diff --git a/app/build_containers.py b/app/build_containers.py
index 3a47a6da..ea16c3c9 100644
--- a/app/build_containers.py
+++ b/app/build_containers.py
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ def command(ctx, include, exclude, force_rebuild, extra_build_args):
 
     # TODO: make this configurable
     container_build_env = {
-        "CERC_NPM_URL": "http://gitea.local:3000/api/packages/cerc-io/npm/",
+        "CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL": config("CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL", default="http://gitea.local:3000/api/packages/cerc-io/npm/"),
         "CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN": config("CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN", default="<token-not-supplied>"),
         "CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR": dev_root_path,
         "CERC_CONTAINER_BASE_DIR": container_build_dir,
diff --git a/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-console-host/Dockerfile b/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-console-host/Dockerfile
index 51a86560..a31aa265 100644
--- a/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-console-host/Dockerfile
+++ b/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-console-host/Dockerfile
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ ARG USERNAME=node
 ARG NPM_GLOBAL=/usr/local/share/npm-global
 
 # This container pulls npm packages from a local registry configured via these env vars
-ARG CERC_NPM_URL
+ARG CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL
 ARG CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN
 
 # Add NPM global to PATH.
@@ -49,9 +49,9 @@ COPY ./start-serving-app.sh /scripts
 # RUN su node -c "npm install -g <your-package-list-here>"
 
 # Configure the local npm registry
-RUN npm config set @cerc-io:registry ${CERC_NPM_URL} \
-    && npm config set @lirewine:registry ${CERC_NPM_URL} \
-    && npm config set -- ${CERC_NPM_URL}:_authToken ${CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN}
+RUN npm config set @cerc-io:registry ${CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL} \
+    && npm config set @lirewine:registry ${CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL} \
+    && npm config set -- ${CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL}:_authToken ${CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN}
 
 RUN mkdir -p /config
 COPY ./config.yml /config
diff --git a/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-console-host/build.sh b/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-console-host/build.sh
index a321b195..77a38917 100755
--- a/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-console-host/build.sh
+++ b/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-console-host/build.sh
@@ -8,4 +8,4 @@ SCRIPT_DIR=$( cd -- "$( dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" &> /dev/null && pwd )
 
 docker build -t cerc/laconic-console-host:local ${build_command_args} -f ${SCRIPT_DIR}/Dockerfile \
   --add-host gitea.local:host-gateway \
-  --build-arg CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN --build-arg CERC_NPM_URL ${SCRIPT_DIR}
+  --build-arg CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN --build-arg CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL ${SCRIPT_DIR}
diff --git a/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-registry-cli/Dockerfile b/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-registry-cli/Dockerfile
index da7ff19a..7859adb4 100644
--- a/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-registry-cli/Dockerfile
+++ b/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-registry-cli/Dockerfile
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ ARG USERNAME=node
 ARG NPM_GLOBAL=/usr/local/share/npm-global
 
 # This container pulls npm packages from a local registry configured via these env vars
-ARG CERC_NPM_URL
+ARG CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL
 ARG CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN
 
 # Add NPM global to PATH.
@@ -42,9 +42,9 @@ RUN apt-get update && export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive \
 # RUN su node -c "npm install -g <your-package-list-here>"
 
 # Configure the local npm registry
-RUN npm config set @cerc-io:registry ${CERC_NPM_URL} \
-    && npm config set @lirewine:registry ${CERC_NPM_URL} \
-    && npm config set -- ${CERC_NPM_URL}:_authToken ${CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN}
+RUN npm config set @cerc-io:registry ${CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL} \
+    && npm config set @lirewine:registry ${CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL} \
+    && npm config set -- ${CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL}:_authToken ${CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN}
 
 # TODO: the image at this point could be made a base image for several different CLI images
 # that install different Node-based CLI commands
diff --git a/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-registry-cli/build.sh b/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-registry-cli/build.sh
index a6264f4b..c9379856 100755
--- a/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-registry-cli/build.sh
+++ b/app/data/container-build/cerc-laconic-registry-cli/build.sh
@@ -8,4 +8,4 @@ SCRIPT_DIR=$( cd -- "$( dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" &> /dev/null && pwd )
 
 docker build -t cerc/laconic-registry-cli:local ${build_command_args} -f ${SCRIPT_DIR}/Dockerfile \
   --add-host gitea.local:host-gateway \
-  --build-arg CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN --build-arg CERC_NPM_URL ${SCRIPT_DIR}
+  --build-arg CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN --build-arg CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL ${SCRIPT_DIR}