diff --git a/.devcontainer/Dockerfile b/.devcontainer/Dockerfile
index 051457a..9c1dd63 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/Dockerfile
+++ b/.devcontainer/Dockerfile
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 FROM mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/typescript-node:1-20-bullseye
 
-LABEL org.opencontainers.image.source="https://github.com/acedanger/finance"
-LABEL org.opencontainers.image.description="Dev container for Finance App"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.source=https://github.com/acedanger/finance
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.description="Development container for Finance application with Node.js, TypeScript, and dev tools"
 
 # Install additional OS packages
 RUN apt-get update && export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive \
diff --git a/.devcontainer/build-and-push.sh b/.devcontainer/build-and-push.sh
index 721a0b9..09a85bf 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/build-and-push.sh
+++ b/.devcontainer/build-and-push.sh
@@ -8,6 +8,15 @@ GITHUB_USERNAME=$1
 IMAGE_NAME="finance-devcontainer"
 IMAGE_TAG="latest"
 
+# Load environment variables from .env file if it exists
+ENV_FILE="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" &> /dev/null && pwd)/.env"
+if [ -f "$ENV_FILE" ]; then
+    echo "Loading environment from $ENV_FILE"
+    # Use grep to find the PAT line and extract the value, handling both Unix and Windows line endings
+    GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=$(grep -a "^GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=" "$ENV_FILE" | sed 's/^GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=//' | tr -d '\r')
+    export GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN
+fi
+
 # Check for required username argument
 if [ -z "${GITHUB_USERNAME:-}" ]; then
     echo "Error: GitHub username is required"
@@ -24,31 +33,41 @@ for cmd in docker gh; do
     fi
 done
 
+# Verify PAT is loaded
+if [ -z "${GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN:-}" ]; then
+    echo "Error: GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN is not set"
+    echo "Please ensure it is defined in $ENV_FILE"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
 # Check GitHub authentication
 if ! gh auth status >/dev/null 2>&1; then
     echo "Error: Not authenticated with GitHub. Please run 'gh auth login' first"
     exit 1
 fi
 
+# Get absolute path to Dockerfile
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" &> /dev/null && pwd)"
+DOCKERFILE_PATH="$SCRIPT_DIR/Dockerfile"
+
 FULL_IMAGE_NAME="ghcr.io/$GITHUB_USERNAME/$IMAGE_NAME:$IMAGE_TAG"
 
 echo "=== Building Development Container ==="
 echo "Username: $GITHUB_USERNAME"
 echo "Image: $FULL_IMAGE_NAME"
+echo "Dockerfile: $DOCKERFILE_PATH"
+echo "Using PAT: ${GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN:0:4}... (first 4 chars)"
 
 # Build the image
 echo -e "\n=> Building image..."
-if ! docker build -t "$FULL_IMAGE_NAME" -f Dockerfile .; then
+if ! docker build -t "$FULL_IMAGE_NAME" -f "$DOCKERFILE_PATH" "$SCRIPT_DIR"; then
     echo "Error: Docker build failed"
     exit 1
 fi
 
-# Ensure logged into GitHub Container Registry
-echo -e "\n=> Ensuring GitHub Container Registry access..."
-if ! docker login ghcr.io -u "$GITHUB_USERNAME"; then
-    echo "Error: Failed to authenticate with GitHub Container Registry"
-    exit 1
-fi
+# Log in to GitHub Container Registry
+echo -e "\n=> Logging into GitHub Container Registry..."
+echo "$GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN" | docker login ghcr.io -u "$GITHUB_USERNAME" --password-stdin
 
 # Push to GitHub Container Registry
 echo -e "\n=> Pushing image to GitHub Container Registry..."
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index bb2dbdf..20b3dc5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -15,16 +15,7 @@ This app is currently deployed using Cloudflare Pages. The logs can be viewed wi
 
 ## Development Environment Setup
 
-### Prerequisites
-- VS Code with Remote Containers extension
-- Docker and Docker Compose
-- Git
-
-### Initial Setup
-1. Clone the repository
-2. Copy `.devcontainer/.env.example` to `.devcontainer/.env`
-3. Update the environment variables in `.devcontainer/.env`
-4. Open the project in VS Code and select "Reopen in Container" when prompted
+For detailed setup instructions, including container building, environment configuration, and troubleshooting, see [ENVIRONMENT_SETUP.md](ENVIRONMENT_SETUP.md).
 
 ### GitHub MCP Server
 The project uses GitHub's MCP server for development tasks. The server runs in a Docker container and is automatically configured when you open the project in a devcontainer.