec[constants.kube_config_key]),
-            deployment_dir_path.joinpath(constants.kube_config_filename),
-        )
-    # Copy the pod files into the deployment dir, fixing up content
-    pods = get_pod_list(parsed_stack)
-    destination_compose_dir = deployment_dir_path.joinpath("compose")
-    os.mkdir(destination_compose_dir)
-    destination_pods_dir = deployment_dir_path.joinpath("pods")
-    os.mkdir(destination_pods_dir)
-    yaml = get_yaml()
-    for pod in pods:
-        pod_file_path = get_pod_file_path(stack_name, parsed_stack, pod)
-        if pod_file_path is None:
-            continue
-        parsed_pod_file = yaml.load(open(pod_file_path, "r"))
-        extra_config_dirs = _find_extra_config_dirs(parsed_pod_file, pod)
-        destination_pod_dir = destination_pods_dir.joinpath(pod)
-        os.mkdir(destination_pod_dir)
-        if opts.o.debug:
-            print(f"extra config dirs: {extra_config_dirs}")
-        _fixup_pod_file(parsed_pod_file, parsed_spec, destination_compose_dir)
-        with open(
-            destination_compose_dir.joinpath("docker-compose-%s.yml" % pod), "w"
-        ) as output_file:
-            yaml.dump(parsed_pod_file, output_file)
-        # Copy the config files for the pod, if any
-        config_dirs = {pod}
-        config_dirs = config_dirs.union(extra_config_dirs)
-        for config_dir in config_dirs:
-            source_config_dir = resolve_config_dir(stack_name, config_dir)
-            if os.path.exists(source_config_dir):
-                destination_config_dir = deployment_dir_path.joinpath(
-                    "config", config_dir
-                )
-                # If the same config dir appears in multiple pods, it may already have
-                # been copied
-                if not os.path.exists(destination_config_dir):
-                    copytree(source_config_dir, destination_config_dir)
-        # Copy the script files for the pod, if any
-        if pod_has_scripts(parsed_stack, pod):
-            destination_script_dir = destination_pod_dir.joinpath("scripts")
-            os.mkdir(destination_script_dir)
-            script_paths = get_pod_script_paths(parsed_stack, pod)
-            _copy_files_to_directory(script_paths, destination_script_dir)
-        if parsed_spec.is_kubernetes_deployment():
-            for configmap in parsed_spec.get_configmaps():
-                source_config_dir = resolve_config_dir(stack_name, configmap)
-                if os.path.exists(source_config_dir):
-                    destination_config_dir = deployment_dir_path.joinpath(
-                        "configmaps", configmap
-                    )
-                    copytree(
-                        source_config_dir, destination_config_dir, dirs_exist_ok=True
-                    )
-        else:
-            # TODO: We should probably only do this if the volume is marked :ro.
-            for volume_name, volume_path in parsed_spec.get_volumes().items():
-                source_config_dir = resolve_config_dir(stack_name, volume_name)
-                # Only copy if the source exists and is _not_ empty.
-                if os.path.exists(source_config_dir) and os.listdir(source_config_dir):
-                    destination_config_dir = deployment_dir_path.joinpath(volume_path)
-                    # Only copy if the destination exists and _is_ empty.
-                    if os.path.exists(destination_config_dir) and not os.listdir(
-                        destination_config_dir
-                    ):
-                        copytree(
-                            source_config_dir,
-                            destination_config_dir,
-                            dirs_exist_ok=True,
-                        )
+    if update:
+        # Sync mode: write to temp dir, then copy to deployment dir with backups
+        temp_dir = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="deployment-sync-"))
+        try:
+            # Write deployment files to temp dir (skip deployment.yml to preserve cluster ID)
+            _write_deployment_files(
+                temp_dir,
+                Path(spec_file),
+                parsed_spec,
+                stack_name,
+                deployment_type,
+                include_deployment_file=False,
+            )
 
