diff --git a/provisioning/couchdb-statefulset.yaml b/provisioning/couchdb-statefulset.yaml
index a7f005adf4ac728b330ece9c5ae8cd09580e868e..ba7051f669035396cf42f2c662f671c6872d877d 100644
--- a/provisioning/couchdb-statefulset.yaml
+++ b/provisioning/couchdb-statefulset.yaml
@@ -62,7 +62,8 @@ spec:
     - metadata:
         name: couchdb
         labels:
-          app: couchdb-${CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG}
+          env: ${CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG}
+          branch: ${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME}
       spec:
         storageClassName: aws-efs
         accessModes:
diff --git a/templates/xpub-collabra-configmap-initscripts.yaml b/templates/xpub-collabra-configmap-initscripts.yaml
index 4a53fecffe37439ddcb139fadc811dbb290f95a8..d5ee810d7bfc23d306eb24e23d3f73d2437ebf68 100644
--- a/templates/xpub-collabra-configmap-initscripts.yaml
+++ b/templates/xpub-collabra-configmap-initscripts.yaml
@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@ metadata:
     branch: ${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME}
 data:
   createdb.sh: | # NB envsubst cannot escape env vars
+
+    # initialise couch if it is the first deployment
+    curl -X PUT https://${COUCHDB_USER}:${COUCHDB_PASSWORD}@couchdb-${CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG}:5984/_users
+    curl -X PUT https://${COUCHDB_USER}:${COUCHDB_PASSWORD}@couchdb-${CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG}:5984/_replicator
+
     if [[ -n "$(printenv FORCE_FRESH_DB)" ]]; then
       npx pubsweet setupdb --username=cokouser --password=cokopassword --email=cokouser@example.com --clobber
     else
diff --git a/templates/xpub-collabra-configmap-nodeconfig.yaml b/templates/xpub-collabra-configmap-nodeconfig.yaml
index 6f8050eeb3bcd5c69c84569fa04c0d85884f0e2a..77b1995fd073b2466aaaf06594b452d24ca918a7 100644
--- a/templates/xpub-collabra-configmap-nodeconfig.yaml
+++ b/templates/xpub-collabra-configmap-nodeconfig.yaml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ data:
       },
       "pubsweet-server": {
         "secret": "${PUBSWEET_SERVER_SECRET}",
-        "dbPath": "https://${COUCHDB_USER}:${COUCHDB_PASSWORD}@couchdb-${CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG}/${CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG}"
+        "dbPath": "https://${COUCHDB_USER}:${COUCHDB_PASSWORD}@couchdb-${CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG}/pubsweet"
       },
       "password-reset": {
         "url": "${CI_ENVIRONMENT_URL}/password-reset"