diff --git a/cli/internal/config/config_file.go b/cli/internal/config/config_file.go
index 6165eaaef23d0..8cc7025fdf39c 100644
--- a/cli/internal/config/config_file.go
+++ b/cli/internal/config/config_file.go
@@ -63,7 +63,21 @@ func WriteRepoConfigFile(fsys afero.Fs, repoRoot fs.AbsolutePath, toWrite *Turbo
 	return writeConfigFile(fsys, path, toWrite)
 }
 
-func userConfigPath(fsys afero.Fs) (fs.AbsolutePath, error) {
+func getUserConfigPath(fsys afero.Fs) (fs.AbsolutePath, error) {
+	path, err := xdg.SearchConfigFile(filepath.Join("turborepo", "config.json"))
+	// Not finding an existing config file is not an error.
+	// We simply bail with no path, and no error.
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", nil
+	}
+	absPath, err := fs.CheckedToAbsolutePath(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	return absPath, nil
+}
+
+func createUserConfigPath(fsys afero.Fs) (fs.AbsolutePath, error) {
 	path, err := xdg.ConfigFile(filepath.Join("turborepo", "config.json"))
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
@@ -79,7 +93,7 @@ func userConfigPath(fsys afero.Fs) (fs.AbsolutePath, error) {
 // configuration file. This is for values that are not shared with a team, such
 // as credentials.
 func WriteUserConfigFile(fsys afero.Fs, config *TurborepoConfig) error {
-	path, err := userConfigPath(fsys)
+	path, err := createUserConfigPath(fsys)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -108,10 +122,19 @@ func readConfigFile(fsys afero.Fs, path fs.AbsolutePath, defaults func() *Turbor
 
 // ReadUserConfigFile reads a user config file
 func ReadUserConfigFile(fsys afero.Fs) (*TurborepoConfig, error) {
-	path, err := userConfigPath(fsys)
+	path, err := getUserConfigPath(fsys)
+
+	// Check the error first, that means we got a hit, but failed on path conversion.
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+
+	// Otherwise, we just didn't find anything, which isn't an error.
+	if path == "" {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+
+	// Found something!
 	return readConfigFile(fsys, path, defaultUserConfig)
 }
 
@@ -123,9 +146,18 @@ func ReadRepoConfigFile(fsys afero.Fs, repoRoot fs.AbsolutePath) (*TurborepoConf
 
 // DeleteUserConfigFile deletes a user config file
 func DeleteUserConfigFile(fsys afero.Fs) error {
-	path, err := userConfigPath(fsys)
+	path, err := getUserConfigPath(fsys)
+
+	// Check the error first, that means we got a hit, but failed on path conversion.
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+
+	// Otherwise, we just didn't find anything, which isn't an error.
+	if path == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// Found a config file!
 	return fs.RemoveFile(fsys, path)
 }
diff --git a/cli/internal/config/config_file_test.go b/cli/internal/config/config_file_test.go
index 3380bfd450e1e..e0180e3d70aa3 100644
--- a/cli/internal/config/config_file_test.go
+++ b/cli/internal/config/config_file_test.go
@@ -9,6 +9,46 @@ import (
 	"github.com/vercel/turborepo/cli/internal/fs"
 )
 
+func Test_UserConfigPath(t *testing.T) {
+	fsys := afero.NewMemMapFs()
+
+	t.Run("get doesn't create a path", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// XDG is not filesystem aware. Clean up first.
+		path, _ := createUserConfigPath(fsys)
+		err := os.Remove(path.Dir().ToString())
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("failed to clean up first: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		getConfigPath, getConfigPathErr := getUserConfigPath(fsys)
+		if getConfigPathErr != nil {
+			t.Errorf("failed to run getUserConfigPath: %v", getConfigPathErr)
+		}
+
+		// The main thing we want to do is make sure that we don't have side effects.
+		// We know where it would attempt to create a directory already.
+		if getConfigPath == "" {
+			getConfigPath = path
+		}
+
+		getConfigDir := getConfigPath.Dir()
+		getCheck, _ := os.Stat(getConfigDir.ToString())
+		if getCheck != nil {
+			t.Error("getUserConfigPath() had side effects.")
+		}
+
+		createConfigPath, createErr := createUserConfigPath(fsys)
+		if createErr != nil {
+			t.Errorf("createUserConfigPath() errored: %v.", createErr)
+		}
+		createConfigDir := createConfigPath.Dir()
+		createCheck, _ := os.Stat(createConfigDir.ToString())
+		if createCheck == nil {
+			t.Error("createUserConfigPath() did not create the path.")
+		}
+	})
+}
+
 func TestReadRepoConfigWhenMissing(t *testing.T) {
 	fsys := afero.NewMemMapFs()
 	cwd, err := fs.GetCwd()
@@ -102,7 +142,7 @@ func TestReadUserConfigWhenMissing(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestWriteUserConfig(t *testing.T) {
-	fsys := afero.NewMemMapFs()
+	fsys := afero.NewOsFs()
 	initial := defaultUserConfig()
 	initial.Token = "my-token"
 	initial.ApiUrl = "https://api.vercel.com" // should be overridden
diff --git a/cli/internal/login/login_test.go b/cli/internal/login/login_test.go
index d905283751e4a..6c07c22994a2a 100644
--- a/cli/internal/login/login_test.go
+++ b/cli/internal/login/login_test.go
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ func (tr *testResult) getTestLogin() login {
 }
 
 func newTest(t *testing.T, redirectedURL string) *testResult {
-	fsys := afero.NewMemMapFs()
+	fsys := afero.NewOsFs()
 	stepCh := make(chan struct{}, 1)
 	cwd, err := fs.GetCwd()
 	if err != nil {