diff --git a/migrations/20170119234504-appdb-add-developmentMode.js b/migrations/20170119234504-appdb-add-developmentMode.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a7e7fb570
--- /dev/null
+++ b/migrations/20170119234504-appdb-add-developmentMode.js
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+dbm = dbm || require('db-migrate');
+
+exports.up = function(db, callback) {
+    db.runSql('ALTER TABLE apps ADD COLUMN developmentMode BOOLEAN DEFAULT 0', function (error) {
+        if (error) console.error(error);
+        callback(error);
+    });
+};
+
+exports.down = function(db, callback) {
+    db.runSql('ALTER TABLE apps DROP COLUMN developmentMode', function (error) {
+        if (error) console.error(error);
+        callback(error);
+    });
+};
diff --git a/src/appdb.js b/src/appdb.js
index c61d090a2..bae05f57d 100644
--- a/src/appdb.js
+++ b/src/appdb.js
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ var assert = require('assert'),
 var APPS_FIELDS_PREFIXED = [ 'apps.id', 'apps.appStoreId', 'apps.installationState', 'apps.installationProgress', 'apps.runState',
     'apps.health', 'apps.containerId', 'apps.manifestJson', 'apps.httpPort', 'apps.location', 'apps.dnsRecordId',
     'apps.accessRestrictionJson', 'apps.lastBackupId', 'apps.oldConfigJson', 'apps.memoryLimit', 'apps.altDomain',
-    'apps.xFrameOptions', 'apps.sso', 'apps.readonlyRootfs' ].join(',');
+    'apps.xFrameOptions', 'apps.sso', 'apps.readonlyRootfs', 'apps.developmentMode' ].join(',');
 
 var PORT_BINDINGS_FIELDS = [ 'hostPort', 'environmentVariable', 'appId' ].join(',');
 
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ function postProcess(result) {
 
     result.sso = !!result.sso; // make it bool
     result.readonlyRootfs = !!result.readonlyRootfs; // make it bool
+    result.developmentMode = !!result.developmentMode; // make it bool
 }
 
 function get(id, callback) {
@@ -185,11 +186,12 @@ function add(id, appStoreId, manifest, location, portBindings, data, callback) {
     var lastBackupId = data.lastBackupId || null; // used when cloning
     var sso = 'sso' in data ? data.sso : null;
     var readonlyRootfs = 'readonlyRootfs' in data ? data.readonlyRootfs : true;
+    var developmentMode = 'developmentMode' in data ? data.developmentMode : false;
 
     var queries = [ ];
     queries.push({
-        query: 'INSERT INTO apps (id, appStoreId, manifestJson, installationState, location, accessRestrictionJson, memoryLimit, altDomain, xFrameOptions, lastBackupId, sso, readonlyRootfs) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)',
-        args: [ id, appStoreId, manifestJson, installationState, location, accessRestrictionJson, memoryLimit, altDomain, xFrameOptions, lastBackupId, sso, readonlyRootfs ]
+        query: 'INSERT INTO apps (id, appStoreId, manifestJson, installationState, location, accessRestrictionJson, memoryLimit, altDomain, xFrameOptions, lastBackupId, sso, readonlyRootfs, developmentMode) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)',
+        args: [ id, appStoreId, manifestJson, installationState, location, accessRestrictionJson, memoryLimit, altDomain, xFrameOptions, lastBackupId, sso, readonlyRootfs, developmentMode ]
     });
 
     Object.keys(portBindings).forEach(function (env) {
diff --git a/src/apphealthmonitor.js b/src/apphealthmonitor.js
index 47e9b3ffc..9311689e5 100644
--- a/src/apphealthmonitor.js
+++ b/src/apphealthmonitor.js
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ function setHealth(app, health, callback) {
 
         debugApp(app, 'marking as unhealthy since not seen for more than %s minutes', UNHEALTHY_THRESHOLD/(60 * 1000));
 
-        if (app.appStoreId !== '') mailer.appDied(app); // do not send mails for dev apps
+        if (app.developmentMode) mailer.appDied(app); // do not send mails for dev apps
         gHealthInfo[app.id].emailSent = true;
     } else {
         debugApp(app, 'waiting for sometime to update the app health');
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ function processDockerEvents() {
                 debug('OOM Context: %s', context);
 
                 // do not send mails for dev apps
-                if ((!app || app.appStoreId !== '') && (now - lastOomMailTime > OOM_MAIL_LIMIT)) {
+                if ((!app || !app.developmentMode) && (now - lastOomMailTime > OOM_MAIL_LIMIT)) {
                     mailer.oomEvent(program, context); // app can be null if it's an addon crash
                     lastOomMailTime = now;
                 }
diff --git a/src/apps.js b/src/apps.js
index 7f2df4275..00ee640f0 100644
--- a/src/apps.js
+++ b/src/apps.js
@@ -480,7 +480,8 @@ function install(data, auditSource, callback) {
         altDomain = data.altDomain || null,
         xFrameOptions = data.xFrameOptions || 'SAMEORIGIN',
         sso = 'sso' in data ? data.sso : null,
-        readonlyRootfs = 'readonlyRootfs' in data ? data.readonlyRootfs : true;
+        readonlyRootfs = 'readonlyRootfs' in data ? data.readonlyRootfs : true,
+        developmentMode = 'developmentMode' in data ? data.developmentMode : true;
 
