diff --git a/app/lib/app.html.in b/app/lib/app.html.in
index ac617bd252..0149601a24 100644
--- a/app/lib/app.html.in
+++ b/app/lib/app.html.in
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@
 {{#each stylesheets}}  <link rel="stylesheet" href="{{this}}">
 {{/each}}
 
+<script type="text/javascript">
+__meteor_runtime_config__ = {};
+// ##RUNTIME_CONFIG##
+</script>
+
 {{#each scripts}}  <script type="text/javascript" src="{{this}}"></script>
 {{/each}}
 
diff --git a/app/server/server.js b/app/server/server.js
index 42e6833373..0339170f6b 100644
--- a/app/server/server.js
+++ b/app/server/server.js
@@ -47,7 +47,19 @@ var supported_browser = function (user_agent) {
   // return !(agent.family === 'IE' && +agent.major <= 5);
 };
 
-var run = function (bundle_dir) {
+// add any runtime configuration options needed to app_html
+var runtime_config = function (app_html) {
+  var insert = '';
+  if (process.env.DEFAULT_DDP_ENDPOINT)
+    insert += "__meteor_runtime_config__.DEFAULT_DDP_ENDPOINT = '" +
+      process.env.DEFAULT_DDP_ENDPOINT + "';";
+
+  app_html = app_html.replace("// ##RUNTIME_CONFIG##", insert);
+
+  return app_html;
+};
+
+var run = function () {
   var bundle_dir = path.join(__dirname, '..');
 
   // check environment
@@ -63,9 +75,11 @@ var run = function (bundle_dir) {
     app.use(gzippo.staticGzip(static_cacheable_path, {clientMaxAge: 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24 * 365}));
   app.use(gzippo.staticGzip(path.join(bundle_dir, 'static')));
 
-  var app_html = fs.readFileSync(path.join(bundle_dir, 'app.html'));
+  var app_html = fs.readFileSync(path.join(bundle_dir, 'app.html'), 'utf8');
   var unsupported_html = fs.readFileSync(path.join(bundle_dir, 'unsupported.html'));
 
+  app_html = runtime_config(app_html);
+
   app.use(function (req, res) {
     // prevent favicon.ico and robots.txt from returning app_html
     if (_.indexOf(['/favicon.ico', '/robots.txt'], req.url) !== -1) {
diff --git a/packages/livedata/client_convenience.js b/packages/livedata/client_convenience.js
index 60f8d07a29..dc40ead44e 100644
--- a/packages/livedata/client_convenience.js
+++ b/packages/livedata/client_convenience.js
@@ -1,14 +1,24 @@
-_.extend(Meteor, {
-  default_connection: Meteor.connect('/', true /* restart_on_update */),
+(function () {
+  // By default, try to connect back to the same endpoint as the page
+  // was served from.
+  var ddp_endpoint = '/';
+  if (__meteor_runtime_config__.DEFAULT_DDP_ENDPOINT)
+    ddp_endpoint = __meteor_runtime_config__.DEFAULT_DDP_ENDPOINT;
 
-  refresh: function (notification) {
-  }
-});
+  _.extend(Meteor, {
+    default_connection: Meteor.connect(ddp_endpoint,
+                                       true /* restart_on_update */),
 
-// Proxy the public methods of Meteor.default_connection so they can
-// be called directly on Meteor.
-_.each(['subscribe', 'methods', 'call', 'apply', 'status', 'reconnect'],
-       function (name) {
-         Meteor[name] = _.bind(Meteor.default_connection[name],
-                               Meteor.default_connection);
-       });
+    refresh: function (notification) {
+    }
+  });
+
+  // Proxy the public methods of Meteor.default_connection so they can
+  // be called directly on Meteor.
+  _.each(['subscribe', 'methods', 'call', 'apply', 'status', 'reconnect'],
+         function (name) {
+           Meteor[name] = _.bind(Meteor.default_connection[name],
+                                 Meteor.default_connection);
+         });
+
+})();