diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/deploy/deployment_create.py b/stack_orchestrator/deploy/deployment_create.py
index 94d7f772..4e0a8e13 100644
--- a/stack_orchestrator/deploy/deployment_create.py
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/deploy/deployment_create.py
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@
 from stack_orchestrator.opts import opts
 from stack_orchestrator.util import (get_stack_file_path, get_parsed_deployment_spec, get_parsed_stack_config,
                                      global_options, get_yaml, get_pod_list, get_pod_file_path, pod_has_scripts,
-                                     get_pod_script_paths, get_plugin_code_paths, error_exit, env_var_map_from_file)
+                                     get_pod_script_paths, get_plugin_code_paths, error_exit, env_var_map_from_file,
+                                     resolve_config_dir)
 from stack_orchestrator.deploy.spec import Spec
 from stack_orchestrator.deploy.deploy_types import LaconicStackSetupCommand
 from stack_orchestrator.deploy.deployer_factory import getDeployerConfigGenerator
@@ -480,7 +481,6 @@ def create_operation(deployment_command_context, spec_file, deployment_dir, netw
     os.mkdir(destination_compose_dir)
     destination_pods_dir = deployment_dir_path.joinpath("pods")
     os.mkdir(destination_pods_dir)
-    data_dir = Path(__file__).absolute().parent.parent.joinpath("data")
     yaml = get_yaml()
     for pod in pods:
         pod_file_path = get_pod_file_path(stack_name, parsed_stack, pod)
@@ -497,7 +497,7 @@ def create_operation(deployment_command_context, spec_file, deployment_dir, netw
         config_dirs = {pod}
         config_dirs = config_dirs.union(extra_config_dirs)
         for config_dir in config_dirs:
-            source_config_dir = data_dir.joinpath("config", config_dir)
+            source_config_dir = resolve_config_dir(stack_name, config_dir)
             if os.path.exists(source_config_dir):
                 destination_config_dir = deployment_dir_path.joinpath("config", config_dir)
                 # If the same config dir appears in multiple pods, it may already have been copied
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/util.py b/stack_orchestrator/util.py
index c2422f72..d4e4d32f 100644
--- a/stack_orchestrator/util.py
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/util.py
@@ -94,6 +94,20 @@ def get_plugin_code_paths(stack) -> List[Path]:
     return list(result)
 
 
+# # Find a config directory, looking first in any external stack
+# and if not found there, internally
+def resolve_config_dir(stack, config_dir_name: str):
+    if stack_is_external(stack):
+        # First try looking in the external stack for the compose file
+        config_base = Path(stack).parent.parent.joinpath("config")
+        proposed_dir = config_base.joinpath(config_dir_name)
+        if proposed_dir.exists():
+            return proposed_dir
+        # If we don't find it fall through to the internal case
+    config_base = get_internal_config_dir()
+    return config_base.joinpath(config_dir_name)
+
+
 # Find a compose file, looking first in any external stack
 # and if not found there, internally
 def resolve_compose_file(stack, pod_name: str):
@@ -153,7 +167,7 @@ def get_internal_compose_file_dir():
     return source_compose_dir
 
 
-def get_config_file_dir():
+def get_internal_config_dir():
     # TODO: refactor to use common code with deploy command
     data_dir = Path(__file__).absolute().parent.joinpath("data")
     source_config_dir = data_dir.joinpath("config")