diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 23fc8ad61..95042cd9f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -677,9 +677,11 @@ That'll post a line like follows to a preconfigured chatbot in Basecamp:
 [My App] [dhh] Rolled back to version d264c4e92470ad1bd18590f04466787262f605de
 ```
 
-### Custom healthcheck
+### Healthcheck
 
-MRSK defaults to checking the health of your application again `/up` on port 3000 up to 7 times. You can tailor the behaviour with the `healthcheck` setting:
+MRSK uses Docker healtchecks to check the health of your application during deployment. Traefik uses this same healthcheck status to determine when a container is ready to receive traffic.
+
+The healthcheck defaults to testing the HTTP response to the path `/up` on port 3000, up to 7 times. You can tailor this behaviour with the `healthcheck` setting:
 
 ```yaml
 healthcheck:
@@ -690,7 +692,29 @@ healthcheck:
 
 This will ensure your application is configured with a traefik label for the healthcheck against `/healthz` and that the pre-deploy healthcheck that MRSK performs is done against the same path on port 4000.
 
-The healthcheck also allows for an optional `max_attempts` setting, which will attempt the healthcheck up to the specified number of times before failing the deploy. This is useful for applications that take a while to start up. The default is 7.
+You can also specify a custom healthcheck command, which is useful for non-HTTP services:
+
+```yaml
+healthcheck:
+  cmd: /bin/check_health
+```
+
+The top-level healthcheck configuration applies to all services that use
+Traefik, by default. You can also specialize the configuration at the role
+level:
+
+```yaml
+servers:
+  job:
+    hosts: ...
+    cmd: bin/jobs
+    healthcheck:
+      cmd: bin/check
+```
+
+The healthcheck allows for an optional `max_attempts` setting, which will attempt the healthcheck up to the specified number of times before failing the deploy. This is useful for applications that take a while to start up. The default is 7.
+
+Note that the HTTP health checks assume that the `curl` command is avilable inside the container. If that's not the case, use the healthcheck's `cmd` option to specify an alternative check that the container supports.
 
 ## Commands
 
diff --git a/lib/mrsk/cli/app.rb b/lib/mrsk/cli/app.rb
index 882c80c8d..6e4fd496c 100644
--- a/lib/mrsk/cli/app.rb
+++ b/lib/mrsk/cli/app.rb
@@ -6,8 +6,6 @@ def boot
       using_version(version_or_latest) do |version|
         say "Start container with version #{version} using a #{MRSK.config.readiness_delay}s readiness delay (or reboot if already running)...", :magenta
 
-        cli = self
-
         on(MRSK.hosts) do
           execute *MRSK.auditor.record("Tagging #{MRSK.config.absolute_image} as the latest image"), verbosity: :debug
           execute *MRSK.app.tag_current_as_latest
@@ -17,19 +15,24 @@ def boot
           roles = MRSK.roles_on(host)
 
           roles.each do |role|
-            execute *MRSK.auditor(role: role).record("Booted app version #{version}"), verbosity: :debug
+            app = MRSK.app(role: role)
+            auditor = MRSK.auditor(role: role)
+
+            execute *auditor.record("Booted app version #{version}"), verbosity: :debug
 
-            if capture_with_info(*MRSK.app(role: role).container_id_for_version(version), raise_on_non_zero_exit: false).present?
+            if capture_with_info(*app.container_id_for_version(version), raise_on_non_zero_exit: false).present?
               tmp_version = "#{version}_#{SecureRandom.hex(8)}"
               info "Renaming container #{version} to #{tmp_version} as already deployed on #{host}"
-              execute *MRSK.auditor(role: role).record("Renaming container #{version} to #{tmp_version}"), verbosity: :debug
-              execute *MRSK.app(role: role).rename_container(version: version, new_version: tmp_version)
+              execute *auditor.record("Renaming container #{version} to #{tmp_version}"), verbosity: :debug
+              execute *app.rename_container(version: version, new_version: tmp_version)
             end
 
