diff --git a/app/base.py b/app/base.py
index e70f7289..940d488f 100644
--- a/app/base.py
+++ b/app/base.py
@@ -13,22 +13,65 @@
 # You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
 # along with this program.  If not, see <http:#www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 
+import os
+from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
+from .deploy_system import get_stack_status
+
+
 def get_stack(config, stack):
-    return base_stack(config, stack)
+    if stack == "package-registry":
+        return package_registry_stack(config, stack)
+    else:
+        return base_stack(config, stack)
 
 
-class base_stack():
+class base_stack(ABC):
 
     def __init__(self, config, stack):
         self.config = config
         self.stack = stack
 
+    @abstractmethod
     def ensure_available(self):
-        if self.config.verbose:
-            print(f"Checking that base stack {self.stack} is available")
-        return 1
+        pass
+
+    @abstractmethod
+    def get_url(self):
+        pass
+
+
+class package_registry_stack(base_stack):
+
+    def ensure_available(self):
+        self.url = "<no registry url set>"
+        # Check if we were given an external registry URL
+        url_from_environment = os.environ.get("CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL")
+        if url_from_environment:
+            if self.config.verbose:
+                print(f"Using package registry url from CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL: {url_from_environment}")
+            self.url = url_from_environment
+        else:
+            # Otherwise we expect to use the local package-registry stack
+            # First check if the stack is up
+            registry_running = get_stack_status(self.config, "package-registry")
+            if registry_running:
+                # If it is available, get its mapped port and construct its URL
+                if self.config.debug:
+                    print("Found local package registry stack is up")
+                # TODO: get url from deploy-stack
+                self.url = "http://gitea.local:3000/api/packages/cerc-io/npm/"
+            else:
+                # If not, print a message about how to start it and return fail to the caller
+                print("ERROR: The package-registry stack is not running, and no external registry specified with CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL")
+                print("ERROR: Start the local package registry with: laconic-so --stack package-registry deploy-system up")
+                return False
+        return True
 
     def get_url(self):
-        return "http://gitea.local:3000/api/packages/cerc-io/npm/"
+        return self.url
 
-# TODO: finish this implementation for the npm package registry
+# Temporary helper functions while we figure out a good interface to the stack deploy code
+
+
+def _get_stack_mapped_port(stack, service, exposed_port):
+    return 3000
diff --git a/app/build_npms.py b/app/build_npms.py
index d794d027..101fde3e 100644
--- a/app/build_npms.py
+++ b/app/build_npms.py
@@ -44,9 +44,16 @@ def command(ctx, include, exclude):
 
     # build-npms depends on having access to a writable package registry
     # so we check here that it is available
-    package_registry_stack = get_stack(ctx.obj, 'package-registry')
-    package_registry_stack.ensure_available()
-    npm_registry_url = package_registry_stack.get_url('package-registry')
+    package_registry_stack = get_stack(ctx.obj, "package-registry")
+    registry_available = package_registry_stack.ensure_available()
+    if not registry_available:
+        print("FATAL: no npm registry available for build-npms command")
+        sys.exit(1)
+    npm_registry_url = package_registry_stack.get_url()
+    npm_registry_url_token = config("CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN", default=None)
+    if not npm_registry_url_token:
+        print("FATAL: CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN is not defined")
+        sys.exit(1)
 
     if local_stack:
         dev_root_path = os.getcwd()[0:os.getcwd().rindex("stack-orchestrator")]
@@ -86,7 +93,7 @@ def command(ctx, include, exclude):
         if not dry_run:
             if verbose:
                 print(f"Executing: {build_command}")
-            envs = {"CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN": os.environ["CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN"]} | ({"CERC_SCRIPT_DEBUG": "true"} if debug else {})
+            envs = {"CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN": npm_registry_url_token} | ({"CERC_SCRIPT_DEBUG": "true"} if debug else {})
             try:
                 docker.run("cerc/builder-js",
                            remove=True,
diff --git a/app/data/stacks/build-support/stack.yml b/app/data/stacks/build-support/stack.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e4efb457
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/data/stacks/build-support/stack.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+version: "1.1"
+name: build-support
+decription: "Build Support Components"
+containers:
+  - cerc/builder-js
+  - cerc/builder-gerbil
diff --git a/app/deploy_system.py b/app/deploy_system.py
index 798e7b70..bff573bd 100644
--- a/app/deploy_system.py
+++ b/app/deploy_system.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 # Deploys the system components using docker-compose
 
 import hashlib
+import copy
 import os
 import sys
 from decouple import config
@@ -46,74 +47,10 @@ def command(ctx, include, exclude, cluster, command, extra_args):
     dry_run = ctx.obj.dry_run
     stack = ctx.obj.stack
 
