diff --git a/config/prod.exs b/config/prod.exs
index adbce5606..0e151000b 100644
--- a/config/prod.exs
+++ b/config/prod.exs
@@ -63,7 +63,12 @@
 
 # Finally import the config/prod.secret.exs
 # which should be versioned separately.
-import_config "prod.secret.exs"
+if File.exists?("./config/prod.secret.exs") do
+  import_config "prod.secret.exs"
+else
+  "`config/prod.secret.exs` not found. You may want to create one by running `mix pleroma.instance gen`"
+  |> IO.warn([])
+end
 
 if File.exists?("./config/prod.exported_from_db.secret.exs"),
   do: import_config("prod.exported_from_db.secret.exs")
diff --git a/docs/installation/alpine_linux_en.md b/docs/installation/alpine_linux_en.md
index 7eb1718f2..c2dbd836d 100644
--- a/docs/installation/alpine_linux_en.md
+++ b/docs/installation/alpine_linux_en.md
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ cd /opt/pleroma
 sudo -Hu pleroma mix deps.get
 ```
 
-* Generate the configuration: `sudo -Hu pleroma mix pleroma.instance gen`
+* Generate the configuration: `sudo -Hu pleroma MIX_ENV=prod mix pleroma.instance gen`
   * Answer with `yes` if it asks you to install `rebar3`.
   * This may take some time, because parts of pleroma get compiled first.
   * After that it will ask you a few questions about your instance and generates a configuration file in `config/generated_config.exs`.
diff --git a/docs/installation/arch_linux_en.md b/docs/installation/arch_linux_en.md
index da78c3205..53afccc0f 100644
--- a/docs/installation/arch_linux_en.md
+++ b/docs/installation/arch_linux_en.md
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ cd /opt/pleroma
 sudo -Hu pleroma mix deps.get
 ```
 
-* Generate the configuration: `sudo -Hu pleroma mix pleroma.instance gen`
+* Generate the configuration: `sudo -Hu pleroma MIX_ENV=prod mix pleroma.instance gen`
   * Answer with `yes` if it asks you to install `rebar3`.
   * This may take some time, because parts of pleroma get compiled first.
   * After that it will ask you a few questions about your instance and generates a configuration file in `config/generated_config.exs`.
diff --git a/docs/installation/debian_based_en.md b/docs/installation/debian_based_en.md
index c5687a01e..a9cf86ab3 100644
--- a/docs/installation/debian_based_en.md
+++ b/docs/installation/debian_based_en.md
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ cd /opt/pleroma
 sudo -Hu pleroma mix deps.get
 ```
 
-* Generate the configuration: `sudo -Hu pleroma mix pleroma.instance gen`
+* Generate the configuration: `sudo -Hu pleroma MIX_ENV=prod mix pleroma.instance gen`
   * Answer with `yes` if it asks you to install `rebar3`.
   * This may take some time, because parts of pleroma get compiled first.
   * After that it will ask you a few questions about your instance and generates a configuration file in `config/generated_config.exs`.
diff --git a/docs/installation/debian_based_jp.md b/docs/installation/debian_based_jp.md
index c4bbd4780..e076e2308 100644
--- a/docs/installation/debian_based_jp.md
+++ b/docs/installation/debian_based_jp.md
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ sudo -Hu pleroma mix deps.get
 
 * コンフィギュレーションを生成します。
 ```
-sudo -Hu pleroma mix pleroma.instance gen
+sudo -Hu pleroma MIX_ENV=prod mix pleroma.instance gen
 ```
     * rebar3をインストールしてもよいか聞かれたら、yesを入力してください。
     * このときにpleromaの一部がコンパイルされるため、この処理には時間がかかります。
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ sudo -Hu pleroma mv config/{generated_config.exs,prod.secret.exs}
 
 * 先程のコマンドで、すでに `config/setup_db.psql` というファイルが作られています。このファイルをもとに、データベースを作成します。
 ```
-sudo -Hu pleroma mix pleroma.instance gen
+sudo -Hu pleroma MIX_ENV=prod mix pleroma.instance gen
 ```
 
 * そして、データベースのマイグレーションを実行します。
diff --git a/docs/installation/freebsd_en.md b/docs/installation/freebsd_en.md
index 2dc466eb8..f4f4d0db9 100644
--- a/docs/installation/freebsd_en.md
+++ b/docs/installation/freebsd_en.md
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-# Installing on FreeBSD 
+# Installing on FreeBSD
 
 This document was written for FreeBSD 12.1, but should be work on future releases.
 
-## Required software 
+## Required software
 
 This assumes the target system has `pkg(8)`.
 
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ Configure Pleroma. Note that you need a domain name at this point:
 ```
 $ cd /home/pleroma/pleroma
 $ mix deps.get # Enter "y" when asked to install Hex
-$ mix pleroma.instance gen # You will be asked a few questions here.
+$ MIX_ENV=prod mix pleroma.instance gen # You will be asked a few questions here.
 $ cp config/generated_config.exs config/prod.secret.exs
 ```
 
diff --git a/docs/installation/gentoo_en.md b/docs/installation/gentoo_en.md
index f2380ab72..af68db70d 100644
--- a/docs/installation/gentoo_en.md
+++ b/docs/installation/gentoo_en.md
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ Gentoo quite pointedly does not come with a cron daemon installed, and as such i
  # emerge --ask dev-db/postgresql dev-lang/elixir dev-vcs/git www-servers/nginx app-crypt/certbot app-crypt/certbot-nginx dev-util/cmake sys-apps/file
 ```
 
