diff --git a/examples/todo/Cargo.toml b/examples/todo/Cargo.toml
index 4281c31a..910482ae 100644
--- a/examples/todo/Cargo.toml
+++ b/examples/todo/Cargo.toml
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ serde = "1.0"
 serde_json = "1.0"
 serde_derive = "1.0"
 diesel = { version = "1.3", features = ["sqlite", "r2d2"] }
+diesel_migrations = "1.3"
+log = "0.4"
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 parking_lot = { version = "0.6", features = ["nightly"] }
diff --git a/examples/todo/README.md b/examples/todo/README.md
index b23d175e..8748c852 100644
--- a/examples/todo/README.md
+++ b/examples/todo/README.md
@@ -6,23 +6,3 @@ a result, you'll need to have `sqlite3` and its headers installed:
   * **OS X:** `brew install sqlite`
   * **Debian/Ubuntu:** `apt-get install libsqlite3-dev`
   * **Arch:** `pacman -S sqlite`
-
-## Running
-
-**Before running, building, or testing this example, you'll need to ensure that
-a SQLite database file with the proper schema is present.**
-
-On a Unix machine or with bash installed, you can simply run the `boostrap.sh`
-script to create the database. The script installs the `diesel_cli` tools if
-they're not already installed and runs the migrations.
-
-You can also install the Diesel CLI and run the migrations manually with the
-following commands:
-
-```sh
-# install Diesel CLI tools
-cargo install diesel_cli --version '<= 1.2' --no-default-features --features=sqlite
-
-# create db/db.sqlite
-diesel migration run --database-url="db/db.sqlite"
-```
diff --git a/examples/todo/bootstrap.sh b/examples/todo/bootstrap.sh
index 167a789e..818811fd 100755
--- a/examples/todo/bootstrap.sh
+++ b/examples/todo/bootstrap.sh
@@ -3,15 +3,4 @@
 SCRIPT_PATH=$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" ; pwd -P)
 DATABASE_URL="${SCRIPT_PATH}/db/db.sqlite"
 
-pushd "${SCRIPT_PATH}" > /dev/null
-  # clear an existing database
-  rm -f "${DATABASE_URL}"
-
-  # install the diesel CLI tools if they're not installed
-  if ! command -v diesel >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-    cargo install diesel_cli --version '<= 1.2' --no-default-features --features=sqlite > /dev/null
-  fi
-
-  # create db/db.sqlite
-  diesel migration --database-url="${DATABASE_URL}" run > /dev/null
-popd > /dev/null
+rm -f "${DATABASE_URL}"
diff --git a/examples/todo/src/main.rs b/examples/todo/src/main.rs
index 9abe3442..4b8c7dff 100644
--- a/examples/todo/src/main.rs
+++ b/examples/todo/src/main.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 
 #[macro_use] extern crate rocket;
 #[macro_use] extern crate diesel;
+#[macro_use] extern crate diesel_migrations;
+#[macro_use] extern crate log;
 #[macro_use] extern crate serde_derive;
 extern crate rocket_contrib;
 
@@ -10,6 +12,7 @@ mod task;
 #[cfg(test)] mod tests;
 
 use rocket::Rocket;
+use rocket::fairing::AdHoc;
 use rocket::request::{Form, FlashMessage};
 use rocket::response::{Flash, Redirect};
 use rocket_contrib::{Template, databases::database, static_files::StaticFiles};
@@ -17,6 +20,11 @@ use diesel::SqliteConnection;
 
 use task::{Task, Todo};
 
+// This macro from `diesel_migrations` defines an `embedded_migrations` module
+// containing a function named `run`. This allows the example to be run and
+// tested without any outside setup of the database.
+embed_migrations!();
+
 #[database("sqlite_database")]
 pub struct DbConn(SqliteConnection);
 
@@ -74,6 +82,16 @@ fn index(msg: Option<FlashMessage>, conn: DbConn) -> Template {
 fn rocket() -> (Rocket, Option<DbConn>) {
     let rocket = rocket::ignite()
         .attach(DbConn::fairing())
+        .attach(AdHoc::on_attach("Database Migrations", |rocket| {
+            let conn = DbConn::get_one(&rocket).expect("database connection");
+            match embedded_migrations::run(&*conn) {
+                Ok(()) => Ok(rocket),
+                Err(e) => {
+                    error!("Failed to run database migrations: {:?}", e);
+                    Err(rocket)
+                },
+            }
+        }))
         .mount("/", StaticFiles::from("static/"))
         .mount("/", routes![index])
         .mount("/todo", routes![new, toggle, delete])