diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -269,6 +269,12 @@
       - swh-storage
       - amqp
 
+  swh-indexer-journal-client:
+    image: swh/indexer-journal-client
+    build: ./dockerfiles/swh-indexer-journal-client
+    depends_on:
+      - swh-journal-publisher
+
 # Journal related
 
   swh-storage-listener:
diff --git a/dockerfiles/swh-indexer-journal-client/Dockerfile b/dockerfiles/swh-indexer-journal-client/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dockerfiles/swh-indexer-journal-client/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+FROM python:3
+
+RUN export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive && \
+  apt-get update && \
+  apt-get install -y libsystemd-dev
+
+RUN pip install swh-indexer
+COPY journal_client.yml /etc/softwareheritage/indexer/
+COPY entrypoint.sh /
+
+ENTRYPOINT ["/entrypoint.sh"]
+
diff --git a/dockerfiles/swh-indexer-journal-client/entrypoint.sh b/dockerfiles/swh-indexer-journal-client/entrypoint.sh
new file mode 100755
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dockerfiles/swh-indexer-journal-client/entrypoint.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+set -e
+
+if [[ -d /src ]] ; then
+    for srcrepo in /src/swh-* ; do
+      pushd $srcrepo
+      pip install -e .
+      popd
+    done
+fi
+
+echo Installed Python packages:
+pip list
+
+case "$1" in
+    "shell")
+      exec bash -i
+      ;;
+    *)
+      echo "Starting swh-journal client"
+      python3 -m swh.indexer.journal_client
+      ;;
+esac
+
diff --git a/dockerfiles/swh-indexer-journal-client/journal_client.yml b/dockerfiles/swh-indexer-journal-client/journal_client.yml
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dockerfiles/swh-indexer-journal-client/journal_client.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+brokers:
+  - kafka
+# small number of batch
+max_messages: 1
+consumer_id: swh.indexer.journal_client
+
+scheduler:
+  cls: remote
+  args:
+    url: http://swh-scheduler-api:5008/