diff --git a/docker-compose.yaml b/docker-compose.yaml
index a1ede78..a1d0ee6 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yaml
+++ b/docker-compose.yaml
@@ -60,9 +60,18 @@ services:
   # service's own name), so maptool and kiwix stay independent containers.
   # Keeps restarting (harmlessly) if data/kiwix/wikipedia.zim isn't there
   # yet — GET /api/kiwix just reports unavailable until it comes up.
+  #
+  # The volume binds the exact *file* path, not the data/kiwix/ directory —
+  # deliberately, so data/kiwix/wikipedia.zim can be a symlink to wherever
+  # the (large) real ZIM actually lives. A bind mount resolves a symlink at
+  # its *source* path once, at mount time (plain mount(2) semantics, same
+  # as Podman); a symlink sitting inside an already-mounted directory
+  # doesn't get that treatment — the container would have to resolve it
+  # itself, inside its own filesystem, where the host path it points to
+  # doesn't exist.
   kiwix:
     image: ghcr.io/kiwix/kiwix-serve:latest
     restart: unless-stopped
     command: ["--port=8080", "/data/wikipedia.zim"]
     volumes:
-      - ./data/kiwix:/data
+      - ./data/kiwix/wikipedia.zim:/data/wikipedia.zim
diff --git a/docs/development.adoc b/docs/development.adoc
index 7dce4ac..72337f2 100644
--- a/docs/development.adoc
+++ b/docs/development.adoc
@@ -89,7 +89,14 @@ self-contained archive, obtain one locally:
   browsing images offline doesn't matter here.
 * Download it to `data/kiwix/wikipedia.zim` (the exact filename
   `docker-compose.yaml`'s `kiwix` service expects — rename after
-  downloading, Kiwix's own filenames are much more specific).
+  downloading, Kiwix's own filenames are much more specific). A symlink
+  there works too (`ln -s /wherever/the-real-file.zim
+  data/kiwix/wikipedia.zim`), so the real file doesn't have to sit inside
+  this repo's checkout at all — the compose file's volume binds that exact
+  path, not the `data/kiwix/` directory, specifically so this resolves
+  correctly (a symlink *inside* an already-mounted directory wouldn't: the
+  container would have to resolve it itself, in its own filesystem, where
+  the host path it points to doesn't exist).
 
 Once it's there, `docker compose up -d kiwix` (or a full restart)
 picks it up — `GET /api/kiwix` reports `available: true` and the