-    # Copy the job files into the deployment dir (for Docker deployments)
-    jobs = get_job_list(parsed_stack)
-    if jobs and not parsed_spec.is_kubernetes_deployment():
-        destination_compose_jobs_dir = deployment_dir_path.joinpath("compose-jobs")
-        os.mkdir(destination_compose_jobs_dir)
-        for job in jobs:
-            job_file_path = get_job_file_path(stack_name, parsed_stack, job)
-            if job_file_path and job_file_path.exists():
-                parsed_job_file = yaml.load(open(job_file_path, "r"))
-                _fixup_pod_file(parsed_job_file, parsed_spec, destination_compose_dir)
-                with open(
-                    destination_compose_jobs_dir.joinpath(
-                        "docker-compose-%s.yml" % job
-                    ),
-                    "w",
-                ) as output_file:
-                    yaml.dump(parsed_job_file, output_file)
-                if opts.o.debug:
-                    print(f"Copied job compose file: {job}")
+            # Copy from temp to deployment dir, excluding data volumes and backing up changed files
+            # Exclude data/* to avoid touching user data volumes
+            # Exclude config file to preserve deployment settings (XXX breaks passing config vars
+            # from spec. could warn about this or not exclude...)
+            exclude_patterns = ["data", "data/*", constants.config_file_name]
+            _safe_copy_tree(
+                temp_dir, deployment_dir_path, exclude_patterns=exclude_patterns
+            )
+        finally:
+            # Clean up temp dir
+            rmtree(temp_dir)
+    else:
+        # Normal mode: write directly to deployment dir
+        _write_deployment_files(
+            deployment_dir_path,
+            Path(spec_file),
+            parsed_spec,
+            stack_name,
+            deployment_type,
+            include_deployment_file=True,
+        )
 
     # Delegate to the stack's Python code
     # The deploy create command doesn't require a --stack argument so we need
@@ -712,6 +667,181 @@ def create_operation(
     )
 
