diff --git a/src/paperless/auto_auth.py b/src/paperless/auto_auth.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..27d9158c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/paperless/auto_auth.py
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+
+class User:
+    is_superuser = True
+    is_active = True
+    is_staff = True
+    id = 1
+
+def return_true(*args, **kwargs):
+    return True
+User.has_module_perms = return_true
+User.has_perm = return_true
+
+class Middleware(object):
+    def process_request(self, request):
+        request.user = User()
diff --git a/src/paperless/settings.py b/src/paperless/settings.py
index 6d750c9b0..a28424e81 100644
--- a/src/paperless/settings.py
+++ b/src/paperless/settings.py
@@ -77,14 +77,21 @@ INSTALLED_APPS = [
 if os.getenv("PAPERLESS_INSTALLED_APPS"):
     INSTALLED_APPS += os.getenv("PAPERLESS_INSTALLED_APPS").split(",")
 
+
+AUTH_CLASSES = [\
+    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
+    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.SessionAuthenticationMiddleware']
+
+if bool(os.getenv("PAPERLESS_DISABLE_AUTH","true").lower() in ("yes", "y", "1", "t", "true")):
+  AUTH_CLASSES = ['auto_auth.Middleware']   
+
 MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES = [
     'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',
     'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
     'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
-    'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
-    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
-    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.SessionAuthenticationMiddleware',
-    'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
+    'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware']\
+    + AUTH_CLASSES + \
+    ['django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
     'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',
 ]