diff --git a/readme-vars.yml b/readme-vars.yml
index eecd71c..d7b7721 100644
--- a/readme-vars.yml
+++ b/readme-vars.yml
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ app_setup_block: |
   * To reload the configuration without restarting the container, run `docker exec smokeping pkill -f -HUP '/usr/bin/perl /usr/s?bin/smokeping(_cgi)?'`, where `smokeping` is the container ID.
   * To restart the container, run `docker restart smokeping`, where `smokeping` is the container ID.
   * Note that the default `Targets` file includes items that may or may not work. These are simply to provide examples of configuration.
+  * Slave setup: modify the `Targets`, `Slaves`, and `smokeping_secrets` files on the master host, per [the documentation](https://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/trusty/en/man7/smokeping_master_slave.7.html).
 
 # changelog
 changelogs:
diff --git a/root/defaults/smokeping_secrets b/root/defaults/smokeping_secrets
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..6cf6a43
--- /dev/null
+++ b/root/defaults/smokeping_secrets
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+host1:mysecret
+host2:yoursecret
+boomer:lkasdf93uhhfdfddf
diff --git a/root/etc/s6-overlay/s6-rc.d/init-smokeping-config/run b/root/etc/s6-overlay/s6-rc.d/init-smokeping-config/run
index fb75c84..ae00e60 100755
--- a/root/etc/s6-overlay/s6-rc.d/init-smokeping-config/run
+++ b/root/etc/s6-overlay/s6-rc.d/init-smokeping-config/run
@@ -43,6 +43,14 @@ if [[ ! -L /etc/apache2/httpd.conf ]]; then
     ln -sf /config/httpd.conf /etc/apache2/httpd.conf
 fi
 
+if [[ ! -e /config/smokeping_secrets ]]; then
+    cp /defaults/smokeping_secrets /config/smokeping_secrets
+fi
+
+if [[ ! -L /etc/smokeping/smokeping_secrets ]]; then
+    ln -sf /config/smokeping_secrets /etc/smokeping/smokeping_secrets
+fi
+
 if [[ -e /config/ssmtp.conf ]]; then
     cp /config/ssmtp.conf /etc/ssmtp/ssmtp.conf
 fi