diff --git a/greenlock-shim.js b/greenlock-shim.js
index 3044708..77687b4 100644
--- a/greenlock-shim.js
+++ b/greenlock-shim.js
@@ -5,19 +5,10 @@ var fs = require("fs");
 
 module.exports.create = function(opts) {
     var Greenlock = require("@root/greenlock");
+    var Init = require("./init.js");
     var greenlock = opts.greenlock;
-    var pkgText;
-    var pkgErr;
-    var msgErr;
-    //var emailErr;
-    var realPkg;
-    var userPkg;
-    var myPkg = {};
-    // we want to be SUPER transparent that we're reading from package.json
-    // we don't want anything unexpected
-    var implicitConfig = [];
-    var rc;
 
+    /*
     if (!greenlock && opts.packageRoot) {
         try {
             greenlock = require(path.resolve(opts.packageRoot, "greenlock.js"));
@@ -27,115 +18,19 @@ module.exports.create = function(opts) {
             }
         }
     }
+    */
 
     if (!greenlock) {
-        if (opts.packageRoot) {
-            try {
-                pkgText = fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(opts.packageRoot, "package.json"), "utf8");
-            } catch (e) {
-                pkgErr = e;
-                console.warn("`packageRoot` should be the root of the package (probably `__dirname`)");
-            }
-        }
-
-        if (pkgText) {
-            try {
-                realPkg = JSON.parse(pkgText);
-            } catch (e) {
-                pkgErr = e;
-            }
-        }
-
-        userPkg = opts.package;
-
-        if (realPkg || userPkg) {
-            userPkg = userPkg || {};
-            realPkg = realPkg || {};
-
-            // build package agent
-            if (!opts.packageAgent) {
-                // name
-                myPkg.name = userPkg.name;
-                if (!myPkg.name) {
-                    myPkg.name = realPkg.name;
-                    implicitConfig.push("name");
-                }
-
-                // version
-                myPkg.version = userPkg.version;
-                if (!myPkg.version) {
-                    myPkg.version = realPkg.version;
-                    implicitConfig.push("version");
-                }
-                if (myPkg.name && myPkg.version) {
-                    opts.packageAgent = myPkg.name + "/" + myPkg.version;
-                }
-            }
-
-            // build author
-            myPkg.author = opts.maintainerEmail;
-            if (!myPkg.author) {
-                myPkg.author = (userPkg.author && userPkg.author.email) || userPkg.author;
-            }
-            if (!myPkg.author) {
-                implicitConfig.push("author");
-                myPkg.author = (realPkg.author && realPkg.author.email) || realPkg.author;
-            }
-            opts.maintainerEmail = myPkg.maintainerEmail;
-        }
-
-        if (!opts.packageAgent) {
-            msgErr = "missing `packageAgent` and also failed to read `name` and/or `version` from `package.json`";
-            if (pkgErr) {
-                msgErr += ": " + pkgErr.message;
-            }
-            throw new Error(msgErr);
-        }
-
-        opts.maintainerEmail = parseMaintainer(opts.maintainerEmail);
-        if (!opts.maintainerEmail) {
-            msgErr =
-                "missing or malformed `maintainerEmail` (or `author` from `package.json`), which is used as the contact for support notices";
-            throw new Error(msgErr);
-        }
-
-        opts.packageAgent = addGreenlockAgent(opts);
-
-        if (opts.packageRoot) {
-            try {
-                rc = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(opts.packageRoot, ".greenlockrc")));
-            } catch (e) {
-                if ("ENOENT" !== e.code) {
-                    throw e;
-                }
-                rc = {};
-            }
-
-            if (opts.configFile && opts.configFile !== rc.configFile) {
-                if (rc.configFile) {
-                    console.info("changing `configFile` from '%s' to '%s'", rc.configFile, opts.configFile);
-                }
-                rc.configFile = opts.configFile;
-
-                if (!rc.manager) {
-                    rc.manager = "@greenlock/manager";
-                }
-
-                fs.writeFileSync(path.resolve(opts.packageRoot, ".greenlockrc"), JSON.stringify(rc));
-            }
-        }
-
-        if (!greenlock) {
-            greenlock = Greenlock.create(opts);
-        }
-
-        try {
-            if (opts.notify) {
-                greenlock._defaults.notify = opts.notify;
-            }
-        } catch (e) {
-            console.error("Developer Error: notify not attached correctly");
+        opts = Init._init(opts);
+        greenlock = Greenlock.create(opts);
+    }
+
+    try {
+        if (opts.notify) {
+            greenlock._defaults.notify = opts.notify;
         }
+    } catch (e) {
+        console.error("Developer Error: notify not attached correctly");
     }
 
     // re-export as top-level function to simplify rpc with workers
@@ -164,29 +59,3 @@ module.exports.create = function(opts) {
 
