diff --git a/src/main/resources/reference.conf b/src/main/resources/reference.conf
index ae3517d..a15c8e1 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/reference.conf
+++ b/src/main/resources/reference.conf
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+akka.license-key=${?AKKA_LICENSE_KEY}
+
 das {
     server {
         port = 50051 # the port the server listens on
diff --git a/src/test/resources/application.conf b/src/test/resources/application.conf
index 5c09a9c..c8cde35 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/application.conf
+++ b/src/test/resources/application.conf
@@ -1,6 +1,3 @@
-akka {
-  license-key = ""
-}
 raw.das.server {
     builtin {
         1 {