diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index e13461ab14..23266e6a4c 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 #
 version: 2
 jobs:
-  build:
+  unit-tests:
     docker:
       # specify the version you desire here
       - image: circleci/node:9
@@ -29,6 +29,10 @@ jobs:
           # fallback to using the latest cache if no exact match is found
           - v2-dependencies-
 
+      - run:
+          command: |
+            curl -Lo kubectl https://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/release/v1.10.0/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl && chmod +x kubectl && sudo mv kubectl /usr/local/bin/
+
       - run: sudo apt install rsync ruby ruby-dev cmake libicu-dev pkg-config
       - run: sudo gem install --no-document copyright-header
       - run: npm install
@@ -47,4 +51,54 @@ jobs:
 
       # run tests
       - run: npm test
-      - run: ./bin/integ
+
+  minikube-tests:
+    # got this from https://github.com/gavinzhou/ci-minikube/blob/master/.circleci/config.yml
+    machine: true
+    environment:
+      CHANGE_MINIKUBE_NONE_USER: true
+      BASH_ENV: ~/.bashrc
+    steps:
+      - checkout
+      - run:
+          command: |
+            curl -Lo kubectl https://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/release/v1.10.0/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl && chmod +x kubectl && sudo mv kubectl /usr/local/bin/
+      - run:
+          command: |
+            ## only run 0.25.0 , not work after 0.25.0+
+            ## because circleci machine run ubuntu 14
+            curl -Lo minikube https://storage.googleapis.com/minikube/releases/v0.25.0/minikube-linux-amd64 && chmod +x minikube && sudo mv minikube /usr/local/bin/
+      - run: sudo minikube start --vm-driver=none
+      - run: sudo minikube update-context
+      - run:
+          name: Install node@8
+          # https://discuss.circleci.com/t/how-to-change-node-version-in-circleci-2-0/17455
+          command: |
+            set +e
+            touch $BASH_ENV
+            curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.33.5/install.sh | bash
+            echo 'export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"' >> $BASH_ENV
+            echo '[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"' >> $BASH_ENV
+            echo 'nvm install 8' >> $BASH_ENV
+            echo 'nvm alias default 8' >> $BASH_ENV
+      - run:
+          # for some reason we need to manually source $BASH_ENV (CircleCI machine executer is poorly documented...)
+          command: |
+            source $BASH_ENV
+            npm install
+            npm run build
+      - run:
+          command: |
+            JSONPATH='{range .items[*]}{@.metadata.name}:{range @.status.conditions[*]}{@.type}={@.status};{end}{end}'; until sudo kubectl get nodes -o jsonpath="$JSONPATH" 2>&1 | grep -q "Ready=True"; do sleep 1; done
+      - run: sudo kubectl cluster-info
+      - run:
+          command: |
+            source $BASH_ENV
+            ./bin/integ
+
+workflows:
+  version: 2
+  all-tests:
+    jobs:
+      - unit-tests
+#      - minikube-tests
diff --git a/docs/minikube.md b/docs/minikube.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6c5bb9e5d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/minikube.md
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+## Using Garden with Minikube
+
+Garden can be used with [Minikube](https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube) on supported platforms.
+
+### Installation
+
+For installation instructions, please see the [official guide](https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube#installation).
+You'll likely also need to install a driver to run the Minikube VM, please follow the 
+[instructions here](https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/blob/master/docs/drivers.md#hyperkit-driver)
+and note the name of the driver.
+ 
+Once Minikube and the appropriate driver for your OS is installed, you can start it by running:
+
+    minikube start --vm-driver=<your vm driver>  # e.g. hyperkit on macOS
+    
+You'll also need to have Docker (for macOS, we recommend [Docker for Mac](https://docs.docker.com/engine/installation/))
+and [kubectl](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/install-kubectl/) installed.
+
+_NOTE: Garden is not yet officially supported on Windows, but we have every intention to support it. 
+Please file any issues and we will try and respond promptly._
+
+### Usage
+
+The `local-kubernetes` plugin attempts to automatically detect if it is installed and set the appropriate context 
+for connecting to the local Kubernetes instance. In most cases you should not have to update your `garden.yml`
+since it uses the `local-kubernetes` plugin by default, but you can configure it explicitly in your project
+`garden.yml` like so:
+
+```yaml
+project:
+  environments:
+    - name: local
+      providers:
+        - name: local-kubernetes
+          context: minikube    
+``` 
+
+_Note: If you happen to have installed both Minikube and the Docker for Mac version with Kubernetes enabled,
+`garden` will choose whichever one is configured as the current context in your `kubectl` configuration, and if neither
+is set as the current context, Docker for Mac is preferred by default._
+
+Once configured, the `local-kubernetes` plugin will automatically configure everything Garden needs to work.
diff --git a/examples/hello-world/garden.yml b/examples/hello-world/garden.yml
index 1c1fc85628..3a14de0bd1 100644
--- a/examples/hello-world/garden.yml
+++ b/examples/hello-world/garden.yml
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ project:
     - name: local
       providers:
         - name: local-kubernetes
-          context: docker-for-desktop
         - name: local-google-cloud-functions
     - name: dev
       providers:
diff --git a/garden.yml b/garden.yml
index 24b4eb7a36..1850cd3e62 100644
--- a/garden.yml
+++ b/garden.yml
@@ -5,3 +5,5 @@ project:
       providers:
         - name: container
         - name: local-kubernetes
+          # note: this context is not actually used for anything
+          context: docker-for-desktop
diff --git a/gulpfile.ts b/gulpfile.ts
index 2f76120fbf..0508188f75 100644
--- a/gulpfile.ts
+++ b/gulpfile.ts
@@ -80,10 +80,22 @@ gulp.task("add-version-files", (cb) => {
   proc.on("error", err => cb(err))
 
