diff --git a/exodus_gw/docs.py b/exodus_gw/docs.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cbe359e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/exodus_gw/docs.py
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+import os
+
+DEFAULT_OVERVIEW = ""
+
+DEFAULT_AUTHENTICATION = """
+The exodus-gw API does not include any direct support for authentication and is
+instead expected to be deployed behind a reverse-proxy implementing any desired
+authentication mechanism.
+
+If you are deploying an instance of exodus-gw, see
+[the deployment guide](https://release-engineering.github.io/exodus-gw/deployment.html)
+for information on how to integrate an authentication mechanism.
+
+If you are a client looking to make use of exodus-gw, consult your organization's
+internal documentation for advice on how to authenticate with exodus-gw.
+"""
+
+DEFAULT_ENVIRONMENTS = """
+The set of environments is configured when exodus-gw is deployed.
+A typical scenario is to deploy a "pre" environment for pre-release content and a
+"live" environment for live content.
+
+Different environments will also require the user to hold different roles. For example,
+a client might be permitted only to write to one of the configured environments, or all
+of them, depending on the configuration of the server.
+
+If you are deploying an instance of exodus-gw, see
+[the deployment guide](https://release-engineering.github.io/exodus-gw/deployment.html)
+for information on how to configure environments.
+
+If you are a client looking to make use of exodus-gw, consult your organization's
+internal documentation for advice on which environment(s) you should be using.
+"""
+
+
+def format_docs(docstring: str) -> str:
+    return docstring.format(
+        OVERVIEW=os.getenv("EXODUS_GW_DOCS_OVERVIEW") or DEFAULT_OVERVIEW,
+        AUTHENTICATION=os.getenv("EXODUS_GW_DOCS_AUTHENTICATION")
+        or DEFAULT_AUTHENTICATION,
+        ENVIRONMENTS=os.getenv("EXODUS_GW_DOCS_ENVIRONMENTS")
+        or DEFAULT_ENVIRONMENTS,
+    )
diff --git a/exodus_gw/main.py b/exodus_gw/main.py
index 834bd3b6..8dd3e540 100644
--- a/exodus_gw/main.py
+++ b/exodus_gw/main.py
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 """The exodus-gw service provides APIs for uploading and publishing content on the exodus CDN.
 
+{OVERVIEW}
+
 Available APIs are grouped into the following categories:
 
 - [service](#tag/service): inspect the state of the exodus-gw service.
@@ -25,37 +27,14 @@
 
 ## Authentication
 
-The exodus-gw API does not include any direct support for authentication and is
-instead expected to be deployed behind a reverse-proxy implementing any desired
-authentication mechanism.
-
-If you are deploying an instance of exodus-gw, see
-[the deployment guide](https://release-engineering.github.io/exodus-gw/deployment.html)
-for information on how to integrate an authentication mechanism.
-
-If you are a client looking to make use of exodus-gw, consult your organization's
-internal documentation for advice on how to authenticate with exodus-gw.
-
+{AUTHENTICATION}
 
 ## Environments
 
 Many APIs in exodus-gw use the concept of an "environment" to control the target system
 of an operation.
 
-The set of environments is configured when exodus-gw is deployed.
-A typical scenario is to deploy a "pre" environment for pre-release content and a
-"live" environment for live content.
-
-Different environments will also require the user to hold different roles. For example,
-a client might be permitted only to write to one of the configured environments, or all
-of them, depending on the configuration of the server.
-
-If you are deploying an instance of exodus-gw, see
-[the deployment guide](https://release-engineering.github.io/exodus-gw/deployment.html)
-for information on how to configure environments.
-
-If you are a client looking to make use of exodus-gw, consult your organization's
-internal documentation for advice on which environment(s) you should be using.
+{ENVIRONMENTS}
 """
 
 import logging
@@ -75,6 +54,7 @@
 from starlette.concurrency import run_in_threadpool
 from starlette.exceptions import HTTPException as StarletteHTTPException
 
+from . import docs
 from .auth import log_login
 from .aws.util import xml_response
 from .database import db_engine
@@ -85,7 +65,7 @@
 
 app = FastAPI(
     title="exodus-gw",
-    description=__doc__,
+    description=docs.format_docs(__doc__),
     openapi_tags=[
         service.openapi_tag,
         upload.openapi_tag,