diff --git a/swh/scheduler/celery_backend/config.py b/swh/scheduler/celery_backend/config.py
--- a/swh/scheduler/celery_backend/config.py
+++ b/swh/scheduler/celery_backend/config.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 
 from swh.scheduler.task import Task
 
-from swh.core.config import load_named_config
+from swh.core.config import load_named_config, merge_configs
 from swh.core.logger import JournalHandler
 
 DEFAULT_CONFIG_NAME = 'worker'
@@ -254,11 +254,24 @@
     task_send_sent_event=False,
     )
 
-# Instantiate the Celery app
-app = Celery(broker=CONFIG['task_broker'],
-             backend=CONFIG['result_backend'],
-             task_cls='swh.scheduler.task:SWHTask')
-app.add_defaults(CELERY_DEFAULT_CONFIG)
+
+def build_app(config=None):
+    config = merge_configs(
+        {k: v for (k, (_, v)) in DEFAULT_CONFIG.items()},
+        config or {})
+    logging.getLogger(__name__).info(
+        'Creating a Celery app with %s', config)
+
+    # Instantiate the Celery app
+    app = Celery(broker=config['task_broker'],
+                 backend=config['result_backend'],
+                 task_cls='swh.scheduler.task:SWHTask')
+    app.add_defaults(CELERY_DEFAULT_CONFIG)
+    app.add_defaults(config)
+    return app
+
+
+app = build_app(CONFIG)
 
 # XXX for BW compat
 Celery.get_queue_length = get_queue_length
diff --git a/swh/scheduler/celery_backend/listener.py b/swh/scheduler/celery_backend/listener.py
--- a/swh/scheduler/celery_backend/listener.py
+++ b/swh/scheduler/celery_backend/listener.py
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@
 
 from arrow import utcnow
 from kombu import Queue
-from celery.events import EventReceiver
 
-from .config import app as main_app
+import celery
+from celery.events import EventReceiver
 
 
 class ReliableEventReceiver(EventReceiver):
@@ -166,8 +166,8 @@
         })
 
     recv = ReliableEventReceiver(
-        main_app.connection(),
-        app=main_app,
+        celery.current_app.connection(),
+        app=celery.current_app,
         handlers={
             'task-started': task_started,
             'task-result': task_succeeded,
diff --git a/swh/scheduler/cli.py b/swh/scheduler/cli.py
--- a/swh/scheduler/cli.py
+++ b/swh/scheduler/cli.py
@@ -497,7 +497,10 @@
     This process is responsible for checking for ready-to-run tasks and
     schedule them."""
     from swh.scheduler.celery_backend.runner import run_ready_tasks
-    from swh.scheduler.celery_backend.config import app
+    from swh.scheduler.celery_backend.config import build_app
+
+    app = build_app(ctx.obj['config'].get('celery'))
+    app.set_current()
 
     logger = logging.getLogger(__name__ + '.runner')
     scheduler = ctx.obj['scheduler']
@@ -529,9 +532,12 @@
     if not scheduler:
         raise ValueError('Scheduler class (local/remote) must be instantiated')
 
-    from swh.scheduler.celery_backend.listener import (
-        event_monitor, main_app)
-    event_monitor(main_app, backend=scheduler)
+    from swh.scheduler.celery_backend.config import build_app
+    app = build_app(ctx.obj['config'].get('celery'))
+    app.set_current()
+
+    from swh.scheduler.celery_backend.listener import event_monitor
+    event_monitor(app, backend=scheduler)
 
 
 @cli.command('api-server')