-            old_version = capture_with_info(*MRSK.app(role: role).current_running_version, raise_on_non_zero_exit: false).strip
-            execute *MRSK.app(role: role).run
-            sleep MRSK.config.readiness_delay
-            execute *MRSK.app(role: role).stop(version: old_version), raise_on_non_zero_exit: false if old_version.present?
+            old_version = capture_with_info(*app.current_running_version, raise_on_non_zero_exit: false).strip
+            execute *app.run
+
+            Mrsk::Utils::HealthcheckPoller.wait_for_healthy(pause_after_ready: true) { capture_with_info(*app.status(version: version)) }
+
+            execute *app.stop(version: old_version), raise_on_non_zero_exit: false if old_version.present?
           end
         end
       end
diff --git a/lib/mrsk/cli/healthcheck.rb b/lib/mrsk/cli/healthcheck.rb
index 5e9f42dca..81677d629 100644
--- a/lib/mrsk/cli/healthcheck.rb
+++ b/lib/mrsk/cli/healthcheck.rb
@@ -1,7 +1,4 @@
 class Mrsk::Cli::Healthcheck < Mrsk::Cli::Base
-
-  class HealthcheckError < StandardError; end
-
   default_command :perform
 
   desc "perform", "Health check current app version"
@@ -9,38 +6,10 @@ def perform
     on(MRSK.primary_host) do
       begin
         execute *MRSK.healthcheck.run
-
-        target = "Health check against #{MRSK.config.healthcheck["path"]}"
-        attempt = 1
-        max_attempts = MRSK.config.healthcheck["max_attempts"]
-
-        begin
-          status = capture_with_info(*MRSK.healthcheck.curl)
-
-          if status == "200"
-            info "#{target} succeeded with 200 OK!"
-          else
-            raise HealthcheckError, "#{target} failed with status #{status}"
-          end
-        rescue SSHKit::Command::Failed
-          if attempt <= max_attempts
-            info "#{target} failed to respond, retrying in #{attempt}s (attempt #{attempt}/#{max_attempts})..."
-            sleep attempt
-            attempt += 1
-
-            retry
-          else
-            raise
-          end
-        end
-      rescue SSHKit::Command::Failed, HealthcheckError => e
+        Mrsk::Utils::HealthcheckPoller.wait_for_healthy { capture_with_info(*MRSK.healthcheck.status) }
+      rescue Mrsk::Utils::HealthcheckPoller::HealthcheckError => e
         error capture_with_info(*MRSK.healthcheck.logs)
-
-        if e.message =~ /curl/
-          raise SSHKit::Command::Failed, "#{target} failed to return 200 OK!"
-        else
-          raise
-        end
+        raise
       ensure
         execute *MRSK.healthcheck.stop, raise_on_non_zero_exit: false
         execute *MRSK.healthcheck.remove, raise_on_non_zero_exit: false
diff --git a/lib/mrsk/commands/app.rb b/lib/mrsk/commands/app.rb
index 08e6795df..2d1cc132f 100644
--- a/lib/mrsk/commands/app.rb
+++ b/lib/mrsk/commands/app.rb
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ def run
       "--name", container_name,
       "-e", "MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"#{container_name}\"",
       *role.env_args,
+      *role.health_check_args,
       *config.logging_args,
       *config.volume_args,
       *role.label_args,
@@ -27,6 +28,10 @@ def start
     docker :start, container_name
   end
 
+  def status(version:)
+    pipe container_id_for_version(version), xargs(docker(:inspect, "--format", DOCKER_HEALTH_STATUS_FORMAT))
+  end
+
   def stop(version: nil)
     pipe \
       version ? container_id_for_version(version) : current_running_container_id,
diff --git a/lib/mrsk/commands/base.rb b/lib/mrsk/commands/base.rb
index 25ca00752..49911a049 100644
--- a/lib/mrsk/commands/base.rb
+++ b/lib/mrsk/commands/base.rb
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ module Mrsk::Commands
   class Base
     delegate :sensitive, :argumentize, to: Mrsk::Utils
 
+    DOCKER_HEALTH_STATUS_FORMAT = "'{{if .State.Health}}{{.State.Health.Status}}{{else}}{{.State.Status}}{{end}}'"
+
     attr_accessor :config
 
     def initialize(config)
diff --git a/lib/mrsk/commands/healthcheck.rb b/lib/mrsk/commands/healthcheck.rb
index 1d467033b..14932f3ac 100644
--- a/lib/mrsk/commands/healthcheck.rb
+++ b/lib/mrsk/commands/healthcheck.rb
@@ -11,14 +11,15 @@ def run
       "--label", "service=#{container_name}",
       "-e", "MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"#{container_name}\"",
       *web.env_args,
+      *web.health_check_args,
       *config.volume_args,
       *web.option_args,
       config.absolute_image,
       web.cmd
   end
 
