diff --git a/roles/cobald/files/28-sync-container-slurmd b/roles/cobald/files/28-sync-container-slurmd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4bd9802
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/cobald/files/28-sync-container-slurmd
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+[ /slurm-singimage/slurmd.sif -nt /shared/slurmd.sif ] && \
+	cp /slurm-singimage/slurmd.sif /shared/slurmd.sif
diff --git a/roles/cobald/files/31-slurmd-configless b/roles/cobald/files/31-slurmd-configless
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5af6c9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/cobald/files/31-slurmd-configless
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+slurmd --conf-server ${slurmctld} -D -N ${nodename} 2>/dev/null 1>/dev/null &
+tail --retry --pid $! -f ${SLURMD_LOG_PATH} ${SLURM_SCHED_LOG_PATH}
diff --git a/roles/cobald/files/slurm-slurmd.def b/roles/cobald/files/slurm-slurmd.def
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..33cea00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/cobald/files/slurm-slurmd.def
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+Bootstrap: docker-daemon
+From: slurm:slurmd
+
+%files
+	31-slurmd-configless /etc/docker-init.d/31-slurm-configless
+	/container/volumes/munge/munge.key /etc/munge/munge.key
+
+%post
+	rm /etc/docker-init.d/30-slurmd
+	chmod 755 /etc/docker-init.d/31-slurm-configless
+
+%startscript
+	if [ -z "${1}" -o -z "${2}" ] ; then
+		echo "undefined variables slurmctld or nodename"
+		exit 1
+	fi
+	export slurmctld="${1}"
+	export nodename="${2}"
+	echo ${slurmctld} ${nodename} ${SLURMD_LOG_PATH} ${SLURM_SCHED_LOG_PATH}
+	exec /usr/local/sbin/entrypoint.sh /usr/local/sbin/docker-init
+
+%runscript
+	if [ -z "${1}" -o -z "${2}" ] ; then
+		echo "undefined variables slurmctld or nodename"
+		exit 1
+	fi
+	export slurmctld="${1}"
+	export nodename="${2}"
+	echo ${slurmctld} ${nodename} ${SLURMD_LOG_PATH} ${SLURM_SCHED_LOG_PATH}
+	exec /usr/local/sbin/entrypoint.sh /usr/local/sbin/docker-init
diff --git a/roles/cobald/files/start-drone b/roles/cobald/files/start-drone
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..21e81c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/cobald/files/start-drone
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+#SBATCH -D /shared
+export
+echo $@
+nodename=$(hostname | awk '{ print "drone" substr($1,match($1, "([[:digit:]]+)")) }')
+
+function handler_quit(){
+	echo "shutdown container"
+	singularity instance stop slurm-drone
+	scontrol update NodeName=${nodename} State=FUTURE
+	exit 0
+}
+
+trap handler_quit EXIT
+
+# set -x
+
+echo "starting ${nodename}"
+singularity instance start --writable-tmpfs /shared/slurmd.sif slurm-drone \
+	slurm-ctl ${nodename}
+if [ $? -eq 0 ] ; then
+	echo "container started, sleeping $(( 60 * ${SLURM_Walltime}))"
+	sleep $(( 60 * ${SLURM_Walltime} ))
+fi
+handler_quit
diff --git a/roles/cobald/tasks/main.yml b/roles/cobald/tasks/main.yml
index 553e376..fec950d 100644
--- a/roles/cobald/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/cobald/tasks/main.yml
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@
       content: "{{ lookup('file', 'cobald-entrypoint.sh') }}"
     - dest: init-cobaldmodules.sh
       content: "{{ lookup('file', 'init-cobaldmodules.sh') }}"
+    - dest: start-drone
+      content: "{{ lookup('file', 'start-drone') }}"
+    - dest: 28-sync-container-slurmd
+      content: "{{ lookup('file', '28-sync-container-slurmd') }}"
   when: cobald_slurm | default(False)
 
