diff --git a/bin/bootstrap b/bin/bootstrap
index 97b5121..faf4afb 100755
--- a/bin/bootstrap
+++ b/bin/bootstrap
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ usage() {
 usage: bootstrap [options] [dest_dir] 
   options:
         --help                              Print this message
+        --experiment expname                customize for experiment expname
         --query-packages                    Run make_packages_yaml rather than putting in templated packages.yaml
         --with_padding                      Set padding in spack config
         --fermi_spack_tools_release ver  fetch the labeled version of fermi_spack_tools
@@ -26,7 +27,8 @@ default_fermi_spack_tools_repo=https://github.com/FNALssi/fermi-spack-tools.git
 
 parse_args() {
     with_padding=""
-    if x=$(getopt --options "" --longoptions with_padding,help,query-packages,fermi_spack_tools_release:,spack_release:,spack_repo:,fermi_spack_tools_repo: -- "$@")
+    experiment_list=""
+    if x=$(getopt --options "" --longoptions with_padding,help,query-packages,experiment:,fermi_spack_tools_release:,spack_release:,spack_repo:,fermi_spack_tools_repo: -- "$@")
     then
         eval set : $x
         shift
@@ -47,6 +49,7 @@ parse_args() {
         x--with_padding)                 with_padding="--with_padding"; shift;;
         x--spack_release)                spack_version=$2; shift; shift ;;
         x--query-packages)               query_packages="--query-packages"; shift ;;
+        x--experiment)                   experiment_list="$experiment_list $2"; shift; shift ;;
         x--spack_repo)                   spack_repo=$2; shift; shift ;;
         x--fermi_spack_tools_release) ver=$2; shift; shift ;;
         x--fermi_spack_tools_repo)    fermi_spack_tools_repo=$2; shift; shift ;;
@@ -136,7 +139,7 @@ main() {
     PATH=$fst/bin:$PATH
 
     message "Setting up with make_spack"
-    sh -x $fst/bin/make_spack --verbose $query_packages --spack_release $spack_version --spack_repo $spack_repo $with_padding --minimal -u $dest
+    sh -x $fst/bin/make_spack --verbose $query_packages --spack_release $spack_version --spack_repo $spack_repo $with_padding --minimal -u --experiment "$experiment_list" $dest
 
     message "Setting up new instance"
 
diff --git a/bin/make_spack b/bin/make_spack
index 6bc3782..9c26ae9 100755
--- a/bin/make_spack
+++ b/bin/make_spack
@@ -93,6 +93,20 @@ clone_repos() {
           }
         fi
       fi
+      # if we added a repository not in repos.yaml, add it
+      pstr=$(uname -s | tr A-Z a-z)
+      if [ $repo_type = "recipes" ] 
+      then
+        repof=$dir/etc/spack/$pstr/repos.yaml 
+        config_ddir=$(echo $ddir | sed -e "s;$dir;\$spack;")
+        if grep "\\$config_ddir" $repof > /dev/null
+        then
+          :
+        else
+          echo "adding $ddir to repos.yaml"
+          echo "- $config_ddir" >> $repof
+        fi
+      fi
     done <<EOF
         $dir                                            $spack_release  $spack_repo
         $dir/etc/spack/linux                            main            https://github.com/FNALssi/fermi-etc-spack-linux.git      spack-
@@ -109,6 +123,7 @@ clone_repos() {
         $dir/var/spack/repos/nusofthep-spack-recipes    main            https://github.com/NuSoftHEP/nusofthep-spack-recipes.git
         $dir/var/spack/repos/larsoft-spack-recipes      main            https://github.com/LArSoft/larsoft-spack-recipes.git
         $dir/var/spack/repos/artdaq-spack               develop         https://github.com/art-daq/artdaq-spack.git
+        $experiment_repos
 EOF
 }
 
@@ -183,40 +198,66 @@ query_packages() {
    if $query_packages; then
        osstr=$(spack arch -o)
        spack linuxexternals --scope=$(preferred_scope)
+   else
+       true
    fi
 }
 
