diff --git a/cdist/test/exec/local.py b/cdist/test/exec/local.py
index e6f2c2b0..ebfc64af 100644
--- a/cdist/test/exec/local.py
+++ b/cdist/test/exec/local.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 #
 # 2010-2011 Steven Armstrong (steven-cdist at armstrong.cc)
+# 2012 Nico Schottelius (nico-cdist at schottelius.org)
 #
 # This file is part of cdist.
 #
@@ -25,9 +26,6 @@ import shutil
 import string
 import random
 
-#import logging
-#logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG, format='%(levelname)s: %(message)s')
-
 import cdist
 from cdist import test
 from cdist.exec import local
@@ -35,17 +33,22 @@ from cdist.exec import local
 import os.path as op
 my_dir = op.abspath(op.dirname(__file__))
 fixtures = op.join(my_dir, 'fixtures')
-local_base_path = fixtures
-
 
 class LocalTestCase(test.CdistTestCase):
 
     def setUp(self):
-        self.temp_dir = self.mkdtemp()
+
         target_host = 'localhost'
+        self.temp_dir = self.mkdtemp()
         self.out_path = self.temp_dir
-        self.base_path = local_base_path
-        self.local = local.Local(target_host, self.base_path, self.out_path)
+
+        self.local = local.Local(
+            target_host=target_host,
+            out_path=self.out_path,
+            exec_path=test.cdist_exec_path
+        )
+
+        self.home_dir = os.path.join(os.environ['HOME'], ".cdist")
 
     def tearDown(self):
         shutil.rmtree(self.temp_dir)
@@ -53,10 +56,7 @@ class LocalTestCase(test.CdistTestCase):
     ### test api
 
     def test_cache_path(self):
-        self.assertEqual(self.local.cache_path, os.path.join(self.base_path, "cache"))
-
-    def test_conf_path(self):
-        self.assertEqual(self.local.conf_path, os.path.join(self.base_path, "conf"))
+        self.assertEqual(self.local.cache_path, os.path.join(self.home_dir, "cache"))
 
     def test_global_explorer_path(self):
         self.assertEqual(self.local.global_explorer_path, os.path.join(self.base_path, "conf", "explorer"))
@@ -117,7 +117,8 @@ class LocalTestCase(test.CdistTestCase):
         self.local.rmdir(temp_dir)
         self.assertFalse(os.path.isdir(temp_dir))
 
-    def test_create_directories(self):
-        self.local.create_directories()
+    def test_create_files_dirs(self):
+        self.local.create_files_dirs()
         self.assertTrue(os.path.isdir(self.local.out_path))
         self.assertTrue(os.path.isdir(self.local.bin_path))
+        self.assertTrue(os.path.isdir(self.local.conf_path))
diff --git a/cdist/test/manifest/__init__.py b/cdist/test/manifest/__init__.py
index a9846b1d..61a815a9 100644
--- a/cdist/test/manifest/__init__.py
+++ b/cdist/test/manifest/__init__.py
@@ -49,8 +49,7 @@ class ManifestTestCase(test.CdistTestCase):
         self.target_host = 'localhost'
         out_path = self.temp_dir
         self.local = local.Local(self.target_host, local_base_path, out_path)
-        self.local.create_directories()
-        self.local.link_emulator(cdist.test.cdist_exec_path)
+        self.local.create_files_dirs()
         self.manifest = manifest.Manifest(self.target_host, self.local)
         self.log = logging.getLogger(self.target_host)