diff --git a/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/bash-template b/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/bash-template
index 14607bddd..f2872ee9b 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/bash-template
+++ b/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/bash-template
@@ -289,6 +289,11 @@ run() {
   exit $exit_code
 }
 
+# Loads a configuration file full of default command line options for this script.
+loadConfigFile() {
+  cat "$1" | sed '/^\#/d'
+}
+
 # Now check to see if it's a good enough version
 # TODO - Check to see if we have a configured default java version, otherwise use 1.6
 java_version_check() { 
@@ -361,8 +366,7 @@ ${{template_declares}}
 # java_cmd is overrode in process_args when -java-home is used
 declare java_cmd=$(get_java_cmd)
 
-
-# use JAVA_OPTS to prepend its contents to $@
-set -- "$JAVA_OPTS" "$@"
+# if configuration files exist, prepend their contents to $@ so it can be processed by this runner
+[[ -f "$script_conf_file" ]] && set -- $(loadConfigFile "$script_conf_file") "$@"
 
 run "$@"
diff --git a/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/etc-default-template b/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/etc-default-template
index 1f78c2165..e411aabdc 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/etc-default-template
+++ b/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/etc-default-template
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
 # ${{daemon_user}}		daemon user
 # -------------------------------------------------
 
-# Using $JAVA_OPTS envars
 # Setting -Xmx and -Xms in Megabyte
 # -mem 1024
 
@@ -32,8 +31,4 @@
 # -jvm-debug <port>  
 
 # Don't run the java version check
-# -no-version-check
-
-# Example
-# JAVA_OPTS=" -Dpidfile.path=/var/run/${{app_name}}/play.pid $JAVA_OPTS"
-# JAVA_OPTS=" -mem 1024 -Dkey=val -jvm-debug $JAVA_OPTS"
+# -no-version-check
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/java_server/systemloader/systemv/start-debian-template b/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/java_server/systemloader/systemv/start-debian-template
index cb462c495..cf5bcbaaa 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/java_server/systemloader/systemv/start-debian-template
+++ b/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/java_server/systemloader/systemv/start-debian-template
@@ -12,10 +12,6 @@
 source /lib/init/vars.sh
 source /lib/lsb/init-functions
 
-# if configuration files exist, source it and use JAVA_OPTS to prepend their contents to $@
-[[ -f /etc/default/${{app_name}} ]] && . /etc/default/${{app_name}}
-# $JAVA_OPTS used in $RUN_CMD wrapper
-export JAVA_OPTS
 
 PIDFILE=/var/run/${{app_name}}/running.pid
 
diff --git a/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/java_server/systemloader/systemv/start-rpm-template b/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/java_server/systemloader/systemv/start-rpm-template
index 732b15488..fd1b7296a 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/java_server/systemloader/systemv/start-rpm-template
+++ b/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/java_server/systemloader/systemv/start-rpm-template
@@ -28,11 +28,6 @@
 # Source function library.
 . /etc/rc.d/init.d/functions
 
-# if configuration files exist, source it and use JAVA_OPTS to prepend their contents to $@
-[[ -f /etc/default/${{app_name}} ]] && . /etc/default/${{app_name}}
-# $JAVA_OPTS used in $RUN_CMD wrapper
-export JAVA_OPTS
-
 prog="${{exec}}"
 
 # FIXME The pid file should be handled by the executed script
diff --git a/src/sphinx/archetypes/java_server/customize.rst b/src/sphinx/archetypes/java_server/customize.rst
index dc4ec5516..3c63ad32d 100644
--- a/src/sphinx/archetypes/java_server/customize.rst
+++ b/src/sphinx/archetypes/java_server/customize.rst
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ Create ``src/templates/etc-default`` with the following template
     # ${{daemon_user}}      daemon user
     # -------------------------------------------------
 
-    # Using $JAVA_OPTS envars
     # Setting -Xmx and -Xms in Megabyte
     # -mem 1024
 
@@ -59,16 +58,9 @@ Create ``src/templates/etc-default`` with the following template
     # using a reserved parameter. See #184
     # -d -- -d
 
-    # Example:
-    # JAVA_OPTS=" -Dpidfile.path=/var/run/${{app_name}}/play.pid $JAVA_OPTS"
-    # JAVA_OPTS=" -mem 1024 -Dkey=val -jvm-debug $JAVA_OPTS"
-
 The file will be installed to ``/etc/default/<normalizedName>`` and read from there
 by the startscript.
 
-*Warning: the format changed, from java option list only, to a shell script setting environment variables.
-A project using previous version should adapts its configuration file.*
-
 Environment variables
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~