diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index aa5c278..3f26c53 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -67,9 +67,15 @@ RUN npm install -g ts-node yarn
 # Install js-soroban-client
 ARG JS_SOROBAN_CLIENT_NPM_VERSION
 ADD package.json /home/tester/
+ADD js-soroban-client /home/tester/js-soroban-client
 RUN sudo chown -R tester:tester /home/tester
 RUN yarn install --network-concurrency 1
-RUN yarn add "soroban-client@${JS_SOROBAN_CLIENT_NPM_VERSION}" --network-concurrency 1
+RUN if echo "$JS_SOROBAN_CLIENT_NPM_VERSION" | grep -q '.*file:.*'; then \
+  yarn add ${JS_SOROBAN_CLIENT_NPM_VERSION} --network-concurrency 1; \
+  else \
+  yarn add "soroban-client@${JS_SOROBAN_CLIENT_NPM_VERSION}" --network-concurrency 1; \
+  fi
+
 ADD *.ts /home/tester/bin/
 RUN ["sudo", "chmod", "+x", "/home/tester/bin/invoke.ts"]
 
diff --git a/invoke.ts b/invoke.ts
index 41a2a09..f19a234 100755
--- a/invoke.ts
+++ b/invoke.ts
@@ -38,18 +38,16 @@ async function main() {
         params.push(xdr.ScVal.scvSymbol(param));
     });
   }
- 
-  const txn = await server.prepareTransaction(
-    new SorobanClient.TransactionBuilder(sourceAccount, {
+
+  const originalTxn = new SorobanClient.TransactionBuilder(sourceAccount, {
       fee: "100",
       networkPassphrase,
     })
     .addOperation(contract.call(functionName, ...params))
     .setTimeout(30)
-    .build(),
-    networkPassphrase
-  );
-
+    .build();
+ 
+  const txn = await server.prepareTransaction(originalTxn,networkPassphrase);
   txn.sign(secretKey);
   const send = await server.sendTransaction(txn);
   if (send.errorResultXdr) {
diff --git a/js-soroban-client/README.md b/js-soroban-client/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..375eed3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/js-soroban-client/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+This is a placeholder file only.
+
+the system-teset/js-soroban-client directory can be used if you want to build system-test 
+with a local file path for the js-soroban-client project rather than pulling it from remote 
+npm or gh ref.
+
+js-soroban-client$ `yarn build`
+
+then copy the entire js-soroban-client directory over the top of system-test/js-soroban-client, 
+or soft link the directories, but be careful in soft link case as you don't want to accidentally delete, etc.
+
+once you have the system-teset/js-soroban-client ready, then build system-test and trigger it to use with:
+
+```
+make .... JS_SOROBAN_CLIENT_NPM_VERSION=file:/home/tester/js-soroban-client build
+
+```
+
+system-teset/js-soroban-client is copied to the `/home/tester/js-soroban-client` path in the docker image.