 
+def _safe_copy_tree(src: Path, dst: Path, exclude_patterns: List[str] = None):
+    """
+    Recursively copy a directory tree, backing up changed files with .bak suffix.
+
+    :param src: Source directory
+    :param dst: Destination directory
+    :param exclude_patterns: List of path patterns to exclude (relative to src)
+    """
+    if exclude_patterns is None:
+        exclude_patterns = []
+
+    def should_exclude(path: Path) -> bool:
+        """Check if path matches any exclude pattern."""
+        rel_path = path.relative_to(src)
+        for pattern in exclude_patterns:
+            if rel_path.match(pattern):
+                return True
+        return False
+
+    def safe_copy_file(src_file: Path, dst_file: Path):
+        """Copy file, backing up destination if it differs."""
+        if (
+            dst_file.exists()
+            and not dst_file.is_dir()
+            and not filecmp.cmp(src_file, dst_file)
+        ):
+            os.rename(dst_file, f"{dst_file}.bak")
+        copy(src_file, dst_file)
+
+    # Walk the source tree
+    for src_path in src.rglob("*"):
+        if should_exclude(src_path):
+            continue
+
+        rel_path = src_path.relative_to(src)
+        dst_path = dst / rel_path
+
+        if src_path.is_dir():
+            dst_path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        else:
+            dst_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+            safe_copy_file(src_path, dst_path)
+
+
+def _write_deployment_files(
+    target_dir: Path,
+    spec_file: Path,
+    parsed_spec: Spec,
+    stack_name: str,
+    deployment_type: str,
+    include_deployment_file: bool = True,
+):
+    """
+    Write deployment files to target directory.
+
+    :param target_dir: Directory to write files to
+    :param spec_file: Path to spec file
+    :param parsed_spec: Parsed spec object
+    :param stack_name: Name of stack
+    :param deployment_type: Type of deployment
+    :param include_deployment_file: Whether to create deployment.yml file (skip for update)
+    """
+    stack_file = get_stack_path(stack_name).joinpath(constants.stack_file_name)
+    parsed_stack = get_parsed_stack_config(stack_name)
+
+    # Copy spec file and the stack file into the target dir
+    copyfile(spec_file, target_dir.joinpath(constants.spec_file_name))
+    copyfile(stack_file, target_dir.joinpath(constants.stack_file_name))
+
+    # Create deployment file if requested
+    if include_deployment_file:
+        _create_deployment_file(target_dir)
+
+    # Copy any config variables from the spec file into an env file suitable for compose
+    _write_config_file(spec_file, target_dir.joinpath(constants.config_file_name))
+
+    # Copy any k8s config file into the target dir
+    if deployment_type == "k8s":
+        _write_kube_config_file(
+            Path(parsed_spec[constants.kube_config_key]),
+            target_dir.joinpath(constants.kube_config_filename),
+        )
+
+    # Copy the pod files into the target dir, fixing up content
+    pods = get_pod_list(parsed_stack)
+    destination_compose_dir = target_dir.joinpath("compose")
+    os.makedirs(destination_compose_dir, exist_ok=True)
+    destination_pods_dir = target_dir.joinpath("pods")
+    os.makedirs(destination_pods_dir, exist_ok=True)
+    yaml = get_yaml()
+
+    for pod in pods:
+        pod_file_path = get_pod_file_path(stack_name, parsed_stack, pod)
+        if pod_file_path is None:
+            continue
+        parsed_pod_file = yaml.load(open(pod_file_path, "r"))
+        extra_config_dirs = _find_extra_config_dirs(parsed_pod_file, pod)
+        destination_pod_dir = destination_pods_dir.joinpath(pod)
+        os.makedirs(destination_pod_dir, exist_ok=True)
+        if opts.o.debug:
+            print(f"extra config dirs: {extra_config_dirs}")
+        _fixup_pod_file(parsed_pod_file, parsed_spec, destination_compose_dir)
+        with open(
+            destination_compose_dir.joinpath("docker-compose-%s.yml" % pod), "w"
+        ) as output_file:
+            yaml.dump(parsed_pod_file, output_file)
+
+        # Copy the config files for the pod, if any
+        config_dirs = {pod}
+        config_dirs = config_dirs.union(extra_config_dirs)
+        for config_dir in config_dirs:
+            source_config_dir = resolve_config_dir(stack_name, config_dir)
+            if os.path.exists(source_config_dir):
+                destination_config_dir = target_dir.joinpath("config", config_dir)
+                copytree(source_config_dir, destination_config_dir, dirs_exist_ok=True)
+
+        # Copy the script files for the pod, if any
+        if pod_has_scripts(parsed_stack, pod):
+            destination_script_dir = destination_pod_dir.joinpath("scripts")
+            os.makedirs(destination_script_dir, exist_ok=True)
+            script_paths = get_pod_script_paths(parsed_stack, pod)
+            _copy_files_to_directory(script_paths, destination_script_dir)
+
+        if parsed_spec.is_kubernetes_deployment():
+            for configmap in parsed_spec.get_configmaps():
+                source_config_dir = resolve_config_dir(stack_name, configmap)
+                if os.path.exists(source_config_dir):
+                    destination_config_dir = target_dir.joinpath(
+                        "configmaps", configmap
+                    )
+                    copytree(
+                        source_config_dir, destination_config_dir, dirs_exist_ok=True
+                    )
+        else:
+            # TODO:
+            # this is odd - looks up config dir that matches a volume name, then copies as a mount dir?
+            # AFAICT this is not used by or relevant to any existing stack - roy
+
+            # TODO: We should probably only do this if the volume is marked :ro.
+            for volume_name, volume_path in parsed_spec.get_volumes().items():
+                source_config_dir = resolve_config_dir(stack_name, volume_name)
+                # Only copy if the source exists and is _not_ empty.
+                if os.path.exists(source_config_dir) and os.listdir(source_config_dir):
+                    destination_config_dir = target_dir.joinpath(volume_path)
+                    # Only copy if the destination exists and _is_ empty.
+                    if os.path.exists(destination_config_dir) and not os.listdir(
+                        destination_config_dir
+                    ):
+                        copytree(
+                            source_config_dir,
+                            destination_config_dir,
+                            dirs_exist_ok=True,
+                        )
+
+    # Copy the job files into the target dir (for Docker deployments)
+    jobs = get_job_list(parsed_stack)
+    if jobs and not parsed_spec.is_kubernetes_deployment():
+        destination_compose_jobs_dir = target_dir.joinpath("compose-jobs")
+        os.makedirs(destination_compose_jobs_dir, exist_ok=True)
+        for job in jobs:
+            job_file_path = get_job_file_path(stack_name, parsed_stack, job)
+            if job_file_path and job_file_path.exists():
+                parsed_job_file = yaml.load(open(job_file_path, "r"))
+                _fixup_pod_file(parsed_job_file, parsed_spec, destination_compose_dir)
+                with open(
+                    destination_compose_jobs_dir.joinpath(
+                        "docker-compose-%s.yml" % job
+                    ),
+                    "w",
+                ) as output_file:
+                    yaml.dump(parsed_job_file, output_file)
+                if opts.o.debug:
+                    print(f"Copied job compose file: {job}")
+
+
 # TODO: this code should be in the stack .py files but
 # we haven't yet figured out how to integrate click across
 # the plugin boundary
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/deploy/k8s/cluster_info.py b/stack_orchestrator/deploy/k8s/cluster_info.py
index bce1c310..42c41b4b 100644
--- a/stack_orchestrator/deploy/k8s/cluster_info.py
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/deploy/k8s/cluster_info.py
@@ -216,23 +216,32 @@ class ClusterInfo:
 
