diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index ae3880d67e25804af152863f06ac78b60d791ae0..8e602d0f47c8537e0439236574f4864cd5e9f480 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -66,5 +66,5 @@ demo:now:
     - npm i -g --unsafe-perm now
     - cd ${HOME}/now
     - echo "FROM ${IMAGE_ORG}/${IMAGE_NAME}:${CI_COMMIT_SHA}" >> Dockerfile
-    - now --public --docker --token $NOW_TOKEN -e AWS_S3_ACCESS_KEY=$AWS_S3_ACCESS_KEY -e AWS_S3_SECRET_KEY=$AWS_S3_SECRET_KEY -e AWS_S3_REGION=$AWS_S3_REGION -e AWS_S3_BUCKET=$AWS_S3_BUCKET -e AWS_SES_SECRET_KEY=$AWS_SES_SECRET_KEY -e AWS_SES_ACCESS_KEY=$AWS_SES_ACCESS_KEY -e AWS_SES_REGION=$AWS_SES_REGION -e EMAIL_SENDER=$EMAIL_SENDER -e secret=$SECRET
+    - now --public --docker --token $NOW_TOKEN -e AWS_S3_ACCESS_KEY=$AWS_S3_ACCESS_KEY -e AWS_S3_SECRET_KEY=$AWS_S3_SECRET_KEY -e AWS_S3_REGION=$AWS_S3_REGION -e AWS_S3_BUCKET=$AWS_S3_BUCKET -e AWS_SES_SECRET_KEY=$AWS_SES_SECRET_KEY -e AWS_SES_ACCESS_KEY=$AWS_SES_ACCESS_KEY -e AWS_SES_REGION=$AWS_SES_REGION -e EMAIL_SENDER=$EMAIL_SENDER -e secret=$SECRET -e DATABASE=$DATABASE -e DB_USER=$DB_USER -e DB_PASS=$DB_PASS -e DB_HOST=$DB_HOST
     - now alias $NOW_URL xpub-faraday --token $NOW_TOKEN
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/components-faraday/src/components/Dashboard/DashboardCard.js b/packages/components-faraday/src/components/Dashboard/DashboardCard.js
index d95dc0c258b2bef26cec1de6e0b5ea6d15286e9d..02e08e23d5e4b773f8cd033f5e5d3bdff7f15d40 100644
--- a/packages/components-faraday/src/components/Dashboard/DashboardCard.js
+++ b/packages/components-faraday/src/components/Dashboard/DashboardCard.js
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ export default compose(
       const assignedHE =
         assignedPeople && assignedPeople.find(p => p.role === 'handlingEditor')
 
