diff --git a/src/wormhole/cli/cli.py b/src/wormhole/cli/cli.py
index 576dcf8..5c58c76 100644
--- a/src/wormhole/cli/cli.py
+++ b/src/wormhole/cli/cli.py
@@ -177,8 +177,13 @@ def send(cfg, what, text, code, zeromode):
     cfg.zeromode = zeromode
     cfg.code = code
 
+    return go(cmd_send.send, cfg)
+
+# this intermediate function can be mocked by tests that need to build a
+# Config object
+def go(f, cfg):
     # note: react() does not return
-    return react(_dispatch_command, (cfg, lambda: cmd_send.send(cfg)))
+    return react(_dispatch_command, (cfg, lambda: f(cfg)))
 
 
 # wormhole receive (or "wormhole rx")
@@ -228,5 +233,4 @@ def receive(cfg, code, zeromode, output_file, accept_file, only_text):
     else:
         cfg.code = None
 
-    # note: react() does not return
-    return react(_dispatch_command, (cfg, lambda: cmd_receive.receive(cfg)))
+    return go(cmd_receive.receive, cfg)
diff --git a/src/wormhole/test/common.py b/src/wormhole/test/common.py
index bea06da..f3b57ad 100644
--- a/src/wormhole/test/common.py
+++ b/src/wormhole/test/common.py
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 from twisted.application import service
 from twisted.internet import defer, task
 from twisted.python import log
+from click.testing import CliRunner
+import mock
+from ..cli import cli
 from ..transit import allocate_tcp_port
 from ..server.server import RelayServer
 from .. import __version__
@@ -68,3 +71,16 @@ class ServerBase:
             return d
         wait_d.addCallback(_later)
         return wait_d
+
+def config(*argv):
+    r = CliRunner()
+    with mock.patch("wormhole.cli.cli.go") as go:
+        res = r.invoke(cli.wormhole, argv, catch_exceptions=False)
+        if res.exit_code != 0:
+            print(res.exit_code)
+            print(res.output)
+            print(res)
+            assert 0
+        cfg = go.call_args[0][1]
+    return cfg
+
diff --git a/src/wormhole/test/test_args.py b/src/wormhole/test/test_args.py
index d82ed2d..8b87e24 100644
--- a/src/wormhole/test/test_args.py
+++ b/src/wormhole/test/test_args.py
@@ -1,20 +1,12 @@
-import mock
+import sys
 from twisted.trial import unittest
-from ..cli.cli import wormhole
 from ..cli.public_relay import RENDEZVOUS_RELAY, TRANSIT_RELAY
-from click.testing import CliRunner
+from .common import config
 #from pprint import pprint
 
-def run(argv):
-    r = CliRunner()
-    with mock.patch("wormhole.cli.cli.react") as react:
-        r.invoke(wormhole, argv)
-        cfg = react.call_args[0][1][0]
-    return cfg
-
 class Send(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_baseline(self):
-        cfg = run(["send", "--text", "hi"])
+        cfg = config("send", "--text", "hi")
         #pprint(cfg.__dict__)
         self.assertEqual(cfg.what, None)
         self.assertEqual(cfg.code, None)
@@ -31,51 +23,51 @@ class Send(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(cfg.zeromode, False)
 
     def test_file(self):
-        cfg = run(["send", "fn"])
+        cfg = config("send", "fn")
         #pprint(cfg.__dict__)
         self.assertEqual(cfg.what, u"fn")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.text, None)
 
     def test_text(self):
-        cfg = run(["send", "--text", "hi"])
+        cfg = config("send", "--text", "hi")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.what, None)
         self.assertEqual(cfg.text, u"hi")
 
     def test_nolisten(self):
-        cfg = run(["--no-listen", "send", "fn"])
+        cfg = config("--no-listen", "send", "fn")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.listen, False)
 
     def test_code(self):
-        cfg = run(["send", "--code", "1-abc", "fn"])
+        cfg = config("send", "--code", "1-abc", "fn")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.code, u"1-abc")
 
     def test_code_length(self):
-        cfg = run(["-c", "3", "send", "fn"])
+        cfg = config("-c", "3", "send", "fn")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.code_length, 3)
 
     def test_dump_timing(self):
-        cfg = run(["--dump-timing", "tx.json", "send", "fn"])
+        cfg = config("--dump-timing", "tx.json", "send", "fn")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.dump_timing, "tx.json")
 
     def test_hide_progress(self):
-        cfg = run(["--hide-progress", "send", "fn"])
+        cfg = config("--hide-progress", "send", "fn")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.hide_progress, True)
 
     def test_tor(self):
-        cfg = run(["--tor", "send", "fn"])
+        cfg = config("--tor", "send", "fn")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.tor, True)
 
     def test_verify(self):
-        cfg = run(["--verify", "send", "fn"])
+        cfg = config("--verify", "send", "fn")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.verify, True)
 
     def test_zeromode(self):
-        cfg = run(["send", "-0", "fn"])
+        cfg = config("send", "-0", "fn")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.zeromode, True)
 
