diff --git a/package/docker/Dockerfile b/package/docker/Dockerfile
index 9a1b13e3d9..54457bc5ae 100644
--- a/package/docker/Dockerfile
+++ b/package/docker/Dockerfile
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 FROM tomcat:8.5-jdk8
-LABEL MAINTAINERS="Markus Döring <mdoering@gbif.org>, Matthew Blissett <mblissett@gbif.org>"
+LABEL MAINTAINERS="Matthew Blissett <mblissett@gbif.org>"
 
 ARG IPT_VERSION
 ARG IPT_NAME=ROOT
diff --git a/package/docker/README.adoc b/package/docker/README.adoc
index eabcd92cdb..50ba32b5b8 100644
--- a/package/docker/README.adoc
+++ b/package/docker/README.adoc
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ We regularly publish IPT releases as Docker images to https://hub.docker.com/r/g
 
 == To run the Docker image
 
-Refer to https://ipt.gbif.org/manual/en/ipt/2.5/installation/#_installation_using_docker[Installation using Docker] in the IPT User Manual.
+Refer to https://ipt.gbif.org/manual/en/ipt/2.5/installation#installation-using-docker[Installation using Docker] in the IPT User Manual.
 
 == Upgrading
 
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ Note that, for better consistency with the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filesys
 
 (This process is for GBIF developers.)
 
-. `docker build --pull --build-arg IPT_VERSION=2.4.2 -t gbif/ipt:2.4.2 .`
+. `docker build --pull --build-arg IPT_VERSION=2.5.0 -t gbif/ipt:2.5.0 .`
 . *Test the resulting image!*
 +
-`docker run --volume /full/path/to/data-directory:/srv/ipt --publish 8080:8080 gbif/ipt:2.4.2`
+`docker run --volume /full/path/to/data-directory:/srv/ipt --publish 8080:8080 gbif/ipt:2.5.0`
 
-. `docker push gbif/ipt:2.4.2` (stop here for a pre-release)
-. `docker tag gbif/ipt:2.4.2 gbif/ipt:latest && docker push gbif/ipt:latest`
+. `docker push gbif/ipt:2.5.0` (stop here for a pre-release)
+. `docker tag gbif/ipt:2.5.0 gbif/ipt:latest && docker push gbif/ipt:latest`
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/gbif/ipt/config/AppConfig.java b/src/main/java/org/gbif/ipt/config/AppConfig.java
index 5be352efb4..12fe914537 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/gbif/ipt/config/AppConfig.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/gbif/ipt/config/AppConfig.java
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ protected void loadConfig() throws InvalidConfigException {
         props.load(configStream);
         LOG.debug("Loaded default configuration from application.properties in classpath");
       }
-      if (dataDir.dataDir != null && dataDir.dataDir.exists()) {
+      if (dataDir.isConfigured()) {
         // load user configuration properties from data dir ipt.properties (if it exists)
         File userCfgFile = new File(dataDir.dataDir, "config/" + DATADIR_PROPFILE);
         if (userCfgFile.exists()) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/gbif/ipt/config/DataDir.java b/src/main/java/org/gbif/ipt/config/DataDir.java
index daf10c1f88..0e62e38288 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/gbif/ipt/config/DataDir.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/gbif/ipt/config/DataDir.java
@@ -164,7 +164,14 @@ public File dataFile(String path) {
    * @return true if a working data directory is configured
    */
   public boolean isConfigured() {
-    return dataDir != null && dataDir.exists();
+    return dataDir != null && dataDir.isDirectory() && dataDir.list().length > 0;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * @return true if a working data directory is configured, but is not yet set up
+   */
+  public boolean isConfiguredButEmpty() {
+    return dataDir != null && dataDir.isDirectory() && dataDir.list().length == 0;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -327,7 +334,7 @@ public boolean setDataDir(File dataDir) throws InvalidConfigException {
             throw new InvalidConfigException(TYPE.INVALID_DATA_DIR,
               "DataDir " + dataDir.getAbsolutePath() + " exists already and is no IPT data dir.");
           }
-          LOG.info("Reusing existing data dir.");
+          LOG.info("Reusing existing data dir {}", dataDir);
           // persist location in WEB-INF
           try {
             persistLocation();
@@ -343,6 +350,7 @@ public boolean setDataDir(File dataDir) throws InvalidConfigException {
 
       } else {
         // NEW datadir
+        LOG.info("Setting up new data directory {}", dataDir);
         try {
           // create new main data dir. Populate later
           FileUtils.forceMkdir(dataDir);
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/gbif/ipt/config/SetupAction.java b/src/main/java/org/gbif/ipt/config/SetupAction.java
index 9354299379..33d8ff78b2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/gbif/ipt/config/SetupAction.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/gbif/ipt/config/SetupAction.java
@@ -174,14 +174,19 @@ public void setSetup2(boolean setup2) {
    */
   public String setup() {
     if (isHttpPost() && dataDirPath != null) {
-
       // since IPT v2.2, user must check that they have read and understood disclaimer
       if (!readDisclaimer) {
         addFieldError("readDisclaimer", getText("admin.config.setup.read.error"));
         return INPUT;
       }
+    }
+
+    if ((dataDir.dataDir != null && (!dataDir.dataDir.exists() || dataDir.isConfiguredButEmpty())) ||
+      isHttpPost() && dataDirPath != null) {
 
-      File dd = new File(dataDirPath.trim());
+      LOG.info("Set up data directory {}", dataDir);
+
+      File dd = dataDirPath != null ? new File(dataDirPath.trim()) : dataDir.dataDir;
       try {
         if (dd.isAbsolute()) {
           boolean created = configManager.setDataDir(dd);
@@ -206,8 +211,10 @@ public String setup() {
         addActionError(msg);
       }
     }
+
     if (dataDir.isConfigured()) {
       // the data dir is already/now configured, skip the first setup step
+      LOG.info("Skipping setup step 1");
       return SUCCESS;
     }
     return INPUT;