diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index bbed3ca..d889679 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -45,6 +45,34 @@ php artisan vendor:publish --tag="laravel-cloudfront-cookies-views"
 
 Add the middleware to set the cookies needed for AWS CloudFront
 
+## Excluding CloudFront Cookies from Laravel Encryption
+
+Laravel encrypts cookies by default for security. However, CloudFront signed cookies must remain unencrypted to function properly.
+
+### Configuration Steps
+
+1. **Locate the EncryptCookies middleware**
+    - Path: `app/Http/Middleware/EncryptCookies.php`
+
+2. **Add CloudFront cookies to the exclusion list**
+    - Update the `$except` array to include the three CloudFront cookie names:
+
+```php
+class EncryptCookies extends Middleware
+{
+    /**
+     * The names of the cookies that should not be encrypted.
+     *
+     * @var array
+     */
+    protected $except = [
+        'CloudFront-Key-Pair-Id',
+        'CloudFront-Policy',
+        'CloudFront-Signature',
+    ];
+}
+```
+
 ## Testing
 
 Generate a private key
diff --git a/config/cloudfront-cookies.php b/config/cloudfront-cookies.php
index fe830fd..7b6d210 100644
--- a/config/cloudfront-cookies.php
+++ b/config/cloudfront-cookies.php
@@ -3,17 +3,17 @@
 declare(strict_types=1);
 
 return [
-    'version' => env('CLOUDFRONT_VERSION', 'latest'),
+    'version' => env('CLOUDFRONT_COOKIES_VERSION', 'latest'),
 
-    'region' => env('CLOUDFRONT_REGION', 'us-east-1'),
+    'region' => env('CLOUDFRONT_COOKIES_REGION', 'us-east-1'),
 
-    'key_pair_id' => env('CLOUDFRONT_KEY_PAIR_ID'),
+    'key_pair_id' => env('CLOUDFRONT_COOKIES_KEY_PAIR_ID'),
 
-    'private_key_path' => env('CLOUDFRONT_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH'),
+    'private_key_path' => env('CLOUDFRONT_COOKIES_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH'),
 
-    'domain' => env('CLOUDFRONT_DOMAIN'),
+    'private_key_storage' => env('CLOUDFRONT_COOKIES_PRIVATE_KEY_STORAGE', 'local'),
 
-    'resource' => env('CLOUDFRONT_RESOURCE', 'http*://localhost/*'),
+    'resource' => env('CLOUDFRONT_COOKIES_RESOURCE', 'http*://localhost/*'),
 
     'cookies_expiration' => [
         'unit' => \Carbon\CarbonInterval::PERIOD_DAYS,
diff --git a/phpstan.neon.dist b/phpstan.neon.dist
index a91953b..540131b 100644
--- a/phpstan.neon.dist
+++ b/phpstan.neon.dist
@@ -6,9 +6,6 @@ parameters:
     paths:
         - src
         - config
-        - database
     tmpDir: build/phpstan
     checkOctaneCompatibility: true
     checkModelProperties: true
-    checkMissingIterableValueType: false
-
diff --git a/src/Http/Middleware/CloudfrontSignedCookiesMiddleware.php b/src/Http/Middleware/CloudfrontSignedCookiesMiddleware.php
index becf21b..56ade9e 100644
--- a/src/Http/Middleware/CloudfrontSignedCookiesMiddleware.php
+++ b/src/Http/Middleware/CloudfrontSignedCookiesMiddleware.php
@@ -16,9 +16,12 @@ public function handle(Request $request, Closure $next)
     {
         $cookies = collect(static::cookieNames());
 
-        $shouldNotSign = $cookies->every(function ($cookie) use ($request) {
-            return $request->hasCookie($cookie);
-        });
+        $shouldNotSign = ! config('cloudfront-cookies.resource') ||
+            ! config('cloudfront-cookies.key_pair_id') ||
+            ! config('cloudfront-cookies.private_key_path') ||
+            $cookies->every(function ($cookie) use ($request) {
+                return $request->hasCookie($cookie);
+            });
 
         if ($shouldNotSign) {
             return $next($request);
diff --git a/src/LaravelCloudfrontCookies.php b/src/LaravelCloudfrontCookies.php
index bfd6e31..b114008 100755
--- a/src/LaravelCloudfrontCookies.php
+++ b/src/LaravelCloudfrontCookies.php
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
 use Aws\CloudFront\CloudFrontClient;
 use Exception;
 use Illuminate\Support\Carbon;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Cache;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage;
 
 class LaravelCloudfrontCookies
 {
@@ -58,9 +60,18 @@ public function policy(?string $policy = null): static
 
