diff --git a/services/clsi/.dockerignore b/services/clsi/.dockerignore
index ba1c3442de..74fdc35e80 100644
--- a/services/clsi/.dockerignore
+++ b/services/clsi/.dockerignore
@@ -5,3 +5,6 @@ gitrev
 .npm
 .nvmrc
 nodemon.json
+cache/
+compiles/
+db/
diff --git a/services/clsi/Dockerfile b/services/clsi/Dockerfile
index 27158b5d6a..40615ad8c3 100644
--- a/services/clsi/Dockerfile
+++ b/services/clsi/Dockerfile
@@ -24,5 +24,7 @@ COPY . /app
 FROM base
 
 COPY --from=app /app /app
+RUN mkdir -p cache compiles db \
+&&  chown node:node cache compiles db
 
 CMD ["node", "--expose-gc", "app.js"]
diff --git a/services/clsi/buildscript.txt b/services/clsi/buildscript.txt
index 1f0893492f..81d65464f9 100644
--- a/services/clsi/buildscript.txt
+++ b/services/clsi/buildscript.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 clsi
 --acceptance-creds=None
+--data-dirs=cache,compiles,db
 --dependencies=
 --docker-repos=gcr.io/overleaf-ops
 --env-add=
diff --git a/services/clsi/config/settings.defaults.js b/services/clsi/config/settings.defaults.js
index e5df06242c..d47a67366b 100644
--- a/services/clsi/config/settings.defaults.js
+++ b/services/clsi/config/settings.defaults.js
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ module.exports = {
       username: 'clsi',
       dialect: 'sqlite',
       storage:
-        process.env.SQLITE_PATH || Path.resolve(__dirname + '/../db.sqlite'),
+        process.env.SQLITE_PATH || Path.resolve(__dirname + '/../db/db.sqlite'),
       pool: {
         max: 1,
         min: 1
diff --git a/services/clsi/db/.gitignore b/services/clsi/db/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d6b7ef32c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/clsi/db/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+*
+!.gitignore
diff --git a/services/clsi/entrypoint.sh b/services/clsi/entrypoint.sh
index 07d902acc2..2696574873 100755
--- a/services/clsi/entrypoint.sh
+++ b/services/clsi/entrypoint.sh
@@ -1,26 +1,18 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
-echo "Changing permissions of /var/run/docker.sock for sibling containers"
-ls -al /var/run/docker.sock
-docker --version
-cat /etc/passwd
+docker --version >&2
 
+# add the node user to the docker group on the host
 DOCKER_GROUP=$(stat -c '%g' /var/run/docker.sock)
 groupadd --non-unique --gid ${DOCKER_GROUP} dockeronhost
 usermod -aG dockeronhost node
 
-mkdir -p /app/cache
-chown -R node:node /app/cache
-
-mkdir -p /app/compiles
-chown -R node:node /app/compiles
-
-chown -R node:node /app/bin/synctex
-mkdir -p /app/test/acceptance/fixtures/tmp/
-chown -R node:node /app
-
-chown -R node:node /app/bin
+# compatibility: initial volume setup
+chown node:node /app/cache
+chown node:node /app/compiles
+chown node:node /app/db
 
+# make synctex available for remount in compiles
 cp /app/bin/synctex /app/bin/synctex-mount/synctex
 
 exec runuser -u node -- "$@"
diff --git a/services/clsi/test/acceptance/js/ExampleDocumentTests.js b/services/clsi/test/acceptance/js/ExampleDocumentTests.js
index 110b5d6f9a..0134c0e106 100644
--- a/services/clsi/test/acceptance/js/ExampleDocumentTests.js
+++ b/services/clsi/test/acceptance/js/ExampleDocumentTests.js
@@ -19,11 +19,17 @@ const Client = require('./helpers/Client')
 const request = require('request')
 require('chai').should()
 const fs = require('fs')
+const fsExtra = require('fs-extra')
 const ChildProcess = require('child_process')
 const ClsiApp = require('./helpers/ClsiApp')
 const logger = require('logger-sharelatex')
 const Path = require('path')
-const fixturePath = path => Path.normalize(__dirname + '/../fixtures/' + path)
+const fixturePath = path => {
+  if (path.slice(0, 3) === 'tmp') {
+    return '/tmp/clsi_acceptance_tests' + path.slice(3)
+  }
+  return Path.normalize(__dirname + '/../fixtures/' + path)
+}
 const process = require('process')
 console.log(
   process.pid,
@@ -32,13 +38,6 @@ console.log(
   process.getgroups(),
   'PID'
 )
-try {
-  console.log('creating tmp directory', fixturePath('tmp'))
-  fs.mkdirSync(fixturePath('tmp'))
-} catch (error) {
-  const err = error
-  console.log(err, fixturePath('tmp'), 'unable to create fixture tmp path')
-}
 
 const MOCHA_LATEX_TIMEOUT = 60 * 1000
 
@@ -201,10 +200,16 @@ Client.runServer(4242, fixturePath('examples'))
 
 describe('Example Documents', function() {
   before(function(done) {
-    return ChildProcess.exec('rm test/acceptance/fixtures/tmp/*').on(
-      'exit',
-      () => ClsiApp.ensureRunning(done)
-    )
+    ClsiApp.ensureRunning(done)
+  })
+  before(function(done) {
+    fsExtra.remove(fixturePath('tmp'), done)
+  })
+  before(function(done) {
+    fs.mkdir(fixturePath('tmp'), done)
+  })
+  after(function(done) {
+    fsExtra.remove(fixturePath('tmp'), done)
   })
 
   return Array.from(fs.readdirSync(fixturePath('examples'))).map(example_dir =>