diff --git a/HACKERS_README b/HACKERS_README
index 8efed967..62f55b94 100755
--- a/HACKERS_README
+++ b/HACKERS_README
@@ -23,44 +23,16 @@ eof
 # Tell the user what we do, so this script makes sense during execution
 set -x
 
-# Abort on any error
-set -e
-
 # prepare use (only from top level directory)
 export PATH="$PATH:$(pwd -P)/bin"
 export __cdist_config="$(pwd -P)/conf"
 
-__cdist_out_objects=/tmp/localhost/objects
-__cdist_out_explorers=/tmp/localhost/explorers
-__cdist_out_execs=/tmp/localhost/exec
+# Change paths so we can debug stuff :-)
+base=/tmp/localhost
+export __cdist_out_objects=${base}/objects
+export __cdist_out_explorers=${base}/explorers
+export __cdist_out_execs=${base}/exec
 
+cdist-deploy-to localhost
 
-# Run explorer on a "remote" host
-cdist-explorer-run localhost "$__cdist_out_explorers"
-
-# Display result
-find "$__cdist_out_explorers"
-
-# Test first level manifest execution
-cdist-manifest-init localhost "$__cdist_out_objects"
-
-# See what it generated
-find "$__cdist_out_objects"
-
-# Generate all objects, including from types that generate objects as well
-cdist-manifest-run-all localhost "$__cdist_out_objects"
-
-# See what it generated
-find "$__cdist_out_objects"
-
-# Generate code for all objects in object dir
-cdist-object-codegen-all localhost "$__cdist_out_objects" "$__cdist_out_execs"
-
-# Display result, including permissions
-ls -lR "$__cdist_out_execs"
-
-# Transfer generated code
-cdist-exec-transfer localhost "$__cdist_out_execs"
-
-# Execute generated code
-cdist-exec-run localhost
+find "${base}"
diff --git a/bin/cdist-deploy-to b/bin/cdist-deploy-to
index d7917b87..6146d961 100755
--- a/bin/cdist-deploy-to
+++ b/bin/cdist-deploy-to
@@ -23,13 +23,18 @@
 
 . cdist-config
 [ $# -eq 1 ] || __cdist_usage "<target host>"
+
 set -e
 
 __cdist_target_host="$1"
 
-export __cdist_out_explorers="$__cdist_tmp_dir/$__cdist_name_explorer"
-export __cdist_out_objects="$__cdist_tmp_dir/$__cdist_name_object"
-export __cdist_out_execs="$__cdist_tmp_dir/$__cdist_name_exec"
+: ${__cdist_out_explorers:="$__cdist_tmp_dir/$__cdist_name_explorer"}
+: ${__cdist_out_objects:="$__cdist_tmp_dir/$__cdist_name_object"}
+: ${__cdist_out_execs:="$__cdist_tmp_dir/$__cdist_name_exec"}
+
+export __cdist_out_explorers
+export __cdist_out_objects
+export __cdist_out_execs
 
 # See cdist-stages(7)
 cdist-explorer-run            "$__cdist_target_host" "$__cdist_out_explorers"