diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e9b3614..03769e2 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -32,19 +32,13 @@ services:
     restart: unless-stopped
     ports:
       - "8000:8000"
-    environment:
-      # Database path inside the container
-      - DB_PATH=/app/data/whois_cache.db
     volumes:
-      # Data persistence (WHOIS cache)
-      - ./gptkit_data:/app/data
-```
-
-### Environment Variables
+      # Data persistence (WHOIS cache stored in /app/data/whois_cache.db)
+      - gptkit_data:/app/data
 
-| Variable | Description | Default |
-|----------|-------------|--------|
-| `DB_PATH` | Path to the SQLite database file | `whois_cache.db` |
+volumes:
+  gptkit_data:
+```
 
 ## Development
 
diff --git a/app/services/cache.py b/app/services/cache.py
index abb2478..7043499 100644
--- a/app/services/cache.py
+++ b/app/services/cache.py
@@ -5,8 +5,9 @@
 import os
 
 class WhoisCache:
-    def __init__(self, db_path: str = None):
-        self.db_path = db_path or os.getenv("DB_PATH", "whois_cache.db")
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.db_path = "data/whois_cache.db"
+        os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(self.db_path), exist_ok=True)
         self._init_db()
 
     def _init_db(self):