 class Receive(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_baseline(self):
-        cfg = run(["receive"])
+        cfg = config("receive")
         #pprint(cfg.__dict__)
         self.assertEqual(cfg.accept_file, False)
         self.assertEqual(cfg.what, None)
@@ -94,45 +86,53 @@ class Receive(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(cfg.zeromode, False)
 
     def test_nolisten(self):
-        cfg = run(["--no-listen", "receive"])
+        cfg = config("--no-listen", "receive")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.listen, False)
 
     def test_code(self):
-        cfg = run(["receive", "1-abc"])
+        cfg = config("receive", "1-abc")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.code, u"1-abc")
 
     def test_code_length(self):
-        cfg = run(["-c", "3", "receive"])
+        cfg = config("-c", "3", "receive")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.code_length, 3)
 
     def test_dump_timing(self):
-        cfg = run(["--dump-timing", "tx.json", "receive"])
+        cfg = config("--dump-timing", "tx.json", "receive")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.dump_timing, "tx.json")
 
     def test_hide_progress(self):
-        cfg = run(["--hide-progress", "receive"])
+        cfg = config("--hide-progress", "receive")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.hide_progress, True)
 
     def test_tor(self):
-        cfg = run(["--tor", "receive"])
+        cfg = config("--tor", "receive")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.tor, True)
 
     def test_verify(self):
-        cfg = run(["--verify", "receive"])
+        cfg = config("--verify", "receive")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.verify, True)
 
     def test_zeromode(self):
-        cfg = run(["receive", "-0"])
+        cfg = config("receive", "-0")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.zeromode, True)
 
     def test_only_text(self):
-        cfg = run(["receive", "-t"])
+        cfg = config("receive", "-t")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.only_text, True)
 
     def test_accept_file(self):
-        cfg = run(["receive", "--accept-file"])
+        cfg = config("receive", "--accept-file")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.accept_file, True)
 
     def test_output_file(self):
-        cfg = run(["receive", "--output-file", "fn"])
+        cfg = config("receive", "--output-file", "fn")
         self.assertEqual(cfg.output_file, u"fn")
+
+class Config(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_send(self):
+        cfg = config("send")
+        self.assertEqual(cfg.stdout, sys.stdout)
+    def test_receive(self):
+        cfg = config("receive")
+        self.assertEqual(cfg.stdout, sys.stdout)
diff --git a/src/wormhole/test/test_scripts.py b/src/wormhole/test/test_scripts.py
index ce4d499..66be1e5 100644
--- a/src/wormhole/test/test_scripts.py
+++ b/src/wormhole/test/test_scripts.py
@@ -6,9 +6,8 @@ from twisted.python import procutils, log
 from twisted.internet.utils import getProcessOutputAndValue
 from twisted.internet.defer import gatherResults, inlineCallbacks
 from .. import __version__
-from .common import ServerBase
+from .common import ServerBase, config
 from ..cli import cmd_send, cmd_receive
-from ..cli.cli import Config
 from ..errors import TransferError, WrongPasswordError, WelcomeError
 
 
@@ -20,7 +19,7 @@ def build_offer(args):
 class OfferData(unittest.TestCase):
     def setUp(self):
         self._things_to_delete = []
-        self.cfg = cfg = Config()
+        self.cfg = cfg = config("send")
         cfg.stdout = io.StringIO()
         cfg.stderr = io.StringIO()
 
@@ -226,8 +225,8 @@ class PregeneratedCode(ServerBase, ScriptsBase, unittest.TestCase):
     def _do_test(self, as_subprocess=False,
                  mode="text", addslash=False, override_filename=False):
         assert mode in ("text", "file", "directory")
-        send_cfg = Config()
-        recv_cfg = Config()
+        send_cfg = config("send")
+        recv_cfg = config("receive")
         message = "blah blah blah ponies"
 
         for cfg in [send_cfg, recv_cfg]:
@@ -449,8 +448,8 @@ class PregeneratedCode(ServerBase, ScriptsBase, unittest.TestCase):
 
     @inlineCallbacks
     def test_file_noclobber(self):
-        send_cfg = Config()
-        recv_cfg = Config()
+        send_cfg = config("send")
+        recv_cfg = config("receive")
 
         for cfg in [send_cfg, recv_cfg]:
             cfg.hide_progress = True
@@ -537,7 +536,7 @@ class PregeneratedCode(ServerBase, ScriptsBase, unittest.TestCase):
 class NotWelcome(ServerBase, unittest.TestCase):
     def setUp(self):
         self._setup_relay(error="please upgrade XYZ")
-        self.cfg = cfg = Config()
+        self.cfg = cfg = config("send")
         cfg.hide_progress = True
         cfg.listen = False
         cfg.relay_url = self.relayurl
@@ -567,7 +566,7 @@ class Cleanup(ServerBase, unittest.TestCase):
 
     def setUp(self):
         d = super(Cleanup, self).setUp()
-        self.cfg = cfg = Config()
+        self.cfg = cfg = config("send")
         # common options for all tests in this suite
         cfg.hide_progress = True
         cfg.relay_url = self.relayurl