diff --git a/redo-ifchange.py b/redo-ifchange.py
index 0e7d79c..d0e9472 100755
--- a/redo-ifchange.py
+++ b/redo-ifchange.py
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@ if not vars.TARGET:
 try:
     want_build = []
     for t in sys.argv[1:]:
-        mkdirp('%s/.redo' % vars.BASE)
         state.add_dep(vars.TARGET, 'm', t)
         if dirty_deps(t, depth = ''):
             want_build.append(t)
diff --git a/redo-ifcreate.py b/redo-ifcreate.py
index 2bd8cd1..160fff5 100755
--- a/redo-ifcreate.py
+++ b/redo-ifcreate.py
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ if not vars.TARGET:
 
 try:
     for t in sys.argv[1:]:
-        mkdirp('%s/.redo' % vars.BASE)
         if os.path.exists(t):
             err('redo-ifcreate: error: %r already exists\n' % t)
             sys.exit(1)
diff --git a/redo.py b/redo.py
index 0fcdcaf..2092a99 100755
--- a/redo.py
+++ b/redo.py
@@ -22,7 +22,9 @@ if opt.verbose:
 if opt.shuffle:
     os.environ['REDO_SHUFFLE'] = '1'
 
+is_root = False
 if not os.environ.get('REDO_BASE', ''):
+    is_root = True
     base = os.path.commonprefix([os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(t))
                                  for t in targets] + [os.getcwd()])
     bsplit = base.split('/')
@@ -35,18 +37,21 @@ if not os.environ.get('REDO_BASE', ''):
     os.environ['REDO_STARTDIR'] = os.getcwd()
     os.environ['REDO'] = os.path.abspath(sys.argv[0])
 
+
+import vars, state
+from helpers import *
+
+
+if is_root:
     # FIXME: just wiping out all the locks is kind of cheating.  But we
     # only do this from the toplevel redo process, so unless the user
     # deliberately starts more than one redo on the same repository, it's
     # sort of ok.
+    mkdirp('%s/.redo' % base)
     for f in glob.glob('%s/.redo/lock^*' % base):
         os.unlink(f)
 
 
-import vars, state
-from helpers import *
-
-
 class BuildError(Exception):
     pass
 class BuildLocked(Exception):
@@ -139,7 +144,6 @@ def _build(t):
 
 
 def build(t):
-    mkdirp('%s/.redo' % vars.BASE)
     lock = state.Lock(t)
     lock.lock()
     if not lock.owned: