diff --git a/red/runtime/index.js b/red/runtime/index.js
index 5dbe34130..988a3220c 100644
--- a/red/runtime/index.js
+++ b/red/runtime/index.js
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ function start() {
         .then(function() {
             return i18n.registerMessageCatalog("runtime",path.resolve(path.join(__dirname,"locales")),"runtime.json")
         })
-        .then(function() { return storage.init(settings)})
+        .then(function() { return storage.init(runtime)})
         .then(function() { return settings.load(storage)})
         .then(function() {
 
diff --git a/red/runtime/nodes/flows/index.js b/red/runtime/nodes/flows/index.js
index f95e72555..a5eccc69e 100644
--- a/red/runtime/nodes/flows/index.js
+++ b/red/runtime/nodes/flows/index.js
@@ -43,12 +43,12 @@ var subflowInstanceNodeMap = {};
 
 var typeEventRegistered = false;
 
-function init(_settings, _storage) {
+function init(runtime) {
     if (started) {
         throw new Error("Cannot init without a stop");
     }
-    settings = _settings;
-    storage = _storage;
+    settings = runtime.settings;
+    storage = runtime.storage;
     started = false;
     if (!typeEventRegistered) {
         events.on('type-registered',function(type) {
diff --git a/red/runtime/nodes/index.js b/red/runtime/nodes/index.js
index f39e6c3cc..7b1b9c84e 100644
--- a/red/runtime/nodes/index.js
+++ b/red/runtime/nodes/index.js
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ function createNode(node,def) {
 function init(runtime) {
     settings = runtime.settings;
     credentials.init(runtime.storage);
-    flows.init(runtime.settings,runtime.storage);
+    flows.init(runtime);
     registry.init(runtime);
     context.init(runtime.settings);
 }
diff --git a/red/runtime/storage/index.js b/red/runtime/storage/index.js
index f60a92736..176422f08 100644
--- a/red/runtime/storage/index.js
+++ b/red/runtime/storage/index.js
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ var when = require('when');
 var Path = require('path');
 var log = require("../log");
 
+var runtime;
 var storageModule;
 var settingsAvailable;
 var sessionsAvailable;
@@ -42,15 +43,16 @@ function is_malicious(path) {
 }
 
 var storageModuleInterface = {
-        init: function(settings) {
+        init: function(_runtime) {
+            runtime = _runtime;
             try {
-                storageModule = moduleSelector(settings);
+                storageModule = moduleSelector(runtime.settings);
                 settingsAvailable = storageModule.hasOwnProperty("getSettings") && storageModule.hasOwnProperty("saveSettings");
                 sessionsAvailable = storageModule.hasOwnProperty("getSessions") && storageModule.hasOwnProperty("saveSessions");
             } catch (e) {
                 return when.reject(e);
             }
-            return storageModule.init(settings);
+            return storageModule.init(runtime.settings);
         },
         getFlows: function() {
             return storageModule.getFlows();
diff --git a/test/red/runtime/nodes/flows/index_spec.js b/test/red/runtime/nodes/flows/index_spec.js
index 3a18bd73d..b3a9cb29b 100644
--- a/test/red/runtime/nodes/flows/index_spec.js
+++ b/test/red/runtime/nodes/flows/index_spec.js
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
                 {id:"t1-1",x:10,y:10,z:"t1",type:"test",wires:[]},
                 {id:"t1",type:"tab"}
             ];
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.setFlows(originalConfig).then(function() {
                 credentialsExtract.called.should.be.false;
                 credentialsClean.called.should.be.true;
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
                 {id:"t1-1",x:10,y:10,z:"t1",type:"test",wires:[]},
                 {id:"t1",type:"tab"}
             ];
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.setFlows(originalConfig,"load").then(function() {
                 credentialsExtract.called.should.be.false;
                 credentialsClean.called.should.be.true;
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
                 {id:"t1-1",x:10,y:10,z:"t1",type:"test",wires:[],credentials:{}},
                 {id:"t1",type:"tab"}
             ];
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.setFlows(originalConfig).then(function() {
                 credentialsExtract.called.should.be.true;
                 credentialsClean.called.should.be.true;
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
                 })
             });
 
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.load().then(function() {
                 flows.startFlows();
             });
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
                 })
             });
 