-If you would not like to install the optional packages, remove them from this line. 
+If you would not like to install the optional packages, remove them from this line.
 
 If you're running this from a low-powered virtual machine, it should work though it will take some time. There were no issues on a VPS with a single core and 1GB of RAM; if you are using an even more limited device and run into issues, you can try creating a swapfile or use a more powerful machine running Gentoo to [cross build](https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Cross_build_environment). If you have a wait ahead of you, now would be a good time to take a break, strech a bit, refresh your beverage of choice and/or get a snack, and reply to Arch users' posts with "I use Gentoo btw" as we do.
 
@@ -79,12 +79,12 @@ The output from emerging postgresql should give you a command for initializing t
 ```
 
 * Start postgres and enable the system service
- 
+
 ```shell
  # /etc/init.d/postgresql-11 start
  # rc-update add postgresql-11 default
  ```
- 
+
 ### A note on licenses, the AGPL, and deployment procedures
 
 If you do not plan to make any modifications to your Pleroma instance, cloning directly from the main repo will get you what you need. However, if you plan on doing any contributions to upstream development, making changes or modifications to your instance, making custom themes, or want to play around--and let's be honest here, if you're using Gentoo that is most likely you--you will save yourself a lot of headache later if you take the time right now to fork the Pleroma repo and use that in the following section.
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ pleroma$ mix deps.get
 * Generate the configuration:
 
 ```shell
-pleroma$ mix pleroma.instance gen
+pleroma$ MIX_ENV=prod mix pleroma.instance gen
 ```
 
   * Answer with `yes` if it asks you to install `rebar3`.
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ First, ensure that the command you will be installing into your crontab works.
  # /usr/bin/certbot renew --nginx
 ```
 
-Assuming not much time has passed since you got certbot working a few steps ago, you should get a message for all domains you installed certificates for saying `Cert not yet due for renewal`. 
+Assuming not much time has passed since you got certbot working a few steps ago, you should get a message for all domains you installed certificates for saying `Cert not yet due for renewal`.
 
 Now, run crontab as a superuser with `crontab -e` or `sudo crontab -e` as appropriate, and add the following line to your cron:
 
diff --git a/docs/installation/netbsd_en.md b/docs/installation/netbsd_en.md
index 233cf28b7..22cdd5691 100644
--- a/docs/installation/netbsd_en.md
+++ b/docs/installation/netbsd_en.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Installing on NetBSD
 
-## Required software 
+## Required software
 
 pkgin should have been installed by the NetBSD installer if you selected
 the right options. If it isn't installed, install it using pkg_add.
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ Configure Pleroma. Note that you need a domain name at this point:
 ```
 $ cd /home/pleroma/pleroma
 $ mix deps.get
-$ mix pleroma.instance gen # You will be asked a few questions here.
+$ MIX_ENV=prod mix pleroma.instance gen # You will be asked a few questions here.
 ```
 
 Since Postgres is configured, we can now initialize the database. There should
diff --git a/docs/installation/openbsd_en.md b/docs/installation/openbsd_en.md
index 0e1269ca5..017b37519 100644
--- a/docs/installation/openbsd_en.md
+++ b/docs/installation/openbsd_en.md
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ Enter a shell as \_pleroma (as root `su _pleroma -`) and enter pleroma's install
 Then follow the main installation guide:
 
   * run `mix deps.get`
-  * run `mix pleroma.instance gen` and enter your instance's information when asked
+  * run `MIX_ENV=prod mix pleroma.instance gen` and enter your instance's information when asked
   * copy config/generated\_config.exs to config/prod.secret.exs. The default values should be sufficient but you should edit it and check that everything seems OK.
   * exit your current shell back to a root one and run `psql -U postgres -f /home/_pleroma/pleroma/config/setup_db.psql` to setup the database.
   * return to a \_pleroma shell into pleroma's installation directory (`su _pleroma -;cd ~/pleroma`) and run `MIX_ENV=prod mix ecto.migrate`