diff --git a/src/Ivy/Server.cs b/src/Ivy/Server.cs
index 4bd51816ee..46bff32cc6 100644
--- a/src/Ivy/Server.cs
+++ b/src/Ivy/Server.cs
@@ -116,7 +116,8 @@ public Server(ServerArgs? args = null)
         };
 
         Services.AddSingleton(_args);
-        Services.AddSingleton(Configuration);
+        // capture the latest Configuration value at resolution time in case it gets replaced by UseConfiguration()
+        Services.AddSingleton(_ => Configuration);
 
         AddDefaultApps();
     }
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/Auth0Example/.gitignore b/src/auth/examples/Auth0Example/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 16bf3adb5b..0000000000
--- a/src/auth/examples/Auth0Example/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-appsettings.json
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/Auth0Example/Auth0Example.csproj b/src/auth/examples/Auth0Example/Auth0Example.csproj
index 5f13f60fdd..b770671dcd 100644
--- a/src/auth/examples/Auth0Example/Auth0Example.csproj
+++ b/src/auth/examples/Auth0Example/Auth0Example.csproj
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
     <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
     <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
     <RootNamespace>Auth0Example</RootNamespace>
+    <UserSecretsId>ivy-auth-auth0-example</UserSecretsId>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/Auth0Example/appsettings.example.json b/src/auth/examples/Auth0Example/appsettings.example.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 3448584d95..0000000000
--- a/src/auth/examples/Auth0Example/appsettings.example.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "Auth0": {
-    "Domain": "your-tenant.auth0.com",
-    "ClientId": "your-auth0-client-id",
-    "ClientSecret": "your-auth0-client-secret",
-    "Audience": "your-api-audience"
-  },
-  "Google": {
-    "ClientId": "your-google-client-id",
-    "ClientSecret": "your-google-client-secret"
-  }
-}
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/AutheliaExample/.gitignore b/src/auth/examples/AutheliaExample/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 16bf3adb5b..0000000000
--- a/src/auth/examples/AutheliaExample/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-appsettings.json
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/AutheliaExample/AutheliaExample.csproj b/src/auth/examples/AutheliaExample/AutheliaExample.csproj
index 989d0eb3ed..a88b9636b1 100644
--- a/src/auth/examples/AutheliaExample/AutheliaExample.csproj
+++ b/src/auth/examples/AutheliaExample/AutheliaExample.csproj
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
     <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
     <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
     <RootNamespace>AutheliaExample</RootNamespace>
+    <UserSecretsId>ivy-auth-authelia-example</UserSecretsId>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/AutheliaExample/appsettings.example.json b/src/auth/examples/AutheliaExample/appsettings.example.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 0bb8220eee..0000000000
--- a/src/auth/examples/AutheliaExample/appsettings.example.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "Authelia": {
-    "Url": "https://auth.yourdomain.com"
-  }
-}
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/.gitignore b/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 16bf3adb5b..0000000000
--- a/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-appsettings.json
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/ClerkExample.csproj b/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/ClerkExample.csproj
index 3c1f794c52..1b9a5bf4d7 100644
--- a/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/ClerkExample.csproj
+++ b/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/ClerkExample.csproj
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
     <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
     <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
     <RootNamespace>ClerkExample</RootNamespace>
+    <UserSecretsId>ivy-auth-clerk-example</UserSecretsId>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/Program.cs b/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/Program.cs
index 99c8a4e28c..56da0e7d9a 100644
--- a/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/Program.cs
+++ b/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/Program.cs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 using Ivy;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration;
 
 var server = new Server();
 
@@ -15,4 +16,21 @@
 
 server.SetMetaTitle("Clerk Example");
 
