diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 24374ae..8351c4e 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -5,8 +5,10 @@ TOKEN = $(shell ansible-vault decrypt --vault-password-file \
 		        ~/.config/ansible/hcloud.secret --output - \
 				group_vars/all/vars.yaml | cut -d' ' -f2)
 
+SNAPNAME = $(shell cat group_vars/all/all.yaml | yq .snapshot)
+
 SNAPSHOT = $(shell hcloud image  list -t snapshot -o yaml | \
-			       yq '. | map(select(.description == "FreeBSD-14.1-RELEASE-hcloud-init")) | .[].id')
+			       yq '. | map(select(.description == "$(SNAPNAME)")) | .[].id')
 
 OPTIONS = -i inventory -t active
 CREATE_COMMAND = ansible-playbook create.yaml $(OPTIONS)
@@ -17,6 +19,9 @@ DEBUG_COMMAND = ansible-playbook debug.yaml $(OPTIONS)
 
 ENV = HCLOUD_TOKEN="$(TOKEN)" SNAPSHOT="$(SNAPSHOT)" ANSIBLE_VERBOSITY=$(verbose)
 
+test:
+	@echo SNAPSHOT="$(SNAPSHOT)"
+
 all: create deploy
 
 debug:
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 71dcabb..6726237 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ## Ansible roles and playbook to maintain bsdnix.de
 
-### Basics
+### Prepare hetzner cloud
 
 In order to be able to deploy freebsd vps' on Hetzner cloud you need to do:
 
@@ -16,14 +16,14 @@ In order to be able to deploy freebsd vps' on Hetzner cloud you need to do:
 - shutdown the vps
 - create a snapshot, name it visely, I name mine like: `FreeBSD-14.1-RELEASE-hcloud-init`
 - delete the builder vps
+- update the snapshot name in `group_vars/all/all.yaml`
 
 Then you can deploy new freebsd vps' using this snapshot. They'll come
 up, configure themselves to be reachable.
 
-The `deploy.yaml` playbook will then use the hetzner cloud dynamic
-inventory to discover your vps. So, you have to call `make deploy`
-twice: once to deploy a new vps and second time to configure
-it. Subsequent calls only configure of course.
+The `create.yaml` playbook  will create a new vps if  it doesn't exist
+yet and  the `deploy.yaml`  playbook will then  use the  hetzner cloud
+dynamic inventory to discover your vps.
 
 ### Setup ansible
 
@@ -61,3 +61,24 @@ To make the output more verbose,  add `verbose=N` to the target, e.g.:
 `make depoy verbose=2` where N is the verbosity level (0-4)
 
 If you want to execute only a subset of a playbook, remove the `active` tag from it.
+
+### Updating
+
+(not yet completely determined!)
+
+- create a new release snapshot as outlined above
+- add a new vps to the local inventory (`inventory/vps.yaml`)
+- run `make`
+- remove the old vps
+
+or: just call `freebsd-update** - however,  if you ever need to rebuild
+the vps,  then it  will come  up with the  - then  - old  release. So,
+better rebuild from scratch to update.
+
+### Deleting
+
+**CAUTION** the  `cleanup.yaml` playbook  removes **ALL**  running vps
+instances!   Better use  the `hcloud`  cli  to do  this.  The  cleanup
+playbook just exists  to make development of the  deployment easier so
+that I don't  need to pay for an non-ready  instance running while I'm
+not working on it.
diff --git a/group_vars/all/all.yaml b/group_vars/all/all.yaml
index 32b479c..853f5ce 100644
--- a/group_vars/all/all.yaml
+++ b/group_vars/all/all.yaml
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@ packages:
 # used by bastille to build a base
 release: 14.1-RELEASE
 
+# snapshot to install in new vps
+snapshot: FreeBSD-14.1-RELEASE-hcloud-init
+
 location: fsn1
 
 # must already exist in group project