diff --git a/lib/installer.js b/lib/installer.js
index <HASH>..<HASH> 100644
--- a/lib/installer.js
+++ b/lib/installer.js
@@ -177,25 +177,19 @@ exports.promptAdminUser = function (callback) {
 };
 
 /**
- * Creates a hoodie admin user
+ * Creates a Pocket admin user
  */
 
 exports.saveAdminUser = function (cfg, couch_pwd, user, callback) {
-    // couchdb user doc
-    var doc = {
-        _id: 'org.couchdb.user:' + user.name,
-        roles: ['hoodie-admin:' + cfg.id],
-        type: 'user',
-        name: user.name,
-        password: user.password
-    };
-    // add auth info to db url
-    var db_url = url.parse(cfg.couch.url);
-    db_url.auth = cfg.couch.username + ':' + couch_pwd;
-
-    var path = '/_users/' + encodeURIComponent(doc._id);
-    var user_url = url.resolve(db_url, path);
-    couchr.put(user_url, doc, callback);
+    request({
+        url: cfg.couch.url + '/_config/admins/' + encodeURIComponent(user.name),
+        method: 'PUT',
+        body: '"' + user.password + '"',
+        auth: {
+            user: cfg.couch.username,
+            pass: couch_pwd
+        }
+    }, callback)
 };
 
 /**
create full _admin user for pocket instead of using hoodie-admin:appid role