     assert(data.appStoreId || data.manifest); // atleast one of them is required
 
@@ -538,7 +539,8 @@ function install(data, auditSource, callback) {
                 altDomain: altDomain,
                 xFrameOptions: xFrameOptions,
                 sso: sso,
-                readonlyRootfs: readonlyRootfs
+                readonlyRootfs: readonlyRootfs,
+                developmentMode: developmentMode
             };
 
             var from = (location ? location : manifest.title.toLowerCase().replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/g, '')) + '.app';
@@ -623,6 +625,12 @@ function configure(appId, data, auditSource, callback) {
             values.readonlyRootfs = app.readonlyRootfs;
         }
 
+        if ('developmentMode' in data) {
+            values.developmentMode = data.developmentMode;
+        } else {
+            values.developmentMode = app.developmentMode;
+        }
+
         // save cert to data/box/certs. TODO: move this to apptask when we have a real task queue
         if ('cert' in data && 'key' in data) {
             if (data.cert && data.key) {
@@ -710,7 +718,7 @@ function update(appId, data, auditSource, callback) {
             // this allows cloudron install -f --app <appid> for an app installed from the appStore
             if (app.manifest.id !== values.manifest.id) {
                 if (!data.force) return callback(new AppsError(AppsError.BAD_FIELD, 'manifest id does not match. force to override'));
-                // clear appStoreId so that this app does not get updates anymore. this will mark it as a dev app
+                // clear appStoreId so that this app does not get updates anymore
                 values.appStoreId = '';
             }
 
diff --git a/src/docker.js b/src/docker.js
index 14ed6d3e6..d75b42ff0 100644
--- a/src/docker.js
+++ b/src/docker.js
@@ -127,7 +127,6 @@ function createSubcontainer(app, name, cmd, options, callback) {
         isAppContainer = !cmd; // non app-containers are like scheduler containers
 
     var manifest = app.manifest;
-    var developmentMode = !!manifest.developmentMode;
     var exposedPorts = {}, dockerPortBindings = { };
     var domain = app.altDomain || config.appFqdn(app.location);
     var stdEnv = [
@@ -178,7 +177,7 @@ function createSubcontainer(app, name, cmd, options, callback) {
             name: name, // used for filtering logs
             Tty: isAppContainer,
             Image: app.manifest.dockerImage,
-            Cmd: (isAppContainer && developmentMode) ? [ '/bin/bash', '-c', 'echo "Development mode. Use cloudron exec to debug. Sleeping" && sleep infinity' ] : cmd,
+            Cmd: (isAppContainer && app.developmentMode) ? [ '/bin/bash', '-c', 'echo "Development mode. Use cloudron exec to debug. Sleeping" && sleep infinity' ] : cmd,
             Env: stdEnv.concat(addonEnv).concat(portEnv),
             ExposedPorts: isAppContainer ? exposedPorts : { },
             Volumes: { // see also ReadonlyRootfs
diff --git a/src/routes/apps.js b/src/routes/apps.js
index 68bdf1479..f4edc75a6 100644
--- a/src/routes/apps.js
+++ b/src/routes/apps.js
@@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ function installApp(req, res, next) {
     if ('sso' in data && typeof data.sso !== 'boolean') return next(new HttpError(400, 'sso must be a boolean'));
 
     if ('readonlyRootfs' in data && typeof data.readonlyRootfs !== 'boolean') return next(new HttpError(400, 'readonlyRootfs is not a boolean'));
+    if ('developmentMode' in data && typeof data.developmentMode !== 'boolean') return next(new HttpError(400, 'developmentMode is not a boolean'));
 
     debug('Installing app :%j', data);
 
@@ -165,6 +166,7 @@ function configureApp(req, res, next) {
     if (data.xFrameOptions && typeof data.xFrameOptions !== 'string') return next(new HttpError(400, 'xFrameOptions must be a string'));
 
     if ('readonlyRootfs' in data && typeof data.readonlyRootfs !== 'boolean') return next(new HttpError(400, 'readonlyRootfs is not a boolean'));
+    if ('developmentMode' in data && typeof data.developmentMode !== 'boolean') return next(new HttpError(400, 'developmentMode is not a boolean'));
 
     debug('Configuring app id:%s data:%j', req.params.id, data);
 
diff --git a/src/test/database-test.js b/src/test/database-test.js
index 5d7aab1cb..18d655d6e 100644
--- a/src/test/database-test.js
+++ b/src/test/database-test.js
@@ -542,7 +542,8 @@ describe('database', function () {
             altDomain: null,
             xFrameOptions: 'DENY',
             sso: true,
-            readonlyRootfs: true
+            readonlyRootfs: true,
+            developmentMode: false
         };
         var APP_1 = {
             id: 'appid-1',
@@ -564,7 +565,8 @@ describe('database', function () {
             altDomain: null,
             xFrameOptions: 'SAMEORIGIN',
             sso: true,
-            readonlyRootfs: true
+            readonlyRootfs: true,
+            developmentMode: false
         };
 
         it('add fails due to missing arguments', function () {