diff --git a/keyserver/package.json b/keyserver/package.json
--- a/keyserver/package.json
+++ b/keyserver/package.json
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
     "profile-prod": "KEYSERVER=true KEYSERVER_CPU_PROFILING_ENABLED=true 0x --output-dir cpu_profiling_logs/{pid}.0x -o -- node --trace-warnings --loader=./loader.mjs dist/keyserver",
     "clear-profile-logs": "rm -rf cpu_profiling_logs/",
     "dev-rsync": "yarn --silent chokidar --initial --silent -s 'src/**/*.json' 'src/**/*.cjs' -c 'yarn rsync > /dev/null 2>&1'",
-    "dev": ". bash/source-nvm.sh && yarn concurrently --names=\"BABEL,RSYNC,NODEM\" -c \"bgBlue.bold,bgMagenta.bold,bgGreen.bold\" \"yarn babel-build --source-maps --watch\" \"yarn dev-rsync\" \". bash/source-nvm.sh && KEYSERVER=true NODE_ENV=development nodemon -e js,json,cjs --watch dist --no-warnings=ExperimentalWarning --loader=./loader.mjs dist/keyserver\"",
+    "dev": ". bash/source-nvm.sh && yarn concurrently --names=\"BABEL,RSYNC,NODEM\" -c \"bgBlue.bold,bgMagenta.bold,bgGreen.bold\" \"yarn babel-build --source-maps --watch\" \"yarn dev-rsync\" \". bash/source-nvm.sh && KEYSERVER=true AUTHORITATIVE_KEYSERVER=true NODE_ENV=development nodemon -e js,json,cjs --watch dist --no-warnings=ExperimentalWarning --loader=./loader.mjs dist/keyserver\"",
     "dev-log-metrics": "KEYSERVER_ENDPOINT_METRICS_ENABLED=true yarn dev",
     "script": ". bash/source-nvm.sh && NODE_ENV=development node --loader=./loader.mjs",
     "test": "jest"
diff --git a/keyserver/src/user/identity.js b/keyserver/src/user/identity.js
--- a/keyserver/src/user/identity.js
+++ b/keyserver/src/user/identity.js
@@ -75,6 +75,19 @@
   return cachedKeyserverID;
 }
 
+async function isAuthoritativeKeyserver(): Promise<boolean> {
+  if (process.env.AUTHORITATIVE_KEYSERVER) {
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  const id = await thisKeyserverID();
+  if (id === ashoat.id) {
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  return false;
+}
+
 export type AdminData = {
   +username: string,
   +id: string,
@@ -125,4 +138,5 @@
   thisKeyserverID,
   thisKeyserverAdmin,
   saveIdentityInfo,
+  isAuthoritativeKeyserver,
 };