diff --git a/cmd/ipfs/add.go b/cmd/ipfs/add.go
index 91eb1e6e4..5fbe7dd24 100644
--- a/cmd/ipfs/add.go
+++ b/cmd/ipfs/add.go
@@ -29,4 +29,9 @@ func init() {
 	cmdIpfsAdd.Flag.Bool("r", false, "add objects recursively")
 }
 
-var addCmd = MakeCommand("add", []string{"r"}, commands.Add)
+var addCmd = makeCommand(command{
+	name:  "add",
+	args:  1,
+	flags: []string{"r"},
+	cmdFn: commands.Add,
+})
diff --git a/cmd/ipfs/cat.go b/cmd/ipfs/cat.go
index d7ab50028..add0d9b95 100644
--- a/cmd/ipfs/cat.go
+++ b/cmd/ipfs/cat.go
@@ -18,7 +18,12 @@ var cmdIpfsCat = &commander.Command{
 	Flag: *flag.NewFlagSet("ipfs-cat", flag.ExitOnError),
 }
 
-var catCmd = MakeCommand("cat", nil, commands.Cat)
+var catCmd = makeCommand(command{
+	name:  "cat",
+	args:  1,
+	flags: nil,
+	cmdFn: commands.Cat,
+})
 
 /*
 func catCmd(c *commander.Command, inp []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/ipfs/gen.go b/cmd/ipfs/gen.go
index 5c7d1aa40..16f89a626 100644
--- a/cmd/ipfs/gen.go
+++ b/cmd/ipfs/gen.go
@@ -1,26 +1,34 @@
 package main
 
 import (
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 
 	"github.com/jbenet/go-ipfs/Godeps/_workspace/src/github.com/jbenet/commander"
-	"github.com/jbenet/go-ipfs/config"
 	"github.com/jbenet/go-ipfs/core/commands"
 	"github.com/jbenet/go-ipfs/daemon"
 	u "github.com/jbenet/go-ipfs/util"
 )
 
-// CommanderFunc is a function that can be passed into the Commander library as
-// a command handler. Defined here because commander lacks this definition.
-type CommanderFunc func(*commander.Command, []string) error
+// command is the descriptor of an ipfs daemon command.
+// Used with makeCommand to proxy over commands via the daemon.
+type command struct {
+	name   string
+	args   int
+	flags  []string
+	online bool
+	cmdFn  commands.CmdFunc
+}
 
-// MakeCommand Wraps a commands.CmdFunc so that it may be safely run by the
+// commanderFunc is a function that can be passed into the Commander library as
+// a command handler. Defined here because commander lacks this definition.
+type commanderFunc func(*commander.Command, []string) error
+
+// makeCommand Wraps a commands.CmdFunc so that it may be safely run by the
 // commander library
-func MakeCommand(cmdName string, expargs []string, cmdFn commands.CmdFunc) CommanderFunc {
+func makeCommand(cmdDesc command) commanderFunc {
 	return func(c *commander.Command, inp []string) error {
-		if len(inp) < 1 {
+		if len(inp) < cmdDesc.args {
 			u.POut(c.Long)
 			return nil
 		}
@@ -29,34 +37,25 @@ func MakeCommand(cmdName string, expargs []string, cmdFn commands.CmdFunc) Comma
 			return err
 		}
 
-		confapi, err := config.ReadConfigKey(confdir+"/config", "Addresses.API")
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-
-		apiaddr, ok := confapi.(string)
-		if !ok {
-			return errors.New("ApiAddress in config file was not a string")
-		}
-
 		cmd := daemon.NewCommand()
-		cmd.Command = cmdName
+		cmd.Command = cmdDesc.name
 		cmd.Args = inp
 
-		for _, a := range expargs {
+		for _, a := range cmdDesc.flags {
 			cmd.Opts[a] = c.Flag.Lookup(a).Value.Get()
 		}
-		err = daemon.SendCommand(cmd, apiaddr)
+
+		err = daemon.SendCommand(cmd, confdir)
 		if err != nil {
 			fmt.Printf("Executing command locally: %s", err)
 			// Do locally
-			n, err := localNode(confdir, false)
+			n, err := localNode(confdir, cmdDesc.online)
 			if err != nil {
 				fmt.Println("Local node creation failed.")
 				return err
 			}
 
-			return cmdFn(n, cmd.Args, cmd.Opts, os.Stdout)
+			return cmdDesc.cmdFn(n, cmd.Args, cmd.Opts, os.Stdout)
 		}
 		return nil
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/ipfs/ls.go b/cmd/ipfs/ls.go
index aed286dea..0a2e8aff9 100644
--- a/cmd/ipfs/ls.go
+++ b/cmd/ipfs/ls.go
@@ -21,4 +21,9 @@ var cmdIpfsLs = &commander.Command{
 	Flag: *flag.NewFlagSet("ipfs-ls", flag.ExitOnError),
 }
 
-var lsCmd = MakeCommand("ls", nil, commands.Ls)
+var lsCmd = makeCommand(command{
+	name:  "ls",
+	args:  1,
+	flags: nil,
+	cmdFn: commands.Ls,
+})
diff --git a/cmd/ipfs/pin.go b/cmd/ipfs/pin.go
index 5919168b1..007759759 100644
--- a/cmd/ipfs/pin.go
+++ b/cmd/ipfs/pin.go
@@ -23,4 +23,9 @@ func init() {
 	cmdIpfsPin.Flag.Int("d", 1, "recursive depth")
 }
 
-var pinCmd = MakeCommand("pin", []string{"r", "d"}, commands.Pin)
+var pinCmd = makeCommand(command{
+	name:  "pin",
+	args:  1,
+	flags: []string{"r", "d"},
+	cmdFn: commands.Pin,
+})
diff --git a/cmd/ipfs/refs.go b/cmd/ipfs/refs.go
index f86e51dbf..b3aaf85fc 100644
--- a/cmd/ipfs/refs.go
+++ b/cmd/ipfs/refs.go
@@ -28,4 +28,9 @@ func init() {
 	cmdIpfsRefs.Flag.Bool("u", false, "unique: list each ref only once")
 }
 
-var refCmd = MakeCommand("refs", []string{"r", "u"}, commands.Refs)
+var refCmd = makeCommand(command{
+	name:  "refs",
+	args:  1,
+	flags: []string{"r", "u"},
+	cmdFn: commands.Refs,
+})