     # TODO: suppoprt multiple services
     def get_service(self):
-        port = None
-        for pod_name in self.parsed_pod_yaml_map:
-            pod = self.parsed_pod_yaml_map[pod_name]
-            services = pod["services"]
-            for service_name in services:
-                service_info = services[service_name]
-                if "ports" in service_info:
-                    port = int(service_info["ports"][0])
-                    if opts.o.debug:
-                        print(f"service port: {port}")
-        if port is None:
+        # Collect all ports from http-proxy routes
+        ports_set = set()
+        http_proxy_list = self.spec.get_http_proxy()
+        if http_proxy_list:
+            for http_proxy in http_proxy_list:
+                for route in http_proxy.get("routes", []):
+                    proxy_to = route.get("proxy-to", "")
+                    if ":" in proxy_to:
+                        port = int(proxy_to.split(":")[1])
+                        ports_set.add(port)
+                        if opts.o.debug:
+                            print(f"http-proxy route port: {port}")
+
+        if not ports_set:
             return None
+
+        service_ports = [
+            client.V1ServicePort(port=p, target_port=p, name=f"port-{p}")
+            for p in sorted(ports_set)
+        ]
+
         service = client.V1Service(
             metadata=client.V1ObjectMeta(name=f"{self.app_name}-service"),
             spec=client.V1ServiceSpec(
                 type="ClusterIP",
-                ports=[client.V1ServicePort(port=port, target_port=port)],
+                ports=service_ports,
                 selector={"app": self.app_name},
             ),
         )
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/deploy/k8s/deploy_k8s.py b/stack_orchestrator/deploy/k8s/deploy_k8s.py
index cf8f564f..3d0b697c 100644
--- a/stack_orchestrator/deploy/k8s/deploy_k8s.py
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/deploy/k8s/deploy_k8s.py
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ class K8sDeployer(Deployer):
         service = self.cluster_info.get_service()
         if opts.o.debug:
             print(f"Sending this service: {service}")
-        if not opts.o.dry_run:
+        if service and not opts.o.dry_run:
             service_resp = self.core_api.create_namespaced_service(
                 namespace=self.k8s_namespace, body=service
             )
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/deploy/k8s/helpers.py b/stack_orchestrator/deploy/k8s/helpers.py
index a125d4f5..f7603b5e 100644
--- a/stack_orchestrator/deploy/k8s/helpers.py
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/deploy/k8s/helpers.py
@@ -27,6 +27,48 @@ from stack_orchestrator.deploy.deployer import DeployerException
 from stack_orchestrator import constants
 
 
+def is_host_path_mount(volume_name: str) -> bool:
+    """Check if a volume name is a host path mount (starts with /, ., or ~)."""
+    return volume_name.startswith(("/", ".", "~"))
+
+
+def sanitize_host_path_to_volume_name(host_path: str) -> str:
+    """Convert a host path to a valid k8s volume name.
+
+    K8s volume names must be lowercase, alphanumeric, with - allowed.
+    E.g., '../config/test/script.sh' -> 'host-path-config-test-script-sh'
+    """
+    # Remove leading ./ or ../
+    clean_path = re.sub(r"^\.+/", "", host_path)
+    # Replace path separators and dots with hyphens
+    name = re.sub(r"[/.]", "-", clean_path)
+    # Remove any non-alphanumeric characters except hyphens
+    name = re.sub(r"[^a-zA-Z0-9-]", "", name)
+    # Convert to lowercase
+    name = name.lower()
+    # Remove leading/trailing hyphens and collapse multiple hyphens
+    name = re.sub(r"-+", "-", name).strip("-")
+    # Prefix with 'host-path-' to distinguish from named volumes
+    return f"host-path-{name}"
+
+
+def resolve_host_path_for_kind(host_path: str, deployment_dir: Path) -> Path:
+    """Resolve a host path mount (relative to compose file) to absolute path.
+
+    Compose files are in deployment_dir/compose/, so '../config/foo'
+    resolves to deployment_dir/config/foo.
+    """
+    # The path is relative to the compose directory
+    compose_dir = deployment_dir.joinpath("compose")
+    resolved = compose_dir.joinpath(host_path).resolve()
+    return resolved
+
+
+def get_kind_host_path_mount_path(sanitized_name: str) -> str:
+    """Get the path inside the kind node where a host path mount will be available."""
+    return f"/mnt/{sanitized_name}"
+
+
 def get_kind_cluster():
     """Get an existing kind cluster, if any.
 
