diff --git a/conf/type/__directory/gencode-remote b/conf/type/__directory/gencode-remote
index 7fd589be..e9feecf4 100755
--- a/conf/type/__directory/gencode-remote
+++ b/conf/type/__directory/gencode-remote
@@ -17,12 +17,6 @@
 # You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
 # along with cdist. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 #
-#
-# Handle directories
-#
-#
-# __directory /etc [--mode --owner --group --parents [yes|no] ]
-#
 
 destination="/$__object_id"
 state_should="$(cat "$__object/parameter/state")"
diff --git a/conf/type/__directory/manifest b/conf/type/__directory/manifest
index 2fcc085d..a8ee5a6f 100755
--- a/conf/type/__directory/manifest
+++ b/conf/type/__directory/manifest
@@ -18,8 +18,6 @@
 # along with cdist. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 #
 
-if [ -f "$__object/parameter/state" ]; then
-   state="$(cat "$__object/parameter/state")"
-else
-   echo "present" > "$__object/parameter/state"
-fi
+# set defaults
+state="$(cat "$__object/parameter/state" 2>/dev/null \
+   || echo "present" | tee "$__object/parameter/state")"
diff --git a/conf/type/__file/gencode-local b/conf/type/__file/gencode-local
index ee198fb1..d9839a19 100755
--- a/conf/type/__file/gencode-local
+++ b/conf/type/__file/gencode-local
@@ -33,11 +33,7 @@ if [ "$state_should" = "present" ]; then
          remote_cksum="$(cat "$__object/explorer/cksum")"
 
          if [ "$local_cksum" != "$remote_cksum" ]; then
-            # FIXME: The username is ugly and hardcoded, replace after 1.0!
-            # Probably a better aproach is to have the user configured
-            # ~/.ssh/config to contain the right username
-            # Probably describe it in cdist-quickstart...
-            echo scp "$source" "root@${__target_host}:${destination}"
+            echo "$__remote_copy" "$source" "${__target_host}:${destination}"
          fi
       else
          echo "Source \"$source\" does not exist." >&2
diff --git a/conf/type/__file/manifest b/conf/type/__file/manifest
index 59f10e42..915a2ca9 100755
--- a/conf/type/__file/manifest
+++ b/conf/type/__file/manifest
@@ -20,8 +20,6 @@
 
 name="$__object_id"
 
-if [ -f "$__object/parameter/state" ]; then
-   state="$(cat "$__object/parameter/state")"
-else
-   echo "present" > "$__object/parameter/state"
-fi
+# set defaults
+state="$(cat "$__object/parameter/state" 2>/dev/null \
+   || echo "present" | tee "$__object/parameter/state")"
diff --git a/conf/type/__link/manifest b/conf/type/__link/manifest
index 2fcc085d..a8ee5a6f 100755
--- a/conf/type/__link/manifest
+++ b/conf/type/__link/manifest
@@ -18,8 +18,6 @@
 # along with cdist. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 #
 
-if [ -f "$__object/parameter/state" ]; then
-   state="$(cat "$__object/parameter/state")"
-else
-   echo "present" > "$__object/parameter/state"
-fi
+# set defaults
+state="$(cat "$__object/parameter/state" 2>/dev/null \
+   || echo "present" | tee "$__object/parameter/state")"