-  def curl
-    [ :curl, "--silent", "--output", "/dev/null", "--write-out", "'%{http_code}'", "--max-time", "2", health_url ]
+  def status
+    pipe container_id, xargs(docker(:inspect, "--format", DOCKER_HEALTH_STATUS_FORMAT))
   end
 
   def logs
diff --git a/lib/mrsk/configuration/role.rb b/lib/mrsk/configuration/role.rb
index 6bca4fb82..881b331e7 100644
--- a/lib/mrsk/configuration/role.rb
+++ b/lib/mrsk/configuration/role.rb
@@ -35,6 +35,21 @@ def env_args
     argumentize_env_with_secrets env
   end
 
+  def health_check_args
+    if health_check_cmd.present?
+      optionize({ "health-cmd" => health_check_cmd, "health-interval" => "1s" })
+    else
+      []
+    end
+  end
+
+  def health_check_cmd
+    options = specializations["healthcheck"] || {}
+    options = config.healthcheck.merge(options) if running_traefik?
+
+    options["cmd"] || http_health_check(port: options["port"], path: options["path"])
+  end
+
   def cmd
     specializations["cmd"]
   end
@@ -75,8 +90,6 @@ def traefik_labels
       if running_traefik?
         {
           "traefik.http.routers.#{traefik_service}.rule" => "PathPrefix(`/`)",
-          "traefik.http.services.#{traefik_service}.loadbalancer.healthcheck.path" => config.healthcheck["path"],
-          "traefik.http.services.#{traefik_service}.loadbalancer.healthcheck.interval" => "1s",
           "traefik.http.middlewares.#{traefik_service}-retry.retry.attempts" => "5",
           "traefik.http.middlewares.#{traefik_service}-retry.retry.initialinterval" => "500ms",
           "traefik.http.routers.#{traefik_service}.middlewares" => "#{traefik_service}-retry@docker"
@@ -125,4 +138,8 @@ def merged_env_with_secrets
         new_env["clear"] = (clear_app_env + clear_role_env).uniq
       end
     end
+
+    def http_health_check(port:, path:)
+      "curl -f #{URI.join("http://localhost:#{port}", path)} || exit 1" if path.present? || port.present?
+    end
 end
diff --git a/lib/mrsk/utils/healthcheck_poller.rb b/lib/mrsk/utils/healthcheck_poller.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d7b8be65d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/mrsk/utils/healthcheck_poller.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+class Mrsk::Utils::HealthcheckPoller
+  TRAEFIK_HEALTHY_DELAY = 1
+
+  class HealthcheckError < StandardError; end
+
+  class << self
+    def wait_for_healthy(pause_after_ready: false, &block)
+      attempt = 1
+      max_attempts = MRSK.config.healthcheck["max_attempts"]
+
+      begin
+        case status = block.call
+        when "healthy"
+          sleep TRAEFIK_HEALTHY_DELAY if pause_after_ready
+        when "running" # No health check configured
+          sleep MRSK.config.readiness_delay if pause_after_ready
+        else
+          raise HealthcheckError, "container not ready (#{status})"
+        end
+      rescue HealthcheckError => e
+        if attempt <= max_attempts
+          info "#{e.message}, retrying in #{attempt}s (attempt #{attempt}/#{max_attempts})..."
+          sleep attempt
+          attempt += 1
+          retry
+        else
+          raise
+        end
+      end
+
+      info "Container is healthy!"
+    end
+
+    private
+      def info(message)
+        SSHKit.config.output.info(message)
+      end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/cli/app_test.rb b/test/cli/app_test.rb
index 78b166d4c..54292d65a 100644
--- a/test/cli/app_test.rb
+++ b/test/cli/app_test.rb
@@ -2,8 +2,11 @@
 
 class CliAppTest < CliTestCase
   test "boot" do
-    # Stub current version fetch
-    SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:capture).returns("123") # old version
+    SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:capture_with_info).returns("123") # old version
+
+    SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.expects(:capture_with_info)
+    .with(:docker, :container, :ls, "--all", "--filter", "name=^app-web-latest$", "--quiet", "|", :xargs, :docker, :inspect, "--format", "'{{if .State.Health}}{{.State.Health.Status}}{{else}}{{.State.Status}}{{end}}'")
+    .returns("running") # health check
 
     run_command("boot").tap do |output|
       assert_match "docker tag dhh/app:latest dhh/app:latest", output
@@ -19,6 +22,10 @@ class CliAppTest < CliTestCase
       .with(:docker, :container, :ls, "--all", "--filter", "name=^app-web-latest$", "--quiet", raise_on_non_zero_exit: false)
       .returns("12345678") # running version
 
