diff --git a/src/ostbuild/pyostbuild/builtin_build.py b/src/ostbuild/pyostbuild/builtin_build.py
index bd897544..ec8630c5 100755
--- a/src/ostbuild/pyostbuild/builtin_build.py
+++ b/src/ostbuild/pyostbuild/builtin_build.py
@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@ class OstbuildBuild(builtins.Builtin):
         devel_name = 'bases/%s' % (base['devel'], )
 
         compose_rootdir = os.path.join(self.workdir, 'roots', target['name'])
+        fileutil.ensure_parent_dir(compose_rootdir)
         if os.path.isdir(compose_rootdir):
             shutil.rmtree(compose_rootdir)
         os.mkdir(compose_rootdir)
diff --git a/src/ostbuild/pyostbuild/builtins.py b/src/ostbuild/pyostbuild/builtins.py
index 5b7b87d0..4bcc7337 100755
--- a/src/ostbuild/pyostbuild/builtins.py
+++ b/src/ostbuild/pyostbuild/builtins.py
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ class Builtin(object):
             if os.path.isdir(shadow_path):
                 self.repo = shadow_path
             else:
-                fatal("No repository configured, and shadow-repo not found.  Use \"ostbuild shadow-repo-init\" to make one")
+                fatal("No repository configured, and shadow-repo not found.  Use \"ostbuild init\" to make one")
 
     def parse_prefix(self, prefix):
         if prefix is not None:
@@ -212,7 +212,6 @@ class Builtin(object):
         repo_path = os.path.join(self.ostree_dir, 'repo')
         if not os.path.isdir(repo_path):
             fatal("Repository '%s' doesn't exist" % (repo_path, ))
-        self.repo = repo_path
         if self.active_branch is None:
             fatal("No \"current\" link found")
         tree_path = os.path.join(self.ostree_dir, self.active_branch)