 - name: build generic cobald docker image
@@ -136,6 +140,7 @@
     cobald_mounts:
     - "~{{unpriv_user}}/cobald:/etc/cobald"
     # - /container/volumes/cobald:/etc/cobald:ro
+    - "/container/docker-images/sing-slurmd/build/:/slurm-singimage/:ro"
     - "~{{unpriv_user}}/cobald/modules:/usr/local/src/cobaldmodules"
     - "~{{unpriv_user}}/cobald-src:/usr/local/src/cobald:ro"
     - "~{{unpriv_user}}/tardis-src:/usr/local/src/tardis:ro"
diff --git a/roles/cobald/tasks/singularity.yml b/roles/cobald/tasks/singularity.yml
index 1dfb3cb..dc26f23 100644
--- a/roles/cobald/tasks/singularity.yml
+++ b/roles/cobald/tasks/singularity.yml
@@ -1,8 +1,47 @@
-- name: "setup singularity"
+- name: setup singularity
   import_role: name="singularity"
   tags: singularity
 
-#- name: copy slurm def file
-# - name: export docker image
-#- name: build container
+- name: make singularity image build directory
+  file:
+    state: directory
+    path: "{{item}}"
+    owner: "{{unpriv_user}}"
+    group: "docker"
+    mode: "0755"
+  loop:
+    - /container/docker-images/sing-slurmd
+    - /container/docker-images/sing-slurmd/cache
+    - /container/docker-images/sing-slurmd/build
 
+- name: copy slurm singularity container files
+  copy:
+    src: "{{item}}"
+    dest: "/container/docker-images/sing-slurmd/{{item}}"
+    owner: "{{unpriv_user}}"
+    group: "docker"
+  loop:
+    - slurm-slurmd.def
+    - 31-slurmd-configless
+  register: cobald_copy_sing_files
+
+- name: remove old container
+  file:
+    path: /container/docker-images/sing-slurmd/build/slurmd.sif
+    state: absent
+  when: cobald_copy_sing_files.changed
+
+- name: build container
+  shell:
+    chdir: /container/docker-images/sing-slurmd/
+    cmd: SINGULARITY_TMPDIR=/container/docker-images/sing-slurmd/cache
+      singularity build --disable-cache
+      /container/docker-images/sing-slurmd/build/slurmd.sif
+      /container/docker-images/sing-slurmd/slurm-slurmd.def
+    creates: /container/docker-images/sing-slurmd/build/slurmd.sif
+  register: cobald_sing_build
+
+- debug: msg="{{[cobald_sing_build.stdout, cobald_sing_build.stderr]}}"
+  tags: [ never, debug ]
+
+# TODO: trigger copy in cobald container when slurmd.sif rebuilt
diff --git a/roles/cobald/templates/cobald.Dockerfile b/roles/cobald/templates/cobald.Dockerfile
index 7ff8689..4db4745 100644
--- a/roles/cobald/templates/cobald.Dockerfile
+++ b/roles/cobald/templates/cobald.Dockerfile
@@ -48,6 +48,10 @@ COPY init-cobaldmodules.sh /usr/local/lib/entrypoints.d/50-init-cobaldmodules.sh
 
 RUN chmod 755 /usr/local/lib/entrypoints.d/50-init-cobaldmodules.sh
 
+COPY start-drone /usr/local/bin/start-drone
+COPY 28-sync-container-slurmd /etc/docker-init.d/28-sync-container-slurmd
+RUN chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/start-drone /etc/docker-init.d/28-sync-container-slurmd
+
 RUN echo -e "#!/bin/sh\npython3 -m cobald.daemon /etc/cobald/config.yaml" >> /etc/docker-init.d/70-cobald && chmod 755 /etc/docker-init.d/70-cobald
 
 {% if cobald_docker_default_command | default(True) -%}
diff --git a/roles/slurm/templates/slurm.conf.j2 b/roles/slurm/templates/slurm.conf.j2
index b1feff4..a67a907 100644
--- a/roles/slurm/templates/slurm.conf.j2
+++ b/roles/slurm/templates/slurm.conf.j2
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ AuthType=auth/munge
 #CheckpointType=checkpoint/none
 CryptoType=crypto/munge
 CommunicationParameters=NoAddrCache
+SlurmctldParameters=enable_configless
 #DisableRootJobs=NO
 #EnforcePartLimits=NO
 #Epilog=