diff --git a/docker-compose-dev-mysql.yml b/docker-compose-dev-mysql.yml
index 56e1f3d1122..a82c3560b4d 100644
--- a/docker-compose-dev-mysql.yml
+++ b/docker-compose-dev-mysql.yml
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ services:
       --skip-log-bin
 
   grafana:
-    image: devlake.docker.scarf.sh/apache/devlake-dashboard:latest
+    image: ${DEVLAKE_IMAGE_REGISTRY:-devlake.docker.scarf.sh}/apache/devlake-dashboard:latest
     build:
       context: grafana/
     ports:
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ services:
       - mysql
 
   config-ui:
-    image: devlake.docker.scarf.sh/apache/devlake-config-ui:latest
+    image: ${DEVLAKE_IMAGE_REGISTRY:-devlake.docker.scarf.sh}/apache/devlake-config-ui:latest
     build:
       context: "config-ui"
     ports:
diff --git a/docker-compose-dev-postgresql.yml b/docker-compose-dev-postgresql.yml
index b5dbcbb94d8..154dc1ad757 100644
--- a/docker-compose-dev-postgresql.yml
+++ b/docker-compose-dev-postgresql.yml
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ services:
       TZ: UTC
 
   grafana:
-    image: devlake.docker.scarf.sh/apache/devlake-dashboard:latest
+    image: ${DEVLAKE_IMAGE_REGISTRY:-devlake.docker.scarf.sh}/apache/devlake-dashboard:latest
     build:
       context: grafana/
     ports:
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ services:
       - postgres
 
   config-ui:
-    image: devlake.docker.scarf.sh/apache/devlake-config-ui:latest
+    image: ${DEVLAKE_IMAGE_REGISTRY:-devlake.docker.scarf.sh}/apache/devlake-config-ui:latest
     build:
       context: "config-ui"
     ports:
diff --git a/env.example b/env.example
index b1de659826d..292f127983c 100755
--- a/env.example
+++ b/env.example
@@ -18,6 +18,15 @@
 # Lake core #
 #############
 
+# Container image registry/prefix for the pre-built devlake-dashboard and
+# devlake-config-ui images used by the docker-compose-dev-*.yml files.
+# The default is the Scarf gateway (download analytics for the Apache project)
+# and is defined in the compose files themselves, so this entry stays commented
+# out: the compose services read this file via `env_file`, and an active
+# assignment would also inject the variable into the running containers.
+# Uncomment and set it (e.g. docker.io) to pull directly from Docker Hub.
+# DEVLAKE_IMAGE_REGISTRY=devlake.docker.scarf.sh
+
 # Lake plugin dir, absolute path or relative path
 PLUGIN_DIR=bin/plugins
 REMOTE_PLUGIN_DIR=python/plugins