diff --git a/data/var/www/plinth/custom/static/theme b/data/var/www/plinth/custom/static/theme
deleted file mode 120000
index 932f05ef2..000000000
--- a/data/var/www/plinth/custom/static/theme
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-themes/default/
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/data/var/www/plinth/custom/static/themes/default/icons/.gitignore b/data/var/www/plinth/custom/static/themes/default/icons/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 76bedaeab..000000000
--- a/data/var/www/plinth/custom/static/themes/default/icons/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-# Ignore everything in this directory
-*
-# Except this file
-!.gitignore
-
diff --git a/plinth/__main__.py b/plinth/__main__.py
index a633d0054..9531aafa3 100644
--- a/plinth/__main__.py
+++ b/plinth/__main__.py
@@ -115,16 +115,21 @@ def setup_server():
 
     custom_static_dir = cfg.custom_static_dir
     custom_static_url = '/plinth/custom/static'
-    config = {
-        '/': {
-            'tools.staticdir.root': custom_static_dir,
-            'tools.staticdir.on': True,
-            'tools.staticdir.dir': '.'
+    if os.path.exists(custom_static_dir):
+        config = {
+            '/': {
+                'tools.staticdir.root': custom_static_dir,
+                'tools.staticdir.on': True,
+                'tools.staticdir.dir': '.'
+            }
         }
-    }
-    cherrypy.tree.mount(None, custom_static_url, config)
-    logger.debug('Serving custom static directory %s on %s', custom_static_dir,
-                 custom_static_url)
+        cherrypy.tree.mount(None, custom_static_url, config)
+        logger.debug('Serving custom static directory %s on %s',
+                     custom_static_dir, custom_static_url)
+    else:
+        logger.debug(
+            'Not serving custom static directory %s on %s, '
+            'directory does not exist', custom_static_dir, custom_static_url)
 
     js_dir = '/usr/share/javascript'
     js_url = '/javascript'
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 0c557008c..fa5b0c7b3 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -228,54 +228,48 @@ setuptools.setup(
             'locale/*/LC_MESSAGES/*.[pm]o'
         ]
     },
-    data_files=[
-        ('/usr/lib/firewalld/services/',
-         glob.glob('data/usr/lib/firewalld/services/*.xml')),
-        ('/etc/apache2/conf-available',
-         glob.glob('data/etc/apache2/conf-available/*.conf')),
-        ('/etc/apache2/sites-available',
-         glob.glob('data/etc/apache2/sites-available/*.conf')),
-        ('/etc/apache2/includes',
-         glob.glob('data/etc/apache2/includes/*.conf')),
-        ('/etc/apt/apt.conf.d',
-         glob.glob('data/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/60unattended-upgrades')),
-        ('/etc/avahi/services/',
-         glob.glob('data/etc/avahi/services/*.service')),
-        ('/etc/ikiwiki', glob.glob('data/etc/ikiwiki/*.setup')),
-        ('/etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/',
-         ['data/etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/10-freedombox-batman']),
-        ('/etc/sudoers.d', ['data/etc/sudoers.d/plinth']),
-        ('/lib/systemd/system',
-         glob.glob('data/lib/systemd/system/*.service')),
-        ('/etc/mediawiki', glob.glob('data/etc/mediawiki/*.php')),
-        ('/usr/share/plinth/actions', glob.glob(os.path.join('actions', '*'))),
-        ('/usr/share/polkit-1/rules.d',
-         ['data/usr/share/polkit-1/rules.d/50-plinth.rules']),
-        ('/usr/share/man/man1', ['doc/plinth.1']),
-        ('/etc/plinth', [
-            'data/etc/plinth/plinth.config',
-            'data/etc/plinth/custom-shortcuts.json'
-        ]),
-        ('/usr/share/augeas/lenses',
-         glob.glob('data/usr/share/augeas/lenses/*.aug')),
-        ('/usr/share/augeas/lenses/tests',
-         glob.glob('data/usr/share/augeas/lenses/tests/test_*.aug')),
-        ('/usr/share/pam-configs/',
-         glob.glob('data/usr/share/pam-configs/*-freedombox')),
-        ('/etc/plinth/modules-enabled',
-         glob.glob(os.path.join('data/etc/plinth/modules-enabled', '*'))),
-        ('/var/lib/polkit-1/localauthority/10-vendor.d', [
-            'data/var/lib/polkit-1/localauthority/10-vendor.d/'
-            'org.freedombox.NetworkManager.pkla'
-        ]),
-        (
-            '/var/www/plinth/custom/static/theme/icons/',
-            [
-                'data/var/www/plinth/custom/static/themes/default/icons/.gitignore',
-                # TODO Cannot be copied since a symlink is not a regular file
-                # 'data/var/www/plinth/custom/static/theme',
-            ]),
-    ],
+    data_files=[('/usr/lib/firewalld/services/',
+                 glob.glob('data/usr/lib/firewalld/services/*.xml')),
+                ('/etc/apache2/conf-available',
+                 glob.glob('data/etc/apache2/conf-available/*.conf')),
+                ('/etc/apache2/sites-available',
+                 glob.glob('data/etc/apache2/sites-available/*.conf')),
+                ('/etc/apache2/includes',
+                 glob.glob('data/etc/apache2/includes/*.conf')),
+                ('/etc/apt/apt.conf.d',
+                 glob.glob('data/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/60unattended-upgrades')),
+                ('/etc/avahi/services/',
+                 glob.glob('data/etc/avahi/services/*.service')),
+                ('/etc/ikiwiki', glob.glob('data/etc/ikiwiki/*.setup')),
+                ('/etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/', [
+                    'data/etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/10-freedombox-batman'
+                ]), ('/etc/sudoers.d', [
+                    'data/etc/sudoers.d/plinth'
+                ]), ('/lib/systemd/system',
+                     glob.glob('data/lib/systemd/system/*.service')),
+                ('/etc/mediawiki', glob.glob('data/etc/mediawiki/*.php')),
+                ('/usr/share/plinth/actions',
+                 glob.glob(os.path.join(
+                     'actions', '*'))), ('/usr/share/polkit-1/rules.d', [
+                         'data/usr/share/polkit-1/rules.d/50-plinth.rules'
+                     ]), ('/usr/share/man/man1', [
+                         'doc/plinth.1'
+                     ]), ('/etc/plinth', [
+                         'data/etc/plinth/plinth.config',
+                         'data/etc/plinth/custom-shortcuts.json'
+                     ]), ('/usr/share/augeas/lenses',
+                          glob.glob('data/usr/share/augeas/lenses/*.aug')),
+                ('/usr/share/augeas/lenses/tests',
+                 glob.glob('data/usr/share/augeas/lenses/tests/test_*.aug')),
+                ('/usr/share/pam-configs/',
+                 glob.glob('data/usr/share/pam-configs/*-freedombox')),
+                ('/etc/plinth/modules-enabled',
+                 glob.glob(
+                     os.path.join('data/etc/plinth/modules-enabled', '*'))),
+                ('/var/lib/polkit-1/localauthority/10-vendor.d', [
+                    'data/var/lib/polkit-1/localauthority/10-vendor.d/'
+                    'org.freedombox.NetworkManager.pkla'
+                ])],
     cmdclass={
         'install': CustomInstall,
         'build': CustomBuild,