diff --git a/.changeset/mean-ligers-fry.md b/.changeset/mean-ligers-fry.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..68efffd274
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/mean-ligers-fry.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+"@medusajs/admin-ui": patch
+"@medusajs/admin": patch
+---
+
+feat(admin,admin-ui): Updates the default behaviour of the plugin, and makes building for external deployment easier
diff --git a/packages/admin-ui/src/index.ts b/packages/admin-ui/src/index.ts
index 39f937d089..d95c44ceb7 100644
--- a/packages/admin-ui/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/admin-ui/src/index.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
+import dns from "dns"
 import fse from "fs-extra"
 import { resolve } from "path"
 import vite from "vite"
 import { AdminBuildConfig } from "./types"
-import { getCustomViteConfig } from "./utils"
+import { AdminDevConfig } from "./types/dev"
+import { getCustomViteConfig, getCustomViteDevConfig } from "./utils"
 
 async function build(options?: AdminBuildConfig) {
   const config = getCustomViteConfig(options)
@@ -25,4 +27,16 @@ async function clean() {
   throw new Error("Not implemented")
 }
 
-export { build, watch, clean }
+async function dev(options: AdminDevConfig) {
+  // Resolve localhost for Node v16 and older.
+  // @see https://vitejs.dev/config/server-options.html#server-host.
+  dns.setDefaultResultOrder("verbatim")
+
+  const server = await vite.createServer(getCustomViteDevConfig(options))
+  await server.listen()
+
+  server.printUrls()
+}
+
+export { build, dev, watch, clean }
+export type { AdminBuildConfig, AdminDevConfig }
diff --git a/packages/admin-ui/src/types/dev.ts b/packages/admin-ui/src/types/dev.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b58d2e32ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/admin-ui/src/types/dev.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+export type AdminDevConfig = {
+  backend?: string
+  port?: number
+}
diff --git a/packages/admin-ui/src/types/index.ts b/packages/admin-ui/src/types/index.ts
index 348f635b62..70119ba8ed 100644
--- a/packages/admin-ui/src/types/index.ts
+++ b/packages/admin-ui/src/types/index.ts
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 export * from "./build"
+export * from "./dev"
 export * from "./misc"
diff --git a/packages/admin-ui/src/utils/format-base.ts b/packages/admin-ui/src/utils/format-base.ts
index cbf2e0f14a..5ac7d2c4cb 100644
--- a/packages/admin-ui/src/utils/format-base.ts
+++ b/packages/admin-ui/src/utils/format-base.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 import { Base } from "../types"
 
-export const formatBase = <T extends string>(base: T): Base<T> => {
+export const formatBase = <T extends string>(base?: T): Base<T> => {
+  if (!base) {
+    return undefined
+  }
+
   return `/${base}/`
 }
diff --git a/packages/admin-ui/src/utils/get-custom-vite-config.ts b/packages/admin-ui/src/utils/get-custom-vite-config.ts
index 7bc4af9554..3cdb8d8baa 100644
--- a/packages/admin-ui/src/utils/get-custom-vite-config.ts
+++ b/packages/admin-ui/src/utils/get-custom-vite-config.ts
@@ -10,9 +10,7 @@ export const getCustomViteConfig = (config: AdminBuildConfig): InlineConfig => {
   const uiPath = resolve(__dirname, "..", "..", "ui")
 
   const globalReplacements = () => {
-    const base = globals.base || "app"
-
-    let backend = "/"
+    let backend = undefined
 
     if (globals.backend) {
       try {
@@ -26,10 +24,12 @@ export const getCustomViteConfig = (config: AdminBuildConfig): InlineConfig => {
       }
     }
 
