diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a0878e9f7b..e5c026cc5b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -112,7 +112,10 @@ cd kubernetes
 hack/local-up-cluster.sh
 ```
 
-This will build and start a lightweight local cluster, consisting of a master and a single minion. Type Control-C to shut it down. While it's running, you can use `hack/localcfg.sh` in place of `cluster/kubecfg.sh` to talk to it.
+This will build and start a lightweight local cluster, consisting of a master and a single minion. Type Control-C to shut it down.
+
+If you are running both a remote kubernetes cluster and the local cluster, you can determine which you talk to using the ```KUBERNETES_MASTER``` environment variable.
+
 
 ## Where to go next?
 [Detailed example application](https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/blob/master/examples/guestbook/guestbook.md)
diff --git a/cluster/kubecfg.sh b/cluster/kubecfg.sh
index ec79268499..798c22e397 100755
--- a/cluster/kubecfg.sh
+++ b/cluster/kubecfg.sh
@@ -26,4 +26,15 @@ fi
 
 detect-master > /dev/null
 
-$CLOUDCFG -h https://${KUBE_MASTER_IP} $@
+# detect-master returns this if there is no master found.
+if [ "$KUBE_MASTER_IP" == "external-ip" ]; then
+  KUBE_MASTER_IP=""
+fi
+
+if [ "$KUBERNETES_MASTER" == "" ]; then
+  if [ "${KUBE_MASTER_IP}" != "" ]; then
+    $CLOUDCFG -h https://${KUBE_MASTER_IP} $@
+    exit $?
+  fi
+fi
+$CLOUDCFG $@
diff --git a/cmd/kubecfg/kubecfg.go b/cmd/kubecfg/kubecfg.go
index 2358c95bbd..bb95652972 100644
--- a/cmd/kubecfg/kubecfg.go
+++ b/cmd/kubecfg/kubecfg.go
@@ -102,7 +102,15 @@ func main() {
 	}
 
 	secure := true
-	parsedUrl, err := url.Parse(*httpServer)
+	var masterServer string
+	if len(*httpServer) > 0 {
+		masterServer = *httpServer
+	} else if len(os.Getenv("KUBERNETES_MASTER")) > 0 {
+		masterServer = os.Getenv("KUBERNETES_MASTER")
+	} else {
+		masterServer = "http://localhost:8080"
+	}
+	parsedUrl, err := url.Parse(masterServer)
 	if err != nil {
 		glog.Fatalf("Unable to parse %v as a URL\n", err)
 	}
@@ -120,7 +128,7 @@ func main() {
 
 	if *proxy {
 		glog.Info("Starting to serve on localhost:8001")
-		server := kubecfg.NewProxyServer(*www, *httpServer, auth)
+		server := kubecfg.NewProxyServer(*www, masterServer, auth)
 		glog.Fatal(server.Serve())
 	}
 
@@ -130,14 +138,16 @@ func main() {
 	}
 	method := flag.Arg(0)
 
-	matchFound := executeAPIRequest(method, auth) || executeControllerRequest(method, auth)
+	client := kube_client.New(masterServer, auth)
+
+	matchFound := executeAPIRequest(method, client) || executeControllerRequest(method, client)
 	if matchFound == false {
 		glog.Fatalf("Unknown command %s", method)
 	}
 }
 
 // Attempts to execute an API request
-func executeAPIRequest(method string, auth *kube_client.AuthInfo) bool {
+func executeAPIRequest(method string, s *kube_client.Client) bool {
 	parseStorage := func() string {
 		if len(flag.Args()) != 2 {
 			glog.Fatal("usage: kubecfg [OPTIONS] get|list|create|update|delete <url>")
@@ -159,7 +169,6 @@ func executeAPIRequest(method string, auth *kube_client.AuthInfo) bool {
 		return false
 	}
 
-	s := kube_client.New(*httpServer, auth)
 	r := s.Verb(verb).
 		Path(parseStorage()).
 		ParseSelector(*selector)
@@ -190,7 +199,7 @@ func executeAPIRequest(method string, auth *kube_client.AuthInfo) bool {
 }
 
 // Attempts to execute a replicationController request
-func executeControllerRequest(method string, auth *kube_client.AuthInfo) bool {
+func executeControllerRequest(method string, c *kube_client.Client) bool {
 	parseController := func() string {
 		if len(flag.Args()) != 2 {
 			glog.Fatal("usage: kubecfg [OPTIONS] stop|rm|rollingupdate <controller>")
@@ -198,8 +207,6 @@ func executeControllerRequest(method string, auth *kube_client.AuthInfo) bool {
 		return flag.Arg(1)
 	}
 
-	c := kube_client.New(*httpServer, auth)
-
 	var err error
 	switch method {
 	case "stop":
diff --git a/hack/localcfg.sh b/hack/localcfg.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 50d94190ae..0000000000
--- a/hack/localcfg.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,27 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-# Copyright 2014 Google Inc. All rights reserved.
-#
-# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
-# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
-# You may obtain a copy of the License at
-#
-#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-#
-# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
-# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
-# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
-# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
-# limitations under the License.
-
-# This file is exactly like kubecfg.sh, but it talks to a local master
-# (which you're assumed to be running with local-up-cluster.sh).
-
-CLOUDCFG=$(dirname $0)/../output/go/kubecfg
-if [ ! -x $CLOUDCFG ]; then
-  echo "Could not find kubecfg binary. Run hack/build-go.sh to build it."
-  exit 1
-fi
-
-# 8080 is the default port for the master
-$CLOUDCFG -h http://localhost:8080 $@