diff --git a/pkg/server/publish.go b/pkg/server/publish.go
index db7105307..8dfe01d1e 100644
--- a/pkg/server/publish.go
+++ b/pkg/server/publish.go
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ import (
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/blobref"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/blobserver"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/client" // just for NewUploadHandleFromString.  move elsewhere?
+	"camlistore.org/pkg/fileembed"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/httputil"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/jsonconfig"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/jsonsign/signhandler"
@@ -56,8 +57,17 @@ type PublishHandler struct {
 
 	JSFiles, CSSFiles []string
 
-	handlerFinder  blobserver.FindHandlerByTyper
-	staticHandler  http.Handler
+	handlerFinder blobserver.FindHandlerByTyper
+
+	// sourceRoot optionally specifies the path to root of Camlistore's
+	// source. If empty, the UI files must be compiled in to the
+	// binary (with go run make.go).  This comes from the "sourceRoot"
+	// publish handler config option.
+	sourceRoot string
+
+	uiDir string // if sourceRoot != "", this is sourceRoot+"/server/camlistored/ui"
+
+	// closureHandler serves the Closure JS files.
 	closureHandler http.Handler
 }
 
@@ -78,6 +88,7 @@ func newPublishFromConfig(ld blobserver.Loader, conf jsonconfig.Obj) (h http.Han
 	scType := conf.OptionalString("scaledImage", "")
 	bootstrapSignRoot := conf.OptionalString("devBootstrapPermanodeUsing", "")
 	rootNode := conf.OptionalList("rootPermanode")
+	ph.sourceRoot = conf.OptionalString("sourceRoot", "")
 	if err = conf.Validate(); err != nil {
 		return
 	}
@@ -148,20 +159,32 @@ func newPublishFromConfig(ld blobserver.Loader, conf jsonconfig.Obj) (h http.Han
 		}
 	}
 
-	camliRootPath, err := osutil.GoPackagePath("camlistore.org")
-	if err != nil {
-		error := "Package camlistore.org not found in $GOPATH (or $GOPATH not defined)." +
-			" Needed to find closure dir."
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf(error)
+	if ph.sourceRoot == "" {
+		ph.sourceRoot = os.Getenv("CAMLI_DEV_CAMLI_ROOT")
+	}
+	if ph.sourceRoot != "" {
+		ph.uiDir = filepath.Join(ph.sourceRoot, filepath.FromSlash("server/camlistored/ui"))
+		// Ignore any fileembed files:
+		Files = &fileembed.Files{
+			DirFallback: filepath.Join(ph.sourceRoot, filepath.FromSlash("pkg/server")),
+		}
+		uistatic.Files = &fileembed.Files{
+			DirFallback: ph.uiDir,
+		}
 	}
-	closureDir := filepath.Join(camliRootPath, "tmp", "closure-lib", "closure")
-	ph.closureHandler = http.FileServer(http.Dir(closureDir))
 
-	ph.staticHandler = http.FileServer(uistatic.Files)
+	ph.closureHandler, err = ph.makeClosureHandler(ph.sourceRoot)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf(`Invalid "sourceRoot" value of %q: %v"`, ph.sourceRoot, err)
+	}
 
 	return ph, nil
 }
 
+func (ph *PublishHandler) makeClosureHandler(root string) (http.Handler, error) {
+	return makeClosureHandler(root, "publish")
+}
+
 func (ph *PublishHandler) rootPermanode() (*blobref.BlobRef, error) {
 	// TODO: caching, but this can change over time (though
 	// probably rare). might be worth a 5 second cache or
@@ -384,25 +407,26 @@ func (pr *publishRequest) serveHTTP() {
 		pr.serveSubresImage()
 	case "s": // static
 		pr.req.URL.Path = pr.subres[len("/=s"):]
-		if len(pr.req.URL.Path) > 1 {
-			if m := closurePattern.FindStringSubmatch(pr.req.URL.Path[1:]); m != nil {
-				pr.req.URL.Path = "/" + m[1]
-				pr.ph.closureHandler.ServeHTTP(pr.rw, pr.req)
-				return
-			}
+		if len(pr.req.URL.Path) <= 1 {
+			http.Error(pr.rw, "Illegal URL.", http.StatusNotFound)
+			return
+		}
+		file := pr.req.URL.Path[1:]
+		if m := closurePattern.FindStringSubmatch(file); m != nil {
+			pr.req.URL.Path = "/" + m[1]
+			pr.ph.closureHandler.ServeHTTP(pr.rw, pr.req)
+			return
 		}
 		// TODO: this assumes that deps.js either dev server, or that deps.js
 		// is embedded in the binary. We want to NOT embed deps.js, but also
 		// serve dynamic deps.js from other resources embedded in the server
 		// when not in dev-server mode.  So fix this later, when serveDepsJS
 		// can work over embedded resources.
-		if pr.req.URL.Path == "/deps.js" {
-			if dir := os.Getenv("CAMLI_DEV_CAMLI_ROOT"); dir != "" {
-				serveDepsJS(pr.rw, pr.req, dir+"/server/camlistored/ui")
-				return
-			}
+		if file == "deps.js" && pr.ph.sourceRoot != "" {
+			serveDepsJS(pr.rw, pr.req, pr.ph.uiDir)
+			return
 		}
-		pr.ph.staticHandler.ServeHTTP(pr.rw, pr.req)
+		serveStaticFile(pr.rw, pr.req, uistatic.Files, file)
 	default:
 		pr.rw.WriteHeader(400)
 		pr.pf("<p>Invalid or unsupported resource request.</p>")
diff --git a/pkg/server/ui.go b/pkg/server/ui.go
index 20adcee78..b5d7ba378 100644
--- a/pkg/server/ui.go
+++ b/pkg/server/ui.go
@@ -188,6 +188,10 @@ func uiFromConfig(ld blobserver.Loader, conf jsonconfig.Obj) (h http.Handler, er
 	return ui, nil
 }
 
