diff --git a/pmb/commands/log.py b/pmb/commands/log.py
index ab196ec0..fd806f35 100644
--- a/pmb/commands/log.py
+++ b/pmb/commands/log.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ from pmb import commands
 from pmb.types import PathString
 from pmb.helpers import run
 from pmb.core.context import get_context
+import pmb.config
 
 class Log(commands.Command):
     clear_log: bool
@@ -18,7 +19,7 @@ class Log(commands.Command):
 
     def run(self):
         context = get_context()
-        log_testsuite = context.config.work / "log_testsuite.txt"
+        log_testsuite = pmb.config.pmb_src / ".pytest_tmp/log_testsuite.txt"
 
         if self.clear_log:
             run.user(["truncate", "-s", "0", context.log])
diff --git a/pmb/config/file.py b/pmb/config/file.py
index 3e2024da..12a3de7b 100644
--- a/pmb/config/file.py
+++ b/pmb/config/file.py
@@ -46,7 +46,11 @@ def load(path: Path) -> Config:
         # Yeah this really sucks and there isn't a better way to do it without external
         # libraries
         elif isinstance(getattr(Config, key), List) and isinstance(getattr(Config, key)[0], PosixPath):
-            setattr(config, key, [Path(p.strip()) for p in cfg["pmbootstrap"][key].split(",")])
+            value = cfg["pmbootstrap"][key]
+            if not value:
+                setattr(config, key, value)
+            else:
+                setattr(config, key, [Path(p) for p in value.split(",")])
         elif isinstance(getattr(Config, key), bool):
             setattr(config, key, cfg["pmbootstrap"][key].lower() == "true")
         elif key in cfg["pmbootstrap"]:
diff --git a/pmb/config/init.py b/pmb/config/init.py
index 00681270..5084f482 100644
--- a/pmb/config/init.py
+++ b/pmb/config/init.py
@@ -663,7 +663,7 @@ def frontend(args: PmbArgs):
 
     # Choose release channel, possibly switch pmaports branch
     channel = ask_for_channel(config)
-    pmb.config.pmaports.switch_to_channel_branch(args, channel)
+    pmb.config.pmaports.switch_to_channel_branch(channel)
     # FIXME: ???
     config.is_default_channel = False
 
diff --git a/pmb/config/pmaports.py b/pmb/config/pmaports.py
index a0d9b7e2..39bacb6b 100644
--- a/pmb/config/pmaports.py
+++ b/pmb/config/pmaports.py
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ def init():
     read_config()
 
 
-def switch_to_channel_branch(args: PmbArgs, channel_new):
+def switch_to_channel_branch(channel_new):
     """Checkout the channel's branch in pmaports.git.
 
     :channel_new: channel name (e.g. "edge", "v21.03")
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ def switch_to_channel_branch(args: PmbArgs, channel_new):
                  f" '{channel_new}'...")
 
     # Make sure we don't have mounts related to the old channel
-    pmb.chroot.shutdown(args)
+    pmb.chroot.shutdown()
 
     # Attempt to switch branch (git gives a nice error message, mentioning
     # which files need to be committed/stashed, so just pass it through)
diff --git a/pmb/config/test_config_serde.py b/pmb/config/test_config_serde.py
index a447aebb..36a95f56 100644
--- a/pmb/config/test_config_serde.py
+++ b/pmb/config/test_config_serde.py
@@ -92,3 +92,4 @@ def test_migrate_2_to_3(config_file_2_3_x, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     # Check that save was called (which happens on a config migration)
     assert did_migrate
 
+# FIXME: add save tests and better type checks
diff --git a/pmb/conftest.py b/pmb/conftest.py
index 077bb516..4fadc398 100644
--- a/pmb/conftest.py
+++ b/pmb/conftest.py
@@ -4,21 +4,32 @@ import pytest
 import shutil
 
 import pmb.core
+from pmb.core.context import get_context
 from pmb.types import PmbArgs
 from pmb.helpers.args import init as init_args
 
 _testdir = Path(__file__).parent / "data/tests"
 
 @pytest.fixture
-def config_file(tmp_path_factory):
+def config_file(tmp_path_factory, request):
     """Fixture to create a temporary pmbootstrap.cfg file."""
     tmp_path = tmp_path_factory.mktemp("pmbootstrap")
+
+    flavour = "default"
+    if hasattr(request, "param") and request.param:
+        flavour = request.param
+
     out_file = tmp_path / "pmbootstrap.cfg"
     workdir = tmp_path / "work"
     workdir.mkdir()
+    
+    configs = {"default": f"aports = {workdir / 'cache_git' / 'pmaports'}",
+               "no-repos": "aports = "}
 
     file = _testdir / "pmbootstrap.cfg"
-    contents = open(file).read().format(workdir)
+    print(f"config_file: {out_file}")
+    cfg = configs[flavour]
+    contents = open(file).read().format(workdir, cfg)
 