+    SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.expects(:capture_with_info)
+      .with(:docker, :container, :ls, "--all", "--filter", "name=^app-web-latest$", "--quiet", "|", :xargs, :docker, :inspect, "--format", "'{{if .State.Health}}{{.State.Health.Status}}{{else}}{{.State.Status}}{{end}}'")
+      .returns("running") # health check
+
     SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.expects(:capture_with_info)
       .with(:docker, :ps, "--filter", "label=service=app", "--filter", "label=role=web", "--filter", "status=running", "--latest", "--format", "\"{{.Names}}\"", "|", "grep -oE \"\\-[^-]+$\"", "|", "cut -c 2-", raise_on_non_zero_exit: false)
       .returns("123") # old version
diff --git a/test/cli/healthcheck_test.rb b/test/cli/healthcheck_test.rb
index a3441a7ed..a3577aa4e 100644
--- a/test/cli/healthcheck_test.rb
+++ b/test/cli/healthcheck_test.rb
@@ -5,62 +5,58 @@ class CliHealthcheckTest < CliTestCase
     # Prevent expected failures from outputting to terminal
     Thread.report_on_exception = false
 
-    SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:sleep) # No sleeping when retrying
+    Mrsk::Utils::HealthcheckPoller.stubs(:sleep) # No sleeping when retrying
+
     SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:execute)
       .with(:docker, :container, :ls, "--all", "--filter", "name=^healthcheck-app-999$", "--quiet", "|", :xargs, :docker, :stop, raise_on_non_zero_exit: false)
     SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:execute)
-      .with(:docker, :run, "--detach", "--name", "healthcheck-app-999", "--publish", "3999:3000", "--label", "service=healthcheck-app", "-e", "MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"healthcheck-app\"", "dhh/app:999")
+      .with(:docker, :run, "--detach", "--name", "healthcheck-app-999", "--publish", "3999:3000", "--label", "service=healthcheck-app", "-e", "MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"healthcheck-app\"", "--health-cmd", "\"curl -f http://localhost:3000/up || exit 1\"", "--health-interval", "\"1s\"", "dhh/app:999")
     SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:execute)
       .with(:docker, :container, :ls, "--all", "--filter", "name=^healthcheck-app-999$", "--quiet", "|", :xargs, :docker, :container, :rm, raise_on_non_zero_exit: false)
 
     # Fail twice to test retry logic
     SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:capture_with_info)
-      .with(:curl, "--silent", "--output", "/dev/null", "--write-out", "'%{http_code}'", "--max-time", "2", "http://localhost:3999/up")
-      .raises(SSHKit::Command::Failed)
+      .with(:docker, :container, :ls, "--all", "--filter", "name=^healthcheck-app-999$", "--quiet", "|", :xargs, :docker, :inspect, "--format", "'{{if .State.Health}}{{.State.Health.Status}}{{else}}{{.State.Status}}{{end}}'")
+      .returns("starting")
       .then
-      .raises(SSHKit::Command::Failed)
+      .returns("unhealthy")
       .then
-      .returns("200")
+      .returns("healthy")
 
     run_command("perform").tap do |output|
-      assert_match "Health check against /up failed to respond, retrying in 1s (attempt 1/7)...", output
-      assert_match "Health check against /up failed to respond, retrying in 2s (attempt 2/7)...", output
-      assert_match "Health check against /up succeeded with 200 OK!", output
+      assert_match "container not ready (starting), retrying in 1s (attempt 1/7)...", output
+      assert_match "container not ready (unhealthy), retrying in 2s (attempt 2/7)...", output
+      assert_match "Container is healthy!", output
     end
   end
 
-  test "perform failing because of curl" do
+  test "perform failing to become healthy" do
     # Prevent expected failures from outputting to terminal
     Thread.report_on_exception = false
 
-    SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:execute) # No need to execute anything here
-    SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:capture_with_info)
-      .with(:curl, "--silent", "--output", "/dev/null", "--write-out", "'%{http_code}'", "--max-time", "2", "http://localhost:3999/up")
-      .returns("curl: command not found")
-    SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:capture_with_info)
-      .with(:docker, :container, :ls, "--all", "--filter", "name=^healthcheck-app-999$", "--quiet", "|", :xargs, :docker, :logs, "--tail", 50, "2>&1")
-
-    exception = assert_raises SSHKit::Runner::ExecuteError do
-      run_command("perform")
-    end
-    assert_match "Health check against /up failed to return 200 OK!", exception.message
-  end
+    Mrsk::Utils::HealthcheckPoller.stubs(:sleep) # No sleeping when retrying
 