+func (ui *UIHandler) makeClosureHandler(root string) (http.Handler, error) {
+	return makeClosureHandler(root, "ui")
+}
+
 // makeClosureHandler returns a handler to serve Closure files.
 // root is either:
 // 1) empty: use the Closure files compiled in to the binary (if
@@ -195,26 +199,26 @@ func uiFromConfig(ld blobserver.Loader, conf jsonconfig.Obj) (h http.Handler, er
 // 2) a URL prefix: base of Camlistore to get Closure to redirect to
 // 3) a path on disk to the root of camlistore's source (which
 //    contains the necessary subset of Closure files)
-func (ui *UIHandler) makeClosureHandler(root string) (http.Handler, error) {
+func makeClosureHandler(root, handlerName string) (http.Handler, error) {
 	// dev-server environment variable takes precendence:
 	if d := os.Getenv("CAMLI_DEV_CLOSURE_DIR"); d != "" {
-		log.Printf("ui: serving Closure from dev-server's $CAMLI_DEV_CLOSURE_DIR: %v", d)
+		log.Printf("%v: serving Closure from dev-server's $CAMLI_DEV_CLOSURE_DIR: %v", handlerName, d)
 		return http.FileServer(http.Dir(d)), nil
 	}
 	if root == "" {
 		fs, err := closurestatic.FileSystem()
 		if err == os.ErrNotExist {
-			log.Printf("ui: no configured setting or embedded resources; serving Closure via %v", closureBaseURL)
+			log.Printf("%v: no configured setting or embedded resources; serving Closure via %v", handlerName, closureBaseURL)
 			return closureBaseURL, nil
 		}
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("error loading embedded Closure zip file: %v", err)
 		}
-		log.Printf("ui: serving Closure from embedded resources")
+		log.Printf("%v: serving Closure from embedded resources", handlerName)
 		return http.FileServer(fs), nil
 	}
 	if strings.HasPrefix(root, "http") {
-		log.Printf("ui: serving Closure using redirects to %v", root)
+		log.Printf("%v: serving Closure using redirects to %v", handlerName, root)
 		return closureRedirector(root), nil
 	}
 	fi, err := os.Stat(root)
@@ -229,7 +233,7 @@ func (ui *UIHandler) makeClosureHandler(root string) (http.Handler, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("directory doesn't contain closure/goog/base.js; wrong directory?")
 	}
-	log.Printf("ui: serving Closure from disk: %v", closureRoot)
+	log.Printf("%v: serving Closure from disk: %v", handlerName, closureRoot)
 	return http.FileServer(http.Dir(closureRoot)), nil
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/serverconfig/genconfig.go b/pkg/serverconfig/genconfig.go
index 14b8bbdff..cd56e2aab 100644
--- a/pkg/serverconfig/genconfig.go
+++ b/pkg/serverconfig/genconfig.go
@@ -46,7 +46,9 @@ type configPrefixesParams struct {
 
 var tempDir = os.TempDir
 
-func addPublishedConfig(prefixes jsonconfig.Obj, published jsonconfig.Obj) ([]interface{}, error) {
+func addPublishedConfig(prefixes jsonconfig.Obj,
+	published jsonconfig.Obj,
+	sourceRoot string) ([]interface{}, error) {
 	pubPrefixes := []interface{}{}
 	for k, v := range published {
 		p, ok := v.(map[string]interface{})
@@ -83,6 +85,9 @@ func addPublishedConfig(prefixes jsonconfig.Obj, published jsonconfig.Obj) ([]in
 			"cache":         "/cache/",
 			"rootPermanode": []interface{}{"/sighelper/", rootPermanode},
 		}
+		if sourceRoot != "" {
+			handlerArgs["sourceRoot"] = sourceRoot
+		}
 		switch template {
 		case "gallery":
 			if style == "" {
@@ -384,6 +389,7 @@ func genLowLevelConfig(conf *Config) (lowLevelConf *Config, err error) {
 		// If non empty, the ui files will be expected at
 		// sourceRoot + "/server/camlistored/ui" and the closure library at
 		// sourceRoot + "/third_party/closure/lib"
+		// Also used by the publish handler.
 		sourceRoot = conf.OptionalString("sourceRoot", "")
 
 		ownerName = conf.OptionalString("ownerName", "")
@@ -490,7 +496,7 @@ func genLowLevelConfig(conf *Config) (lowLevelConf *Config, err error) {
 		if !runIndex {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("publishing requires an index")
 		}
-		published, err = addPublishedConfig(prefixes, publish)
+		published, err = addPublishedConfig(prefixes, publish, sourceRoot)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("Could not generate config for published: %v", err)
 		}