diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 278dcdd4..78f3e7ab 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -229,6 +229,33 @@ docker run -it \
   mendix/mendix-buildpack:v1.2  
 ```
 
+ Instead of supplying the license id and key directly via environment variables, you could also use the alternative environment variables:
+
+* LICENSE_ID_FILE
+* LICENSE_KEY_FILE
+
+These should point to a file **INSIDE** the container holding the license id / key. 
+This allows the use of [secrets with docker-compose](https://docs.docker.com/reference/compose-file/secrets/).
+
+example:
+
+```yaml
+services:
+  app:
+    image: my-mendix-app:latest
+    secrets:
+      - license-id
+      - license-key
+    environment:
+      - LICENSE_ID_FILE=/run/secrets/license-id
+      - LICENSE_KEY_FILE=/run/secrets/license-key
+secrets:
+  license-id:
+    file: ./license-id.txt
+  license-key:
+    file: ./license-key.txt
+```
+
 ### Passing environment variables to your Mendix runtime
 
 The default values for constants will be used as defined in your project. However, you can override them with environment variables. You need to replace the dot with an underscore and prefix it with MX_. So a constant like Module. Constant with value ABC123 could be set like this:
diff --git a/scripts/startup.py b/scripts/startup.py
index b7f0b756..fb1c8744 100755
--- a/scripts/startup.py
+++ b/scripts/startup.py
@@ -22,6 +22,22 @@ def export_db_endpoint():
             'DATABASE_ENDPOINT environment variable not found.'
             'Fallback to custom runtime variables https://github.com/mendix/cf-mendix-buildpack/#configuring-custom-runtime-settings')
             
+def export_license():
+    lic_id_path = os.getenv('LICENSE_ID_FILE')
+    if lic_id_path:
+        try:
+            with open(lic_id_path, 'r', encoding='utf-8') as f:
+                os.environ['LICENSE_ID'] = f.read().strip()
+        except Exception as e:
+            logging.warn(f"Failed to read LICENSE_ID_FILE '{lic_id_path}': {e}")
+
+    lic_key_path = os.getenv('LICENSE_KEY_FILE')
+    if lic_key_path:
+        try:
+            with open(lic_key_path, 'r', encoding='utf-8') as f:
+                os.environ['LICENSE_KEY'] = f.read().strip()
+        except Exception as e:
+            logging.warn(f"Failed to read LICENSE_KEY_FILE '{lic_key_path}': {e}")
 
 def export_vcap_variables():
     logging.debug("Executing build_vcap_variables...")
@@ -121,6 +137,7 @@ def get_welcome_header():
     export_vcap_variables()
     export_industrial_edge_config_variable()
     export_k8s_instance()
+    export_license()
     check_logfilter()
     
     export_encoded_cacertificates()