diff --git a/src/allmydata/scripts/runner.py b/src/allmydata/scripts/runner.py
index 8b730d9cd..bc887e11a 100644
--- a/src/allmydata/scripts/runner.py
+++ b/src/allmydata/scripts/runner.py
@@ -106,8 +106,7 @@ def parse_options(argv, config=None):
     config.parseOptions(argv) # may raise usage.error
     return config
 
-def parse_or_exit_with_explanation(argv, stdout=sys.stdout):
-    config = Options()
+def parse_or_exit_with_explanation_with_config(config, argv, stdout, stderr):
     try:
         parse_options(argv[1:], config=config)
     except usage.error as e:
@@ -171,7 +170,7 @@ def _maybe_enable_eliot_logging(options, reactor):
     # Pass on the options so we can dispatch the subcommand.
     return options
 
-def run(argv=sys.argv, stderr=sys.stderr):
+def run(configFactory=Options, argv=sys.argv, stdout=sys.stdout, stderr=sys.stderr):
     # TODO(3035): Remove tox-check when error becomes a warning
     if 'TOX_ENV_NAME' not in os.environ:
         assert sys.version_info < (3,), u"Tahoe-LAFS does not run under Python 3. Please use Python 2.7.x."
@@ -180,7 +179,15 @@ def run(argv=sys.argv, stderr=sys.stderr):
         from allmydata.windows.fixups import initialize
         initialize()
     # doesn't return: calls sys.exit(rc)
-    task.react(lambda reactor: _run_with_reactor(reactor, argv, stderr))
+    task.react(
+        lambda reactor: _run_with_reactor(
+            reactor,
+            configFactory(),
+            argv,
+            stdout,
+            stderr,
+        ),
+    )
 
 
 def _setup_coverage(reactor, argv):
@@ -223,13 +230,19 @@ def _setup_coverage(reactor, argv):
     reactor.addSystemEventTrigger('after', 'shutdown', write_coverage_data)
 
 
-def _run_with_reactor(reactor, argv, stderr):
+def _run_with_reactor(reactor, config, argv, stdout, stderr):
 
     _setup_coverage(reactor, argv)
 
-    d = defer.maybeDeferred(parse_or_exit_with_explanation, argv)
+    d = defer.maybeDeferred(
+        parse_or_exit_with_explanation_with_config,
+        config,
+        argv,
+        stdout,
+        stderr,
+    )
     d.addCallback(_maybe_enable_eliot_logging, reactor)
-    d.addCallback(dispatch)
+    d.addCallback(dispatch, stdout=stdout, stderr=stderr)
     def _show_exception(f):
         # when task.react() notices a non-SystemExit exception, it does
         # log.err() with the failure and then exits with rc=1. We want this
diff --git a/src/allmydata/test/cli/test_cli.py b/src/allmydata/test/cli/test_cli.py
index d1bcfc128..f0e6fd2e4 100644
--- a/src/allmydata/test/cli/test_cli.py
+++ b/src/allmydata/test/cli/test_cli.py
@@ -510,14 +510,13 @@ class CLI(CLITestMixin, unittest.TestCase):
     def test_exception_catcher(self):
         self.basedir = "cli/exception_catcher"
 
-        stderr = StringIO()
         exc = Exception("canary")
-        ns = Namespace()
+        class BrokenOptions(object):
+            def parseOptions(self, argv):
+                raise exc
 
-        ns.parse_called = False
-        def call_parse_or_exit(args):
-            ns.parse_called = True
-            raise exc
+        stderr = StringIO()
+        ns = Namespace()
 
         ns.sys_exit_called = False
         def call_sys_exit(exitcode):
@@ -531,19 +530,17 @@ class CLI(CLITestMixin, unittest.TestCase):
             # it's safe to drop it on the floor.
             f(reactor)
 
-        patcher = MonkeyPatcher((runner, 'parse_or_exit_with_explanation',
-                                 call_parse_or_exit),
-                                (sys, 'exit', call_sys_exit),
+        patcher = MonkeyPatcher((sys, 'exit', call_sys_exit),
                                 (task, 'react', fake_react),
                                 )
         patcher.runWithPatches(
             lambda: runner.run(
+                configFactory=BrokenOptions,
                 argv=["tahoe"],
                 stderr=stderr,
             ),
         )
 
-        self.failUnless(ns.parse_called)
         self.failUnless(ns.sys_exit_called)
         self.failUnlessIn(str(exc), stderr.getvalue())
 
diff --git a/src/allmydata/test/common_util.py b/src/allmydata/test/common_util.py
index 6a221f509..8885e067e 100644
--- a/src/allmydata/test/common_util.py
+++ b/src/allmydata/test/common_util.py
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ from __future__ import print_function
 import os
 import time
 import signal
+from functools import (
+    partial,
+)
 from random import randrange
 from six.moves import StringIO
 from io import (
@@ -100,10 +103,20 @@ def run_cli_bytes(verb, *args, **kwargs):
         stdout = TextIOWrapper(BytesIO(), encoding)
         stderr = TextIOWrapper(BytesIO(), encoding)
     d = defer.succeed(argv)
-    d.addCallback(runner.parse_or_exit_with_explanation, stdout=stdout)
-    d.addCallback(runner.dispatch,
-                  stdin=StringIO(stdin),
-                  stdout=stdout, stderr=stderr)
+    d.addCallback(
+        partial(
+            runner.parse_or_exit_with_explanation_with_config,
+            runner.Options(),
+        ),
+        stdout=stdout,
+        stderr=stderr,
+    )
+    d.addCallback(
+        runner.dispatch,
+        stdin=StringIO(stdin),
+        stdout=stdout,
+        stderr=stderr,
+    )
     def _done(rc):
         return 0, _getvalue(stdout), _getvalue(stderr)
     def _err(f):