diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 179269e22..58440ba85 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ init-state:
 	rm -f $(DESTDIR)$(localstatedir)/nix/gcroots/profiles
 	ln -s $(localstatedir)/nix/profiles $(DESTDIR)$(localstatedir)/nix/gcroots/profiles
 	$(INSTALL) $(INIT_FLAGS) -d $(DESTDIR)$(prefix)/store
+	$(INSTALL) $(INIT_FLAGS) $(GROUP_WRITABLE) -d $(DESTDIR)$(localstatedir)/nix/manifests
 #	$(bindir)/nix-store --init
 else
 init-state:
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.am b/scripts/Makefile.am
index d4fa169bd..8a933fe95 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.am
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.am
@@ -12,8 +12,6 @@ install-exec-local: readmanifest.pm
 	$(INSTALL) -d $(DESTDIR)$(libexecdir)/nix
 	$(INSTALL_DATA) readmanifest.pm $(DESTDIR)$(libexecdir)/nix 
 	$(INSTALL) -d $(DESTDIR)$(sysconfdir)/nix
-# !!! don't overwrite local modifications
-	$(INSTALL_DATA) prebuilts.conf $(DESTDIR)$(sysconfdir)/nix/prebuilts.conf
 
 include ../substitute.mk
 
@@ -21,5 +19,5 @@ EXTRA_DIST = nix-collect-garbage.in \
   nix-pull.in nix-push.in nix-profile.sh.in \
   nix-prefetch-url.in nix-install-package.in \
   nix-channel.in \
-  prebuilts.conf readmanifest.pm.in \
+  readmanifest.pm.in \
   nix-build.in
diff --git a/scripts/nix-pull.in b/scripts/nix-pull.in
index 66d99ff7c..82b6e8435 100644
--- a/scripts/nix-pull.in
+++ b/scripts/nix-pull.in
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ do { $tmpdir = tmpnam(); }
 until mkdir $tmpdir, 0777;
 
 my $manifest = "$tmpdir/manifest";
-my $confFile = "@sysconfdir@/nix/prebuilts.conf";
 
 #END { unlink $manifest; rmdir $tmpdir; }
 
@@ -33,21 +32,9 @@ sub processURL {
     readManifest $manifest, \%storePaths2urls, \%urls2hashes, \%successors;
 }
 
-if (scalar @ARGV > 0) {
-    while (@ARGV) {
-        my $url = shift @ARGV;
-	processURL $url;
-    }
-} else {
-    open CONFFILE, "<$confFile";
-    while (<CONFFILE>) {
-        chomp;
-        if (/^\s*(\S+)\s*(\#.*)?$/) {
-            my $url = $1;
-	    processURL $url;
-        }
-    }
-    close CONFFILE;
+while (@ARGV) {
+    my $url = shift @ARGV;
+    processURL $url;
 }