diff --git a/config/default.json b/config/default.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2091de0d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/default.json
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+{
+  "disableAutoUpdate": false,
+  "openDevTools": false
+}
diff --git a/config/development.json b/config/development.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b8d0cf811
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/development.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+  "SERVER_URL": "https://textsecure-service-staging.whispersystems.org",
+  "storageProfile": "development",
+  "disableAutoUpdate": true,
+  "openDevTools": true
+}
diff --git a/config/production.json b/config/production.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1962be6dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/production.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  "SERVER_URL": "https://textsecure-service-ca.whispersystems.org"
+}
diff --git a/config/staging.json b/config/staging.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5584aa65a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/staging.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+  "SERVER_URL": "https://textsecure-service-staging.whispersystems.org",
+  "storageProfile": "staging",
+  "disableAutoUpdate": true,
+  "openDevTools": true
+}
diff --git a/js/background.js b/js/background.js
index 9fd6ab131..ba1507db8 100644
--- a/js/background.js
+++ b/js/background.js
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
     };
 
     console.log('background page reloaded');
+    console.log('NODE_ENV', window.env.NODE_ENV);
     extension.notification.init();
 
     // Close and reopen existing windows
@@ -38,11 +39,7 @@
         });
     });
 
-    var SERVER_URL = 'https://textsecure-service-staging.whispersystems.org';
-    if (window.env && window.env.node_env === 'production') {
-      SERVER_URL = 'https://textsecure-service-ca.whispersystems.org';
-    }
-
+    var SERVER_URL = env.SERVER_URL;
     var SERVER_PORTS = [80, 4433, 8443];
     var messageReceiver;
     window.getSocketStatus = function() {
diff --git a/main.js b/main.js
index 0f8ba869a..c727084d3 100644
--- a/main.js
+++ b/main.js
@@ -25,14 +25,17 @@ if (shouldQuit) {
   return;
 }
 
-// Read package.json
 const package_json = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, 'package.json'), 'utf-8'))
-const NODE_ENV = process.env.NODE_ENV || package_json.NODE_ENV || 'development';
+process.env.NODE_ENV = process.env.NODE_ENV || package_json.environment || 'development';
+process.env.NODE_CONFIG_DIR = path.join(__dirname, 'config');
+const config = require('config');
 
 // use a separate data directory for development
-if (NODE_ENV !== 'production') {
-  app.setPath('userData', path.join(app.getPath('appData'), 'Signal-' + NODE_ENV))
+if (config.has('storageProfile')) {
+  app.setPath('userData', path.join(app.getPath('appData'),
+        'Signal-' + config.get('storageProfile')));
 }
+
 // Keep a global reference of the window object, if you don't, the window will
 // be closed automatically when the JavaScript object is garbage collected.
 let mainWindow
@@ -62,13 +65,14 @@ function createWindow () {
     protocol: 'file:',
     slashes: true,
     query: {
-      node_env: NODE_ENV,
       locale: locale,
-      version: package_json.version
+      version: package_json.version,
+      SERVER_URL: config.get('SERVER_URL'),
+      NODE_ENV: process.env.NODE_ENV
     }
   }))
 
-  if (NODE_ENV === 'development') {
+  if (config.get('openDevTools')) {
     // Open the DevTools.
     mainWindow.webContents.openDevTools()
   }
@@ -86,7 +90,7 @@ function createWindow () {
 // initialization and is ready to create browser windows.
 // Some APIs can only be used after this event occurs.
 app.on('ready', function() {
-  if (NODE_ENV === 'production') {
+  if (!config.get('disableAutoUpdate')) {
     autoUpdater.addListener('update-downloaded', function() {
       autoUpdater.quitAndInstall()
     });
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 8ef3c62f4..048a91ff6 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -33,9 +33,14 @@
     "test": "grunt test",
     "lint": "grunt jshint",
     "start": "electron .",
-    "pack": "build --dir --em.NODE_ENV=$NODE_ENV",
-    "dist": "build --em.NODE_ENV=$NODE_ENV",
-    "release": "build -mwl --em.NODE_ENV=$NODE_ENV",
+    "dist": "build --em.environment=$NODE_ENV",
+    "pack": "npm run dist -- --dir",
+    "pack-staging": "NODE_ENV=staging npm run pack",
+    "dist-staging": "NODE_ENV=staging npm run dist",
+    "pack-prod": "NODE_ENV=production npm run pack",
+    "dist-prod": "NODE_ENV=production npm run dist",
+    "dist-prod-all": "NODE_ENV=production npm run dist -- -mwl",
+    "release": "npm run dist-prod-all",
     "icon-gen": "icon-gen -r -t png -m 'ico,icns' -n 'ico=icon,icns=icon' -i ./build/icons -o ./build"
   },
   "build": {
@@ -66,32 +71,34 @@
       ]
     },
     "files": [
-      "**/*",
+      "package.json",
+      "config/default.json",
+      "config/${env.NODE_ENV}.json",
+      "background.html",
+      "_locales/**",
+      "protos/*",
+      "js/**",
+      "stylesheets/*.css",
+      "!js/register.js",
+      "preload.js",
+      "main.js",
+      "menu.js",
+      "audio/**",
+      "images/**",
+      "fonts/*",
+      "node_modules/**",
       "!**/node_modules/*/{CHANGELOG.md,README.md,README,readme.md,readme,test,__tests__,tests,powered-test,example,examples,*.d.ts}",
       "!**/node_modules/.bin",
       "!**/*.{o,hprof,orig,pyc,pyo,rbc}",
       "!**/._*",
-      "!**/{.DS_Store,.git,.hg,.svn,CVS,RCS,SCCS,__pycache__,thumbs.db,.gitignore,.gitattributes,.editorconfig,.flowconfig,.yarn-metadata.json,.idea,appveyor.yml,.travis.yml,circle.yml,npm-debug.log,.nyc_output,yarn.lock,.yarn-integrity}",
-      "!test",
-      "!pack",
-      "!dist",
-      "!build",
-      "!components",
-      "!bower.json",
-      "!Gruntfile.js",
-      "!README.md",
-      "!CONTRIBUTING.md",
-      "!.sass-cache",
-      "!.tx",
-      "!.github",
-      "!.bowerrc",
-      "!.jscsrc"
+      "!**/{.DS_Store,.git,.hg,.svn,CVS,RCS,SCCS,__pycache__,thumbs.db,.gitignore,.gitattributes,.editorconfig,.flowconfig,.yarn-metadata.json,.idea,appveyor.yml,.travis.yml,circle.yml,npm-debug.log,.nyc_output,yarn.lock,.yarn-integrity}"
     ],
     "directories": {
       "output": "pack"
     }
   },
   "dependencies": {
+    "config": "^1.25.1",
     "electron-updater": "^1.11.2"
   }
 }