     open(out_file, "w").write(contents)
     return out_file
@@ -53,11 +64,14 @@ def mock_devices_find_path(device_package, monkeypatch):
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
-def setup_logging(tmp_path: Path):
+def logfile(tmp_path_factory):
     """Setup logging for all tests."""
-    import logging
-    logfile = tmp_path / "test.log"
-    logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG, force=True, filename=logfile)
+    from pmb.helpers import logging
+    tmp_path = tmp_path_factory.getbasetemp()
+    logfile = tmp_path / "log_testsuite.txt"
+    logging.init(logfile, verbose=True)
+    
+    return logfile
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
@@ -92,7 +106,7 @@ def mock_context(monkeypatch):
 # FIXME: get_context() at runtime somehow doesn't return the
 # custom context we set up here.
 @pytest.fixture
-def pmb_args(config_file, mock_context):
+def pmb_args(config_file, mock_context, logfile):
     """This is (still) a hack, since a bunch of the codebase still
     expects some global state to be initialised. We do that here."""
 
@@ -102,15 +116,18 @@ def pmb_args(config_file, mock_context):
     args.timeout = 900
     args.details_to_stdout = False
     args.quiet = False
-    args.verbose = False
+    args.verbose = True
     args.offline = False
     args.action = "init"
     args.cross = False
-    args.log = Path()
+    args.log = logfile
 
     print("init_args")
     init_args(args)
 
+    # Sanity check
+    assert ".pytest_tmp" in get_context().config.work.parts
+
 @pytest.fixture
 def foreign_arch():
     """Fixture to return the foreign arch."""
@@ -120,3 +137,22 @@ def foreign_arch():
 
     return Arch.x86_64
 
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def pmaports(pmb_args, monkeypatch):
+    """Fixture to clone pmaports."""
+    
+    from pmb.core import Config
+    from pmb.core.context import get_context
+
+    config = get_context().config
+
+    with monkeypatch.context() as m:
+        # Speed things up by cloning from the local checkout if it exists.
+        if Config.aports[0].exists():
+            m.setitem(pmb.config.git_repos, "pmaports", Config.aports)
+
+        pmb.helpers.git.clone("pmaports")
+
+    assert pmb.helpers.run.user(["git", "checkout", "master"],
+                         working_dir=config.aports[0]) == 0
diff --git a/pmb/core/test_pkgrepo.py b/pmb/core/test_pkgrepo.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a71a071f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pmb/core/test_pkgrepo.py
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+import pytest
+
+import pmb.helpers.git
+import pmb.helpers.run
+from pmb.core.pkgrepo import pkgrepo_paths, pkgrepo_default_path
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("config_file", ["no-repos"], indirect=True)
+def test_pkgrepo_paths_no_repos(pmb_args):
+    """Test pkgrepo_paths() with no repositories. Should raise a RuntimeError."""
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError):
+        paths = pkgrepo_paths()
+        print(paths)
+
+def test_pkgrepo_pmaports(pmaports, monkeypatch):
+    """Test pkgrepo_paths() with pmaports repository and systemd extra repo"""
+
+    # Disable results caching
+    pkgrepo_paths.cache_disable()
+
+    paths = pkgrepo_paths()
+    print(f"[master] pkgrepo_paths: {paths}")
+    assert len(paths) == 1
+    assert "pmaports" in paths[0].name
+    
+    default_path = pkgrepo_default_path()
+
+    assert default_path.name == "pmaports"
+
+    # Test extra-repos
+    assert pmb.helpers.run.user(["git", "checkout", "master_staging_systemd"],
+                         working_dir=default_path) == 0
+
+    paths = pkgrepo_paths()
+    assert len(paths) == 2
+
+    # systemd is the first path, since we want packages there to take priority
+    assert paths[0].name == "systemd"
+    # but pmaports is the default rep, since it has channels.cfg/pmaports.cfg
+    assert pkgrepo_default_path().name == "pmaports"
diff --git a/pmb/data/tests/pmbootstrap.cfg b/pmb/data/tests/pmbootstrap.cfg
index 9f484fed..074ad34f 100644
--- a/pmb/data/tests/pmbootstrap.cfg
+++ b/pmb/data/tests/pmbootstrap.cfg
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 [pmbootstrap]
+{1}
 build_default_device_arch = True
 ccache_size = 5G
 device = qemu-amd64
diff --git a/pmb/helpers/git.py b/pmb/helpers/git.py
index 99230734..02b23d6b 100644
--- a/pmb/helpers/git.py
+++ b/pmb/helpers/git.py
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ def clone(name_repo: str):
         command += [url, path]
 
         # Create parent dir and clone
-        logging.info("Clone git repository: " + url)
+        logging.info(f"Clone git repository: {url}")
         (get_context().config.work / "cache_git").mkdir(exist_ok=True)
         pmb.helpers.run.user(command, output="stdout")