diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c49bd7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+.env
diff --git a/Gemfile b/Gemfile
index 3a78de5..fc1e96f 100644
--- a/Gemfile
+++ b/Gemfile
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 source "https://rubygems.org"
 
-ruby '2.0.0'
+ruby '2.2.3'
 
 gem 'sinatra'
 gem 'httparty'
 
 group :development do
   gem 'shotgun'
-  gem 'pry'
+  gem 'pry-byebug'
+  gem 'dotenv'
 end
diff --git a/Gemfile.lock b/Gemfile.lock
index d9525dc..00dbeb0 100644
--- a/Gemfile.lock
+++ b/Gemfile.lock
@@ -1,17 +1,22 @@
 GEM
   remote: https://rubygems.org/
   specs:
-    coderay (1.1.0)
+    byebug (9.0.5)
+    coderay (1.1.1)
+    dotenv (2.1.1)
     httparty (0.12.0)
       json (~> 1.8)
       multi_xml (>= 0.5.2)
     json (1.8.1)
     method_source (0.8.2)
     multi_xml (0.5.5)
-    pry (0.9.12.4)
-      coderay (~> 1.0)
-      method_source (~> 0.8)
+    pry (0.10.3)
+      coderay (~> 1.1.0)
+      method_source (~> 0.8.1)
       slop (~> 3.4)
+    pry-byebug (3.4.0)
+      byebug (~> 9.0)
+      pry (~> 0.10)
     rack (1.5.2)
     rack-protection (1.5.1)
       rack
@@ -21,14 +26,18 @@ GEM
       rack (~> 1.4)
       rack-protection (~> 1.4)
       tilt (~> 1.3, >= 1.3.4)
-    slop (3.4.7)
+    slop (3.6.0)
     tilt (1.4.1)
 
 PLATFORMS
   ruby
 
 DEPENDENCIES
+  dotenv
   httparty
-  pry
+  pry-byebug
   shotgun
   sinatra
+
+BUNDLED WITH
+   1.11.2
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 411b175..0d861a3 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -34,6 +34,37 @@ heroku apps:create ${COMPANY_NAME}-deploy-hook-forker
 heroku addons:create deployhooks:http --url=https://${COMPANY_NAME}-deploy-hook-forker.herokuapp.com
 ```
 
+### Securing with a secret
+
+As deployed, anyone on the internet can POST to your deploy-hook-forker instance
+and trick you into thinking your project has been deployed.
+
+To avoid this, you can optionally require a secret be present when your apps POST to your
+deploy-hook-forker instance. To do so, add a secret to your app:
+
+```
+➔ heroku config:set secret=`hexdump /dev/random | head | md5` --app ${COMPANY_NAME}-deploy-hook-forker
+Setting secret and restarting ⬢ company-name-deploy-hook-forker... done, v7
+secret: e4b9c3c27ad5a3b6f0c9b0291eeccc28
+```
+
+Now, when pointing an app's deploy hook to your deploy hook forker, use the secret in the url:
+
+```sh
+heroku addons:create deployhooks:http --url=https://${COMPANY_NAME}-deploy-hook-forker.herokuapp.com?secret=e4b9c3c27ad5a3b6f0c9b0291eeccc28
+```
+
+
+## Development
+
+```ruby
+bundle
+bundle exec rackup
+
+# in another terminal...
+curl http://localhost:9292
+curl -d ... http://localhost:9292
+```
 
 ## References
 
diff --git a/server.rb b/server.rb
index 59c380c..a4db411 100644
--- a/server.rb
+++ b/server.rb
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+ENV['RACK_ENV'] ||= 'development'
+
+require 'bundler'
+Bundler.require
+
 require 'sinatra'
 require 'yaml'
 require 'uri'
@@ -6,21 +11,40 @@
 
 use Rack::Logger
 
-set :config_path, File.expand_path('../config.yml', __FILE__)
-set :config, ->{ YAML.load(ERB.new(File.read(config_path)).result) }
+configure :development do
+  require 'dotenv'
+  Dotenv.load
+end
+
+configure do
+  set :config_path, File.expand_path('../config.yml', __FILE__)
+  set :config, ->{ YAML.load(ERB.new(File.read(config_path)).result) }
+  set :secret, ENV["SECRET"]
+  puts "SECRET=#{ENV["SECRET"]}"
+  puts settings.config.inspect
+end
+
 
 helpers do
   def logger
     request.logger
   end
+
   def config
     settings.config[params['app']] || {}
   end
 end
 
+before do
+  if settings.secret && params["secret"] != settings.secret
+    halt 401, "Unauthorized"
+  end
+end
+
 get '/' do
+  content_type :json
   status 200
-  "ok"
+  JSON.pretty_generate(settings.config)
 end
 
 post '/' do
@@ -28,6 +52,7 @@ def config
   forwardable_params = params.dup
   forwardable_params.delete('splat')
   forwardable_params.delete('captures')
+  forwardable_params.delete('secret')
 
   config.values.each do |url|
     uri = URI.parse(url)