diff --git a/core/server/config/index.js b/core/server/config/index.js
index cee5842865..960981cad0 100644
--- a/core/server/config/index.js
+++ b/core/server/config/index.js
@@ -7,12 +7,14 @@ var path          = require('path'),
     when          = require('when'),
     url           = require('url'),
     _             = require('lodash'),
+    knex          = require('knex'),
     requireTree   = require('../require-tree').readAll,
     theme         = require('./theme'),
     configUrl     = require('./url'),
     ghostConfig   = {},
     appRoot       = path.resolve(__dirname, '../../../'),
-    corePath      = path.resolve(appRoot, 'core/');
+    corePath      = path.resolve(appRoot, 'core/'),
+    knexInstance;
 
 // Are we using sockets? Custom socket or the default?
 function getSocket() {
@@ -51,7 +53,14 @@ function updateConfig(config) {
     // Otherwise default to default content path location
     contentPath = ghostConfig.paths.contentPath || path.resolve(appRoot, 'content');
 
+    if (!knexInstance && ghostConfig.database) {
+        knexInstance = knex(ghostConfig.database);
+    }
+
     _.merge(ghostConfig, {
+        database: {
+            knex: knexInstance
+        },
         paths: {
             'appRoot':          appRoot,
             'subdir':           subdir,
diff --git a/core/server/data/migration/index.js b/core/server/data/migration/index.js
index eae2d510b0..4a645c903a 100644
--- a/core/server/data/migration/index.js
+++ b/core/server/data/migration/index.js
@@ -4,8 +4,6 @@ var _               = require('lodash'),
     fs              = require('fs'),
     nodefn          = require('when/node'),
     errors          = require('../../errors'),
-    client          = require('../../models/base').client,
-    knex            = require('../../models/base').knex,
     sequence        = require('when/sequence'),
 
     versioning      = require('../versioning'),
@@ -151,8 +149,10 @@ migrateUpFreshDb = function () {
 // This function changes the type of posts.html and posts.markdown columns to mediumtext. Due to
 // a wrong datatype in schema.js some installations using mysql could have been created using the
 // data type text instead of mediumtext.
-// For details see: https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/issues/1947 
+// For details see: https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/issues/1947
 function checkMySQLPostTable() {
+    var knex = config().database.knex;
+
     return knex.raw("SHOW FIELDS FROM posts where Field ='html' OR Field = 'markdown'").then(function (response) {
         return _.flatten(_.map(response[0], function (entry) {
             if (entry.Type.toLowerCase() !== 'mediumtext') {
@@ -178,6 +178,7 @@ migrateUp = function () {
     var deleteCommands,
         addCommands,
         oldTables,
+        client = config().database.client,
         addColumns = [],
         modifyUniCommands = [],
         commands = [];
@@ -244,4 +245,4 @@ module.exports = {
     reset: reset,
     migrateUp: migrateUp,
     migrateUpFreshDb: migrateUpFreshDb
-};
+};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/server/models/base.js b/core/server/models/base.js
index 9d808b316c..d96984f038 100644
--- a/core/server/models/base.js
+++ b/core/server/models/base.js
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 // accesses the models directly. All other parts of Ghost, including the blog frontend, admin UI, and apps are only
 // allowed to access data via the API.
 var bookshelf  = require('bookshelf'),
-    knex       = require('knex'),
     when       = require('when'),
     moment     = require('moment'),
     _          = require('lodash'),
@@ -21,8 +20,7 @@ var bookshelf  = require('bookshelf'),
 
 // ### ghostBookshelf
 // Initializes a new Bookshelf instance called ghostBookshelf, for reference elsewhere in Ghost.
-ghostBookshelf = bookshelf(knex(config().database));
-ghostBookshelf.client = config().database.client;
+ghostBookshelf = bookshelf(config().database.knex);
 
 // ### ghostBookshelf.Model
 // The Base Model which other Ghost objects will inherit from,
diff --git a/core/server/update-check.js b/core/server/update-check.js
index 60ad1bcf9c..c22eb7949b 100644
--- a/core/server/update-check.js
+++ b/core/server/update-check.js
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ function updateCheckData() {
     data.ghost_version   = currentVersion;
     data.node_version    = process.versions.node;
     data.env             = process.env.NODE_ENV;
-    data.database_type   = require('./models/base').client;
+    data.database_type   = config().database.client;
     data.email_transport = mailConfig && (mailConfig.options && mailConfig.options.service ? mailConfig.options.service : mailConfig.transport);
 
     return when.settle(ops).then(function (descriptors) {