@@ -177,6 +219,7 @@ def volume_mounts_for_service(parsed_pod_files, service):
                         for mount_string in volumes:
                             # Looks like: test-data:/data
                             # or test-data:/data:ro or test-data:/data:rw
+                            # or ../config/file.sh:/opt/file.sh (host path mount)
                             if opts.o.debug:
                                 print(f"mount_string: {mount_string}")
                             mount_split = mount_string.split(":")
@@ -185,13 +228,21 @@ def volume_mounts_for_service(parsed_pod_files, service):
                             mount_options = (
                                 mount_split[2] if len(mount_split) == 3 else None
                             )
+                            # For host path mounts, use sanitized name
+                            if is_host_path_mount(volume_name):
+                                k8s_volume_name = sanitize_host_path_to_volume_name(
+                                    volume_name
+                                )
+                            else:
+                                k8s_volume_name = volume_name
                             if opts.o.debug:
                                 print(f"volume_name: {volume_name}")
+                                print(f"k8s_volume_name: {k8s_volume_name}")
                                 print(f"mount path: {mount_path}")
                                 print(f"mount options: {mount_options}")
                             volume_device = client.V1VolumeMount(
                                 mount_path=mount_path,
-                                name=volume_name,
+                                name=k8s_volume_name,
                                 read_only="ro" == mount_options,
                             )
                             result.append(volume_device)
@@ -200,8 +251,12 @@ def volume_mounts_for_service(parsed_pod_files, service):
 
 def volumes_for_pod_files(parsed_pod_files, spec, app_name):
     result = []
+    seen_host_path_volumes = set()  # Track host path volumes to avoid duplicates
+
     for pod in parsed_pod_files:
         parsed_pod_file = parsed_pod_files[pod]
+
+        # Handle named volumes from top-level volumes section
         if "volumes" in parsed_pod_file:
             volumes = parsed_pod_file["volumes"]
             for volume_name in volumes.keys():
@@ -220,6 +275,35 @@ def volumes_for_pod_files(parsed_pod_files, spec, app_name):
                         name=volume_name, persistent_volume_claim=claim
                     )
                     result.append(volume)
+
+        # Handle host path mounts from service volumes
+        if "services" in parsed_pod_file:
+            services = parsed_pod_file["services"]
+            for service_name in services:
+                service_obj = services[service_name]
+                if "volumes" in service_obj:
+                    for mount_string in service_obj["volumes"]:
+                        mount_split = mount_string.split(":")
+                        volume_source = mount_split[0]
+                        if is_host_path_mount(volume_source):
+                            sanitized_name = sanitize_host_path_to_volume_name(
+                                volume_source
+                            )
+                            if sanitized_name not in seen_host_path_volumes:
+                                seen_host_path_volumes.add(sanitized_name)
+                                # Create hostPath volume for mount inside kind node
+                                kind_mount_path = get_kind_host_path_mount_path(
+                                    sanitized_name
+                                )
+                                host_path_source = client.V1HostPathVolumeSource(
+                                    path=kind_mount_path, type="FileOrCreate"
+                                )
+                                volume = client.V1Volume(
+                                    name=sanitized_name, host_path=host_path_source
+                                )
+                                result.append(volume)
+                                if opts.o.debug:
+                                    print(f"Created hostPath volume: {sanitized_name}")
     return result
 