-  test "perform failing for unknown reason" do
-    # Prevent expected failures from outputting to terminal
-    Thread.report_on_exception = false
+    SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:execute)
+      .with(:docker, :container, :ls, "--all", "--filter", "name=^healthcheck-app-999$", "--quiet", "|", :xargs, :docker, :stop, raise_on_non_zero_exit: false)
+    SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:execute)
+      .with(:docker, :run, "--detach", "--name", "healthcheck-app-999", "--publish", "3999:3000", "--label", "service=healthcheck-app", "-e", "MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"healthcheck-app\"", "--health-cmd", "\"curl -f http://localhost:3000/up || exit 1\"", "--health-interval", "\"1s\"", "dhh/app:999")
+    SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:execute)
+      .with(:docker, :container, :ls, "--all", "--filter", "name=^healthcheck-app-999$", "--quiet", "|", :xargs, :docker, :container, :rm, raise_on_non_zero_exit: false)
 
-    SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:execute) # No need to execute anything here
+    # Continually report unhealthy
     SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:capture_with_info)
-      .with(:curl, "--silent", "--output", "/dev/null", "--write-out", "'%{http_code}'", "--max-time", "2", "http://localhost:3999/up")
-      .returns("500")
+      .with(:docker, :container, :ls, "--all", "--filter", "name=^healthcheck-app-999$", "--quiet", "|", :xargs, :docker, :inspect, "--format", "'{{if .State.Health}}{{.State.Health.Status}}{{else}}{{.State.Status}}{{end}}'")
+      .returns("unhealthy")
+
+    # Capture logs when failing
     SSHKit::Backend::Abstract.any_instance.stubs(:capture_with_info)
       .with(:docker, :container, :ls, "--all", "--filter", "name=^healthcheck-app-999$", "--quiet", "|", :xargs, :docker, :logs, "--tail", 50, "2>&1")
+      .returns("some log output")
 
     exception = assert_raises do
       run_command("perform")
     end
-    assert_match "Health check against /up failed with status 500", exception.message
+    assert_match "container not ready (unhealthy)", exception.message
   end
 
   private
diff --git a/test/commands/app_test.rb b/test/commands/app_test.rb
index 87afe3f1c..f74b21c96 100644
--- a/test/commands/app_test.rb
+++ b/test/commands/app_test.rb
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ class CommandsAppTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
 
   test "run" do
     assert_equal \
-      "docker run --detach --restart unless-stopped --name app-web-999 -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"app-web-999\" -e RAILS_MASTER_KEY=\"456\" --log-opt max-size=\"10m\" --label service=\"app\" --label role=\"web\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.rule=\"PathPrefix(\\`/\\`)\" --label traefik.http.services.app-web.loadbalancer.healthcheck.path=\"/up\" --label traefik.http.services.app-web.loadbalancer.healthcheck.interval=\"1s\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.attempts=\"5\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.initialinterval=\"500ms\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.middlewares=\"app-web-retry@docker\" dhh/app:999",
+      "docker run --detach --restart unless-stopped --name app-web-999 -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"app-web-999\" -e RAILS_MASTER_KEY=\"456\" --health-cmd \"curl -f http://localhost:3000/up || exit 1\" --health-interval \"1s\" --log-opt max-size=\"10m\" --label service=\"app\" --label role=\"web\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.rule=\"PathPrefix(\\`/\\`)\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.attempts=\"5\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.initialinterval=\"500ms\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.middlewares=\"app-web-retry@docker\" dhh/app:999",
       new_command.run.join(" ")
   end
 
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ class CommandsAppTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
     @config[:volumes] = ["/local/path:/container/path" ]
 
     assert_equal \
-      "docker run --detach --restart unless-stopped --name app-web-999 -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"app-web-999\" -e RAILS_MASTER_KEY=\"456\" --log-opt max-size=\"10m\" --volume /local/path:/container/path --label service=\"app\" --label role=\"web\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.rule=\"PathPrefix(\\`/\\`)\" --label traefik.http.services.app-web.loadbalancer.healthcheck.path=\"/up\" --label traefik.http.services.app-web.loadbalancer.healthcheck.interval=\"1s\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.attempts=\"5\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.initialinterval=\"500ms\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.middlewares=\"app-web-retry@docker\" dhh/app:999",
+      "docker run --detach --restart unless-stopped --name app-web-999 -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"app-web-999\" -e RAILS_MASTER_KEY=\"456\" --health-cmd \"curl -f http://localhost:3000/up || exit 1\" --health-interval \"1s\" --log-opt max-size=\"10m\" --volume /local/path:/container/path --label service=\"app\" --label role=\"web\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.rule=\"PathPrefix(\\`/\\`)\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.attempts=\"5\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.initialinterval=\"500ms\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.middlewares=\"app-web-retry@docker\" dhh/app:999",
       new_command.run.join(" ")
   end
 