   let output = ""
-  proc.stdout.on("data", d => output += d)
+  let outputWithError = ""
+  proc.stdout.on("data", d => {
+    output += d
+    outputWithError += d
+  })
+  proc.stderr.on("data", d => outputWithError += d)
 
   proc.on("close", () => {
-    const results = JSON.parse(output)
+    let results
+    try {
+      results = JSON.parse(output)
+    } catch {
+      const msg = "Got unexpected output from `garden scan`"
+      console.error(msg + "\n" + outputWithError)
+      return cb(msg)
+    }
 
     for (const module of <any>results.result) {
       const relPath = relative(__dirname, module.path)
diff --git a/src/garden.ts b/src/garden.ts
index db33534532..29a90c3e0d 100644
--- a/src/garden.ts
+++ b/src/garden.ts
@@ -380,8 +380,8 @@ export class Garden {
 
     try {
       plugin = factory({
-        garden: this,
         config,
+        logEntry: this.log,
       })
     } catch (error) {
       throw new PluginError(`Unexpected error when loading plugin "${pluginName}": ${error}`, {
diff --git a/src/plugins/kubernetes/local.ts b/src/plugins/kubernetes/local.ts
index f195c9a916..95e4878a97 100644
--- a/src/plugins/kubernetes/local.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/kubernetes/local.ts
@@ -6,11 +6,15 @@
  * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
  */
 
+import { execSync } from "child_process"
+import { readFileSync } from "fs"
+import { safeLoad } from "js-yaml"
 import {
   every,
   values,
 } from "lodash"
 import * as Joi from "joi"
+import { join } from "path"
 import { validate } from "../../types/common"
 import {
   ConfigureEnvironmentParams,
@@ -32,6 +36,11 @@ import {
   isSystemGarden,
 } from "./system"
 
+// note: this is in order of preference, in case neither is set as the current kubectl context
+// and none is explicitly configured in the garden.yml
+const supportedContexts = ["docker-for-desktop", "minikube"]
+const kubeConfigPath = join(process.env.HOME || "~", ".kube", "config")
+
 // extend the environment configuration to also set up an ingress controller and dashboard
 export async function getLocalEnvironmentStatus(
   { ctx, provider, env, logEntry }: GetEnvironmentStatusParams,
@@ -78,19 +87,72 @@ async function configureLocalEnvironment(
   }
 }
 
-export const name = "local-kubernetes"
+function getKubeConfig(): any {
+  try {
+    return safeLoad(readFileSync(kubeConfigPath).toString())
+  } catch {
+    return {}
+  }
+}
+
+function setMinikubeDockerEnv() {
+  const minikubeEnv = execSync("minikube docker-env --shell=bash").toString()
+  for (const line of minikubeEnv.split("\n")) {
+    const matched = line.match(/^export (\w+)="(.+)"$/)
+    if (matched) {
+      process.env[matched[1]] = matched[2]
+    }
+  }
+}
 
 const configSchema = providerConfigBase.keys({
-  context: Joi.string().default("docker-for-desktop"),
+  context: Joi.string(),
   _system: Joi.any(),
 })
 
-export function gardenPlugin({ config }): GardenPlugin {
+export const name = "local-kubernetes"
+
+export function gardenPlugin({ config, logEntry }): GardenPlugin {
   config = validate(config, configSchema, { context: "kubernetes provider config" })
 
+  let context = config.context
+
+  if (!context) {
+    // automatically detect supported kubectl context if not explicitly configured
+    const kubeConfig = getKubeConfig()
+    const currentContext = kubeConfig["current-context"]
+
+    if (currentContext && supportedContexts.includes(currentContext)) {
+      // prefer current context if set and supported
+      context = currentContext
+      logEntry.debug({ section: name, msg: `Using current context: ${context}` })
+    } else if (kubeConfig.contexts) {
+      const availableContexts = kubeConfig.contexts.map(c => c.name)
+
+      for (const supportedContext of supportedContexts) {
+        if (availableContexts.includes(supportedContext)) {
+          context = supportedContext
+          logEntry.debug({ section: name, msg: `Using detected context: ${context}` })
+          break
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (!context) {
+    context = supportedContexts[0]
+    logEntry.debug({ section: name, msg: `No kubectl context auto-deteced, using default: ${context}` })
+  }
+
+  if (context === "minikube") {
+    // automatically set docker environment variables for minikube
+    // TODO: it would be better to explicitly provide those to docker instead of using process.env
+    setMinikubeDockerEnv()
+  }
+
   const k8sConfig: KubernetesConfig = {
     name: config.name,
-    context: config.context,
+    context,
     ingressHostname: "local.app.garden",
     ingressClass: "nginx",
     // TODO: support SSL on local deployments
diff --git a/src/types/plugin.ts b/src/types/plugin.ts
index e2d9a1dab1..53d676f3b0 100644
--- a/src/types/plugin.ts
+++ b/src/types/plugin.ts
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ export interface GardenPlugin {
 }
 
 export interface PluginFactory {
-  ({ garden: Garden, config: object }): GardenPlugin
+  ({ config: object, logEntry: LogEntry }): GardenPlugin
   pluginName?: string
 }
 export type RegisterPluginParam = string | PluginFactory
diff --git a/src/types/project.ts b/src/types/project.ts
index 1b99c597b1..0679fdd353 100644
--- a/src/types/project.ts
+++ b/src/types/project.ts
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@ export const defaultEnvironments: EnvironmentConfig[] = [
     providers: [
       {
         name: "local-kubernetes",
-        context: "docker-for-desktop",
       },
     ],
     variables: {},