diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 22de9d0..aca2df7 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -36,3 +36,9 @@ ASSISTANT_TOKEN=""
 EXPERT_URL="https://expert.flowfuse.com/v4/expert"
 EXPERT_TOKEN=""
 EXPERT_BROKER_SERVER="expert-broker.flowfuse.com"
+
+### Team broker admin API credentials (used to bootstrap the local EMQX and to
+### provision the Expert chat bridge). Both sides read the same values.
+### Leave empty to use defaults
+BROKER_API_KEY=""
+BROKER_API_SECRET=""
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 0f0fe75..1ffd2bc 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -37,6 +37,12 @@ configs:
         public_url: ws${TLS_ENABLED:+s}://mqtt.${DOMAIN:?error}
         teamBroker:
           enabled: true
+          # Admin API credentials for the local EMQX (bootstrapped in the emqx-api
+          # config below). Required for the Expert chat bridge to provision itself.
+          api:
+            url: http://broker:18083/api/v5
+            key: ${BROKER_API_KEY:-flowfuse}
+            secret: ${BROKER_API_SECRET:-verySecret}
       fileStore:
         enable: true
         url: http://file-server:3001
@@ -426,7 +432,7 @@ configs:
       }
   emqx-api:
     content: |
-      flowfuse:verySecret:administrator
+      ${BROKER_API_KEY:-flowfuse}:${BROKER_API_SECRET:-verySecret}:administrator
   npm-registry-config:
     content: |
       storage: /verdaccio/storage