diff --git a/pywb/manager/manager.py b/pywb/manager/manager.py
index 9b7de7b9..e746d277 100644
--- a/pywb/manager/manager.py
+++ b/pywb/manager/manager.py
@@ -33,10 +33,8 @@ directory structure expected by pywb
                             self.default_config['paths'][name])
 
     def _create_dir(self, dirname):
-        try:
+        if not os.path.isdir(dirname):
             os.mkdir(dirname)
-        except:
-            pass
 
         logging.info('Created Dir: ' + dirname)
 
@@ -54,7 +52,7 @@ directory structure expected by pywb
             raise Exception('Directory ' + warcdir + ' does not exist')
 
         if not warcs:
-            print('No WARCs specified')
+            logging.info('No WARCs specified')
             return
 
         for filename in warcs:
@@ -68,7 +66,7 @@ directory structure expected by pywb
         logging.info('Indexing ' + self.warc_dir + ' to ' + cdx_file)
         cdxindexer_main(['-p', '-s', '-r', cdx_file, self.warc_dir])
 
-def main():
+def main(args=None):
     description = """
 Create manage file based web archive collections
 """
@@ -99,7 +97,7 @@ Some examples:
     parser.add_argument('name')
     parser.add_argument('files', nargs='*')
 
-    r = parser.parse_args()
+    r = parser.parse_args(args=args)
 
     m = CollectionsManager(r.name)
     if r.init:
diff --git a/pywb/warc/test/test_indexing.py b/pywb/warc/test/test_indexing.py
index e64595a3..c01d3ed0 100644
--- a/pywb/warc/test/test_indexing.py
+++ b/pywb/warc/test/test_indexing.py
@@ -8,6 +8,13 @@ com,example)/?example=1 20140103030321 http://example.com?example=1 text/html 20
 com,example)/?example=1 20140103030341 http://example.com?example=1 warc/revisit - B2LTWWPUOYAH7UIPQ7ZUPQ4VMBSVC36A - - 553 1864 example.warc.gz
 org,iana)/domains/example 20140128051539 http://www.iana.org/domains/example text/html 302 JZ622UA23G5ZU6Y3XAKH4LINONUEICEG - - 577 2907 example.warc.gz
 
+# warc.gz -- minimal cdx
+>>> print_cdx_index('example.warc.gz', minimal=True)
+ CDX N b a S V g
+com,example)/?example=1 20140103030321 http://example.com?example=1 1043 333 example.warc.gz
+com,example)/?example=1 20140103030341 http://example.com?example=1 553 1864 example.warc.gz
+org,iana)/domains/example 20140128051539 http://www.iana.org/domains/example 577 2907 example.warc.gz
+
 # warc.gz -- parse all
 >>> print_cdx_index('example.warc.gz', include_all=True)
  CDX N b a m s k r M S V g
@@ -122,7 +129,7 @@ com,example)/ 20130729195151 http://test@example.com/ warc/revisit - B2LTWWPUOYA
 org,iana,example)/ 20130702195402 http://example.iana.org/ text/html 200 B2LTWWPUOYAH7UIPQ7ZUPQ4VMBSVC36A - - 1001 353 warcs/example-url-agnostic-orig.warc.gz
 Total: 206
 
-# test sort, multiple inputs, all records + post query
+# test sort, 9-field, multiple inputs, all records + post query
 >>> cli_lines(['--sort', '-a', '-p', '-9', TEST_WARC_DIR])
 com,example)/ 20130729195151 http://test@example.com/ warc/revisit - B2LTWWPUOYAH7UIPQ7ZUPQ4VMBSVC36A - 355 example-url-agnostic-revisit.warc.gz
 org,iana,example)/ 20130702195402 http://example.iana.org/ text/html 200 B2LTWWPUOYAH7UIPQ7ZUPQ4VMBSVC36A - 353 example-url-agnostic-orig.warc.gz
diff --git a/pywb/webapp/pywb_init.py b/pywb/webapp/pywb_init.py
index 1b48eb44..d14600a7 100644
--- a/pywb/webapp/pywb_init.py
+++ b/pywb/webapp/pywb_init.py
@@ -154,17 +154,10 @@ class DirectoryCollsLoader(object):
             # already set
             return False
 
-        thedir = self.config.get('paths').get(dir_key)
-
-        if not thedir:
-            msg = 'No "{0}" for collection {1}'.format(dir_key, root_dir)
-            if required:
-                raise Exception(msg)
-            else:
-                logging.warn(msg)
-            return False
+        thedir = self.config.get('paths')[dir_key]
 
         fulldir = os.path.join(root_dir, thedir)
+
         if os.path.isdir(fulldir):
             fulldir = os.path.abspath(fulldir) + os.path.sep
             coll[dir_key] = fulldir
@@ -172,8 +165,8 @@ class DirectoryCollsLoader(object):
         elif required:
             msg = 'Dir "{0}" does not exist for "{1}"'.format(fulldir, dir_key)
             raise Exception(msg)
-
-        return False
+        else:
+            return False
 
