diff --git a/core/start-dev-env.sh b/core/start-dev-env.sh
index 8a3e735..d9893e4 100755
--- a/core/start-dev-env.sh
+++ b/core/start-dev-env.sh
@@ -1,71 +1,147 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-# source .env so that we know when to start in test mode
+set -e
+
+# This script is used to start a development environment using docker compose
+# It allows overriding app code with local directories and controlling execution mode.
+
+RED="\e[1;31m"
 GREEN="\e[1;32m"
 ENDCOLOR="\e[0m"
-MODE="dev"
-
-source .env
-extra_compose_args=""
-
-# Read the apps and their code paths from the arguments passed to the script
-docker_compose_args=()
-
-# Keep a counter of the number of dev-envs to override
-number_of_dev_envs=0
-for arg in "$@"; do
-	app=$(echo $arg | cut -d ':' -f 1)
-	path=$(echo $arg | cut -d ':' -f 2)
-	# Test if the specified path(s) exist. If they do not, halt the script and warn
-	# the user of this mistake
-	if [ ! -d ${path} ]; then
-		# Not going to start the env, so clear the env listing
-		rm .start-dev-env-listing
-		echo -e "The specified path for app '${app}' is not a directory. \n"
-		echo -e "Please review: '${path}'"
-		exit 1
-	fi
-	echo "export ${app^^}_CODE_PATH=${path}" >>.start-dev-env-vars
-	# Keep a listing of all apps that are started in dev mode, for feedback purposes
-	echo "${app^^}: ${path}" >>.start-dev-env-listing
-	docker_compose_args+=("-f ./${app}/docker-compose.override.yml")
-	let number_of_dev_envs=number_of_dev_envs+1
-done
 
-# Because numbering is off by one, reference the next arg
-let number_of_dev_envs=number_of_dev_envs+1
+# Clean up legacy files from previous versions of this script
+rm -f .start-dev-env-listing .start-dev-env-vars
 
-# See if there are .start-dev-env-vars
-if [ -f .start-dev-env-vars ]; then
-	# Read the generated env file with the apps and their code paths
-	source .start-dev-env-vars
-	rm .start-dev-env-vars
+# Check if the .env file exists
+if [ -f .env ]; then
+  echo "Sourcing .env file"
+  source .env
+else
+  echo -e "${GREEN}No .env file was read.${ENDCOLOR}"
 fi
 
-if [ -f .start-dev-env-listing ]; then
-	echo -e "${MODE} overrides:\n"
-	cat .start-dev-env-listing
-	# Remove the listing
-	rm .start-dev-env-listing
+# Get script directory
+SCRIPT_DIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" && pwd )"
+
+# Directory where the app dirs with the app's configuration files are located
+APP_DIR="${SCRIPT_DIR}"
+# Name of the docker-compose override file
+DOCKER_OVERRIDE_FILE="docker-compose.override.yml"
+
+docker_compose_up_options=() # Array to hold the options for docker compose up
+docker_compose_options=()    # Array to hold the options for docker compose
+
+# Set the docker compose file to use and default profiles for Core
+docker_compose_options+=("-f")
+docker_compose_options+=("${SCRIPT_DIR}/docker-compose.yml")
+docker_compose_options+=("--profile")
+docker_compose_options+=("oidc")
+docker_compose_options+=("--profile")
+docker_compose_options+=("test")
+
+# Show help hint if no arguments are given
+if [ $# -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}No options were provided, use -h or --help to see the available options.${ENDCOLOR}"
 fi
 
