diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c04ea59
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+.vagrant
+.bundle
+tmp/
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/attributes/default.rb b/attributes/default.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..be0098f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/attributes/default.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+default[:valhalla][:user]           = 'valhalla'
+default[:valhalla][:base_dir]       = '/data'
+default[:valhalla][:s3bucket]       = 'mapzen.valhalla'
+default[:valhalla][:s3bucket_dir]   = 'prod'
+default[:valhalla][:log_dir]        = "#{node[:valhalla][:base_dir]}/logs"
+default[:valhalla][:tile_dir]       = "#{node[:valhalla][:base_dir]}/valhalla"
+default[:valhalla][:transit_dir]    = "#{node[:valhalla][:base_dir]}/valhalla/transit"
+default[:valhalla][:elevation_dir]  = "#{node[:valhalla][:base_dir]}/valhalla/elevation"
diff --git a/metadata.rb b/metadata.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..669768e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/metadata.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+name             'mapzen_valhalla-docker'
+maintainer       'Mapzen'
+maintainer_email 'grant@mapzen.com'
+license          'All rights reserved'
+description      'Installs/Configures valhalla host systems'
+long_description IO.read(File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'README.md'))
+version          '0.0.1'
diff --git a/recipes/default.rb b/recipes/default.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..563b455
--- /dev/null
+++ b/recipes/default.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+#
+# Cookbook Name:: mapzen_valhalla-docker
+# Recipe:: default
+#
+# Copyright 2016, Mapzen
+#
+# All rights reserved - Do Not Redistribute
+#
+
+# make the valhalla user
+user node[:valhalla][:user][:name] do
+  manage_home false
+  home        node[:valhalla][:base_dir]
+  not_if      { node[:valhalla][:user][:name] == 'root' }
+end
+
+# set up directory structure
+dirs = [
+  node[:valhalla][:base_dir],
+  node[:valhalla][:log_dir],
+  node[:valhalla][:tile_dir],
+  node[:valhalla][:transit_dir],
+  node[:valhalla][:elevation_dir]
+]
+
+dirs.each do |d|
+  directory d do
+    owner node[:valhalla][:user]
+    recursive true
+  end
+end
diff --git a/recipes/get_routing_tiles.rb b/recipes/get_routing_tiles.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bc8cd4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/recipes/get_routing_tiles.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+#
+# Cookbook Name:: mapzen_valhalla-docker
+# Recipe:: default
+#
+# Copyright 2016, Mapzen
+#
+# All rights reserved - Do Not Redistribute
+#
+
+# go get the tiles
+execute 'pull tiles' do
+  cwd node[:valhalla][:base_dir]
+  command <<-EOH
+    echo -n https://s3.amazonaws.com/#{node[:valhalla][:s3bucket]}/#{node[:valhalla][:s3bucket_dir]}/ > latest_tiles.txt &&
+    aws --region us-east-1 s3 ls s3://#{node[:valhalla][:s3bucket]}/#{node[:valhalla][:s3bucket_dir]}/ | grep -F tiles_ | awk '{print $4}' | sort | tail -n 1 >> latest_tiles.txt
+  EOH
+end
+
+# open them up
+execute 'extract tiles' do
+  cwd node[:valhalla][:base_dir]
+  command <<-EOH
+    rm -rf tmp_tiles old_tiles &&
+    mkdir tmp_tiles &&
+    curl $(cat latest_tiles.txt) 2>#{node[:valhalla][:log_dir]}/curl_tiles.log | tar xzp -C tmp_tiles 2>#{node[:valhalla][:log_dir]}/untar_tiles.log
+  EOH
+  retries 3
+end
+
+# move them into place
+execute 'move tiles' do
+  cwd node[:valhalla][:base_dir]
+  command "mv #{node[:valhalla][:tile_dir]} old_tiles; mv tmp_tiles #{node[:valhalla][:tile_dir]}"
+end