diff --git a/xos/configurations/syndicate/MS.mk b/xos/configurations/syndicate/MS.mk
deleted file mode 100644
index dc65237..0000000
--- a/xos/configurations/syndicate/MS.mk
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,47 +0,0 @@
-# MS build parameters
-
-MS_APP_ADMIN_EMAIL        ?= sites@opencloud.us
-MS_APP_PUBLIC_HOST				?= localhost
-MS_APP_ADMIN_PUBLIC_KEY   ?= ms/admin.pub
-MS_APP_ADMIN_PRIVATE_KEY  ?= ms/admin.pem
-
-MS_APP_NAME               ?= syndicate-ms
-MS_APP_PUBLIC_KEY         ?= ms/syndicate.pub
-MS_APP_PRIVATE_KEY        ?= ms/syndicate.pem
-
-MS_DEVEL                  ?= true
-
-$(MS_APP_ADMIN_PRIVATE_KEY):
-	openssl genrsa 4096 > "$@"
-
-$(MS_APP_ADMIN_PUBLIC_KEY): $(MS_APP_ADMIN_PRIVATE_KEY)
-	openssl rsa -in "$<" -pubout > "$@"
-
-$(MS_APP_PRIVATE_KEY):
-	openssl genrsa 4096 > "$@"
-
-$(MS_APP_PUBLIC_KEY): $(MS_APP_PRIVATE_KEY)
-	openssl rsa -in "$<" -pubout > "$@"
-
-ms/admin_info.py: ms/admin_info.pyin $(MS_APP_ADMIN_PUBLIC_KEY) $(MS_APP_PUBLIC_KEY) $(MS_APP_PRIVATE_KEY)
-	mkdir -p "$(@D)"
-	cat "$<" | \
-		sed -e 's~@MS_APP_NAME@~$(MS_APP_NAME)~g;' | \
-		sed -e 's~@MS_APP_ADMIN_EMAIL@~$(MS_APP_ADMIN_EMAIL)~g;' | \
-		sed -e 's~@MS_DEVEL@~$(MS_DEVEL)~g;' | \
-		sed -e 's~@MS_APP_ADMIN_PUBLIC_KEY@~$(shell cat $(MS_APP_ADMIN_PUBLIC_KEY) | tr "\n" "@" | sed 's/@/\\n/g')~g;' | \
-		sed -e 's~@MS_APP_PRIVATE_KEY@~$(shell cat $(MS_APP_PRIVATE_KEY) | tr "\n" "@" | sed 's/@/\\n/g')~g;' | \
-		sed -e 's~@MS_APP_PUBLIC_KEY@~$(shell cat $(MS_APP_PUBLIC_KEY) | tr "\n" "@" | sed 's/@/\\n/g')~g;' > "$@"
-
-ms/app.yaml: ms/app.yamlin
-	mkdir -p "$(@D)"
-	cat "$<" | \
-		sed -e 's~@MS_APP_NAME@~$(MS_APP_NAME)~g;' | \
-		sed -e 's~@MS_APP_PUBLIC_HOST@~$(MS_APP_PUBLIC_HOST)~g;' > "$@"
-
-clean: 
-	rm -f ms/admin_info.py ms/app.yaml
-
-clean_certs:
-	rm -f $(MS_APP_ADMIN_PUBLIC_KEY) $(MS_APP_ADMIN_PRIVATE_KEY) $(MS_APP_PUBLIC_KEY) $(MS_APP_PRIVATE_KEY)
-
diff --git a/xos/configurations/syndicate/Makefile b/xos/configurations/syndicate/Makefile
index 3b29ee5..a09c38b 100644
--- a/xos/configurations/syndicate/Makefile
+++ b/xos/configurations/syndicate/Makefile
@@ -17,9 +17,13 @@
 	cd ../../../containers/synchronizer; make
 	cd ../../../containers/syndicate-ms; make
 
-# see Makefiles on this project: https://github.com/syndicate-storage/syndicate-core
-include MS.mk
-syndicate_config: ms/admin_info.py ms/app.yaml
+# see Makefiles on this project:
+# https://github.com/syndicate-storage/syndicate-core
+# specifically the ms subdirectory
+CONFIG_DIR=ms
+BUILD_MS=ms
+include configure_ms.mk
+syndicate_config: ms/app.yaml
 
 common_cloudlab:
 	make -C ../common -f Makefile.cloudlab
diff --git a/xos/configurations/syndicate/docker-compose.yml b/xos/configurations/syndicate/docker-compose.yml
index d2d3dbb..9480dc7 100644
--- a/xos/configurations/syndicate/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/xos/configurations/syndicate/docker-compose.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
         - "8080"
     volumes:
       - ./ms/app.yaml:/usr/src/syndicate/ms/app.yaml
-      - ./ms/admin_info.py:/usr/src/syndicate/ms/common/admin_info.py
 
 xos_synchronizer_openstack:
     image: xosproject/xos-synchronizer-openstack
diff --git a/xos/configurations/syndicate/ms/admin_info.pyin b/xos/configurations/syndicate/ms/admin_info.pyin
deleted file mode 100644
index 9dee928..0000000
--- a/xos/configurations/syndicate/ms/admin_info.pyin
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/python
-
-# AUTO-GENERATED FILE
-
-ADMIN_PUBLIC_KEY = """@MS_APP_ADMIN_PUBLIC_KEY@""".strip()
-ADMIN_EMAIL = "@MS_APP_ADMIN_EMAIL@".strip()
-ADMIN_ID = 0
-
-SYNDICATE_NAME = "@MS_APP_NAME@".strip()
-SYNDICATE_PUBKEY = """@MS_APP_PUBLIC_KEY@""".strip()
-SYNDICATE_PRIVKEY = """@MS_APP_PRIVATE_KEY@""".strip()
-
diff --git a/xos/configurations/syndicate/ms/app.yamlin b/xos/configurations/syndicate/ms/app.yamlin
index ea8080b..2d4751f 100644
--- a/xos/configurations/syndicate/ms/app.yamlin
+++ b/xos/configurations/syndicate/ms/app.yamlin
@@ -45,3 +45,11 @@
 
 env_variables:
   MS_APP_PUBLIC_HOST: '@MS_APP_PUBLIC_HOST@'
+  MS_APP_ADMIN_EMAIL: '@MS_APP_ADMIN_EMAIL@'
+  MS_APP_ADMIN_PUBLIC_KEY: |
+    @MS_APP_ADMIN_PUBLIC_KEY@
+  MS_APP_PUBLIC_KEY: |
+    @MS_APP_PUBLIC_KEY@
+  MS_APP_PRIVATE_KEY: |
+    @MS_APP_PRIVATE_KEY@
+