+      // this can be changed, but it works; cba
       if (isAdmin || isEic) {
         if (status === 'submitted' || status === 'he-invited')
           return <EditorInChiefActions project={project} />
diff --git a/packages/components-faraday/src/components/Dashboard/EditorInChiefActions.js b/packages/components-faraday/src/components/Dashboard/EditorInChiefActions.js
index 131ba412335e8bf36df1fb46527fd585d22c3ea8..34eb2d492ebd8482b075195f88b4aa128eac2d8c 100644
--- a/packages/components-faraday/src/components/Dashboard/EditorInChiefActions.js
+++ b/packages/components-faraday/src/components/Dashboard/EditorInChiefActions.js
@@ -26,12 +26,12 @@ const EditorInChiefActions = ({
   const handlingEditor = getHandlingEditor()
   return (
     <Root>
-      <HEActions>
+      <HEActions data-test="eic-assign">
         {handlingEditor ? (
           <HEActions>
             <HEName>{get(handlingEditor, 'name')}</HEName>
             {!handlingEditor.hasAnswer && (
-              <HEActions>
+              <HEActions data-test="eic-after-assign">
                 <div onClick={showConfirmModal('resend')}>
                   <Icon color={theme.colorPrimary}>refresh-cw</Icon>
                 </div>
@@ -180,9 +180,9 @@ const HEActions = styled.div`
 const AssignButton = styled(Button)`
   ${defaultText};
   align-items: center;
-  background-color: ${th('colorPrimary')};
   color: ${th('colorTextReverse')};
-  text-align: center;
+  background-color: ${th('colorPrimary')};
   height: calc(${th('subGridUnit')}*5);
+  text-align: center;
 `
 // #endregion
diff --git a/packages/components-faraday/src/components/Dashboard/HandlingEditorActions.js b/packages/components-faraday/src/components/Dashboard/HandlingEditorActions.js
index 6e5cfde77acffc5deb7badb04f00c4e1b6ede067..5064e6aef7cbe80d3b438340bb1c5775467f250d 100644
--- a/packages/components-faraday/src/components/Dashboard/HandlingEditorActions.js
+++ b/packages/components-faraday/src/components/Dashboard/HandlingEditorActions.js
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 import React from 'react'
 import { connect } from 'react-redux'
-import styled from 'styled-components'
-import { th, Button } from '@pubsweet/ui'
 import { actions } from 'pubsweet-client'
+import { th, Button } from '@pubsweet/ui'
+import styled, { css } from 'styled-components'
 import { withHandlers, compose, withState } from 'recompose'
 import {
   withModal,
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ const DeclineModal = compose(
       placeholder="Decline reason (optional)"
       value={reason}
     />
-    <div>
+    <div data-test="he-buttons">
       <Button onClick={hideModal}>Cancel</Button>
       <Button onClick={onConfirm(reason)} primary>
         Decline
@@ -45,10 +45,10 @@ const ModalComponent = ({ type, ...rest }) =>
 
 const HandlingEditorActions = ({ showHEModal }) => (
   <Root>
-    <Button onClick={showHEModal('decline')}>DECLINE</Button>
-    <Button onClick={showHEModal()} primary>
+    <DecisionButton onClick={showHEModal('decline')}>DECLINE</DecisionButton>
+    <DecisionButton onClick={showHEModal()} primary>
       AGREE
-    </Button>
+    </DecisionButton>
   </Root>
 )
 
@@ -111,6 +111,22 @@ export default compose(
 )(HandlingEditorActions)
 
 // #region styled-components
+const defaultText = css`
+  font-family: ${th('fontReading')};
+  font-size: ${th('fontSizeBaseSmall')};
+`
+
+const DecisionButton = styled(Button)`
+  ${defaultText};
+  align-items: center;
+  color: ${({ primary }) =>
+    primary ? th('colorTextReverse') : th('colorPrimary')});
+  background-color: ${({ primary }) =>
+    primary ? th('colorPrimary') : th('backgroundColorReverse')};
+  height: calc(${th('subGridUnit')}*5);
+  text-align: center;
+`
+
 const DeclineRoot = styled.div`
   align-items: center;
   background-color: ${th('backgroundColor')};
diff --git a/packages/xpub-faraday/config/default.js b/packages/xpub-faraday/config/default.js
index 507b7e41063dd0d2be37bd81b4399fd5e684967c..f279c3df72cfd495e162414d0527b0a842df446a 100644
--- a/packages/xpub-faraday/config/default.js
+++ b/packages/xpub-faraday/config/default.js
@@ -5,6 +5,20 @@ const logger = require('winston')
 
 // const environment = process.env.NODE_ENV || 'development'
 
+const getDbConfig = () => {
+  if (process.env.DATABASE) {
+    return {
+      user: process.env.DB_USER,
+      password: process.env.DB_PASS,
+      database: process.env.DATABASE,
+      host: process.env.DB_HOST,
+      port: 5432,
+      ssl: true,
+    }
+  }
+  return {}
+}
+
 module.exports = {
   authsome: {
     mode: path.resolve(__dirname, 'authsome.js'),
@@ -17,7 +31,7 @@ module.exports = {
     components,
   },
   'pubsweet-server': {
-    db: {},
+    db: getDbConfig(),
     port: 3000,
     logger,
     uploads: 'uploads',