-    return {
-      __BASE__: JSON.stringify(`/${base}`),
-      __MEDUSA_BACKEND_URL__: JSON.stringify(backend),
-    }
+    const global = {}
+
+    global["__BASE__"] = JSON.stringify(globals.base ? `/${globals.base}` : "/")
+    global["__MEDUSA_BACKEND_URL__"] = JSON.stringify(backend ? backend : "/")
+
+    return global
   }
 
   const buildConfig = (): BuildOptions => {
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ export const getCustomViteConfig = (config: AdminBuildConfig): InlineConfig => {
       /**
        * Default build directory is at the root of the `@medusajs/admin-ui` package.
        */
-      destDir = resolve(__dirname, "..", "..", "build")
+      destDir = resolve(process.cwd(), "build")
     } else {
       /**
        * If a custom build directory is specified, it is resolved relative to the
diff --git a/packages/admin-ui/src/utils/get-custom-vite-dev-config.ts b/packages/admin-ui/src/utils/get-custom-vite-dev-config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b0def537b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/admin-ui/src/utils/get-custom-vite-dev-config.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import react from "@vitejs/plugin-react"
+import { resolve } from "path"
+import { InlineConfig } from "vite"
+import { AdminDevConfig } from "../types/dev"
+
+export const getCustomViteDevConfig = ({
+  backend = "http://localhost:9000",
+  port = 7001,
+}: AdminDevConfig): InlineConfig => {
+  const uiPath = resolve(__dirname, "..", "..", "ui")
+
+  return {
+    define: {
+      __BASE__: JSON.stringify("/"),
+      __MEDUSA_BACKEND_URL__: JSON.stringify(backend),
+    },
+    plugins: [react()],
+    root: uiPath,
+    mode: "development",
+    server: {
+      port,
+    },
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/admin-ui/src/utils/index.ts b/packages/admin-ui/src/utils/index.ts
index 06ac389b4c..8e0a7575a5 100644
--- a/packages/admin-ui/src/utils/index.ts
+++ b/packages/admin-ui/src/utils/index.ts
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 export * from "./format-base"
 export * from "./get-custom-vite-config"
+export * from "./get-custom-vite-dev-config"
diff --git a/packages/admin/README.md b/packages/admin/README.md
index 1a247607dc..053c645f0b 100644
--- a/packages/admin/README.md
+++ b/packages/admin/README.md
@@ -64,12 +64,12 @@ module.exports = {
 
 The plugin can be configured with the following options:
 
-| Option    | Type       | Description                                                                                                                                             | Default     |
-| --------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- |
-| `serve`   | `boolean?` | Whether to serve the admin dashboard or not.                                                                                                            | `true`      |
-| `path`    | `string?`  | The path the admin server should run on. Should not be prefixed or suffixed with a slash. Cannot be one of the reserved paths: `"admin"` and `"store"`. | `"app"`     |
-| `outDir`  | `string?`  | Optional path for where to output the admin build files                                                                                                 | `undefined` |
-| `backend` | `string?`  | URL to server. Should only be set if you plan on hosting the admin dashboard separately from your server                                                | `undefined` |
+| Option        | Type       | Description                                                                                                                                             | Default     |
+| ------------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- |
+| `serve`       | `boolean?` | Whether to serve the admin dashboard or not.                                                                                                            | `true`      |
+| `path`        | `string?`  | The path the admin server should run on. Should not be prefixed or suffixed with a slash. Cannot be one of the reserved paths: `"admin"` and `"store"`. | `"app"`     |
+| `outDir`      | `string?`  | Optional path for where to output the admin build files                                                                                                 | `undefined` |
+| `autoRebuild` | `boolean?` | Decides whether the admin UI should be rebuild if any changes or a missing build is detected during server startup                                      | `false`     |
 
 **Hint**: You can import the PluginOptions type for inline documentation for the different options:
 
@@ -91,9 +91,9 @@ module.exports = {
 
 ## Building the admin dashboard
 
-The admin will be built automatically the first time you start your server. Any subsequent changes to the plugin options will result in a rebuild of the admin dashboard.
+The admin will be built automatically the first time you start your server if you have enabled `autoRebuild`. Any subsequent changes to the plugin options will result in a rebuild of the admin dashboard.
 