 
@@ -238,6 +322,8 @@ def _make_absolute_host_path(data_mount_path: Path, deployment_dir: Path) -> Pat
 def _generate_kind_mounts(parsed_pod_files, deployment_dir, deployment_context):
     volume_definitions = []
     volume_host_path_map = _get_host_paths_for_volumes(deployment_context)
+    seen_host_path_mounts = set()  # Track to avoid duplicate mounts
+
     # Note these paths are relative to the location of the pod files (at present)
     # So we need to fix up to make them correct and absolute because kind assumes
     # relative to the cwd.
@@ -252,28 +338,58 @@ def _generate_kind_mounts(parsed_pod_files, deployment_dir, deployment_context):
                     for mount_string in volumes:
                         # Looks like: test-data:/data
                         # or test-data:/data:ro or test-data:/data:rw
+                        # or ../config/file.sh:/opt/file.sh (host path mount)
                         if opts.o.debug:
                             print(f"mount_string: {mount_string}")
                         mount_split = mount_string.split(":")
                         volume_name = mount_split[0]
                         mount_path = mount_split[1]
-                        if opts.o.debug:
-                            print(f"volume_name: {volume_name}")
-                            print(f"map: {volume_host_path_map}")
-                            print(f"mount path: {mount_path}")
-                        if volume_name not in deployment_context.spec.get_configmaps():
-                            if volume_host_path_map[volume_name]:
-                                host_path = _make_absolute_host_path(
-                                    volume_host_path_map[volume_name],
-                                    deployment_dir,
+
+                        if is_host_path_mount(volume_name):
+                            # Host path mount - add extraMount for kind
+                            sanitized_name = sanitize_host_path_to_volume_name(
+                                volume_name
+                            )
+                            if sanitized_name not in seen_host_path_mounts:
+                                seen_host_path_mounts.add(sanitized_name)
+                                # Resolve path relative to compose directory
+                                host_path = resolve_host_path_for_kind(
+                                    volume_name, deployment_dir
                                 )
-                                container_path = get_kind_pv_bind_mount_path(
-                                    volume_name
+                                container_path = get_kind_host_path_mount_path(
+                                    sanitized_name
                                 )
                                 volume_definitions.append(
                                     f"  - hostPath: {host_path}\n"
                                     f"    containerPath: {container_path}\n"
                                 )
+                                if opts.o.debug:
+                                    print(f"Added host path mount: {host_path}")
+                        else:
+                            # Named volume
+                            if opts.o.debug:
+                                print(f"volume_name: {volume_name}")
+                                print(f"map: {volume_host_path_map}")
+                                print(f"mount path: {mount_path}")
+                            if (
+                                volume_name
+                                not in deployment_context.spec.get_configmaps()
+                            ):
+                                if (
+                                    volume_name in volume_host_path_map
+                                    and volume_host_path_map[volume_name]
+                                ):
+                                    host_path = _make_absolute_host_path(
+                                        volume_host_path_map[volume_name],
+                                        deployment_dir,
+                                    )
+                                    container_path = get_kind_pv_bind_mount_path(
+                                        volume_name
+                                    )
+                                    volume_definitions.append(
+                                        f"  - hostPath: {host_path}\n"
+                                        f"    containerPath: {container_path}\n"
+                                    )
     return (
         ""
         if len(volume_definitions) == 0
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/deploy/webapp/deploy_webapp.py b/stack_orchestrator/deploy/webapp/deploy_webapp.py
index 6d5ea6c2..6170dbe3 100644
--- a/stack_orchestrator/deploy/webapp/deploy_webapp.py
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/deploy/webapp/deploy_webapp.py
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ def create_deployment(
     # Add the TLS and DNS spec
     _fixup_url_spec(spec_file_name, url)
     create_operation(
-        deploy_command_context, spec_file_name, deployment_dir, False, None, None
+        deploy_command_context, spec_file_name, deployment_dir, False, False, None, None
     )
     # Fix up the container tag inside the deployment compose file
     _fixup_container_tag(deployment_dir, image)
diff --git a/tests/database/run-test.sh b/tests/database/run-test.sh
index 405f6d34..2b68cb2c 100755
--- a/tests/database/run-test.sh
+++ b/tests/database/run-test.sh
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ fi
 echo "deploy init test: passed"
 
 # Switch to a full path for the data dir so it gets provisioned as a host bind mounted volume and preserved beyond cluster lifetime
-sed -i "s|^\(\s*db-data:$\)$|\1 ${test_deployment_dir}/data/db-data|" $test_deployment_spec
+sed -i.bak "s|^\(\s*db-data:$\)$|\1 ${test_deployment_dir}/data/db-data|" $test_deployment_spec
 
 $TEST_TARGET_SO --stack ${stack} deploy create --spec-file $test_deployment_spec --deployment-dir $test_deployment_dir
 # Check the deployment dir exists
diff --git a/tests/deploy/run-deploy-test.sh b/tests/deploy/run-deploy-test.sh
index fb574b03..73f26da5 100755
--- a/tests/deploy/run-deploy-test.sh
+++ b/tests/deploy/run-deploy-test.sh
@@ -14,8 +14,13 @@ delete_cluster_exit () {
 