@@ -29,7 +29,23 @@ class CommandsAppTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
     @config[:healthcheck] = { "path" => "/healthz" }
 
     assert_equal \
-      "docker run --detach --restart unless-stopped --name app-web-999 -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"app-web-999\" -e RAILS_MASTER_KEY=\"456\" --log-opt max-size=\"10m\" --label service=\"app\" --label role=\"web\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.rule=\"PathPrefix(\\`/\\`)\" --label traefik.http.services.app-web.loadbalancer.healthcheck.path=\"/healthz\" --label traefik.http.services.app-web.loadbalancer.healthcheck.interval=\"1s\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.attempts=\"5\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.initialinterval=\"500ms\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.middlewares=\"app-web-retry@docker\" dhh/app:999",
+      "docker run --detach --restart unless-stopped --name app-web-999 -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"app-web-999\" -e RAILS_MASTER_KEY=\"456\" --health-cmd \"curl -f http://localhost:3000/healthz || exit 1\" --health-interval \"1s\" --log-opt max-size=\"10m\" --label service=\"app\" --label role=\"web\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.rule=\"PathPrefix(\\`/\\`)\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.attempts=\"5\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.initialinterval=\"500ms\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.middlewares=\"app-web-retry@docker\" dhh/app:999",
+      new_command.run.join(" ")
+  end
+
+  test "run with custom healthcheck command" do
+    @config[:healthcheck] = { "cmd" => "/bin/up" }
+
+    assert_equal \
+      "docker run --detach --restart unless-stopped --name app-web-999 -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"app-web-999\" -e RAILS_MASTER_KEY=\"456\" --health-cmd \"/bin/up\" --health-interval \"1s\" --log-opt max-size=\"10m\" --label service=\"app\" --label role=\"web\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.rule=\"PathPrefix(\\`/\\`)\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.attempts=\"5\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.initialinterval=\"500ms\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.middlewares=\"app-web-retry@docker\" dhh/app:999",
+      new_command.run.join(" ")
+  end
+
+  test "run with role-specific healthcheck options" do
+    @config[:servers] = { "web" => { "hosts" => [ "1.1.1.1" ], "healthcheck" => { "cmd" => "/bin/healthy" } } }
+
+    assert_equal \
+      "docker run --detach --restart unless-stopped --name app-web-999 -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"app-web-999\" -e RAILS_MASTER_KEY=\"456\" --health-cmd \"/bin/healthy\" --health-interval \"1s\" --log-opt max-size=\"10m\" --label service=\"app\" --label role=\"web\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.rule=\"PathPrefix(\\`/\\`)\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.attempts=\"5\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.initialinterval=\"500ms\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.middlewares=\"app-web-retry@docker\" dhh/app:999",
       new_command.run.join(" ")
   end
 
@@ -44,7 +60,7 @@ class CommandsAppTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
     @config[:logging] = { "driver" => "local", "options" => { "max-size" => "100m", "max-file" => "3" } }
 
     assert_equal \
-      "docker run --detach --restart unless-stopped --name app-web-999 -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"app-web-999\" -e RAILS_MASTER_KEY=\"456\" --log-driver \"local\" --log-opt max-size=\"100m\" --log-opt max-file=\"3\" --label service=\"app\" --label role=\"web\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.rule=\"PathPrefix(\\`/\\`)\" --label traefik.http.services.app-web.loadbalancer.healthcheck.path=\"/up\" --label traefik.http.services.app-web.loadbalancer.healthcheck.interval=\"1s\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.attempts=\"5\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.initialinterval=\"500ms\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.middlewares=\"app-web-retry@docker\" dhh/app:999",
+      "docker run --detach --restart unless-stopped --name app-web-999 -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"app-web-999\" -e RAILS_MASTER_KEY=\"456\" --health-cmd \"curl -f http://localhost:3000/up || exit 1\" --health-interval \"1s\" --log-driver \"local\" --log-opt max-size=\"100m\" --log-opt max-file=\"3\" --label service=\"app\" --label role=\"web\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.rule=\"PathPrefix(\\`/\\`)\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.attempts=\"5\" --label traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.initialinterval=\"500ms\" --label traefik.http.routers.app-web.middlewares=\"app-web-retry@docker\" dhh/app:999",
       new_command.run.join(" ")
   end
 
