diff --git a/code/common/config/src/main/java/nu/marginalia/nodecfg/NodeConfigurationService.java b/code/common/config/src/main/java/nu/marginalia/nodecfg/NodeConfigurationService.java
index da1f16a1..71970ae0 100644
--- a/code/common/config/src/main/java/nu/marginalia/nodecfg/NodeConfigurationService.java
+++ b/code/common/config/src/main/java/nu/marginalia/nodecfg/NodeConfigurationService.java
@@ -17,29 +17,22 @@ public class NodeConfigurationService {
         this.dataSource = dataSource;
     }
 
-    public NodeConfiguration create(String description, boolean acceptQueries) throws SQLException {
+    public NodeConfiguration create(int id, String description, boolean acceptQueries) throws SQLException {
         try (var conn = dataSource.getConnection();
              var is = conn.prepareStatement("""
-                     INSERT INTO NODE_CONFIGURATION(DESCRIPTION, ACCEPT_QUERIES) VALUES(?, ?)
-                     """);
-             var qs = conn.prepareStatement("""
-                     SELECT LAST_INSERT_ID()
-                     """))
+                     INSERT INTO NODE_CONFIGURATION(ID, DESCRIPTION, ACCEPT_QUERIES) VALUES(?, ?, ?)
+                     """)
+        )
         {
-            is.setString(1, description);
-            is.setBoolean(2, acceptQueries);
+            is.setInt(1, id);
+            is.setString(2, description);
+            is.setBoolean(3, acceptQueries);
 
             if (is.executeUpdate() <= 0) {
                 throw new IllegalStateException("Failed to insert configuration");
             }
 
-            var rs = qs.executeQuery();
-
-            if (rs.next()) {
-                return get(rs.getInt(1));
-            }
-
-            throw new AssertionError("No LAST_INSERT_ID()");
+            return get(id);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/code/common/config/src/test/java/nu/marginalia/nodecfg/NodeConfigurationServiceTest.java b/code/common/config/src/test/java/nu/marginalia/nodecfg/NodeConfigurationServiceTest.java
index c682079c..4744dda8 100644
--- a/code/common/config/src/test/java/nu/marginalia/nodecfg/NodeConfigurationServiceTest.java
+++ b/code/common/config/src/test/java/nu/marginalia/nodecfg/NodeConfigurationServiceTest.java
@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ public class NodeConfigurationServiceTest {
 
     @Test
     public void test() throws SQLException {
-        var a = nodeConfigurationService.create("Test", false);
-        var b = nodeConfigurationService.create("Foo", true);
+        var a = nodeConfigurationService.create(1, "Test", false);
+        var b = nodeConfigurationService.create(2, "Foo", true);
 
         assertEquals(1, a.node());
         assertEquals("Test", a.description());
diff --git a/code/common/db/src/main/resources/db/migration/V23_11_0_003__node_configuration.sql b/code/common/db/src/main/resources/db/migration/V23_11_0_003__node_configuration.sql
index 71364017..792bc691 100644
--- a/code/common/db/src/main/resources/db/migration/V23_11_0_003__node_configuration.sql
+++ b/code/common/db/src/main/resources/db/migration/V23_11_0_003__node_configuration.sql
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 CREATE TABLE NODE_CONFIGURATION (
-    ID INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
+    ID INT PRIMARY KEY,
     DESCRIPTION VARCHAR(255),
     ACCEPT_QUERIES BOOLEAN,
     DISABLED BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE
diff --git a/code/common/service/src/main/java/nu/marginalia/service/server/NodeStatusWatcher.java b/code/common/service/src/main/java/nu/marginalia/service/server/NodeStatusWatcher.java
index 78882eb1..cbf6e191 100644
--- a/code/common/service/src/main/java/nu/marginalia/service/server/NodeStatusWatcher.java
+++ b/code/common/service/src/main/java/nu/marginalia/service/server/NodeStatusWatcher.java
@@ -2,10 +2,14 @@ package nu.marginalia.service.server;
 
 import com.google.inject.name.Named;
 import jakarta.inject.Inject;
+import lombok.SneakyThrows;
 import nu.marginalia.nodecfg.NodeConfigurationService;
+import nu.marginalia.storage.FileStorageService;
+import nu.marginalia.storage.model.FileStorageBaseType;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
+import java.nio.file.Path;
 import java.sql.SQLException;
 import java.time.Duration;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
@@ -23,18 +27,22 @@ public class NodeStatusWatcher {
     private static final Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(NodeStatusWatcher.class);
 
     private final NodeConfigurationService configurationService;
+    private final FileStorageService fileStorageService;
     private final int nodeId;
 
     private final Duration pollDuration = Duration.ofSeconds(15);
 
     @Inject
     public NodeStatusWatcher(NodeConfigurationService configurationService,
-                             @Named("wmsa-system-node") Integer nodeId) throws InterruptedException {
+                             FileStorageService fileStorageService, @Named("wmsa-system-node") Integer nodeId) {
         this.configurationService = configurationService;
+        this.fileStorageService = fileStorageService;
 
         this.nodeId = nodeId;
 
-        awaitConfiguration();
+        if (!isConfigured()) {
+           setupNode();
+        }
 
 
         var watcherThread = new Thread(this::watcher, "node watcher");
@@ -42,29 +50,28 @@ public class NodeStatusWatcher {
         watcherThread.start();
     }
 
