diff --git a/docker/Dockerfile.soda b/docker/Dockerfile.soda
index 1528e381d88ef7a80ce5dd63a897c8a08f97cf46..3ebeb08e6117232c0caedfa9deb17f9ea9560e6b 100644
--- a/docker/Dockerfile.soda
+++ b/docker/Dockerfile.soda
@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ RUN dpkg -i vlkb-${VLKB_VERSION}.deb \
 
 ENV INST_DIR=/usr/local
 
-RUN echo "${INST_DIR}/lib" > /etc/ld.so.conf.d/ast.conf && ldconfig
+RUN echo "${INST_DIR}/lib" > /etc/ld.so.conf.d/ast.conf && ldconfig \
+ && echo "fits_path_surveys=/srv/surveys" > $WEBAPP_DIR/WEB-INF/classes/cutout.properties
 
 # change webapps-dir and preconfigure port 8080 (no SSL)
 COPY deps/server.xml deps/server-connector.xml ${CATALINA_BASE}/conf/
diff --git a/docker/Dockerfile.soda.temurin-jammy b/docker/Dockerfile.soda.temurin-jammy
index 8dd926ecb911e5517b93fd14267999bd793e9838..9c98341dda9aa85aabfa71e906373b446f2eb8cf 100644
--- a/docker/Dockerfile.soda.temurin-jammy
+++ b/docker/Dockerfile.soda.temurin-jammy
@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@ RUN dpkg -i vlkb-${VLKB_VERSION}.deb \
 
 ENV INST_DIR=/usr/local
 
-RUN echo "${INST_DIR}/lib" > /etc/ld.so.conf.d/ast.conf && ldconfig
+RUN echo "${INST_DIR}/lib" > /etc/ld.so.conf.d/ast.conf && ldconfig \
+ && echo "fits_path_surveys=/srv/surveys" > $WEBAPP_DIR/WEB-INF/classes/cutout.properties
 
 # configure during docker build-time
 
diff --git a/docker/Dockerfile.vlkb b/docker/Dockerfile.vlkb
index 0326cb1e854cdf82fd89dde259dc31d76e246560..7673df84b90bc16569694b9a2dc4a9542934c596 100644
--- a/docker/Dockerfile.vlkb
+++ b/docker/Dockerfile.vlkb
@@ -48,7 +48,8 @@ COPY deps/vlkbd_exec.sh ${INST_DIR}/bin
 RUN mkdir -p ${INST_DIR}/etc/vlkb-obscore \
  && mkdir -p ${INST_DIR}/etc/vlkbd \
  && echo "${INST_DIR}/lib" > /etc/ld.so.conf.d/ast.conf \
- && ldconfig
+ && ldconfig \
+ && echo "fits_path_surveys=/srv/surveys" > $WEBAPP_DIR/WEB-INF/classes/cutout.properties
 
 # configure during docker build-time
 
diff --git a/docker/start-soda.sh.soda b/docker/start-soda.sh.soda
index fdcd57e1b78d62069bc86eb44ef14c212697ef39..01417d8c04603951a34037fc70cbd657790fa4cd 100755
--- a/docker/start-soda.sh.soda
+++ b/docker/start-soda.sh.soda
@@ -15,28 +15,6 @@ cp $WEBAPP_DIR/META-INF/context.xml $CATALINA_BASE/conf/Catalina/localhost/$ACCE
 
 echo "fits_path_surveys=/srv/surveys" > $WEBAPP_DIR/WEB-INF/classes/cutout.properties
 
-{ # write cutout.properties
-
-   case $RESPONSE_FORMAT in
-      application/fits)
-         ;;
-      "application/fits;createfile=yes")
-         echo "default_response_format=$RESPONSE_FORMAT"
-         echo "fits_path_cutouts=/srv/cutouts"
-         ;;
-      application/x-vlkb*)
-         echo "default_response_format=$RESPONSE_FORMAT"
-         echo "fits_path_cutouts=/srv/cutouts"
-         echo "fits_url_cutouts=$URL_CUTOUTS"
-         echo "surveys_metadata_abs_pathname=/srv/surveys/survey_populate.csv"
-         echo "default_sky_system=ICRS"
-         echo "default_spec_system=WAVE_Barycentric"
-         echo "show_duration=yes"
-         ;;
-   esac
-
-} >> $WEBAPP_DIR/WEB-INF/classes/cutout.properties
-
 
 ## Security
 
diff --git a/docker/start-soda.sh.vlkb b/docker/start-soda.sh.vlkb
index ee0ad5785f78a2465931b005b31f1db87d520cef..11c203a4495472eb5fc92854d1fcea50aa125f68 100755
--- a/docker/start-soda.sh.vlkb
+++ b/docker/start-soda.sh.vlkb
@@ -42,8 +42,6 @@ fi
 
 cp $WEBAPP_DIR/META-INF/context.xml $CATALINA_BASE/conf/Catalina/localhost/$ACCESS_CONTEXT_ROOT.xml
 
-echo "fits_path_surveys=/srv/surveys" > $WEBAPP_DIR/WEB-INF/classes/cutout.properties
-
 { # write cutout.properties
 
    case $RESPONSE_FORMAT in