diff --git a/test/commands/healthcheck_test.rb b/test/commands/healthcheck_test.rb
index cc44e5029..68387487d 100644
--- a/test/commands/healthcheck_test.rb
+++ b/test/commands/healthcheck_test.rb
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ class CommandsHealthcheckTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
 
   test "run" do
     assert_equal \
-      "docker run --detach --name healthcheck-app-123 --publish 3999:3000 --label service=healthcheck-app -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"healthcheck-app\" dhh/app:123",
+      "docker run --detach --name healthcheck-app-123 --publish 3999:3000 --label service=healthcheck-app -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"healthcheck-app\" --health-cmd \"curl -f http://localhost:3000/up || exit 1\" --health-interval \"1s\" dhh/app:123",
       new_command.run.join(" ")
   end
 
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ class CommandsHealthcheckTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
     @config[:healthcheck] = { "port" => 3001 }
 
     assert_equal \
-      "docker run --detach --name healthcheck-app-123 --publish 3999:3001 --label service=healthcheck-app -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"healthcheck-app\" dhh/app:123",
+      "docker run --detach --name healthcheck-app-123 --publish 3999:3001 --label service=healthcheck-app -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"healthcheck-app\" --health-cmd \"curl -f http://localhost:3001/up || exit 1\" --health-interval \"1s\" dhh/app:123",
       new_command.run.join(" ")
   end
 
@@ -26,29 +26,29 @@ class CommandsHealthcheckTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
     @destination = "staging"
 
     assert_equal \
-      "docker run --detach --name healthcheck-app-staging-123 --publish 3999:3000 --label service=healthcheck-app-staging -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"healthcheck-app-staging\" dhh/app:123",
+      "docker run --detach --name healthcheck-app-staging-123 --publish 3999:3000 --label service=healthcheck-app-staging -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"healthcheck-app-staging\" --health-cmd \"curl -f http://localhost:3000/up || exit 1\" --health-interval \"1s\" dhh/app:123",
       new_command.run.join(" ")
   end
 
-  test "run with custom options" do
-    @config[:servers] = { "web" => { "hosts" => [ "1.1.1.1" ], "options" => { "mount" => "somewhere" } } }
+  test "run with custom healthcheck" do
+    @config[:healthcheck] = { "cmd" => "/bin/up" }
+
     assert_equal \
-      "docker run --detach --name healthcheck-app-123 --publish 3999:3000 --label service=healthcheck-app -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"healthcheck-app\" --mount \"somewhere\" dhh/app:123",
+      "docker run --detach --name healthcheck-app-123 --publish 3999:3000 --label service=healthcheck-app -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"healthcheck-app\" --health-cmd \"/bin/up\" --health-interval \"1s\" dhh/app:123",
       new_command.run.join(" ")
   end
 
-  test "curl" do
+  test "run with custom options" do
+    @config[:servers] = { "web" => { "hosts" => [ "1.1.1.1" ], "options" => { "mount" => "somewhere" } } }
     assert_equal \
-      "curl --silent --output /dev/null --write-out '%{http_code}' --max-time 2 http://localhost:3999/up",
-      new_command.curl.join(" ")
+      "docker run --detach --name healthcheck-app-123 --publish 3999:3000 --label service=healthcheck-app -e MRSK_CONTAINER_NAME=\"healthcheck-app\" --health-cmd \"curl -f http://localhost:3000/up || exit 1\" --health-interval \"1s\" --mount \"somewhere\" dhh/app:123",
+      new_command.run.join(" ")
   end
 
-  test "curl with custom path" do
-    @config[:healthcheck] = { "path" => "/healthz" }
-
+  test "status" do
     assert_equal \
-      "curl --silent --output /dev/null --write-out '%{http_code}' --max-time 2 http://localhost:3999/healthz",
-      new_command.curl.join(" ")
+      "docker container ls --all --filter name=^healthcheck-app-123$ --quiet | xargs docker inspect --format '{{if .State.Health}}{{.State.Health.Status}}{{else}}{{.State.Status}}{{end}}'",
+      new_command.status.join(" ")
   end
 
   test "stop" do
diff --git a/test/configuration/role_test.rb b/test/configuration/role_test.rb
index 20ea39efa..f3814066a 100644
--- a/test/configuration/role_test.rb
+++ b/test/configuration/role_test.rb
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ class ConfigurationRoleTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
   end
 
