diff --git a/doc/guides/setup.rst b/doc/guides/setup.rst
index bd0199cff..d28b04973 100644
--- a/doc/guides/setup.rst
+++ b/doc/guides/setup.rst
@@ -5,10 +5,19 @@ Using Docker
 ------------
 The full dev-setup requires docker.
 
+It is highly recommended to install
+* `just <https://github.com/casey/just/releases>` ``≥1.23.0``
+
 Follow the following guides:
 
 #. :ref:`cloned repository`
 #. :ref:`installed docker`
+
+If you have ``just`` installed, just run `just setup`
+and follow any leftover instructions.
+
+Alternatively, follow these guides:
+
 #. :ref:`docker environment`
 #. :ref:`running containers`
 #. :ref:`imported dump`
diff --git a/justfile b/justfile
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d46072ca9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/justfile
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+#! /usr/bin/env just
+# To install `just`, see
+# https://github.com/casey/just#packages
+
+drc := "docker compose"
+export COMPOSE_FILE := "docker-compose.dev.yml:docker-compose.test.yml"
+export PGPASSFILE := ".pycroft.pgpass"
+test-psql := drc + " exec --user=postgres test-db psql pycroft"
+dev-psql := drc + " exec --user=postgres dev-db psql pycroft"
+schemadir := justfile_directory() / "data"
+sql_schema := schemadir / "pycroft_schema.sql"
+sql_dump := schemadir / "pycroft.sql"
+
+# test
+
+[private]
+default:
+    just --list
+
+# set up a working pycroft installation.
+setup: _setup && build _schema-import schema-upgrade
+
+_setup:
+    git submodule init
+    git submodule update
+    pre-commit install
+
+# like setup, just without building docker images
+setup-no-build: _setup && _schema-import schema-upgrade
+
+# builds the docker images
+build:
+    docker buildx bake
+
+# initializes the dev db with the instance
+[confirm("about to remove any current data in the dev instance. continue?")]
+schema-import: _schema-import (alembic "upgrade" "head")
+
+_schema-import: _ensure_schema_dir _stop_all (_up "dev-db")
+    psql postgres://postgres@127.0.0.1:55432/pycroft \
+    	--quiet --no-password -o /dev/null \
+    	-c 'set client_min_messages to WARNING' \
+        --echo-errors -c '\set ON_ERROR_STOP 1' \
+    	-c '\echo dropping schema…' \
+        -c 'drop schema if exists pycroft cascade' \
+    	-c '\echo importing schema…' \
+        -f {{ sql_schema }} \
+    	-c '\echo importing dump…' \
+        -f {{ sql_dump }} \
+    	-c '\echo all done.'
+
+_ensure_schema_dir:
+    #!/usr/bin/env bash
+    if [[ ! -d {{ schemadir }} ]]; then
+    	echo "{{ schemadir }} does not exist! Please clone it from gitlab:"
+    	echo "git clone git@git.agdsn.de:AGDSN/pycroft-data.git data"
+    	exit 1
+    fi
+
+# runs pycroft. Do this after `setup`!
+run: (_up "dev-app")
+
+# spawn a shell in the `test-app` container
+test-shell *args:
+    {{ drc }} run --rm test-app shell {{ args }}
+
+# spawn a shell in the `dev-app` container
+dev-shell *args:
+    {{ drc }} run --rm dev-app shell {{ args }}
+
+# run an alembic command against the `dev-db`
+alembic command *args:
+    {{ drc }} --progress=none run --rm dev-app alembic {{ command }} {{ args }}
+
+# run an interactive postgres shell in the dev-db container
+dev-psql *args="-f -": (_up "dev-db")
+    {{ dev-psql }} -c 'set search_path=pycroft,public' {{ args }}
+
+# run an interactive postgres shell in the test-db container
+test-psql *args="-f -": (_up "test-db")
+    {{ test-psql }} -c 'set search_path=pycroft,public' {{ args }}
+
+# give a quick overview over the schema in the dev-db.
+
+# requires the schema to be imported (see `import-schema`).
+schema-status: (_up "dev-db")
+    @echo "Schema version in dev-db: " \
+    	`{{ dev-psql }} -q -t -c 'table pycroft.alembic_version'`
+    @echo "Schema version in {{ sql_dump }}: " \
+    	`grep 'COPY.*alembic_version' -A1 {{ sql_dump }} | sed -n '2p'`
+    {{ drc }} --progress=none run --rm dev-app alembic check 2>&1 | tail -n1
+
+# upgrade the (imported or created) schema to the current revision
+schema-upgrade: (_up "dev-db") (alembic "upgrade" "head")
+
+_stop_all:
+    {{ drc }} --progress=quiet stop
+
+_up +containers:
+    {{ drc }} up --wait {{ containers }}