-You may need to manually trigger a rebuild sometimes, for example after you have upgraded to a newer version of `@medusajs/admin`. You can do so by adding the following script to your `package.json`:
+You may need to manually trigger a rebuild sometimes, for example after you have upgraded to a newer version of `@medusajs/admin`, or if you have disabled `autoRebuild`. You can do so by adding the following script to your `package.json`:
 
 ```json
 {
diff --git a/packages/admin/package.json b/packages/admin/package.json
index 625404f3bf..a548f5c4d5 100644
--- a/packages/admin/package.json
+++ b/packages/admin/package.json
@@ -28,11 +28,13 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "@medusajs/admin-ui": "*",
     "commander": "^10.0.0",
+    "dotenv": "^16.0.3",
     "express": "^4.17.1",
     "fs-extra": "^11.1.0",
     "medusa-core-utils": "*",
     "ora": "5.4.0",
-    "picocolors": "^1.0.0"
+    "picocolors": "^1.0.0",
+    "ts-dedent": "^2.2.0"
   },
   "peerDependencies": {
     "@medusajs/medusa": "*"
diff --git a/packages/admin/src/api/index.ts b/packages/admin/src/api/index.ts
index d01e6c5c84..419e171ea1 100644
--- a/packages/admin/src/api/index.ts
+++ b/packages/admin/src/api/index.ts
@@ -13,21 +13,16 @@ export default function (_rootDirectory: string, options: PluginOptions) {
 
   if (serve) {
     let buildPath: string
-    let htmlPath: string
 
+    // If an outDir is provided we use that, otherwise we default to "build".
     if (outDir) {
       buildPath = resolve(process.cwd(), outDir)
-      htmlPath = resolve(buildPath, "index.html")
     } else {
-      buildPath = resolve(
-        require.resolve("@medusajs/admin-ui"),
-        "..",
-        "..",
-        "build"
-      )
-      htmlPath = resolve(buildPath, "index.html")
+      buildPath = resolve(process.cwd(), "build")
     }
 
+    const htmlPath = resolve(buildPath, "index.html")
+
     /**
      * The admin UI should always be built at this point, but in the
      * rare case that another plugin terminated a previous startup, the admin
@@ -35,14 +30,17 @@ export default function (_rootDirectory: string, options: PluginOptions) {
      * build files exist, and if not, we throw an error, providing the
      * user with instructions on how to fix their build.
      */
-    try {
-      fse.ensureFileSync(htmlPath)
-    } catch (_err) {
+
+    const indexExists = fse.existsSync(htmlPath)
+
+    if (!indexExists) {
       reporter.panic(
         new Error(
           `Could not find the admin UI build files. Please run ${colors.bold(
             "`medusa-admin build`"
-          )} to build the admin UI.`
+          )} or enable ${colors.bold(
+            `autoRebuild`
+          )} in the plugin options to build the admin UI.`
         )
       )
     }
diff --git a/packages/admin/src/commands/build.ts b/packages/admin/src/commands/build.ts
index 74d700ccc5..1128338552 100644
--- a/packages/admin/src/commands/build.ts
+++ b/packages/admin/src/commands/build.ts
@@ -1,48 +1,100 @@
-import { build as buildAdmin } from "@medusajs/admin-ui"
+import { AdminBuildConfig, build as buildAdmin } from "@medusajs/admin-ui"
+import dotenv from "dotenv"
+import fse from "fs-extra"
 import ora from "ora"
 import { EOL } from "os"
+import { resolve } from "path"
 import { loadConfig, reporter, validatePath } from "../utils"
 
 type BuildArgs = {
+  deployment?: boolean
   outDir?: string
   backend?: string
-  path?: string
+  include?: string[]
+  includeDist?: string
+}
+
+let ENV_FILE_NAME = ""
+switch (process.env.NODE_ENV) {
+  case "production":
+    ENV_FILE_NAME = ".env.production"