-while true; do
-	read -p "Do you wish to run Docker compose in the foreground? (press ENTER for Yes)" yn
-	case $yn in
-	[Nn]*)
-		# Use docker compose to start the environment but with the modified override file(s)
-		echo -e "\nStarting the ${MODE} environment with the following command:\n"
+# Process command line arguments
+while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
+	option="$1"
+
+	case $option in
+	-h | --help)
+	    echo "Usage: $0 [-h] [-d] [<app>:<path> ...] [-- <docker-compose-args>]"
+	    echo "Start the Core development environment using docker compose up"
+	    echo "You can specify the apps for which you want to use the ${DOCKER_OVERRIDE_FILE} with your local code"
+	    echo ""
+	    echo "Options:"
+	    echo "  -h, --help       Show this help message"
+	    echo "  -d, --detach     Run docker compose up in detached mode (-d) with wait (--wait)"
+	    echo "  <app>:<path>     The <app> to override followed by the <path> to the local code for the app"
+	    echo ""
+	    echo "  Any options after -- are passed to docker compose"
+	    # Create a list of the subdirs of the APP_DIR directory that have a DOCKER_OVERRIDE_FILE
+	    app_list=()
+	    for app in "${APP_DIR}"/*; do
+	        if [ -d "$app" ]; then
+                app_name=$(basename "$app")
+                if [ -f "${app}/${DOCKER_OVERRIDE_FILE}" ]; then
+                    app_list+=("${app_name}")
+                fi
+            fi
+	    done
+	    echo ""
+	    echo -e "  Available apps: ${app_list[*]}"
+	    exit 0
+	    ;;
+    -d | --detach)
+        shift
+        # add "--wait" which implies -d but waits for healthchecks
+        docker_compose_up_options+=("--wait")
+        ;;
+    --)
+        shift
+        # End of options for this script, everything after this is passed to docker compose
+        # We need to collect the rest of the arguments
+        while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
+            docker_compose_up_options+=("$1")
+            shift
+        done
+        break
+        ;;
 
-		echo -e "docker compose --profile oidc --profile test -f docker-compose.yml "${docker_compose_args[@]}" "${extra_compose_args}" up -d "${@:$number_of_dev_envs}" --pull always\n"
-		docker compose --profile oidc --profile test -f docker-compose.yml ${docker_compose_args[@]} ${extra_compose_args} up -d "${@:$number_of_dev_envs}" --pull always
-		break
+	-*)
+	    # Unknown option
+		echo -e "${RED}Error: Unknown option: '${option}'${ENDCOLOR}"
+		exit 1
 		;;
+
 	*)
-		# Use docker compose to start the environment but with the modified override file(s)
-		echo -e "Starting the ${MODE} environment with the following command:\n"
+	    # This must be an app:path argument
+        arg="$1"
+        app=$(echo "$arg" | cut -d ':' -f 1)
+        path=$(echo "$arg" | cut -d ':' -f 2)
 
-		echo -e "docker compose --profile oidc --profile test  -f docker-compose.yml "${docker_compose_args[@]}" "${extra_compose_args}" up "${@:$number_of_dev_envs}" --pull always\n"
-		docker compose --profile oidc --profile test -f docker-compose.yml ${docker_compose_args[@]} ${extra_compose_args} up "${@:$number_of_dev_envs}" --pull always
-		break
-		;;
+        # Basic validation
+        if [[ -z "$app" ]] || [[ -z "$path" ]]; then
+             echo -e "${RED}Invalid argument format: '$arg'. Expected <app>:<path>${ENDCOLOR}"
+             exit 1
+        fi
+
+        # Check if the app is a valid subdirectory in the APP_DIR directory
+        if ! [[ $app =~ ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$ ]]; then
+            echo  -e "${RED}The specified app '${app}' is not a valid name for an app.${ENDCOLOR}\n";
+            exit 1;
+        fi
+        if [ ! -f "${APP_DIR}/${app}/${DOCKER_OVERRIDE_FILE}" ]; then
+            echo  -e "${RED}The specified app '${app}' is not a valid directory/app.";
+            echo  -e "Verify that '${app}' exists in '${APP_DIR}' and contains a '${DOCKER_OVERRIDE_FILE}' file.${ENDCOLOR}\n";
+            exit 1;
+        fi
+
+        # Replace "~/" with the user's home directory
+        path=${path/#\~/$HOME}
+
+        # Test if the specified path(s) exist.
+        if [ ! -d "${path}" ]; then
+            echo  -e "${RED}The specified path for app '${app}' is not a directory.";
+            echo  -e "Please verify that the '${path}' directory exists.${ENDCOLOR}\n";
+            exit 1;
+        fi
+
+        # Make sure the path is absolute
+        path=$(cd "${path}" && pwd)
+        echo -e "${GREEN}Configuring override:${ENDCOLOR} ${app} -> ${path}"
+        export "${app^^}_CODE_PATH=${path}"
+
+        # Add the DOCKER_OVERRIDE_FILE to the docker compose command
+        docker_compose_options+=("-f")
+        docker_compose_options+=("${APP_DIR}/${app}/${DOCKER_OVERRIDE_FILE}")
+        
+        shift
+	    ;;
 	esac
 done
+
+# Run docker compose up command with the previously prepared options
+echo -e "docker compose ${docker_compose_options[*]} up ${docker_compose_up_options[*]}"
+docker compose "${docker_compose_options[@]}" up "${docker_compose_up_options[@]}"