diff --git a/xdg-app-builtins-build-init.c b/xdg-app-builtins-build-init.c
index 7d9e0f41..cbda5380 100644
--- a/xdg-app-builtins-build-init.c
+++ b/xdg-app-builtins-build-init.c
@@ -99,14 +99,9 @@ xdg_app_builtin_build_init (int argc, char **argv, GCancellable *cancellable, GE
 
       var_ref = xdg_app_build_runtime_ref (opt_var, branch, opt_arch);
 
-      var_deploy_base = xdg_app_dir_get_if_deployed (user_dir, var_ref, NULL, cancellable);
+      var_deploy_base = xdg_app_find_deploy_dir_for_ref (var_ref, cancellable, error);
       if (var_deploy_base == NULL)
-        var_deploy_base = xdg_app_dir_get_if_deployed (system_dir, var_ref, NULL, cancellable);
-      if (var_deploy_base == NULL)
-        {
-          g_set_error (error, G_IO_ERROR, G_IO_ERROR_FAILED, "Var runtime %s branch %s not installed", opt_var, branch);
-          goto out;
-        }
+        goto out;
 
       var_deploy_files = g_file_get_child (var_deploy_base, "files");
     }
diff --git a/xdg-app-builtins-run.c b/xdg-app-builtins-run.c
index 1ca5022e..12e4717c 100644
--- a/xdg-app-builtins-run.c
+++ b/xdg-app-builtins-run.c
@@ -62,7 +62,6 @@ xdg_app_builtin_run (int argc, char **argv, GCancellable *cancellable, GError **
   GOptionContext *context;
   gboolean ret = FALSE;
   gs_unref_object XdgAppDir *user_dir = NULL;
-  gs_unref_object XdgAppDir *system_dir = NULL;
   gs_unref_variant_builder GVariantBuilder *optbuilder = NULL;
   gs_unref_object GFile *deploy_base = NULL;
   gs_unref_object GFile *var = NULL;
@@ -125,16 +124,10 @@ xdg_app_builtin_run (int argc, char **argv, GCancellable *cancellable, GError **
   app_ref = xdg_app_build_app_ref (app, branch, opt_arch);
 
   user_dir = xdg_app_dir_get_user ();
-  system_dir = xdg_app_dir_get_system ();
 
-  app_deploy = xdg_app_dir_get_if_deployed (user_dir, app_ref, NULL, cancellable);
+  app_deploy = xdg_app_find_deploy_dir_for_ref (app_ref, cancellable, error);
   if (app_deploy == NULL)
-    app_deploy = xdg_app_dir_get_if_deployed (system_dir, app_ref, NULL, cancellable);
-  if (app_deploy == NULL)
-    {
-      g_set_error (error, G_IO_ERROR, G_IO_ERROR_FAILED, "App %s branch %s not installed", app, branch);
-      goto out;
-    }
+    goto out;
 
   metadata = g_file_get_child (app_deploy, "metadata");
   if (!g_file_load_contents (metadata, cancellable, &metadata_contents, &metadata_size, NULL, error))
@@ -150,14 +143,9 @@ xdg_app_builtin_run (int argc, char **argv, GCancellable *cancellable, GError **
 
   runtime_ref = g_build_filename ("runtime", runtime, NULL);
 
-  runtime_deploy = xdg_app_dir_get_if_deployed (user_dir, runtime_ref, NULL, cancellable);
+  runtime_deploy = xdg_app_find_deploy_dir_for_ref (runtime_ref, cancellable, error);
   if (runtime_deploy == NULL)
-    runtime_deploy = xdg_app_dir_get_if_deployed (system_dir, runtime_ref, NULL, cancellable);
-  if (runtime_deploy == NULL)
-    {
-      g_set_error (error, G_IO_ERROR, G_IO_ERROR_FAILED, "Required runtime %s not installed", runtime);
-      goto out;
-    }
+    goto out;
 
   if (!xdg_app_dir_ensure_path (user_dir, cancellable, error))
     goto out;
diff --git a/xdg-app-utils.c b/xdg-app-utils.c
index e902f3df..9797d8b2 100644
--- a/xdg-app-utils.c
+++ b/xdg-app-utils.c
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 #include "config.h"
 
 #include "xdg-app-utils.h"
+#include "xdg-app-dir.h"
 
 #include <glib.h>
+#include "libgsystem.h"
 
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <sys/utsname.h>
@@ -56,3 +58,28 @@ xdg_app_build_app_ref (const char *app,
 
   return g_build_filename ("app", app, arch, branch, NULL);
 }
+
+GFile *
+xdg_app_find_deploy_dir_for_ref (const char *ref,
+                                 GCancellable *cancellable,
+                                 GError **error)
+{
+  gs_unref_object XdgAppDir *user_dir = NULL;
+  gs_unref_object XdgAppDir *system_dir = NULL;
+  GFile *deploy = NULL;
+
+  user_dir = xdg_app_dir_get_user ();
+  system_dir = xdg_app_dir_get_system ();
+
+  deploy = xdg_app_dir_get_if_deployed (user_dir, ref, NULL, cancellable);
+  if (deploy == NULL)
+    deploy = xdg_app_dir_get_if_deployed (system_dir, ref, NULL, cancellable);
+  if (deploy == NULL)
+    {
+      g_set_error (error, G_IO_ERROR, G_IO_ERROR_FAILED, "%s not installed", ref);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+
+  return deploy;
+
+}
diff --git a/xdg-app-utils.h b/xdg-app-utils.h
index 8e9dde30..4e4dcdc4 100644
--- a/xdg-app-utils.h
+++ b/xdg-app-utils.h
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 #ifndef __XDG_APP_UTILS_H__
 #define __XDG_APP_UTILS_H__
 
+#include <gio/gio.h>
+
 const char * xdg_app_get_arch (void);
 
 char * xdg_app_build_untyped_ref (const char *runtime,
@@ -12,5 +14,9 @@ char * xdg_app_build_runtime_ref (const char *runtime,
 char * xdg_app_build_app_ref (const char *app,
                               const char *branch,
                               const char *arch);
+GFile * xdg_app_find_deploy_dir_for_ref (const char *ref,
+                                         GCancellable *cancellable,
+                                         GError **error);
+
 
 #endif /* __XDG_APP_UTILS_H__ */