 # Test basic stack-orchestrator deploy
 echo "Running stack-orchestrator deploy test"
-# Bit of a hack, test the most recent package
-TEST_TARGET_SO=$( ls -t1 ./package/laconic-so* | head -1 )
+
+if [ "$1" == "from-path" ]; then
+    TEST_TARGET_SO="laconic-so"
+else
+    TEST_TARGET_SO=$( ls -t1 ./package/laconic-so* | head -1 )
+fi
+
 # Set a non-default repo dir
 export CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR=~/stack-orchestrator-test/repo-base-dir
 echo "Testing this package: $TEST_TARGET_SO"
@@ -29,6 +34,7 @@ mkdir -p $CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR
 # with and without volume removal
 $TEST_TARGET_SO --stack test setup-repositories
 $TEST_TARGET_SO --stack test build-containers
+
 # Test deploy command execution
 $TEST_TARGET_SO --stack test deploy setup $CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR
 # Check that we now have the expected output directory
@@ -80,6 +86,7 @@ else
     exit 1
 fi
 $TEST_TARGET_SO --stack test deploy down --delete-volumes
+
 # Basic test of creating a deployment
 test_deployment_dir=$CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR/test-deployment-dir
 test_deployment_spec=$CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR/test-deployment-spec.yml
@@ -117,6 +124,101 @@ fi
 echo "dbfc7a4d-44a7-416d-b5f3-29842cc47650" > $test_deployment_dir/data/test-config/test_config
 
 echo "deploy create output file test: passed"
+
+# Test sync functionality: update deployment without destroying data
+# First, create a marker file in the data directory to verify it's preserved
+test_data_marker="$test_deployment_dir/data/test-data-bind/sync-test-marker.txt"
+echo "original-data-$(date +%s)" > "$test_data_marker"
+original_marker_content=$(<$test_data_marker)
+
+# Modify a config file in the deployment to differ from source (to test backup)
+test_config_file="$test_deployment_dir/config/test/settings.env"
+test_config_file_original_content=$(<$test_config_file)
+test_config_file_changed_content="ANSWER=69"
+echo "$test_config_file_changed_content" > "$test_config_file"
+
+# Check a config file that matches the source (to test no backup for unchanged files)
+test_unchanged_config="$test_deployment_dir/config/test/script.sh"
+
+# Modify spec file to simulate an update
+sed -i.bak 's/CERC_TEST_PARAM_3:/CERC_TEST_PARAM_3: FASTER/' $test_deployment_spec
+
+# Create/modify config.env to test it isn't overwritten during sync
+config_env_file="$test_deployment_dir/config.env"
+config_env_persistent_content="PERSISTENT_VALUE=should-not-be-overwritten-$(date +%s)"
+echo "$config_env_persistent_content" >> "$config_env_file"
+original_config_env_content=$(<$config_env_file)
+
+# Run sync to update deployment files without destroying data
+$TEST_TARGET_SO --stack test deploy create --spec-file $test_deployment_spec --deployment-dir $test_deployment_dir --update
+
+# Verify config.env was not overwritten
+synced_config_env_content=$(<$config_env_file)
+if [ "$synced_config_env_content" == "$original_config_env_content" ]; then
+    echo "deployment update test: config.env preserved - passed"
+else
+    echo "deployment update test: config.env was overwritten - FAILED"
+    echo "Expected: $original_config_env_content"
+    echo "Got: $synced_config_env_content"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Verify the spec file was updated in deployment dir
+updated_deployed_spec=$(<$test_deployment_dir/spec.yml)
+if [[ "$updated_deployed_spec" == *"FASTER"* ]]; then
+    echo "deployment update test: spec file updated"
+else
+    echo "deployment update test: spec file not updated - FAILED"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Verify changed config file was backed up
+test_config_backup="${test_config_file}.bak"
+if [ -f "$test_config_backup" ]; then
+    backup_content=$(<$test_config_backup)
+    if [ "$backup_content" == "$test_config_file_changed_content" ]; then
+        echo "deployment update test: changed config file backed up - passed"
+    else
+        echo "deployment update test: backup content incorrect - FAILED"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+else
+    echo "deployment update test: backup file not created for changed file - FAILED"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Verify unchanged config file was NOT backed up
+test_unchanged_backup="$test_unchanged_config.bak"
+if [ -f "$test_unchanged_backup" ]; then
+    echo "deployment update test: backup created for unchanged file - FAILED"
+    exit 1
+else
+    echo "deployment update test: no backup for unchanged file - passed"
+fi
+
+# Verify the config file was updated from source
+updated_config_content=$(<$test_config_file)
+if [ "$updated_config_content" == "$test_config_file_original_content" ]; then
+    echo "deployment update test: config file updated from source - passed"
+else
+    echo "deployment update test: config file not updated correctly - FAILED"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Verify the data marker file still exists with original content
+if [ ! -f "$test_data_marker" ]; then
+    echo "deployment update test: data file deleted - FAILED"
+    exit 1
+fi
+synced_marker_content=$(<$test_data_marker)
+if [ "$synced_marker_content" == "$original_marker_content" ]; then
+    echo "deployment update test: data preserved - passed"
+else
+    echo "deployment update test: data corrupted - FAILED"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo "deployment update test: passed"
+
 # Try to start the deployment
 $TEST_TARGET_SO deployment --dir $test_deployment_dir start
 # Check logs command works
diff --git a/tests/external-stack/run-test.sh b/tests/external-stack/run-test.sh
index 084f3b9d..54c6f18f 100755
--- a/tests/external-stack/run-test.sh
+++ b/tests/external-stack/run-test.sh
@@ -125,6 +125,49 @@ fi
 echo "dbfc7a4d-44a7-416d-b5f3-29842cc47650" > $test_deployment_dir/data/test-config/test_config
 