     public function get(): array
     {
+        $private_key = Cache::remember('laravel_cloudfront_cookies_private_key',
+            3600 * 24,
+            fn () => Storage::disk(config('cloudfront-cookies.private_key_storage'))->get(config('cloudfront-cookies.private_key_path'))
+        );
+
+        if (! $private_key) {
+            throw new Exception('private key not found');
+        }
+
         return $this->client->getSignedCookie([
             'policy' => $this->policy,
-            'private_key' => config('cloudfront-cookies.private_key_path'),
+            'private_key' => $private_key,
             'key_pair_id' => config('cloudfront-cookies.key_pair_id'),
         ]);
     }
diff --git a/tests/TestCase.php b/tests/TestCase.php
index 6fb2428..b5c5a2e 100644
--- a/tests/TestCase.php
+++ b/tests/TestCase.php
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 use Creacoon\LaravelCloudfrontCookies\LaravelCloudfrontCookiesServiceProvider;
 use Illuminate\Cookie\Middleware\AddQueuedCookiesToResponse;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Route;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage;
 use Orchestra\Testbench\TestCase as Orchestra;
 
 class TestCase extends Orchestra
@@ -31,10 +32,41 @@ protected function getPackageProviders($app): array
 
     protected function getEnvironmentSetUp($app): void
     {
-        config()->set('services', [
-            'cloudfront' => [
-
-            ],
+        Storage::disk('local')->put('tests/test_private_key.pem', '-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
+MIIEvgIBADANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAASCBKgwggSkAgEAAoIBAQCZBUqdtCv8luW1
+iV3JXPq9IDjKlLvsmnYU7RgZlNfkJpqdM21gDgD2VFM9PQvmSuSsBqLS9E18zs4N
+BrQyfXRqGocbhma4W1ZfnX47rELXYMncJTjdc0z6OE+zok7/wpBXZ+IA75t4rGq/
+wCQbKOnz5XQ2QvNzmZEs9WBg7fYWJGrIseJN7/lytMYhdE1HCwwdF2k67ul07rlf
+s16IyT99c4OmgzkzhP99UQItmhoHU0fgPmhQ0n01M7O/auE1OM5UHGuMi6559tX6
+UNv8V8R2h/vsqlZS6k7fkNjTlft9Gn3c6MavpK5SV3hhZz+S2BQ22AGIUPmBeFbk
+jc49Sr2fAgMBAAECggEABNKqrDD/+FFPoo3wOGbt02tiK6bOC+ilmbmlumiukhce
+/tI4IebosNrhJMHGNj2Pp4kuAjTtz3+h9VcljTg9cXquKqsgLn9Y4ZQ2yyEXmjvU
+VCDFAg9reORKRTPzn989NwQKY4bDZ7JHfkB+fG/cFj8NKQipk6/4NQQm3YDVvyzd
+YYf4cikghy70xurRIBoy2kjkuqYRwKZsPUJ1FWZ22mHDiKJt9F7gfhZEIeK2XZ3X
+sIOp5215404k/KecPcXw+fs0TGB4yP0q+/HFNXYa9PJe2CPk+DT9Z3dTnY1DrI0x
+KtCVokaSgnYtq35mitLYk5eRQHbtQrWlH9qwo7+HQQKBgQDNIX4Kzt5xtPmE05cn
+ei8+M/qPNYItu006szJBXdQAviFMLt2CzIr+v17F6K4ehk84ZmZaw5Ej/Hz/AvgA
+N6kA+cPALPtizV045zSQCpbCsSqYQKh4c0hIdMrc/dkiOqOSIWqKKn/BomqowZrv
+ugcxuxeC3mcI5OM9IKCo67pXawKBgQC+96RtV5xmllWiI0fTWAwFRj58YhQk+wv3
++Jz7Rt/lm40rq0IlAHQlNUah+eks1sDGgidFFo2HhqPU6ORkMKZdU0jSF8jD29mR
+PMIgnN6ATVSXUHOmb/KhhvChzIHNiI3PLUvQSus45yoRcxLZ6E8spC+7vCKJsQsb
+dp0r246jnQKBgQCCMHGIdobjb9K1JH1YhsmZFvA9F97JG4kGaljI973nwsPrUAsy
+SpMk31xNC0IHCYMZ7pOjo19okYTbbIztxmWywtIkE+hwappx1PudN7s7UaoQ+2hx
+GemUYtulqk621LSfuCmgCx0OTgCXnlixMUYDoBRp8LFACdTXJPAShZm8hQKBgF7e
+DTwYcuTvt/jFCBBww//2xmHqI1G/uVFlmy6lJeMdpELWYBSbphc54S3kRbb1tGyp
+CbMjogl6lHbXf2ZaWLsx/ZIJKL5LwEiLY3DqHQql3+kPmXRMVr9xlqb6Pl2JgdEz
+El+WaEYraFWk0e+YnYRyyBe+PXYjkn4BLdE00CZtAoGBAIQYURPYjEQP+5ptWvyK
+eg5yoin/T9dokEOLLflsABVhE+NhRXgsZRurXdD29hbfJlIC3OP2Ry0L9eqs83AQ
+XJJYb+eHfJotE3g5AundYSbK4io85p550SgJk+io4ht/Rg8c57KG3J1vqZr7qpwt
+aHhk2PE8H+YXPht4mD0Xi85k
+-----END PRIVATE KEY-----');
+        config()->set('cloudfront-cookies', [
+            'version' => 'latest',
+            'region' => 'us-east-1',
+            'key_pair_id' => 'AA12345678',
+            'private_key_path' => 'tests/test_private_key.pem',
+            'private_key_storage' => 'local',
+            'resource' => '/resource/*',
         ]);
     }
 }