+server.UseConfiguration(config =>
+{
+    if (ProcessHelper.IsProduction())
+    {
+        var secretsPath = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("IVY_CLERK_SECRETS_PATH");
+        if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(secretsPath))
+        {
+            if (!File.Exists(secretsPath))
+            {
+                throw new FileNotFoundException(
+                    $"Clerk secrets file not found at path specified by IVY_CLERK_SECRETS_PATH: '{secretsPath}'");
+            }
+            config.AddJsonFile(secretsPath, optional: false);
+        }
+    }
+});
+
 await server.RunAsync();
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/README.md b/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..01a2d18dcc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# Clerk Example
+
+This example demonstrates authentication using Clerk.
+
+If running in production mode (`IVY_ENVIRONMENT=Production`), the example will look for configuration in a JSON file at the path stored in environment variable `IVY_CLERK_SECRETS_PATH`. This enables different secrets to be used for testing the development and production modes of Clerk.
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/appsettings.example.json b/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/appsettings.example.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 19f6fae2db..0000000000
--- a/src/auth/examples/ClerkExample/appsettings.example.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "Clerk": {
-    "PublishableKey": "pk_test_xxxxx",
-    "SecretKey": "sk_test_xxxxx"
-  },
-  "Google": {
-    "ClientId": "your-google-client-id",
-    "ClientSecret": "your-google-client-secret"
-  }
-}
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/GitHubExample/.gitignore b/src/auth/examples/GitHubExample/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index d7be6ac5a4..0000000000
--- a/src/auth/examples/GitHubExample/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-appsettings.json
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/GitHubExample/GitHubExample.csproj b/src/auth/examples/GitHubExample/GitHubExample.csproj
index 5e1ab44972..3c66be6012 100644
--- a/src/auth/examples/GitHubExample/GitHubExample.csproj
+++ b/src/auth/examples/GitHubExample/GitHubExample.csproj
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
     <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
     <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
     <RootNamespace>GitHubExample</RootNamespace>
+    <UserSecretsId>ivy-auth-github-example</UserSecretsId>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/GitHubExample/appsettings.example.json b/src/auth/examples/GitHubExample/appsettings.example.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 0c38f9a85d..0000000000
--- a/src/auth/examples/GitHubExample/appsettings.example.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "GitHub": {
-    "RedirectUri": "http://localhost:5010/ivy/auth/callback",
-    "ClientSecret": "your-github-client-secret",
-    "ClientId": "your-github-client-id"
-  }
-}
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/MicrosoftEntraExample/.gitignore b/src/auth/examples/MicrosoftEntraExample/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 16bf3adb5b..0000000000
--- a/src/auth/examples/MicrosoftEntraExample/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-appsettings.json
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/MicrosoftEntraExample/MicrosoftEntraExample.csproj b/src/auth/examples/MicrosoftEntraExample/MicrosoftEntraExample.csproj
index 221837a509..8cb2835faf 100644
--- a/src/auth/examples/MicrosoftEntraExample/MicrosoftEntraExample.csproj
+++ b/src/auth/examples/MicrosoftEntraExample/MicrosoftEntraExample.csproj
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
     <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
     <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
     <RootNamespace>MicrosoftEntraExample</RootNamespace>
+    <UserSecretsId>ivy-auth-microsoft-entra-example</UserSecretsId>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/MicrosoftEntraExample/appsettings.example.json b/src/auth/examples/MicrosoftEntraExample/appsettings.example.json
deleted file mode 100644
index fb4b6f10e9..0000000000
--- a/src/auth/examples/MicrosoftEntraExample/appsettings.example.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "MicrosoftEntra": {
-    "TenantId": "your-tenant-id",
-    "ClientId": "your-client-id",
-    "ClientSecret": "your-client-secret"
-  }
-}
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/SliplaneExample/.gitignore b/src/auth/examples/SliplaneExample/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 16bf3adb5b..0000000000
--- a/src/auth/examples/SliplaneExample/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-appsettings.json
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/SliplaneExample/SliplaneExample.csproj b/src/auth/examples/SliplaneExample/SliplaneExample.csproj
index d3344f2a7e..f1cc9c9ef8 100644
--- a/src/auth/examples/SliplaneExample/SliplaneExample.csproj
+++ b/src/auth/examples/SliplaneExample/SliplaneExample.csproj
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
     <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
     <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
     <RootNamespace>SliplaneExample</RootNamespace>
+    <UserSecretsId>ivy-auth-sliplane-example</UserSecretsId>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/SliplaneExample/appsettings.example.json b/src/auth/examples/SliplaneExample/appsettings.example.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 7df5d0b853..0000000000
--- a/src/auth/examples/SliplaneExample/appsettings.example.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "Sliplane": {
-    "ClientId": "your-sliplane-client-id",
-    "ClientSecret": "your-sliplane-client-secret"
-  }
-}
-
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/SupabaseExample/.gitignore b/src/auth/examples/SupabaseExample/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 16bf3adb5b..0000000000
--- a/src/auth/examples/SupabaseExample/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-appsettings.json
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/SupabaseExample/SupabaseExample.csproj b/src/auth/examples/SupabaseExample/SupabaseExample.csproj
index 02518972e6..8d57921bbf 100644
--- a/src/auth/examples/SupabaseExample/SupabaseExample.csproj
+++ b/src/auth/examples/SupabaseExample/SupabaseExample.csproj
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
     <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
     <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
     <RootNamespace>SupabaseExample</RootNamespace>
+    <UserSecretsId>ivy-auth-supabase-example</UserSecretsId>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>
diff --git a/src/auth/examples/SupabaseExample/appsettings.example.json b/src/auth/examples/SupabaseExample/appsettings.example.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 58e670824d..0000000000
--- a/src/auth/examples/SupabaseExample/appsettings.example.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "Supabase": {
-    "Url": "https://your-project.supabase.co",
-    "ApiKey": "your-api-key"
-  },
-  "Google": {
-    "ClientId": "your-google-client-id",
-    "ClientSecret": "your-google-client-secret"
-  }
-}