+    break
+  case "staging":
+    ENV_FILE_NAME = ".env.staging"
+    break
+  case "test":
+    ENV_FILE_NAME = ".env.test"
+    break
+  case "development":
+  default:
+    ENV_FILE_NAME = ".env"
+    break
+}
+
+try {
+  dotenv.config({ path: process.cwd() + "/" + ENV_FILE_NAME })
+} catch (e) {
+  reporter.warn(`Failed to load environment variables from ${ENV_FILE_NAME}`)
 }
 
 export default async function build(args: BuildArgs) {
-  const { path, backend, outDir } = mergeArgs(args)
+  const { deployment, outDir: outDirArg, backend, include, includeDist } = args
 
-  try {
-    validatePath(path)
-  } catch (err) {
-    reporter.panic(err)
+  let config: AdminBuildConfig = {}
+
+  if (deployment) {
+    config = {
+      build: {
+        outDir: outDirArg,
+      },
+      globals: {
+        backend: backend || process.env.MEDUSA_BACKEND_URL,
+      },
+    }
+  } else {
+    const { path, outDir } = loadConfig()
+
+    try {
+      validatePath(path)
+    } catch (err) {
+      reporter.panic(err)
+    }
+
+    config = {
+      build: {
+        outDir: outDir,
+      },
+      globals: {
+        base: path,
+      },
+    }
   }
 
   const time = Date.now()
   const spinner = ora().start(`Building Admin UI${EOL}`)
 
   await buildAdmin({
-    build: {
-      outDir: outDir,
-    },
-    globals: {
-      base: path,
-      backend: backend,
-    },
+    ...config,
   }).catch((err) => {
     spinner.fail(`Failed to build Admin UI${EOL}`)
     reporter.panic(err)
   })
 
+  /**
+   * If we have specified files to include in the build, we copy them
+   * to the build directory.
+   */
+  if (include && include.length > 0) {
+    const dist = outDirArg || resolve(process.cwd(), "build")
+
+    try {
+      for (const filePath of include) {
+        await fse.copy(filePath, resolve(dist, includeDist, filePath))
+      }
+    } catch (err) {
+      reporter.panic(err)
+    }
+  }
+
   spinner.succeed(`Admin UI build - ${Date.now() - time}ms`)
 }
-
-const mergeArgs = (args: BuildArgs) => {
-  const { path, backend, outDir } = loadConfig()
-
-  return {
-    path: args.path || path,
-    backend: args.backend || backend,
-    outDir: args.outDir || outDir,
-  }
-}
diff --git a/packages/admin/src/commands/create-cli.ts b/packages/admin/src/commands/create-cli.ts
index 764594b557..149631fd18 100644
--- a/packages/admin/src/commands/create-cli.ts
+++ b/packages/admin/src/commands/create-cli.ts
@@ -1,15 +1,47 @@
 import { Command } from "commander"
 import build from "./build"
+import dev from "./dev"
+import eject from "./eject"
 
 export async function createCli(): Promise<Command> {
   const program = new Command()
 
   const buildCommand = program.command("build")
   buildCommand.description("Build the admin dashboard")
+
+  buildCommand.option(
+    "--deployment",
+    "Build for deploying to and external host (e.g. Vercel)"
+  )
+
   buildCommand.option("-o, --out-dir <path>", "Output directory")
   buildCommand.option("-b, --backend <url>", "Backend URL")
-  buildCommand.option("-p, --path <path>", "Base path")
+  buildCommand.option(
+    "-i, --include [paths...]]",
+    "Paths to files that should be included in the build"
+  )
+  buildCommand.option(
+    "-d, --include-dist <path>",
+    "Path to where the files specified in the include option should be placed. Relative to the root of the build directory."
+  )
+
   buildCommand.action(build)
 
+  const devCommand = program.command("dev")
+  devCommand.description("Start the admin dashboard in development mode")
+  devCommand.option("-p, --port <port>", "Port (default: 7001))")