-    /** Wait for the presence of an enabled NodeConfiguration before permitting the service to start */
-    private void awaitConfiguration() throws InterruptedException {
-
-        boolean complained = false;
-
-        for (;;) {
-            try {
-                var config = configurationService.get(nodeId);
-                if (null != config && !config.disabled()) {
-                    return;
-                }
-                else if (!complained) {
-                    logger.info("Waiting for node configuration, id = {}", nodeId);
-                    complained = true;
-                }
-            }
-            catch (SQLException ex) {
-                logger.error("Error updating node status", ex);
-            }
-
-            TimeUnit.SECONDS.sleep(pollDuration.toSeconds());
+    private void setupNode() {
+        try {
+            configurationService.create(nodeId, "Node " + nodeId, nodeId == 1);
+            fileStorageService.createStorageBase("Index Data", Path.of("/idx"), nodeId, FileStorageBaseType.CURRENT);
+            fileStorageService.createStorageBase("Index Backups", Path.of("/backup"), nodeId, FileStorageBaseType.BACKUP);
+            fileStorageService.createStorageBase("Crawl Data", Path.of("/storage"), nodeId, FileStorageBaseType.STORAGE);
+            fileStorageService.createStorageBase("Work Area", Path.of("/work"), nodeId, FileStorageBaseType.WORK);
         }
+        catch (IllegalStateException ex) {
+            // There is a slight chance of a race condition between the index and executor services both trying to run this,
+            // at the same time.  Thanks to ACID, only one of them will succeed in creating the node, and the other will throw
+            // IllegalStateException.  This is fine!
+        }
+        catch (SQLException ex) {
+            throw new RuntimeException(ex);
+        }
+    }
 
+    @SneakyThrows
+    private boolean isConfigured() {
+        var configuration = configurationService.get(nodeId);
+        return configuration != null;
     }
 
     /** Look for changes in the configuration and kill the service if the corresponding
diff --git a/code/services-core/control-service/src/main/java/nu/marginalia/control/node/svc/ControlNodeService.java b/code/services-core/control-service/src/main/java/nu/marginalia/control/node/svc/ControlNodeService.java
index 0aebe2db..e74369b7 100644
--- a/code/services-core/control-service/src/main/java/nu/marginalia/control/node/svc/ControlNodeService.java
+++ b/code/services-core/control-service/src/main/java/nu/marginalia/control/node/svc/ControlNodeService.java
@@ -77,7 +77,6 @@ public class ControlNodeService {
         var newSpecsFormRenderer = rendererFactory.renderer("control/node/node-new-specs-form");
 
         Spark.get("/public/nodes", this::nodeListModel, nodeListRenderer::render);
-        Spark.post("/public/nodes", this::createNode);
         Spark.get("/public/nodes/:id", this::nodeOverviewModel, overviewRenderer::render);
         Spark.get("/public/nodes/:id/", this::nodeOverviewModel, overviewRenderer::render);
         Spark.get("/public/nodes/:id/actors", this::nodeActorsModel, actorsRenderer::render);
@@ -106,18 +105,6 @@ public class ControlNodeService {
 
     }
 
-    private Object createNode(Request request, Response response) throws SQLException, FileNotFoundException {
-        var newConfig = nodeConfigurationService.create(request.queryParams("description"), "on".equalsIgnoreCase(request.queryParams("acceptQueries")));
-        int id = newConfig.node();
-
-        fileStorageService.createStorageBase("Index Data", Path.of("/idx"), id, FileStorageBaseType.CURRENT);
-        fileStorageService.createStorageBase("Index Backups", Path.of("/backup"), id, FileStorageBaseType.BACKUP);
-        fileStorageService.createStorageBase("Crawl Data", Path.of("/storage"), id, FileStorageBaseType.STORAGE);
-        fileStorageService.createStorageBase("Work Area", Path.of("/work"), id, FileStorageBaseType.WORK);
-
-        return redirectToOverview(id);
-    }
-
     private Object nodeListModel(Request request, Response response) throws SQLException {
         var configs = nodeConfigurationService.getAll();
 
diff --git a/code/services-core/control-service/src/main/resources/templates/control/node/nodes-list.hdb b/code/services-core/control-service/src/main/resources/templates/control/node/nodes-list.hdb
index 560902ed..7facb92e 100644
--- a/code/services-core/control-service/src/main/resources/templates/control/node/nodes-list.hdb
+++ b/code/services-core/control-service/src/main/resources/templates/control/node/nodes-list.hdb
@@ -27,34 +27,17 @@
             <td>{{acceptQueries}}</td>
         </tr>
         {{/each}}
-    {{/if}}
     </table>
 
-
-    <div class="m-3 p-3 border">
-        <h2>Add Node</h2>
-        <form method="post">
-            <div class="mb-3">
-                <label for="name" class="form-label">ID</label>
-                <input class="form-control" type="text" name="id" id="id" value="{{nextNodeId}}" disabled aria-disabled="true" />
-            </div>
-
-            <div class="mb-3">
-                <label for="name" class="form-label">Description</label>
-                <input class="form-control" type="text" name="description" id="description" />
-            </div>
-
-            <div class="form-check form-switch mb-3">
-                <input class="form-check-input" type="checkbox" role="switch" name="acceptQueries">
-                <label class="form-check-label" for="acceptQueries">Accept queries</label>
-
-                <div class="form-text">Sets whether queries will be routed to this node.  This can be modified later.</div>
-            </div>
-
-            <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary">Create</button>
-        </form>
+    <div class="m-5 p-5 border bg-light">
+        <h2 class="my-3">Index Nodes</h2>
+        <p>
+            Index nodes are processing units.  The search engine requires at least one, but more can be added
+            to spread the system load across multiple physical disks or even multiple servers.
+        </p>
     </div>
-    </table>
+    {{/if}}
+
 </div>
 
 </body>