diff --git a/integration/conftest.py b/integration/conftest.py
index f37ec9353..cc4ffaa08 100644
--- a/integration/conftest.py
+++ b/integration/conftest.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ from os import mkdir, listdir, environ
 from os.path import join, exists
 from tempfile import mkdtemp, mktemp
 from functools import partial
+from json import loads
 
 from foolscap.furl import (
     decode_furl,
@@ -37,6 +38,8 @@ from util import (
     _tahoe_runner_optional_coverage,
     await_client_ready,
     TahoeProcess,
+    cli,
+    _run_node,
 )
 
 
@@ -350,6 +353,15 @@ def alice(reactor, temp_dir, introducer_furl, flog_gatherer, storage_nodes, requ
         )
     )
     await_client_ready(process)
+    cli(process, "create-alias", "test")
+    rwcap = loads(cli(process, "list-aliases", "--json"))["test"]["readwrite"]
+    # TODO at this point we need to:
+    # 1. configure sftpd
+    # 2. add an sftp access file with username, password, and rwcap
+    # 3. eventually, add sftp access with public key
+    process.kill()
+    pytest_twisted.blockon(_run_node(reactor, process.node_dir, request, None))
+    await_client_ready(process)
     return process
 
 
diff --git a/integration/util.py b/integration/util.py
index eed073225..60d96a214 100644
--- a/integration/util.py
+++ b/integration/util.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ from os import mkdir, environ
 from os.path import exists, join
 from six.moves import StringIO
 from functools import partial
+from subprocess import check_output
 
 from twisted.python.filepath import (
     FilePath,
@@ -175,6 +176,10 @@ class TahoeProcess(object):
             u"portnum",
         )
 
+    def kill(self):
+        """Kill the process, block until it's done."""
+        _cleanup_tahoe_process(self.transport, self.transport.exited)
+
     def __str__(self):
         return "<TahoeProcess in '{}'>".format(self._node_dir)
 
@@ -249,7 +254,7 @@ def _create_node(reactor, request, temp_dir, introducer_furl, flog_gatherer, nam
             '--helper',
         ]
         if not storage:
-            args.append('--no-storage')
+           args.append('--no-storage')
         args.append(node_dir)
 
         _tahoe_runner_optional_coverage(done_proto, reactor, request, args)
@@ -390,17 +395,13 @@ def await_file_vanishes(path, timeout=10):
     raise FileShouldVanishException(path, timeout)
 
 
-def cli(request, reactor, node_dir, *argv):
+def cli(node, *argv):
     """
-    Run a tahoe CLI subcommand for a given node, optionally running
-    under coverage if '--coverage' was supplied.
+    Run a tahoe CLI subcommand for a given node in a blocking manner, returning
+    the output.
     """
-    proto = _CollectOutputProtocol()
-    _tahoe_runner_optional_coverage(
-        proto, reactor, request,
-        ['--node-directory', node_dir] + list(argv),
-    )
-    return proto.done
+    arguments = ["tahoe", '--node-directory', node.node_dir]
+    return check_output(arguments + list(argv))
 
 
 def node_url(node_dir, uri_fragment):