+  devCommand.option(
+    "-b, --backend <url>",
+    "Backend URL (default http://localhost:9000)"
+  )
+  devCommand.action(dev)
+
+  const deployCommand = program.command("eject")
+  deployCommand.description(
+    "Eject the admin dashboard source code to a custom directory"
+  )
+  deployCommand.option("-o, --out-dir <path>", "Output directory")
+  deployCommand.action(eject)
+
   return program
 }
diff --git a/packages/admin/src/commands/dev.ts b/packages/admin/src/commands/dev.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b362d8f28e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/admin/src/commands/dev.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+import type { AdminDevConfig } from "@medusajs/admin-ui"
+import { dev as devAdmin } from "@medusajs/admin-ui"
+
+export default async function dev(args: AdminDevConfig) {
+  await devAdmin(args)
+}
diff --git a/packages/admin/src/commands/eject.ts b/packages/admin/src/commands/eject.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..46d94eaca0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/admin/src/commands/eject.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+import * as fse from "fs-extra"
+import path from "path"
+import dedent from "ts-dedent"
+
+type EjectParams = {
+  outDir?: string
+}
+
+const DEFAULT_DESTINATION = "medusa-admin-ui"
+
+export default async function eject({
+  outDir = DEFAULT_DESTINATION,
+}: EjectParams) {
+  const projectPath = require.resolve("@medusajs/admin-ui")
+  const uiPath = path.join(projectPath, "..", "..", "ui")
+
+  const packageJsonPath = path.join(projectPath, "..", "..", "package.json")
+  const pkg = await fse.readJSON(packageJsonPath)
+
+  const fieldsToRemove = ["exports", "types", "files", "main", "packageManager"]
+  fieldsToRemove.forEach((field) => delete pkg[field])
+
+  pkg.type = "module"
+
+  const dependenciesToMove = [
+    "tailwindcss",
+    "autoprefixer",
+    "postcss",
+    "tailwindcss-radix",
+    "@tailwindcss/forms",
+    "vite",
+    "@vitejs/plugin-react",
+  ]
+
+  // Get dependencies in array from pkg.dependencies and move them to pkg.devDependencies
+  const dependencies = Object.keys(pkg.dependencies).filter((dep) =>
+    dependenciesToMove.includes(dep)
+  )
+
+  dependencies.forEach((dep) => {
+    pkg.devDependencies[dep] = pkg.dependencies[dep]
+    delete pkg.dependencies[dep]
+  })
+
+  pkg.scripts = {
+    build: "vite build",
+    dev: "vite --port 7001",
+    preview: "vite preview",
+  }
+
+  const viteConfig = dedent`
+  import { defineConfig } from "vite"
+  import dns from "dns"
+  import react from "@vitejs/plugin-react"
+
+    // Resolve localhost for Node v16 and older.
+    // @see https://vitejs.dev/config/server-options.html#server-host.
+    dns.setDefaultResultOrder("verbatim")
+
+    // https://vitejs.dev/config/
+    export default defineConfig({
+        plugins: [react()],
+        define: {
+            __BASE__: JSON.stringify("/"),
+            __MEDUSA_BACKEND_URL__: JSON.stringify("http://localhost:9000"),
+        },
+    })
+  `
+
+  // Create new tailwind.config.js file based on the current one
+  const tailwindConfig = await fse.readFile(
+    path.join(uiPath, "tailwind.config.js"),
+    "utf-8"
+  )
+
+  // Overwrite content field of module.exports in tailwind.config.js
+  let newTailwindConfig = tailwindConfig.replace(
+    /content:\s*\[[\s\S]*?\]/,
+    `content: ["src/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}", "./index.html"]`
+  )
+
+  // Remove require of "path" in tailwind.config.js
+  newTailwindConfig = newTailwindConfig.replace(
+    /const path = require\("path"\)/,
