diff --git a/bootstrap b/bootstrap
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..496a81e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bootstrap
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+#
+# NAME
+#    bootstrap -- initialize/update docker environment
+#
+# SYNOPSIS
+#    bootstrap
+#    bootstrap shellinit
+#
+# DESCRIPTION
+#    Execute this script without parameters to build the local docker
+#    environment.  Once bootstrapped, dependent services are running
+#    via docker-compose and the environment variables are written to
+#    *build/test-environment* for future use.
+#
+#    Running this script with the _shellinit_ command line parameter
+#    causes it to simply interrogate the running docker environment,
+#    update *build/test-environment*, and print the environment to
+#    the standard output stream in a shell executable manner.  This
+#    makes the following pattern for setting environment variables
+#    in the current shell work.
+#
+#        prompt% $(./bootstrap shellinit)
+#
+# vim: set ts=2 sts=2 sw=2 et:
+PROJECT=sprockets
+
+if test -e /var/run/docker.sock
+then
+  DOCKER_IP=127.0.0.1
+else
+  docker-machine status ${PROJECT} >/dev/null 2>/dev/null
+  RESULT=$?
+  if [ ${RESULT} -ne 0 ]
+  then
+    docker-machine create --driver virtualbox ${PROJECT}
+  fi
+  eval $(docker-machine env ${PROJECT} 2>/dev/null) || {
+    echo "Failed to initialize docker environment"
+    exit 2
+  }
+  DOCKER_IP=$(docker-machine ip ${PROJECT})
+fi
+
+COMPOSE_ARGS=
+if test -n "${DOCKER_COMPOSE_PREFIX}"
+then
+  COMPOSE_ARGS="-p ${DOCKER_COMPOSE_PREFIX}"
+fi
+
+get_exposed_port() {
+  docker-compose ${COMPOSE_ARGS} port $1 $2 | cut -d: -f2
+}
+
+build_env_file() {
+  DYNAMODB_PORT=$(get_exposed_port dynamodb 7777)
+  (echo "export DOCKER_COMPOSE_PREFIX=${DOCKER_COMPOSE_PREFIX}"
+   echo "export DOCKER_TLS_VERIFY=${DOCKER_TLS_VERIFY}"
+   echo "export DOCKER_HOST=${DOCKER_HOST}"
+   echo "export DOCKER_CERT_PATH=${DOCKER_CERT_PATH}"
+   echo "export DOCKER_MACHINE_NAME=${DOCKER_MACHINE_NAME}"
+   echo "export DYNAMODB_ENDPOINT=http://${DOCKER_IP}:${DYNAMODB_PORT}"
+  ) > $1
+}
+
+set -e
+
+mkdir -p build
+
+if test "$1" == 'shellinit'
+then
+  # just build the environment file from docker containers
+  build_env_file build/test-environment
+else
+  docker-compose ${COMPOSE_ARGS} stop
+  docker-compose ${COMPOSE_ARGS} rm --force
+  docker-compose ${COMPOSE_ARGS} up -d
+  build_env_file build/test-environment
+fi
+cat build/test-environment
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8b15c7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+%YAML 1.2
+---
+dynamodb:
+  image: tray/dynamodb-local
+  command: -inMemory -port 7777
+  ports:
+   - 7777