-    if local_stack:
-        dev_root_path = os.getcwd()[0:os.getcwd().rindex("stack-orchestrator")]
-        print(f'Local stack dev_root_path (CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR) overridden to: {dev_root_path}')
-    else:
-        dev_root_path = os.path.expanduser(config("CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR", default="~/cerc"))
-
-    # See: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/25389095/python-get-path-of-root-project-structure
-    compose_dir = Path(__file__).absolute().parent.joinpath("data", "compose")
-
-    if cluster is None:
-        # Create default unique, stable cluster name from confile file path
-        # TODO: change this to the config file path
-        path = os.path.realpath(sys.argv[0])
-        hash = hashlib.md5(path.encode()).hexdigest()
-        cluster = f"laconic-{hash}"
-        if verbose:
-            print(f"Using cluster name: {cluster}")
-
-    # See: https://stackoverflow.com/a/20885799/1701505
-    from . import data
-    with importlib.resources.open_text(data, "pod-list.txt") as pod_list_file:
-        all_pods = pod_list_file.read().splitlines()
-
-    pods_in_scope = []
-    if stack:
-        stack_config = get_parsed_stack_config(stack)
-        # TODO: syntax check the input here
-        pods_in_scope = stack_config['pods']
-    else:
-        pods_in_scope = all_pods
-
-    # Convert all pod definitions to v1.1 format
-    pods_in_scope = _convert_to_new_format(pods_in_scope)
-
-    if verbose:
-        print(f"Pods: {pods_in_scope}")
-
-    # Construct a docker compose command suitable for our purpose
-
-    compose_files = []
-    pre_start_commands = []
-    post_start_commands = []
-    for pod in pods_in_scope:
-        pod_name = pod["name"]
-        pod_repository = pod["repository"]
-        pod_path = pod["path"]
-        if include_exclude_check(pod_name, include, exclude):
-            if pod_repository is None or pod_repository == "internal":
-                compose_file_name = os.path.join(compose_dir, f"docker-compose-{pod_path}.yml")
-            else:
-                pod_root_dir = os.path.join(dev_root_path, pod_repository.split("/")[-1], pod["path"])
-                compose_file_name = os.path.join(pod_root_dir, "docker-compose.yml")
-                pod_pre_start_command = pod["pre_start_command"]
-                pod_post_start_command = pod["post_start_command"]
-                if pod_pre_start_command is not None:
-                    pre_start_commands.append(os.path.join(pod_root_dir, pod_pre_start_command))
-                if pod_post_start_command is not None:
-                    post_start_commands.append(os.path.join(pod_root_dir, pod_post_start_command))
-            compose_files.append(compose_file_name)
-        else:
-            if verbose:
-                print(f"Excluding: {pod_name}")
-
-    if verbose:
-        print(f"files: {compose_files}")
+    cluster_context = _make_cluster_context(ctx.obj, include, exclude, cluster)
 
     # See: https://gabrieldemarmiesse.github.io/python-on-whales/sub-commands/compose/
-    docker = DockerClient(compose_files=compose_files, compose_project_name=cluster)
+    docker = DockerClient(compose_files=cluster_context.compose_files, compose_project_name=cluster_context.cluster)
 
     extra_args_list = list(extra_args) or None
 
@@ -123,11 +60,11 @@ def command(ctx, include, exclude, cluster, command, extra_args):
                 os.environ["CERC_SCRIPT_DEBUG"] = "true"
             if verbose:
                 print(f"Running compose up for extra_args: {extra_args_list}")
-            for pre_start_command in pre_start_commands:
-                _run_command(ctx.obj, cluster, pre_start_command)
+            for pre_start_command in cluster_context.pre_start_commands:
+                _run_command(ctx.obj, cluster_context.cluster, pre_start_command)
             docker.compose.up(detach=True, services=extra_args_list)
-            for post_start_command in post_start_commands:
-                _run_command(ctx.obj, cluster, post_start_command)
+            for post_start_command in cluster_context.post_start_commands:
+                _run_command(ctx.obj, cluster_context.cluster, post_start_command)
         elif command == "down":
             if verbose:
                 print("Running compose down")
@@ -181,6 +118,106 @@ def command(ctx, include, exclude, cluster, command, extra_args):
             docker.compose.logs()
 
