diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 03e7af2..8165d97 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ services:
   signal-cli-rest-api:
     build: "."
     environment:
+      - USE_NATIVE=1
       - PORT=8080
     ports:
       - "8080:8080" #map docker port 8080 to host port 8080.
diff --git a/src/api/api.go b/src/api/api.go
index 9b87642..e25cbe1 100644
--- a/src/api/api.go
+++ b/src/api/api.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/h2non/filetype"
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	qrcode "github.com/skip2/go-qrcode"
+	utils "github.com/bbernhard/signal-cli-rest-api/utils"
 )
 
 const signalCliV2GroupError = "Cannot create a V2 group as self does not have a versioned profile"
@@ -319,10 +320,21 @@ func runSignalCli(wait bool, args []string, stdin string) (string, error) {
 	} else {
 		log.Debug("*) docker exec -it <container id> /bin/bash")
 	}
-	log.Debug("*) su signal-api")
-	log.Debug("*) signal-cli ", strings.Join(args, " "))
 
-	cmd := exec.Command("signal-cli", args...)
+	signalCliBinary := "signal-cli"
+	if utils.GetEnv("USE_NATIVE", "0") == "1" {
+		if utils.GetEnv("SUPPORTS_NATIVE", "0") == "1" {
+			signalCliBinary = "signal-cli-native"
+		} else {
+			log.Error("signal-cli-native is not support on this system...falling back to signal-cli")
+			signalCliBinary = "signal-cli"
+		}
+	}
+
+	log.Debug("*) su signal-api")
+	log.Debug("*) ", signalCliBinary, " ", strings.Join(args, " "))
+
+	cmd := exec.Command(signalCliBinary, args...)
 	if stdin != "" {
 		cmd.Stdin = strings.NewReader(stdin)
 	}
diff --git a/src/main.go b/src/main.go
index a796fd5..47414b6 100644
--- a/src/main.go
+++ b/src/main.go
@@ -2,14 +2,15 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"flag"
-	"os"
 
 	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	swaggerFiles "github.com/swaggo/files"
 	ginSwagger "github.com/swaggo/gin-swagger"
 	"github.com/bbernhard/signal-cli-rest-api/api"
+	"github.com/bbernhard/signal-cli-rest-api/utils"
 	_ "github.com/bbernhard/signal-cli-rest-api/docs"
+	"os"
 
 )
 
@@ -57,6 +58,16 @@ func main() {
 
 	log.Info("Started Signal Messenger REST API")
 
+	supportsSignalCliNative := "0"
+	if _, err := os.Stat("/usr/bin/signal-cli-native"); err == nil {
+		supportsSignalCliNative = "1"
+	}
+
+	err := os.Setenv("SUPPORTS_NATIVE", supportsSignalCliNative)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatal("Couldn't set env variable: ", err.Error())
+	}
+
 	api := api.NewApi(*signalCliConfig, *attachmentTmpDir, *avatarTmpDir)
 	v1 := router.Group("/v1")
 	{
@@ -135,7 +146,7 @@ func main() {
 		}
 	}
 
-	swaggerPort := getEnv("PORT", "8080")
+	swaggerPort := utils.GetEnv("PORT", "8080")
 
 	swaggerUrl := ginSwagger.URL("http://127.0.0.1:" + string(swaggerPort) + "/swagger/doc.json")
 	router.GET("/swagger/*any", ginSwagger.WrapHandler(swaggerFiles.Handler, swaggerUrl))
@@ -143,9 +154,4 @@ func main() {
 	router.Run()
 }
 
-func getEnv(key string, defaultVal string) string {
-	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv(key); exists {
-		return value
-	}
-	return defaultVal
-}
+