+    ""
+  )
+
+  // Create a new postcss.config.js file
+  const postcssConfig = dedent`
+    module.exports = {
+        plugins: {
+            "tailwindcss/nesting": {},
+            tailwindcss: {},
+            autoprefixer: {},
+        }
+    }
+`
+
+  const tmpPath = path.join(process.cwd(), outDir)
+
+  await fse.copy(uiPath, tmpPath)
+  await fse.remove(path.join(tmpPath, "tailwind.config.js"))
+  await fse.remove(path.join(tmpPath, "postcss.config.js"))
+  await fse.writeJSON(path.join(tmpPath, "package.json"), pkg)
+  await fse.writeFile(path.join(tmpPath, "vite.config.ts"), viteConfig)
+  await fse.writeFile(
+    path.join(tmpPath, "tailwind.config.cjs"),
+    newTailwindConfig
+  )
+  await fse.writeFile(path.join(tmpPath, "postcss.config.cjs"), postcssConfig)
+}
diff --git a/packages/admin/src/setup/index.ts b/packages/admin/src/setup/index.ts
index 8832dd594d..3fc58ee856 100644
--- a/packages/admin/src/setup/index.ts
+++ b/packages/admin/src/setup/index.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,14 @@ import { resolve } from "path"
 import { loadConfig, reporter, validatePath } from "../utils"
 
 export default async function setupAdmin() {
-  const { path, backend, outDir } = loadConfig()
+  const { path, outDir, serve, autoRebuild } = loadConfig()
+
+  // If the user has not specified that the admin UI should be served,
+  // we should not build it. Furthermore, if the user has not specified that they want
+  // the admin UI to be rebuilt on changes, we should not build it here.
+  if (!serve || !autoRebuild) {
+    return
+  }
 
   try {
     validatePath(path)
@@ -17,11 +24,13 @@ export default async function setupAdmin() {
   let dir: string
   let shouldBuild = false
 
+  /**
+   * If no outDir is provided we default to "build".
+   */
   if (outDir) {
     dir = resolve(process.cwd(), outDir)
   } else {
-    const uiPath = require.resolve("@medusajs/admin-ui")
-    dir = resolve(uiPath, "..", "..", "build")
+    dir = resolve(process.cwd(), "build")
   }
 
   try {
@@ -34,11 +43,16 @@ export default async function setupAdmin() {
 
   const buildOptions = {
     build: {
-      outDir: outDir,
+      outDir,
     },
     globals: {
       base: path,
-      backend: backend,
+      /**
+       * We only build the admin UI as part of the Medusa startup process if
+       * the user has specified that they want to serve the admin UI. When this
+       * is the case, we should always set the backend to `undefined`.
+       */
+      backend: undefined,
     },
   }
 
@@ -67,13 +81,7 @@ export default async function setupAdmin() {
     )
 
     await build({
-      build: {
-        outDir: outDir,
-      },
-      globals: {
-        base: path,
-        backend: backend,
-      },
+      ...buildOptions,
     }).catch((err) => {
       spinner.fail(`Failed to build Admin UI${EOL}`)
       reporter.panic(err)
diff --git a/packages/admin/src/types/index.ts b/packages/admin/src/types/index.ts
index bf4fb74a97..f9705c2c14 100644
--- a/packages/admin/src/types/index.ts
+++ b/packages/admin/src/types/index.ts
@@ -3,27 +3,30 @@ export type PluginOptions = {
    * Determines whether the admin dashboard should be served.
    */
   serve?: boolean
+
   /**
-   * The path to the admin dashboard. Should not be either prefixed or suffixed with a slash.
+   * The path to the admin dashboard. Should not be prefixed or suffixed with a slash.
    * The chosen path cannot be one of the reserved paths: "admin", "store".
    * @default "app"
    */
   path?: string
-  /**
-   * Backend to use for the admin dashboard. This should only be used if you
