diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index 79ab53f3..08ea3a44 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -26,6 +26,5 @@ jobs:
       with:
         packages: gcc rpm alien rsync pkg-config libudev-dev
     - uses: actions/checkout@v3
-    - run: make init-config-host
     - run: make rpm
 
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 78fc67a5..1aa33d97 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@ BINARY=keymaster
 
 # These are the values we want to pass for Version and BuildTime
 VERSION=1.15.3
+DEFAULT_HOST?=
+DEFAULT_LDFLAGS=-X main.Version=${VERSION}
+CLIENT_LDFLAGS=${DEFAULT_LDFLAGS} -X main.defaultHost=${DEFAULT_HOST}
 #BUILD_TIME=`date +%FT%T%z`
 
 # keymaster client requires special tags on linux
@@ -20,40 +23,45 @@ ifneq ($(OS),Windows_NT)
 	ifeq ($(UNAME_S),Linux)
 		EXTRA_BUILD_FLAGS+= -tags=hidraw
 	endif
+	CLIENT_DEST?="./cmd./keymaster/"
+else
+	CLIENT_DEST?=".\\\\cmd\\\\keymaster\\\\"
 endif
 
 
 # Setup the -ldflags option for go build here, interpolate the variable values
 #LDFLAGS=-ldflags "-X github.com/ariejan/roll/core.Version=${VERSION} -X github.com/ariejan/roll/core.BuildTime=${BUILD_TIME}"
 
-all:	init-config-host cmd/keymasterd/binData.go
-	cd cmd/keymaster; go install ${EXTRA_BUILD_FLAGS} -ldflags "-X main.Version=${VERSION}"
-	cd cmd/keymasterd; go install -ldflags "-X main.Version=${VERSION}"
-	cd cmd/keymaster-unlocker; go install -ldflags "-X main.Version=${VERSION}"
-	cd cmd/keymaster-eventmond;  go install -ldflags "-X main.Version=${VERSION}"
+all:	install-client
+	cd cmd/keymasterd; go install -ldflags "${DEFAULT_LDFLAGS}"
+	cd cmd/keymaster-unlocker; go install -ldflags "${DEFAULT_LDFLAGS}"
+	cd cmd/keymaster-eventmond;  go install -ldflags "${DEFAULT_LDFLAGS}"
 
 build:	cmd/keymasterd/binData.go
-	go build ${EXTRA_BUILD_FLAGS} -ldflags "-X main.Version=${VERSION}" -o bin/   ./...
+	go build ${EXTRA_BUILD_FLAGS} -ldflags "${CLIENT_LDFLAGS}" -o bin/ ./...
 
 cmd/keymasterd/binData.go:
 	-go-bindata -fs -o cmd/keymasterd/binData.go -prefix cmd/keymasterd/data cmd/keymasterd/data/...
 
+install-client:	cmd/keymasterd/binData.go
+	cd cmd/keymaster; go install ${EXTRA_BUILD_FLAGS} -ldflags "${CLIENT_LDFLAGS}"
+
+build-client:	cmd/keymasterd/binData.go
+	go build -ldflags "${CLIENT_LDFLAGS}" -o bin $(CLIENT_DEST)
+
 win-client: client-test
-	 go build -ldflags "-X main.Version=${VERSION}" -o bin .\cmd\keymaster\
+	 go build -ldflags "${CLIENT_LDFLAGS}" -o bin .\cmd\keymaster\
 
 client-test:
 	go test -v  ./cmd/keymaster/...
 
-get-deps:	init-config-host
+get-deps:
 	go get -t ./...
 
 clean:
 	rm -f bin/*
 	rm -f keymaster-*.tar.gz
 
-init-config-host:
-	@test -f cmd/keymaster/config_host.go || (cp -p templates/config_host_go cmd/keymaster/config_host.go && echo 'Created initial cmd/keymaster/config_host.go')
-
 ${BINARY}-${VERSION}.tar.gz:
 	mkdir ${BINARY}-${VERSION}
 	rsync -av --exclude="config.yml" --exclude="*.pem" --exclude="*.out" lib/ ${BINARY}-${VERSION}/lib/
@@ -71,11 +79,11 @@ rpm:	${BINARY}-${VERSION}.tar.gz
 
 tar:	${BINARY}-${VERSION}.tar.gz
 
-test:	init-config-host
+test:
 	make -f makefile.certs
 	go test ./...
 
-verbose-test:	init-config-host
+verbose-test:
 	go test -v ./...
 
 format:
diff --git a/cmd/keymaster/main.go b/cmd/keymaster/main.go
index 17f6e343..d9adef69 100644
--- a/cmd/keymaster/main.go
+++ b/cmd/keymaster/main.go
@@ -40,12 +40,14 @@ const (
 
 const userAgentAppName = "keymaster"
 const defaultVersionNumber = "No version provided"
+const defaultConfigHost = ""
 
 var (
 	// Must be a global variable in the data segment so that the build
 	// process can inject the version number on the fly when building the
 	// binary. Use only from the Usage() function.
 	Version         = defaultVersionNumber
+	defaultHost     = defaultConfigHost
 	userAgentString = userAgentAppName
 )
 
@@ -110,10 +112,10 @@ func loadConfigFile(client *http.Client, logger log.Logger) (
 		if err != nil {
 			logger.Fatal(err)
 		}
-	} else if len(defaultConfigHost) > 1 { // if there is a configHost AND there is NO config file, create one
+	} else if len(defaultHost) > 1 { // if there is a configHost AND there is NO config file, create one
 		if _, err := os.Stat(*configFilename); os.IsNotExist(err) {
 			err = config.GetConfigFromHost(
-				*configFilename, defaultConfigHost, client, logger)
+				*configFilename, defaultHost, client, logger)
 			if err != nil {
 				logger.Fatal(err)
 			}
diff --git a/templates/config_host_go b/templates/config_host_go
deleted file mode 100644
index 6ecd2133..00000000
--- a/templates/config_host_go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-package main
-
-const defaultConfigHost = ""