diff --git a/docs/operations.md b/docs/operations.md
index ade9518..b2234a7 100644
--- a/docs/operations.md
+++ b/docs/operations.md
@@ -84,10 +84,13 @@ PLC key lifecycle:
   `rotationKeys`.
 - Existing early accounts can be repaired with `just plc-repair <did>` after
   setting `ZDS_DB` or `ZDS_DB_PATH`, `ZDS_PUBLIC_URL`, `ZDS_PLC_ROTATION_KEY`,
-  and optional `ZDS_RECOVERY_DID_KEY`. The repair tool is intentionally separate
-  from normal XRPC handling; it only uses the account signing key if the current
-  public PLC state already authorizes that key as a rotation key, and submits a
-  replacement operation containing the intended recovery/PDS rotation keys.
+  and optional `ZDS_REPAIR_RECOVERY_DID_KEY`, `ZDS_REPAIR_RECOVERY_KEY`, or
+  `ZDS_RECOVERY_DID_KEY`. The repair tool is intentionally separate from normal
+  XRPC handling; it only uses the account signing key if the current public PLC
+  state already authorizes that key as a rotation key, and submits a replacement
+  operation containing the intended recovery/PDS rotation keys. The
+  `ZDS_REPAIR_RECOVERY_KEY` form accepts a PDS Moover private multikey and
+  derives the public `did:key` locally.
 
 When invites are required and the database has no accounts or invite codes, ZDS
 creates one bootstrap code and logs it during startup. Invite codes are stored
diff --git a/tools/plc_repair.zig b/tools/plc_repair.zig
index 955de84..547a125 100644
--- a/tools/plc_repair.zig
+++ b/tools/plc_repair.zig
@@ -64,7 +64,8 @@ fn env(name: [:0]const u8) ?[]const u8 {
 }
 
 fn targetRotationKeys(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, rotation_did_key: []const u8) ![]const []const u8 {
-    const recovery = zds.core.config.recoveryDidKey();
+    const repair_recovery = try repairRecoveryDidKey(allocator);
+    const recovery = repair_recovery orelse zds.core.config.recoveryDidKey();
     const count: usize = if (recovery == null) 1 else 2;
     const keys = try allocator.alloc([]const u8, count);
     var idx: usize = 0;
@@ -76,6 +77,16 @@ fn targetRotationKeys(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, rotation_did_key: []const u8
     return keys;
 }
 
+fn repairRecoveryDidKey(allocator: std.mem.Allocator) !?[]const u8 {
+    if (env("ZDS_REPAIR_RECOVERY_DID_KEY")) |did_key| return did_key;
+    if (env("ZDS_REPAIR_RECOVERY_KEY")) |private_key| {
+        var keypair = try zds.atproto.plc.parsePrivateKey(allocator, private_key);
+        const did_key = try keypair.did(allocator);
+        return did_key;
+    }
+    return null;
+}
+
 fn jsonArrayContainsString(value: ?std.json.Value, expected: []const u8) bool {
     const items = switch (value orelse return false) {
         .array => |array| array.items,