   test "special label args for web" do
-    assert_equal [ "--label", "service=\"app\"", "--label", "role=\"web\"", "--label", "traefik.http.routers.app-web.rule=\"PathPrefix(\\`/\\`)\"", "--label", "traefik.http.services.app-web.loadbalancer.healthcheck.path=\"/up\"", "--label", "traefik.http.services.app-web.loadbalancer.healthcheck.interval=\"1s\"", "--label", "traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.attempts=\"5\"", "--label", "traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.initialinterval=\"500ms\"", "--label", "traefik.http.routers.app-web.middlewares=\"app-web-retry@docker\"" ], @config.role(:web).label_args
+    assert_equal [ "--label", "service=\"app\"", "--label", "role=\"web\"", "--label", "traefik.http.routers.app-web.rule=\"PathPrefix(\\`/\\`)\"", "--label", "traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.attempts=\"5\"", "--label", "traefik.http.middlewares.app-web-retry.retry.initialinterval=\"500ms\"", "--label", "traefik.http.routers.app-web.middlewares=\"app-web-retry@docker\"" ], @config.role(:web).label_args
   end
 
   test "custom labels" do
@@ -57,8 +57,8 @@ class ConfigurationRoleTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
   end
 
   test "overwriting default traefik label" do
-    @deploy[:labels] = { "traefik.http.routers.app.rule" => "\"Host(\\`example.com\\`) || (Host(\\`example.org\\`) && Path(\\`/traefik\\`))\"" }
-    assert_equal "\"Host(\\`example.com\\`) || (Host(\\`example.org\\`) && Path(\\`/traefik\\`))\"", @config.role(:web).labels["traefik.http.routers.app.rule"]
+    @deploy[:labels] = { "traefik.http.routers.app-web.rule" => "\"Host(\\`example.com\\`) || (Host(\\`example.org\\`) && Path(\\`/traefik\\`))\"" }
+    assert_equal "\"Host(\\`example.com\\`) || (Host(\\`example.org\\`) && Path(\\`/traefik\\`))\"", @config.role(:web).labels["traefik.http.routers.app-web.rule"]
   end
 
   test "default traefik label on non-web role" do
@@ -66,15 +66,7 @@ class ConfigurationRoleTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
       c[:servers]["beta"] = { "traefik" => "true", "hosts" => [ "1.1.1.5" ] }
     })
 
-    assert_equal [ "--label", "service=\"app\"", "--label", "role=\"beta\"", "--label", "traefik.http.routers.app-beta.rule=\"PathPrefix(\\`/\\`)\"", "--label", "traefik.http.services.app-beta.loadbalancer.healthcheck.path=\"/up\"", "--label", "traefik.http.services.app-beta.loadbalancer.healthcheck.interval=\"1s\"", "--label", "traefik.http.middlewares.app-beta-retry.retry.attempts=\"5\"", "--label", "traefik.http.middlewares.app-beta-retry.retry.initialinterval=\"500ms\"", "--label", "traefik.http.routers.app-beta.middlewares=\"app-beta-retry@docker\"" ], config.role(:beta).label_args
-  end
-
-  test "default traefik label for non-web role with destination" do
-    config = Mrsk::Configuration.new(@deploy_with_roles.tap { |c|
-      c[:servers]["beta"] = { "traefik" => "true", "hosts" => [ "1.1.1.5" ] }
-    }, destination: "staging")
-
-    assert_equal [ "--label", "service=\"app\"", "--label", "role=\"beta\"", "--label", "destination=\"staging\"", "--label", "traefik.http.routers.app-beta-staging.rule=\"PathPrefix(\\`/\\`)\"", "--label", "traefik.http.services.app-beta-staging.loadbalancer.healthcheck.path=\"/up\"", "--label", "traefik.http.services.app-beta-staging.loadbalancer.healthcheck.interval=\"1s\"", "--label", "traefik.http.middlewares.app-beta-staging-retry.retry.attempts=\"5\"", "--label", "traefik.http.middlewares.app-beta-staging-retry.retry.initialinterval=\"500ms\"", "--label", "traefik.http.routers.app-beta-staging.middlewares=\"app-beta-staging-retry@docker\"" ], config.role(:beta).label_args
+    assert_equal [ "--label", "service=\"app\"", "--label", "role=\"beta\"", "--label", "traefik.http.routers.app-beta.rule=\"PathPrefix(\\`/\\`)\"", "--label", "traefik.http.middlewares.app-beta-retry.retry.attempts=\"5\"", "--label", "traefik.http.middlewares.app-beta-retry.retry.initialinterval=\"500ms\"", "--label", "traefik.http.routers.app-beta.middlewares=\"app-beta-retry@docker\"" ], config.role(:beta).label_args
   end
 
   test "env overwritten by role" do