diff --git a/deploy-cluster-aws/fabfile.py b/deploy-cluster-aws/fabfile.py
index 77d0e558..9ef24edd 100644
--- a/deploy-cluster-aws/fabfile.py
+++ b/deploy-cluster-aws/fabfile.py
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ def install_bigchaindb_from_git_archive():
 @task
 @parallel
 def configure_bigchaindb():
-    run('bigchaindb -y configure', pty=False)
+    run('bigchaindb -y configure rethinkdb', pty=False)
 
 
 # Send the specified configuration file to
diff --git a/deploy-cluster-aws/make_confiles.sh b/deploy-cluster-aws/make_confiles.sh
index 35f1f0e6..052ecaf0 100755
--- a/deploy-cluster-aws/make_confiles.sh
+++ b/deploy-cluster-aws/make_confiles.sh
@@ -34,5 +34,5 @@ mkdir $CONFDIR
 for (( i=0; i<$NUMFILES; i++ )); do
     CONPATH=$CONFDIR"/bcdb_conf"$i
     echo "Writing "$CONPATH
-    bigchaindb -y -c $CONPATH configure
+    bigchaindb -y -c $CONPATH configure rethinkdb
 done