-   * intend on hosting the dashboard separately from your Medusa server.
-   * @default undefined
-   */
-  backend?: string
+
   /**
    * The directory to output the build to. By default the plugin will build
-   * the dashboard to the `build` directory of the `@medusajs/admin-ui` package.
-   * If you intend on hosting the dashboard separately from your Medusa server,
-   * you should use this option to specify a custom build directory, that you can
-   * deploy to your host of choice.
+   * the dashboard to the `build` directory in `/node_modules/@medusajs/admin-ui`.
    * @default undefined
    */
   outDir?: string
+
+  /**
+   * Re-build the admin automatically when options have changed since the last server start.
+   * Be aware that building the dashboard is a memory intensive process. Therefore, this option should
+   * only be used in production if your server has the memory required to support it.
+   *
+   * Only used if `serve` is `true`.
+   * @default false
+   */
+  autoRebuild?: boolean
 }
 
 type PluginObject = {
diff --git a/packages/admin/src/utils/load-config.ts b/packages/admin/src/utils/load-config.ts
index b395cfda84..1c9f5fc0a2 100644
--- a/packages/admin/src/utils/load-config.ts
+++ b/packages/admin/src/utils/load-config.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ export const loadConfig = () => {
 
   let defaultConfig: PluginOptions = {
     serve: true,
+    autoRebuild: false,
     path: "app",
   }
 
@@ -22,8 +23,8 @@ export const loadConfig = () => {
     const { options } = plugin as { options: PluginOptions }
     defaultConfig = {
       serve: options.serve ?? defaultConfig.serve,
+      autoRebuild: options.autoRebuild ?? defaultConfig.autoRebuild,
       path: options.path ?? defaultConfig.path,
-      backend: options.backend ?? defaultConfig.backend,
       outDir: options.outDir ?? defaultConfig.outDir,
     }
   }
diff --git a/packages/admin/src/utils/validate-path.ts b/packages/admin/src/utils/validate-path.ts
index 6ce66a7e12..4e47da07ee 100644
--- a/packages/admin/src/utils/validate-path.ts
+++ b/packages/admin/src/utils/validate-path.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
-export const validatePath = (path: string) => {
+export const validatePath = (path?: string) => {
+  if (!path) {
+    return
+  }
+
   if (path.startsWith("/")) {
     throw new Error(`Path cannot start with a slash.`)
   }
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 6a62685a60..51a47aeb20 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -5680,11 +5680,13 @@ __metadata:
     "@medusajs/admin-ui": "*"
     "@types/express": ^4.17.13
     commander: ^10.0.0
+    dotenv: ^16.0.3
     express: ^4.17.1
     fs-extra: ^11.1.0
     medusa-core-utils: "*"
     ora: 5.4.0
     picocolors: ^1.0.0
+    ts-dedent: ^2.2.0
     typescript: ^4.9.3
   peerDependencies:
     "@medusajs/medusa": "*"
@@ -18025,7 +18027,7 @@ __metadata:
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
-"dotenv@npm:^16.0.0":
+"dotenv@npm:^16.0.0, dotenv@npm:^16.0.3":
   version: 16.0.3
   resolution: "dotenv@npm:16.0.3"
   checksum: 109457ac5f9e930ca8066ea33887b6f839ab24d647a7a8b49ddcd1f32662e2c35591c5e5b9819063e430148a664d0927f0cbe60cf9575d89bc524f47ff7e78f0
@@ -38219,7 +38221,7 @@ __metadata:
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
-"ts-dedent@npm:^2.0.0":
+"ts-dedent@npm:^2.0.0, ts-dedent@npm:^2.2.0":
   version: 2.2.0
   resolution: "ts-dedent@npm:2.2.0"
   checksum: 175adea838468cc2ff7d5e97f970dcb798bbcb623f29c6088cb21aa2880d207c5784be81ab1741f56b9ac37840cbaba0c0d79f7f8b67ffe61c02634cafa5c303