     def load_dir(self, root_dir, name):
         config_file = os.path.join(root_dir, 'config.yaml')
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 23f4c23f..1eeb424d 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ setup(
         'pywb.warc',
         'pywb.rewrite',
         'pywb.framework',
+        'pywb.manager',
         'pywb.perms',
         'pywb.webapp',
         'pywb.apps'
diff --git a/tests/test_auto_colls.py b/tests/test_auto_colls.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0b892d1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_auto_colls.py
@@ -0,0 +1,148 @@
+import os
+import tempfile
+import shutil
+
+import webtest
+
+from pywb.webapp.pywb_init import create_wb_router
+from pywb.manager.manager import main
+
+from pywb import get_test_dir
+from pywb.framework.wsgi_wrappers import init_app
+
+from pytest import raises
+
+
+#=============================================================================
+root_dir = None
+orig_cwd = None
+
+def setup_module():
+    global root_dir
+    root_dir = tempfile.mkdtemp()
+
+    global orig_cwd
+    orig_cwd = os.getcwd()
+    os.chdir(root_dir)
+
+def teardown_module():
+    global root_dir
+    shutil.rmtree(root_dir)
+
+    global orig_cwd
+    os.chdir(orig_cwd)
+
+
+#=============================================================================
+class TestManagedColls(object):
+    def setup(self):
+        global root_dir
+        self.root_dir = root_dir
+
+    def _create_app(self):
+        self.app = init_app(create_wb_router)
+        self.testapp = webtest.TestApp(self.app)
+
+    def _check_dirs(self, base, dirlist):
+        for dir_ in dirlist:
+            assert os.path.isdir(os.path.join(base, dir_))
+
+    def test_create_first_coll(self):
+        main(['--init', 'test'])
+
+        colls = os.path.join(self.root_dir, 'collections')
+        assert os.path.isdir(colls)
+
+        test = os.path.join(colls, 'test')
+        assert os.path.isdir(test)
+
+        self._check_dirs(test, ['cdx', 'warcs', 'static', 'templates'])
+
+    def test_add_warcs(self):
+        warc1 = os.path.join(get_test_dir(), 'warcs', 'example.warc.gz')
+
+        main(['--addwarc', 'test', warc1])
+
+        self._create_app()
+        resp = self.testapp.get('/test/20140103030321/http://example.com?example=1')
+        assert resp.status_int == 200
+
+    def test_add_more_warcs(self):
+        warc1 = os.path.join(get_test_dir(), 'warcs', 'iana.warc.gz')
+        warc2 = os.path.join(get_test_dir(), 'warcs', 'example-extra.warc')
+
+        main(['--addwarc', 'test', warc1, warc2])
+
+        # Spurrious file in collections
+        with open(os.path.join(self.root_dir, 'collections', 'blah'), 'w+b') as fh:
+            fh.write('foo\n')
+
+        with raises(IOError):
+            main(['--addwarc', 'test', 'non-existent-file.warc.gz'])
+
+        main(['--addwarc', 'test'])
+
+        main(['--reindex', 'test'])
+
+        self._create_app()
+        resp = self.testapp.get('/test/20140103030321/http://example.com?example=1')
+        assert resp.status_int == 200
+
+    def test_add_static(self):
+        a_static = os.path.join(self.root_dir, 'collections', 'test', 'static', 'abc.js')
+
+        with open(a_static, 'w+b') as fh:
+            fh.write('/* Some JS File */')
+
+        self._create_app()
+        resp = self.testapp.get('/static/test/abc.js')
+        assert resp.status_int == 200
+        assert resp.content_type == 'application/javascript'
+        assert '/* Some JS File */' in resp.body
+
+    def test_custom_search(self):
+        a_static = os.path.join(self.root_dir, 'collections', 'test', 'templates', 'search.html')
+
+        with open(a_static, 'w+b') as fh:
+            fh.write('pywb custom search page')
+
+        self._create_app()
+        resp = self.testapp.get('/test/')
+        assert resp.status_int == 200
+        assert resp.content_type == 'text/html'
+        assert 'pywb custom search page' in resp.body
+
+    def test_no_templates(self):
+        shutil.rmtree(os.path.join(self.root_dir, 'collections', 'test', 'templates'))
+
+        self._create_app()
+
+        resp = self.testapp.get('/test/')
+        assert resp.status_int == 200
+        assert resp.content_type == 'text/html'
+        assert 'pywb custom search page' not in resp.body
+
+    def test_err_missing_dirs(self):
+        colls = os.path.join(self.root_dir, 'collections')
+
+        # No CDX
+        cdx_path = os.path.join(colls, 'test', 'cdx')
+        shutil.rmtree(cdx_path)
+
+        with raises(Exception):
+            self._create_app()
+
+        # CDX a file not a dir
+        with open(cdx_path, 'w+b') as fh:
+            fh.write('foo\n')
+
+        with raises(Exception):
+            self._create_app()
+
+        shutil.rmtree(colls)
+
+        # No Collections
+        self._create_app()
+        resp = self.testapp.get('/test/', status=404)
+        assert resp.status_int == 404
+