diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 0787f857b..1cd6312aa 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -112,10 +112,10 @@ include_v3
 
 #### The full set of config parameters is explained below:
 ##### Required parameters:
-* `api`: Cloud Controller API endpoint.
+* `api`: Cloud Controller API endpoint, without scheme (HTTP/S) specified.
 * `admin_user`: Name of a user in your CF instance with admin credentials.  This admin user must have the `doppler.firehose` scope.
 * `admin_password`: Password of the admin user above.
-* `apps_domain`: A shared domain that tests can use to create subdomains that will route to applications also created in the tests.
+* `apps_domain`: A shared domain that tests can use to create subdomains that will route to applications also created in the tests, without scheme (HTTP/S) specified.
 * `skip_ssl_validation`: Set to true if using an invalid (e.g. self-signed) cert for traffic routed to your CF instance; this is generally always true for BOSH-Lite deployments of CF.
 
 ##### Optional parameters:
diff --git a/helpers/config/config_struct.go b/helpers/config/config_struct.go
index 48a84cc9d..687888df1 100644
--- a/helpers/config/config_struct.go
+++ b/helpers/config/config_struct.go
@@ -467,9 +467,13 @@ func validateApiEndpoint(config *config) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("* Invalid configuration: 'api' must be a valid Cloud Controller endpoint but was blank")
 	}
 
+	// Use URL parse to check endpoint, but we do not want users to provide a scheme/protocol
 	u, err := url.Parse(config.GetApiEndpoint())
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("* Invalid configuration: 'api' must be a valid URL but was set to '%s'", config.GetApiEndpoint())
+		return fmt.Errorf("* Invalid configuration: 'api' must be a valid domain but was set to '%s'", config.GetApiEndpoint())
+	}
+	if u.Scheme != "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("* Invalid configuration: 'api' must not contain a scheme/protocol but was set to '%s' in '%s'", u.Scheme, config.GetApiEndpoint())
 	}
 
 	host := u.Host
diff --git a/helpers/config/config_test.go b/helpers/config/config_test.go
index 68627e1a8..8d073e73b 100644
--- a/helpers/config/config_test.go
+++ b/helpers/config/config_test.go
@@ -689,7 +689,19 @@ var _ = Describe("Config", func() {
 			It("returns an error", func() {
 				_, err := cfg.NewCatsConfig(tmpFilePath)
 				Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
-				Expect(err).To(MatchError("* Invalid configuration: 'api' must be a valid URL but was set to '_bogus%%%'"))
+				Expect(err).To(MatchError("* Invalid configuration: 'api' must be a valid domain but was set to '_bogus%%%'"))
+			})
+		})
+
+		Context("when the url contains https://", func() {
+			BeforeEach(func() {
+				testCfg.ApiEndpoint = ptrToString("https://api.bosh-lite.com")
+			})
+
+			It("returns an error", func() {
+				_, err := cfg.NewCatsConfig(tmpFilePath)
+				Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
+				Expect(err).To(MatchError("* Invalid configuration: 'api' must not contain a scheme/protocol but was set to 'https' in 'https://api.bosh-lite.com'"))
 			})
 		})