     return greenlock;
 };
-
-function addGreenlockAgent(opts) {
-    // Add greenlock as part of Agent, unless this is greenlock
-    var packageAgent = opts.packageAgent || "";
-    if (!/greenlock(-express|-pro)?/i.test(packageAgent)) {
-        var pkg = require("./package.json");
-        packageAgent += " Greenlock_Express/" + pkg.version;
-    }
-
-    return packageAgent.trim();
-}
-
-// ex: "John Doe <john@example.com> (https://john.doe)"
-// ex: "John Doe <john@example.com>"
-// ex: "<john@example.com>"
-// ex: "john@example.com"
-var looseEmailRe = /(^|[\s<])([^'" <>:;`]+@[^'" <>:;`]+\.[^'" <>:;`]+)/;
-function parseMaintainer(maintainerEmail) {
-    try {
-        maintainerEmail = maintainerEmail.match(looseEmailRe)[2];
-    } catch (e) {
-        maintainerEmail = null;
-    }
-
-    return maintainerEmail;
-}
diff --git a/init.js b/init.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..007ce1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/init.js
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+"use strict";
+
+var Init = module.exports;
+
+var fs = require("fs");
+var path = require("path");
+
+Init.init = function(opts) {
+    //var Rc = require("@root/greenlock/rc");
+    var Rc = require("./rc.js");
+    var pkgText;
+    var pkgErr;
+    var msgErr;
+    //var emailErr;
+    var realPkg;
+    var userPkg;
+    var myPkg = {};
+    // we want to be SUPER transparent that we're reading from package.json
+    // we don't want anything unexpected
+    var implicitConfig = [];
+
+    if (opts.packageRoot) {
+        try {
+            pkgText = fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(opts.packageRoot, "package.json"), "utf8");
+        } catch (e) {
+            pkgErr = e;
+            console.warn("`packageRoot` should be the root of the package (probably `__dirname`)");
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (pkgText) {
+        try {
+            realPkg = JSON.parse(pkgText);
+        } catch (e) {
+            pkgErr = e;
+        }
+    }
+
+    userPkg = opts.package;
+
+    if (realPkg || userPkg) {
+        userPkg = userPkg || {};
+        realPkg = realPkg || {};
+
+        // build package agent
+        if (!opts.packageAgent) {
+            // name
+            myPkg.name = userPkg.name;
+            if (!myPkg.name) {
+                myPkg.name = realPkg.name;
+                implicitConfig.push("name");
+            }
+
+            // version
+            myPkg.version = userPkg.version;
+            if (!myPkg.version) {
+                myPkg.version = realPkg.version;
+                implicitConfig.push("version");
+            }
+            if (myPkg.name && myPkg.version) {
+                opts.packageAgent = myPkg.name + "/" + myPkg.version;
+            }
+        }
+
+        // build author
+        myPkg.author = opts.maintainerEmail;
+        if (!myPkg.author) {
+            myPkg.author = (userPkg.author && userPkg.author.email) || userPkg.author;
+        }
+        if (!myPkg.author) {
+            implicitConfig.push("author");
+            myPkg.author = (realPkg.author && realPkg.author.email) || realPkg.author;
+        }
+        opts.maintainerEmail = myPkg.author;
+    }
+
+    if (!opts.packageAgent) {
+        msgErr = "missing `packageAgent` and also failed to read `name` and/or `version` from `package.json`";
+        if (pkgErr) {
+            msgErr += ": " + pkgErr.message;
+        }
+        throw new Error(msgErr);
+    }
+
+    opts.maintainerEmail = parseMaintainer(opts.maintainerEmail);
+    if (!opts.maintainerEmail) {
+        msgErr =
+            "missing or malformed `maintainerEmail` (or `author` from `package.json`), which is used as the contact for support notices";
+        throw new Error(msgErr);
+    }
+
+    opts.packageAgent = addGreenlockAgent(opts);
+
+    if (opts.packageRoot) {
+        // Place the rc file in the packageroot
+        opts.configDir = Rc._initSync(opts.packageRoot, opts.configDir);
+    }
+
+    if (!opts.configDir) {
+        throw new Error("missing `packageRoot` and `configDir`");
+    }
+
+    // Place the rc file in the configDir itself
+    //Rc._initSync(opts.configDir, opts.configDir);
+};
+
+function addGreenlockAgent(opts) {
+    // Add greenlock as part of Agent, unless this is greenlock
+    var packageAgent = opts.packageAgent || "";
+    if (!/greenlock(-express|-pro)?/i.test(packageAgent)) {
+        var pkg = require("./package.json");
+        packageAgent += " Greenlock_Express/" + pkg.version;
+    }
+
+    return packageAgent.trim();
+}
+
+// ex: "John Doe <john@example.com> (https://john.doe)"
+// ex: "John Doe <john@example.com>"
+// ex: "<john@example.com>"
+// ex: "john@example.com"
+var looseEmailRe = /(^|[\s<])([^'" <>:;`]+@[^'" <>:;`]+\.[^'" <>:;`]+)/;
+function parseMaintainer(maintainerEmail) {
+    try {
+        maintainerEmail = maintainerEmail.match(looseEmailRe)[2];
+    } catch (e) {
+        maintainerEmail = null;
+    }
+
+    return maintainerEmail;
+}
diff --git a/rc.js b/rc.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..87fde7b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rc.js
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+"use strict";
+
+var Rc = module.exports;
+var fs = require("fs");
+var path = require("path");
+
+Rc._initSync = function(dirname, configDir) {
+    // dirname / opts.packageRoot
+    var rcpath = path.resolve(dirname, ".greenlockrc");
+    var rc;
+
+    try {
+        rc = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(rcpath));
+    } catch (e) {
+        if ("ENOENT" !== e.code) {
+            throw e;
+        }
+        rc = {};
+    }
+
+    if (!configDir) {
+        configDir = rc.configDir;
+    }
+
+    if (configDir && configDir !== rc.configDir) {
+        if (rc.configDir) {
+            console.info("changing `configDir` from '%s' to '%s'", rc.configDir, configDir);
+        }
+        rc.configDir = configDir;
+        /* if (!rc.manager) { rc.manager = "@greenlock/manager"; } */
+        fs.writeFileSync(rcpath, JSON.stringify(rc));
+    } else if (!rc.configDir) {
+        configDir = path.resolve(dirname, "greenlock.d");
+        rc.configDir = configDir;
+        fs.writeFileSync(rcpath, JSON.stringify(rc));
+    }
+
+    return configDir;
+};