 
+def get_stack_status(ctx, stack):
+
+    ctx_copy = copy.copy(ctx)
+    ctx_copy.stack = stack
+
+    cluster_context = _make_cluster_context(ctx_copy, None, None, None)
+    docker = DockerClient(compose_files=cluster_context.compose_files, compose_project_name=cluster_context.cluster)
+    # TODO: refactor to avoid duplicating this code above
+    if ctx.verbose:
+        print("Running compose ps")
+    container_list = docker.compose.ps()
+    if len(container_list) > 0:
+        if ctx.debug:
+            print(f"Container list from compose ps: {container_list}")
+        return True
+    else:
+        if ctx.debug:
+            print("No containers found from compose ps")
+        False
+
+
+def _make_cluster_context(ctx, include, exclude, cluster):
+
+    if ctx.local_stack:
+        dev_root_path = os.getcwd()[0:os.getcwd().rindex("stack-orchestrator")]
+        print(f'Local stack dev_root_path (CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR) overridden to: {dev_root_path}')
+    else:
+        dev_root_path = os.path.expanduser(config("CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR", default="~/cerc"))
+
+    # See: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/25389095/python-get-path-of-root-project-structure
+    compose_dir = Path(__file__).absolute().parent.joinpath("data", "compose")
+
+    if cluster is None:
+        # Create default unique, stable cluster name from confile file path
+        # TODO: change this to the config file path
+        path = os.path.realpath(sys.argv[0])
+        hash = hashlib.md5(path.encode()).hexdigest()
+        cluster = f"laconic-{hash}"
+        if ctx.verbose:
+            print(f"Using cluster name: {cluster}")
+
+    # See: https://stackoverflow.com/a/20885799/1701505
+    from . import data
+    with importlib.resources.open_text(data, "pod-list.txt") as pod_list_file:
+        all_pods = pod_list_file.read().splitlines()
+
+    pods_in_scope = []
+    if ctx.stack:
+        stack_config = get_parsed_stack_config(ctx.stack)
+        # TODO: syntax check the input here
+        pods_in_scope = stack_config['pods']
+    else:
+        pods_in_scope = all_pods
+
+    # Convert all pod definitions to v1.1 format
+    pods_in_scope = _convert_to_new_format(pods_in_scope)
+
+    if ctx.verbose:
+        print(f"Pods: {pods_in_scope}")
+
+    # Construct a docker compose command suitable for our purpose
+
+    compose_files = []
+    pre_start_commands = []
+    post_start_commands = []
+    for pod in pods_in_scope:
+        pod_name = pod["name"]
+        pod_repository = pod["repository"]
+        pod_path = pod["path"]
+        if include_exclude_check(pod_name, include, exclude):
+            if pod_repository is None or pod_repository == "internal":
+                compose_file_name = os.path.join(compose_dir, f"docker-compose-{pod_path}.yml")
+            else:
+                pod_root_dir = os.path.join(dev_root_path, pod_repository.split("/")[-1], pod["path"])
+                compose_file_name = os.path.join(pod_root_dir, "docker-compose.yml")
+                pod_pre_start_command = pod["pre_start_command"]
+                pod_post_start_command = pod["post_start_command"]
+                if pod_pre_start_command is not None:
+                    pre_start_commands.append(os.path.join(pod_root_dir, pod_pre_start_command))
+                if pod_post_start_command is not None:
+                    post_start_commands.append(os.path.join(pod_root_dir, pod_post_start_command))
+            compose_files.append(compose_file_name)
+        else:
+            if ctx.verbose:
+                print(f"Excluding: {pod_name}")
+
+    if ctx.verbose:
+        print(f"files: {compose_files}")
+
+    return cluster_context(cluster, compose_files, pre_start_commands, post_start_commands)
+
+
+class cluster_context:
+    def __init__(self, cluster, compose_files, pre_start_commands, post_start_commands) -> None:
+        self.cluster = cluster
+        self.compose_files = compose_files
+        self.pre_start_commands = pre_start_commands
+        self.post_start_commands = post_start_commands
+
+
 def _convert_to_new_format(old_pod_array):
     new_pod_array = []
     for old_pod in old_pod_array:
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 128ee3a0..8249a55a 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 python-decouple>=3.6
 GitPython>=3.1.27
 tqdm>=4.64.0
-python-on-whales>=0.52.0
+python-on-whales>=0.58.0
 click>=8.1.3
 pyyaml>=6.0