diff --git a/src/schemas/json/monade-stack-config.json b/src/schemas/json/monade-stack-config.json
index ccff5d18e92..e2b14ca639e 100644
--- a/src/schemas/json/monade-stack-config.json
+++ b/src/schemas/json/monade-stack-config.json
@@ -9,6 +9,12 @@
       "type": "string",
       "description": "The name of the stack. It will be used as a prefix for the stack's resources"
     },
+    "nginx": {
+      "type": "string",
+      "enum": ["system", "local"],
+      "default": "system",
+      "description": "Specifies whether to use the system-wide nginx service or spawn a local nginx process among other services. If not specified, 'system' is implied. Local nginx requires an nginx binary in the path. System wide nginx configuration is left to the user."
+    },
     "services": {
       "type": "object",
       "description": "The services to be run in the stack. Each service is represented by its name, which is the key",
diff --git a/src/test/monade-stack-config/example.yaml b/src/test/monade-stack-config/example.yaml
index a200ea7b5bc..d26b7a011e2 100644
--- a/src/test/monade-stack-config/example.yaml
+++ b/src/test/monade-stack-config/example.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 name: myapp
+nginx: local
 services:
   api:
     command: 'yarn dev'