 echo "deploy create output file test: passed"
+
+# Test sync functionality: update deployment without destroying data
+# First, create a marker file in the data directory to verify it's preserved
+test_data_marker="$test_deployment_dir/data/test-data/sync-test-marker.txt"
+mkdir -p "$test_deployment_dir/data/test-data"
+echo "external-stack-data-$(date +%s)" > "$test_data_marker"
+original_marker_content=$(<$test_data_marker)
+# Verify deployment file exists and preserve its cluster ID
+original_cluster_id=$(grep "cluster-id:" "$test_deployment_dir/deployment.yml" 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+# Modify spec file to simulate an update
+sed -i.bak 's/CERC_TEST_PARAM_1=PASSED/CERC_TEST_PARAM_1=UPDATED/' $test_deployment_spec
+# Run sync to update deployment files without destroying data
+$TEST_TARGET_SO_STACK deploy create --spec-file $test_deployment_spec --deployment-dir $test_deployment_dir --update
+# Verify the spec file was updated in deployment dir
+updated_deployed_spec=$(<$test_deployment_dir/spec.yml)
+if [[ "$updated_deployed_spec" == *"UPDATED"* ]]; then
+    echo "deploy sync test: spec file updated"
+else
+    echo "deploy sync test: spec file not updated - FAILED"
+    exit 1
+fi
+# Verify the data marker file still exists with original content
+if [ ! -f "$test_data_marker" ]; then
+    echo "deploy sync test: data file deleted - FAILED"
+    exit 1
+fi
+synced_marker_content=$(<$test_data_marker)
+if [ "$synced_marker_content" == "$original_marker_content" ]; then
+    echo "deploy sync test: data preserved - passed"
+else
+    echo "deploy sync test: data corrupted - FAILED"
+    exit 1
+fi
+# Verify cluster ID was preserved (not regenerated)
+new_cluster_id=$(grep "cluster-id:" "$test_deployment_dir/deployment.yml" 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+if [ -n "$original_cluster_id" ] && [ "$original_cluster_id" == "$new_cluster_id" ]; then
+    echo "deploy sync test: cluster ID preserved - passed"
+else
+    echo "deploy sync test: cluster ID not preserved - FAILED"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo "deploy sync test: passed"
+
 # Try to start the deployment
 $TEST_TARGET_SO deployment --dir $test_deployment_dir start
 # Check logs command works
diff --git a/tests/webapp-test/run-webapp-test.sh b/tests/webapp-test/run-webapp-test.sh
index 6a12d54c..f950334e 100755
--- a/tests/webapp-test/run-webapp-test.sh
+++ b/tests/webapp-test/run-webapp-test.sh
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ sleep 3
 wget --tries 20 --retry-connrefused --waitretry=3 -O test.before -m http://localhost:3000
 
 docker logs $CONTAINER_ID
-docker remove -f $CONTAINER_ID
+docker rm -f $CONTAINER_ID
 
 echo "Running app container test"
 CONTAINER_ID=$(docker run -p 3000:80 -e CERC_WEBAPP_DEBUG=$CHECK -e CERC_SCRIPT_DEBUG=$CERC_SCRIPT_DEBUG -d ${app_image_name})
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ sleep 3
 wget --tries 20 --retry-connrefused --waitretry=3 -O test.after -m http://localhost:3000
 
 docker logs $CONTAINER_ID
-docker remove -f $CONTAINER_ID
+docker rm -f $CONTAINER_ID
 
 echo "###########################################################################"
 echo ""