diff --git a/chunkie/@kernel/elast2d.m b/chunkie/@kernel/elast2d.m
index ea6991b..3940faf 100644
--- a/chunkie/@kernel/elast2d.m
+++ b/chunkie/@kernel/elast2d.m
@@ -90,4 +90,9 @@
 
 end
 
+icheck = exist(['fmm2d.' mexext], 'file');
+if icheck ~=3
+    obj.fmm = [];
+end
+
 end
diff --git a/chunkie/@kernel/helm2d.m b/chunkie/@kernel/helm2d.m
index 73cc8ce..057b5d3 100644
--- a/chunkie/@kernel/helm2d.m
+++ b/chunkie/@kernel/helm2d.m
@@ -86,4 +86,10 @@
 
 end
 
+icheck = exist(['fmm2d.' mexext], 'file');
+if icheck ~=3
+    obj.fmm = [];
+end
+
+
 end
diff --git a/chunkie/@kernel/helm2ddiff.m b/chunkie/@kernel/helm2ddiff.m
index a1392b9..9dae103 100644
--- a/chunkie/@kernel/helm2ddiff.m
+++ b/chunkie/@kernel/helm2ddiff.m
@@ -92,4 +92,10 @@
 
 end
 
+icheck = exist(['fmm2d.' mexext], 'file');
+if icheck ~=3
+    obj.fmm = [];
+end
+
+
 end
diff --git a/chunkie/@kernel/lap2d.m b/chunkie/@kernel/lap2d.m
index 8db13bb..1eb548a 100644
--- a/chunkie/@kernel/lap2d.m
+++ b/chunkie/@kernel/lap2d.m
@@ -85,4 +85,9 @@
 
 end
 
+icheck = exist(['fmm2d.' mexext], 'file');
+if icheck ~=3
+    obj.fmm = [];
+end
+
 end
diff --git a/chunkie/@kernel/stok2d.m b/chunkie/@kernel/stok2d.m
index c8f2327..e017192 100644
--- a/chunkie/@kernel/stok2d.m
+++ b/chunkie/@kernel/stok2d.m
@@ -84,4 +84,10 @@
 
 end
 
+icheck = exist(['fmm2d.' mexext], 'file');
+if icheck ~=3
+    obj.fmm = [];
+end
+
+
 end
diff --git a/chunkie/chunkerkerneval.m b/chunkie/chunkerkerneval.m
index fb10f27..3476085 100644
--- a/chunkie/chunkerkerneval.m
+++ b/chunkie/chunkerkerneval.m
@@ -272,7 +272,16 @@
      end
 end
 
-    
+if strcmpi(imethod,'fmm')
+    icheck = exist(['fmm2d.' mexext], 'file');
+    if icheck ~=3
+        imethod = 'direct';
+        fstr = ['CHUNKERKERNEVAL: forcefmm flag used but fmm2d not found\n' ...
+           'Using direct computation instead\nMake sure fmm2d.' mexext ...
+           ' is in MATLAB path'];
+        warning(sprintf(fstr))
+    end
+end
     
 
 if strcmpi(imethod,'direct')
diff --git a/devtools/test/chunkermat_helm2dfmmTest.m b/devtools/test/chunkermat_helm2dfmmTest.m
deleted file mode 100644
index dcea14f..0000000
--- a/devtools/test/chunkermat_helm2dfmmTest.m
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,120 +0,0 @@
-
-%CHUNKERMAT_HELM2DFMMTEST
-%
-% test the matrix builder and the fmm for post processing and do a basic solve
-
-clearvars; close all;
-iseed = 8675309;
-rng(iseed);
-
-addpaths_loc();
-
-cparams = [];
-cparams.eps = 1.0e-10;
-cparams.nover = 1;
-pref = []; 
-pref.k = 32;
-narms = 3;
-amp = 0.25;
-start = tic; chnkr = chunkerfunc(@(t) starfish(t,narms,amp),cparams,pref); 
-t1 = toc(start);
-
-fprintf('%5.2e s : time to build geo\n',t1)
-
-zk = 1.1;
-
-% sources
-
-ns = 10;
-ts = 0.0+2*pi*rand(ns,1);
-sources = starfish(ts,narms,amp);
-sources = 3.0*sources;
-strengths = randn(ns,1);
-
-% targets
-
-nt = 10000;
-ts = 0.0+2*pi*rand(nt,1);
-targets = starfish(ts,narms,amp);
-targets = targets.*repmat(rand(1,nt),2,1)*0.5;
-
-% plot geo and sources
-
-xs = chnkr.r(1,:,:); xmin = min(xs(:)); xmax = max(xs(:));
-ys = chnkr.r(2,:,:); ymin = min(ys(:)); ymax = max(ys(:));
-
-figure(1)
-clf
-hold off
-plot(chnkr)
-hold on
-scatter(sources(1,:),sources(2,:),'o')
-scatter(targets(1,:),targets(2,:),'x')
-axis equal 
-
-%
-
-kerns = @(s,t) chnk.helm2d.kern(zk,s,t,'s');
-
-% eval u on bdry
-
-targs = chnkr.r; targs = reshape(targs,2,chnkr.k*chnkr.nch);
-targstau = tangents(chnkr); 
-targstau = reshape(targstau,2,chnkr.k*chnkr.nch);
-
-srcinfo = []; srcinfo.r = sources; 
-targinfo = []; targinfo.r = targs;
-kernmats = kerns(srcinfo,targinfo);
-ubdry = kernmats*strengths;
-
-% eval u at targets
-
-targinfo = []; targinfo.r = targets;
-kernmatstarg = kerns(srcinfo,targinfo);
-utarg = kernmatstarg*strengths;
-
-%
-
-% build helmholtz dirichlet matrix
-
-fkern = @(s,t) chnk.helm2d.kern(zk,s,t,'D');
-start = tic; D = chunkermat(chnkr,fkern);
-t1 = toc(start);
-
-fprintf('%5.2e s : time to assemble matrix\n',t1)
-
-sys = -0.5*eye(chnkr.k*chnkr.nch) + D;
-
-rhs = ubdry; rhs = rhs(:);
-start = tic; sol = gmres(sys,rhs,[],1e-14,100); t1 = toc(start);
-
-fprintf('%5.2e s : time for dense gmres\n',t1)
-
-start = tic; sol2 = sys\rhs; t1 = toc(start);
-
-fprintf('%5.2e s : time for dense backslash solve\n',t1)
-
-err = norm(sol-sol2,'fro')/norm(sol2,'fro');
-
-fprintf('difference between direct and iterative %5.2e\n',err)
-
-% evaluate at targets and compare
-wchnkr = chnkr.wts;
-
-% evaluate at targets using FMM and compare
-iffmm = 0;
-
-if(iffmm)
-    sol_use = sol2.*wchnkr(:);
-    eps = 1e-6;
-    pgt = 1;
-    pot = chnk.helm2d.fmm(eps,zk,chnkr,targets,'D',sol_use);
-
-    relerr = norm(utarg-pot,'fro')/(sqrt(chnkr.nch)*norm(utarg,'fro'));
-    relerr2 = norm(utarg-pot,'inf')/dot(abs(sol(:)),wchnkr(:));
-    fprintf('relative frobenius error %5.2e\n',relerr);
-    fprintf('relative l_inf/l_1 error %5.2e\n',relerr2);
-
-    assert(relerr < eps);
-end
-