 usage() {
         echo "Usage: $0 [options] -[utp] /base/directory"
         echo " options:"
-        echo "  --upgrade (deprecated, ignored)"
-        echo "  --upgrade-etc"
-        echo "  --upgrade-extensions"
-        echo "  --upgrade-recipes"
-        echo "  --upgrade-spack"
-        echo "  --no-buildcache"
-        echo "  --query-packages"
-        echo "  --spack_release ver"
-        echo "  --spack_repo url"
-        echo "  --depth n"
-        echo "  --minimal"
-        echo "  --verbose"
-        echo "  -u fermi 'unified' layout (deprecated)"
-        echo "  -t fermi 'traditional' layout (deprecated)"
-        echo "  -p plain spack default layout (deprecated)"
-        echo "  -m minimal setup"
-        echo "  -v verbose flag"
+        echo "  --experiment exp_name    customize for experiment" 
+        echo "  --upgrade                upgrade spack instance (deprecated, ignored)"
+        echo "  --upgrade-etc            git pull latest etc areas"
+        echo "  --upgrade-extensions     git pull latest extensions"
+        echo "  --upgrade-recipes        git pull recipe repositories"
+        echo "  --upgrade-spack          git pull spack itself"
+        echo "  --no-buildcache          do not use buildcache for packages"
+        echo "  --query-packages         search for system packages instead of stock list"
+        echo "  --spack_release ver      set spack release to install"
+        echo "  --spack_repo url         set spack repository to install from"
+        echo "  --depth n                git clone depth (default 1 for speed)"
+        echo "  --minimal                minimal install"
+        echo "  --verbose                lots of debugging"
+        echo "  -u fermi                 use 'unified' layout (deprecated)"
+        echo "  -t fermi                 use 'traditional' layout (deprecated)"
+        echo "  -p plain                 use spack default layout (default, deprecated)"
+        echo "  -m                       short for --minimal"
+        echo "  -v                       short for --verbose"
         echo ""
         echo "  make a spack instance with given layout"
-        echo "  --query-packages turns on running make_packages_yaml (slow)"
-        echo "  --depth is passed to git clone calls (default 1)"
-        exit 1
 } 1>&2
 
 get_from_bootstrap() {
     grep "^$1=" $spackbindir/bootstrap | sed -e 's/.*=//'
 }
 
+get_experiment_repos() {
+    experiment_repos=""
+    for exp in $experiment_list
+    do
+        case $exp in
+        mu2e)
+          experiment_repos="$experiment_repos
+            $dir/var/spack/repos/mu2e-spack              main https://github.com/Mu2e/mu2e-spack.git"
+           ;;
+        larsoft)
+          experiment_repos="$experiment_repos
+            $dir/var/spack/repos/nusofthep-spack-recipes main https://github.com/NuSoftHEP/nusofthep-spack-recipes.git 
+            $dir/var/spack/repos/larsoft-spack-recipes   main https://github.com/LArSoft/larsoft-spack-recipes.git"
+           ;;
+        dune)
+          experiment_repos="$experiment_repos
+            $dir/var/spack/repos/nusofthep-spack-recipes main https://github.com/NuSoftHEP/nusofthep-spack-recipes.git 
+            $dir/var/spack/repos/larsoft-spack-recipes   main https://github.com/LArSoft/larsoft-spack-recipes.git
+            $dir/var/spack/repos/dune_spack              main https://github.com/DUNE/dune_spack"
+           ;;
+        nova)
+           ;;
+        esac
+    done
+}
+
 parse_args() {
     spack_repo=$(get_from_bootstrap default_spack_repo)
     spack_release=$(get_from_bootstrap default_spack_version)
@@ -230,9 +271,10 @@ parse_args() {
     verbose=false
     depth=1
     no_recipes=false
+    experiment_list=""
 
     origargs="$*"
-    if x=$(getopt --longoptions help,depth,with_padding,upgrade,upgrade-etc,upgrade-extensions,upgrade-recipes,upgrade-spack,spack_release:,minimal,no-recipe-repos,no_buildcache,repover,spack_repo:,query-packages,verbose --options mptuv -- "$@")
+    if x=$(getopt --longoptions help,depth,with_padding,experiment:,upgrade,upgrade-etc,upgrade-extensions,upgrade-recipes,upgrade-spack,spack_release:,minimal,no-recipe-repos,no_buildcache,repover,spack_repo:,query-packages,verbose --options mptuv -- "$@")
     then
         eval set : $x
         shift
@@ -243,11 +285,13 @@ parse_args() {
     while echo x$1 | grep x- > /dev/null
     do
         case "x$1" in
+        x--help)                usage; exit 0;;
         x--depth)               depth=$2; shift;;
         x--with_padding)        padding=true; shift ;;
         x--upgrade)             echo "Deprecated option --upgrade ignored: use --upgrade-{etc,extensions,recipes,spack} ";  shift;;
         x--upgrade-*)           eval upgrade_${1##*-}=1; shift;;
         x--spack_release)       spack_release=$2; shift; shift ;;
+        x--experiment)          experiment_list="$experiment_list $2"; shift; shift ;;
         x--spack_repo)          spack_repo=$2; shift; shift;;
         x--minimal)             minimal=true; shift ;;
         x--query-packages)      query_packages=true; shift ;;
@@ -302,16 +346,30 @@ do_keys() {
     spack buildcache keys --install --force --trust
 }
 
+do_experiment_mirrors() {
+    for exp in $experiment_list
+    do
+        mf="$dir/etc/spack/linux/mirrors.yaml"
+        case $exp in
+        mu2e)
+            echo "  mu2e: https://spack-cache-1.fnal.gov/binaries/mu2e" >> $mf
+            ;;
+        esac
+    done
+}
+
 main() {
 
     : starting: $*
     find_ourselves
     parse_args "$@"
 
+    get_experiment_repos
     clone_repos
     add_fermi_setups
     add_fermi_patches
     do_padding
+    do_experiment_mirrors
     do_spack_bootstrap
     do_keys
     query_packages