diff --git a/backend/Dockerfile b/backend/Dockerfile
index 6e581ef..36d6f5c 100755
--- a/backend/Dockerfile
+++ b/backend/Dockerfile
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ COPY requirements.txt /code
 RUN target=/root/.cache/pip \
     pip3 install -r requirements.txt
 
+# Need to make this explicit as part of expansion, no migrations or venv
 COPY . .
 
 ENV FLASK_APP app.py
diff --git a/backend/README.md b/backend/README.md
index fcc71d9..0fc2bd1 100644
--- a/backend/README.md
+++ b/backend/README.md
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
-
-pip:
+## Workflow:
+- should work with flask run locally and dockerfile build
+- local dev
+- local / venv pip install
+- record versionless pips manually here
+- pip freeze snapshots into project requirements
+- docker build then copies frozen requirements
 
 
+## pip:
 ```
 pip install flask
 pip install python-dotenv
@@ -10,12 +16,11 @@ pip install flask-sqlalchemy
 pip install flask-migrate
 pip install flask-login
 pip install email-validator
-
+...
 pip freeze > requirements.txt
 ```
 
-db:
-
+## db cheat:
 ```
 flask db migrate -m "users table"
 flask db upgrade
@@ -23,4 +28,17 @@ flask db upgrade
 flask db downgrade [base]
 flask db upgrade
 ```
+## build notes:
 
+Dockerfile needs dockerignore or preferably explicitly defined copies for:
+- app
+- config
+- project dir
+- requirements
+- not dotflaskenv, vars set with dockerfile
+
+## notes:
+- compose has entry that overrides flask with uwsgi for prod
+- miminal environment vars come through project env, pass through compose
+- no dotenv here, dotflaskenv goes into image
+- keep env untracked but templated, dotflaskenv is tracked and public
diff --git a/backend/README.md.backup b/backend/README.md.backup
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..480b4e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/README.md.backup
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+## Workflow:
+- should work with flask run and dockerfile build
+- local dev
+- local pip install
+- record versionless pips manually here
+- pip freeze snapshots into project requirements
+- docker build copies frozen requirements
+
+
+## pip:
+```
+pip install flask
+pip install python-dotenv
+pip install flask-wtf
+pip install flask-sqlalchemy
+pip install flask-migrate
+pip install flask-login
+pip install email-validator
+
+pip freeze > requirements.txt
+```
+
+## db cheat:
+```
+flask db migrate -m "users table"
+flask db upgrade
+
+flask db downgrade [base]
+flask db upgrade
+```
+## build:
+
+Dockerfile needs explicitly defined copies for:
+- app
+- config
+- project dir
+- requirements
+
+## notes:
+- environment comes through project env passes through compose
+- keep env untracked but templated
+- no dotenv here, dotflaskenv goes into image