diff --git a/docker-compose.tmpl.yml b/docker-compose.tmpl.yml
index 27685a4..b585b73 100644
--- a/docker-compose.tmpl.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.tmpl.yml
@@ -394,12 +394,17 @@ services:
     environment:
       API_BASE_URL: http://10.7.7.1:8080/bigbluebutton/api/
       API_SECRET: ${SHARED_SECRET}
-      RECORDINGS_METRICS_READ_FROM_DISK: "false"
+      RECORDINGS_METRICS_READ_FROM_DISK: "${ENABLE_PROMETHEUS_EXPORTER_OPTIMIZATION:-false}"
     networks:
       bbb-net:
         ipv4_address: 10.7.7.33
+    {{ if isTrue .Env.ENABLE_PROMETHEUS_EXPORTER_OPTIMIZATION }}
+    volumes:
+      - bigbluebutton:/var/bigbluebutton:ro
+    {{end}}
 {{end}}
 
+
 volumes:
   bigbluebutton:
   vol-freeswitch:
diff --git a/sample.env b/sample.env
index 3ff5f93..f9c6596 100644
--- a/sample.env
+++ b/sample.env
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ ENABLE_GREENLIGHT=true
 # serves the bigbluebutton-exporter under following URL:
 # https://yourdomain/bbb-exporter
 #ENABLE_PROMETHEUS_EXPORTER=true
+#ENABLE_PROMETHEUS_EXPORTER_OPTIMIZATION=true
 
 # Recording
 # IMPORTANT: this is currently a big privacy issues, because it will
diff --git a/scripts/generate-compose b/scripts/generate-compose
index 775412c..bd7d710 100755
--- a/scripts/generate-compose
+++ b/scripts/generate-compose
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ docker run  \
     -e ENABLE_COTURN=${ENABLE_COTURN:-false} \
     -e ENABLE_GREENLIGHT=${ENABLE_GREENLIGHT:-false} \
     -e ENABLE_PROMETHEUS_EXPORTER=${ENABLE_PROMETHEUS_EXPORTER:-false} \
+    -e ENABLE_PROMETHEUS_EXPORTER_OPTIMIZATION=${ENABLE_PROMETHEUS_EXPORTER_OPTIMIZATION:-false} \
     -e NUMBER_OF_BACKEND_NODEJS_PROCESSES=${NUMBER_OF_BACKEND_NODEJS_PROCESSES:-1} \
     -e NUMBER_OF_FRONTEND_NODEJS_PROCESSES=${NUMBER_OF_FRONTEND_NODEJS_PROCESSES:-1} \
     jwilder/dockerize -template /docker-compose.tmpl.yml \
diff --git a/scripts/setup b/scripts/setup
index c5e334c..7a3ad6b 100755
--- a/scripts/setup
+++ b/scripts/setup
@@ -50,11 +50,6 @@ then
     done
 fi
 
-prometheus_exporter=""
-while [[ ! $prometheus_exporter =~ ^(y|n)$ ]]; do
-    read -p "Should a Prometheus exporter be included? (y/n): " prometheus_exporter
-done
-
 DOMAIN=""
 while [[ -z "$DOMAIN" ]]; do
     read -p "Please enter the domain name: " DOMAIN
@@ -68,10 +63,23 @@ echo "   suggests, that it does not."
 echo "   make sure that you always get people's consent, before they join a room!"
 echo "   https://github.com/bigbluebutton/bigbluebutton/issues/9202"
 while [[ ! $recording =~ ^(y|n)$ ]]; do
-
     read -p "Choice (y/n): " recording
 done
 
+prometheus_exporter=""
+while [[ ! $prometheus_exporter =~ ^(y|n)$ ]]; do
+    read -p "Should a Prometheus exporter be included? (y/n): " prometheus_exporter
+done
+if [ "$prometheus_exporter" == "y" ]  && [ "$recording" == "y" ]
+then
+    echo "Should Prometheus exporter optimization be enabled?"
+    echo "  This instructs exporter to collect expensive recordings metrics by querying the disk instead of the API."
+    echo "  Enabling this can substantially decrease the scrape time required for the exporter to respond to metrics requests"
+    prometheus_exporter_optimization=""
+    while [[ ! $prometheus_exporter_optimization =~ ^(y|n)$ ]]; do
+        read -p "Choice (y/n): " prometheus_exporter_optimization
+    done
+
 if [ "$recording" == "y" ]
 then
 
@@ -166,7 +174,12 @@ fi
 
 if [ "$prometheus_exporter" == "y" ]
 then
-    sed -i "s/#ENABLE_PROMETHEUS_EXPORTER.*/ENABLE_PROMETHEUS_EXPORTER=true/" .env
+    sed -i "s/#ENABLE_PROMETHEUS_EXPORTER=.*/ENABLE_PROMETHEUS_EXPORTER=true/" .env
+fi
+
+if [ "$prometheus_exporter_optimization" == "y" ]
+then
+    sed -i "s/#ENABLE_PROMETHEUS_EXPORTER_OPTIMIZATION=.*/ENABLE_PROMETHEUS_EXPORTER_OPTIMIZATION=true/" .env
 fi
 
 # change secrets