diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 40261de..573958e 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -168,3 +168,5 @@ cython_debug/
 
 instance/
 images/
+
+config.json
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6850cac..5f8c37f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -28,7 +28,15 @@ and you can also run the app using [./scripts/run.sh](./scripts/run.sh) to match
 the run.sh as the first run.
 
 running with gunicorn (run.sh) is for production use, for master key generation (first run), please
-run it in dev mode:
+run it in dev mode after making the config:
+
+make the config:
+
+```sh
+cp src/imag/config.sample.json src/imag/config.json && nano config.json
+```
+
+run it:
 
 ```sh
 python3 src/main.py
@@ -37,7 +45,7 @@ python3 src/main.py
 (make sure to save the key!)
 and only then with gunicorn
 
-if you already ran it in production and don't know where the key is, run the following command :
+if you already ran it in production and don't know where the key is, run the following command:
 
 ```sh
 rm -rf src/instance
@@ -49,9 +57,10 @@ and then run it in debug
 
 this comes from an email the original creator got from a user:
 
-1. clone the repository : `git clone https://git.everypizza.im/n/imag`
-2. make sure you have virtualenv installed ( either through python-virtualenv / python3-virtualenv / py3-virtualenv packages, or by pip - `python3 -m pip install --user --break-system-packages --upgrade virtualenv`
-3. ensure you have sqlite3 and memcached installed : `apt install sqlite3 memcached`
-4. create a new virtual environment : `python3 -m virtualenv venv && source venv/bin/activate`
-5. install the dependencies in the environment : `pip install -r requirements.txt`
-6. run the app by either running `scripts/run.sh` or by manually starting memcached and running `src/main.py` with gunicorn ( i assume you're reverse proxying it anyway )
+1. clone the repository: `git clone https://git.everypizza.im/n/imag`
+2. make sure you have virtualenv installed (either through python-virtualenv / python3-virtualenv / py3-virtualenv packages, or by pip - `python3 -m pip install --user --break-system-packages --upgrade virtualenv`)
+3. ensure you have sqlite3 and memcached installed: `apt install sqlite3 memcached`
+4. create a new virtual environment: `python3 -m virtualenv venv && source venv/bin/activate`
+5. install the dependencies in the environment: `pip install -r requirements.txt`
+6. configure the instance: `cp src/imag/config.sample.json src/imag/config.json && nano config.json`
+6. run the app by either running `scripts/run.sh` or by manually starting memcached and running `src/main.py` with gunicorn (i assume you're reverse proxying it anyway)
diff --git a/src/imag/__init__.py b/src/imag/__init__.py
index 1f2051b..c73c508 100644
--- a/src/imag/__init__.py
+++ b/src/imag/__init__.py
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
 
 import secrets
 import typing as t
-from os import makedirs
-
+from os import makedirs, path
+import json
 import flask
 from werkzeug.middleware.proxy_fix import ProxyFix
 
@@ -13,6 +13,11 @@ from . import const, models
 from .api import api
 from .views import views
 
+configLocation = path.dirname(path.abspath(__file__))
+with open(configLocation + '/config.json', 'r') as f:
+    config = json.load(f)
+message = config["message"]
+
 __version__: str = "3.1.2-nyx"
 
 
@@ -54,6 +59,7 @@ def create_app(db: str = "sqlite:///imag.db") -> t.Tuple[flask.Flask, t.Optional
             "desc_len": const.DESC_LEN,
             "key_len": const.KEY_LEN,
             "imagv": __version__,
+            "imagmessage": message
         }
 
     @app.after_request
diff --git a/src/imag/config.sample.json b/src/imag/config.sample.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6c0ec09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/imag/config.sample.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+    "message": "meow"
+}
diff --git a/src/imag/static/index.css b/src/imag/static/index.css
index 03cff6e..61a82cc 100644
--- a/src/imag/static/index.css
+++ b/src/imag/static/index.css
@@ -114,3 +114,7 @@ hr.thin{
     width:50%;
 }
 
+hr.tiny {
+    width:25%;
+}
+
diff --git a/src/imag/templates/index.j2 b/src/imag/templates/index.j2
index 32dfb64..0448305 100644
--- a/src/imag/templates/index.j2
+++ b/src/imag/templates/index.j2
@@ -60,6 +60,14 @@
                 <a href="https://matrix.to/#/@quotes-python:everypizza.im">@quotes-python:everypizza.im</a>
             </small>
         </center>
+        <hr class="tiny">
+        <center>
+            <small>
+                Board message: {{ imagmessage }}
+            </small>
+        </center>
+        <hr class="thin">
+
 
         {% with messages = get_flashed_messages(with_categories=True) %}
             {% if messages %}