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.load().then(function() {
                 flows.startFlows();
             });
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
             storage.getFlows = function() {
                 return when.resolve(originalConfig);
             }
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.load().then(function() {
                 credentialsExtract.called.should.be.false;
                 credentialsLoad.called.should.be.true;
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
                 done();
             });
 
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.load().then(function() {
                 flows.startFlows();
             });
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
                 return when.resolve(originalConfig);
             }
 
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.load().then(function() {
                 flows.startFlows();
                 flowCreate.called.should.be.false;
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
             storage.getFlows = function() {
                 return when.resolve(originalConfig);
             }
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.load().then(function() {
                 flows.startFlows();
                 flowCreate.called.should.be.false;
@@ -329,7 +329,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
             storage.getFlows = function() {
                 return when.resolve(originalConfig);
             }
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.load().then(function() {
                 var c = 0;
                 flows.eachNode(function(node) {
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
                 done();
             });
 
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.load().then(function() {
                 flows.startFlows();
             });
@@ -391,7 +391,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
                 }
             });
 
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.load().then(function() {
                 flows.startFlows();
             });
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
                 done();
             });
 
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.load().then(function() {
                 flows.startFlows();
             });
@@ -445,7 +445,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
                 }
             });
 
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.load().then(function() {
                 flows.startFlows();
             });
@@ -473,7 +473,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
                 {id:"t1-1",x:10,y:10,z:"t1",type:"test",wires:[]},
                 {id:"t1",type:"tab"}
             ];
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.setFlows(originalConfig).then(function() {
                 flows.checkTypeInUse("unused-module");
                 done();
@@ -484,7 +484,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
                 {id:"t1-1",x:10,y:10,z:"t1",type:"test",wires:[]},
                 {id:"t1",type:"tab"}
             ];
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.setFlows(originalConfig).then(function() {
                 /*jshint immed: false */
                 try {
@@ -507,7 +507,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
             storage.getFlows = function() {
                 return when.resolve(originalConfig);
             }
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.load().then(function() {
                 flows.addFlow({
                     label:'new flow',
@@ -534,7 +534,7 @@ describe('flows/index', function() {
             storage.setFlows = function() {
                 return when.resolve();
             }
-            flows.init({},storage);
+            flows.init({settings:{},storage:storage});
             flows.load().then(function() {
                 return flows.startFlows();
             }).then(function() {
diff --git a/test/red/runtime/storage/index_spec.js b/test/red/runtime/storage/index_spec.js
index 268c4ea57..b7a5786de 100644
--- a/test/red/runtime/storage/index_spec.js
+++ b/test/red/runtime/storage/index_spec.js
@@ -22,7 +22,9 @@ describe("red/storage/index", function() {
     it('rejects the promise when settings suggest loading a bad module', function(done) {
 
         var wrongModule = {
+            settings:{
                 storageModule : "thisaintloading"
+            }
         };
 
        storage.init(wrongModule).then( function() {
@@ -42,13 +44,15 @@ describe("red/storage/index", function() {
         var initSetsMeToTrue = false;
 
         var moduleWithBooleanSettingInit = {
-                init : function() {
-                    initSetsMeToTrue = true;
-                }
+            init : function() {
+                initSetsMeToTrue = true;
+            }
         };
 
         var setsBooleanModule = {
+            settings: {
                 storageModule : moduleWithBooleanSettingInit
+            }
         };
 
         storage.init(setsBooleanModule);
@@ -116,7 +120,9 @@ describe("red/storage/index", function() {
         };
 
         var moduleToLoad = {
-            storageModule : interfaceCheckerModule
+            settings: {
+                storageModule : interfaceCheckerModule
+            }
         };
 
         storage.init(moduleToLoad);
@@ -172,7 +178,9 @@ describe("red/storage/index", function() {
         };
 
         var moduleToLoad = {
-            storageModule : interfaceCheckerModule
+            settings: {
+                storageModule : interfaceCheckerModule
+            }
         };
         before(function() {
             storage.init(moduleToLoad);
@@ -220,7 +228,7 @@ describe("red/storage/index", function() {
             var interfaceCheckerModule = {
                 init : function () {}
             };
-            storage.init({storageModule: interfaceCheckerModule});
+            storage.init({settings:{storageModule: interfaceCheckerModule}});
         });
 
         it('defaults missing getSettings',function(done) {