diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 659699f..dc317ef 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -34,5 +34,8 @@ add_subdirectory("jf-buffer-writer")
 add_subdirectory("jf-assembler")
 add_subdirectory("sf-stream")
 add_subdirectory("sf-writer")
-#add_subdirectory("jf-live-writer")
+
+if(BUILD_JF_LIVE_WRITER)
+        add_subdirectory("jf-live-writer")
+endif()
 
diff --git a/jf-live-writer/Dockerfile b/jf-live-writer/Dockerfile
index 9e30160..d305ff1 100644
--- a/jf-live-writer/Dockerfile
+++ b/jf-live-writer/Dockerfile
@@ -23,4 +23,4 @@ WORKDIR /
 RUN git clone --depth 1 --branch ${branch} https://github.com/paulscherrerinstitute/sf_daq_buffer.git
 RUN mkdir /sf_daq_buffer/build
 WORKDIR /sf_daq_buffer/build
-RUN cmake3 .. && make jf-live-writer
+RUN cmake3 -DBUILD_JF_LIVE_WRITER=ON .. && make jf-live-writer
diff --git a/jf-live-writer/README.md b/jf-live-writer/README.md
index ce4349c..3a92a90 100644
--- a/jf-live-writer/README.md
+++ b/jf-live-writer/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,16 @@
 # jf-live-writer
 
+The jf-live-writer is packaged as a Docker container for development and 
+testing.
+
+## Building
+In order to build this executable you need to specify the cmake variable
+```
+cmake3 -DBUILD_JF_LIVE_WRITER=ON 
+```
+The project will not build if you do not have installed the PHDF5 library.
+Please follow instructions below on how to do that manually.
+
 ## Install PHDF5 manually 
 ```
 wget https://support.hdfgroup.org/ftp/HDF5/releases/hdf5-1.12/hdf5-1.12.0/src/hdf5-1.12.0.tar.gz