diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 84587d12aabdb90b8dcdd8c919f9d2ba7777ea5f..934ed5feb3e94fd4f9ff2a0ec639b9b24dc49040 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ by running ``yarn set version classic`` in the directory where you cloned this r
       homeserverUrl: "https://example.com"
   ```
 
-* Run ``node build/src/discordas.js -r -u "http://localhost:9005" -c config.yaml``
+* Run ``yarn start -r -u "http://localhost:9005"``
 * Modify your HSs appservices config so that it includes the generated file.
   * e.g. On synapse, adding to ``app_service_config_files`` array in ``homeserver.yaml``
 
diff --git a/changelog.d/900.misc b/changelog.d/900.misc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..75ccd705be30a628c26c04fc63fbd7f6933a56d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/900.misc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Modify the "start" and "debug" package scripts to not trigger a TypeScript build, and to accept a user-supplied command line option for the path to the bridge configuration file.
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 15fbd6c047184496e058c8e0798316d63d938a42..86f4c72d36925bfdb7a67da431048d0550a13dc9 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@
     "coverage": "tsc && nyc mocha build/test/config.js build/test",
     "build": "tsc",
     "postinstall": "yarn build",
-    "start": "yarn build && node ./build/src/discordas.js -c config.yaml",
-    "debug": "yarn build && node --inspect ./build/src/discordas.js -c config.yaml",
+    "start": "node ./build/src/discordas.js",
+    "debug": "node --inspect ./build/src/discordas.js",
     "addbot": "node ./build/tools/addbot.js",
     "adminme": "node ./build/tools/adminme.js",
     "usertool": "node ./build/tools/userClientTools.js",