diff --git a/vars/kola.groovy b/vars/kola.groovy
index 930f654..257adad 100644
--- a/vars/kola.groovy
+++ b/vars/kola.groovy
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ def call(params = [:]) {
     def token = shwrapCapture("uuidgen | cut -f1 -d-")
 
     // Create a unique output directory for this run of kola
-    def outputDir = shwrapCapture("cosa shell -- mktemp -d ${cosaDir}/tmp/kola-XXXXX")
+    def outputDir = shwrapCapture("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa shell -- mktemp -d ${cosaDir}/tmp/kola-XXXXX")
 
     // list of identifiers for each run for log collection
     def ids = []
@@ -61,8 +61,8 @@ def call(params = [:]) {
                 shwrap("mkdir -p /var/tmp/kola && ln -s ${env.WORKSPACE} /var/tmp/kola/${name}")
             } else {
                 shwrap("""
-                cosa shell -- mkdir -p /var/tmp/kola
-                cosa remote-session sync ${env.WORKSPACE}/ :/var/tmp/kola/${name}/
+                cd ${cosaDir} && cosa shell -- mkdir -p /var/tmp/kola
+                cd ${cosaDir} && cosa remote-session sync ${env.WORKSPACE}/ :/var/tmp/kola/${name}/
                 """)
             }
             args += "--exttest /var/tmp/kola/${name}"
@@ -87,23 +87,23 @@ def call(params = [:]) {
             //      do a single run in that case.
             id = marker == "" ? "kola" : "kola-${marker}"
             ids += id
-            shwrap("cosa kola run ${rerun} --output-dir=${outputDir}/${id} --build=${buildID} ${archArg} ${platformArgs} --parallel ${parallel} ${args} ${extraArgs}")
+            shwrap("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa kola run ${rerun} --output-dir=${outputDir}/${id} --build=${buildID} ${archArg} ${platformArgs} --parallel ${parallel} ${args} ${extraArgs}")
         } else {
             // basic run
             if (!params['skipBasicScenarios']) {
                 id = marker == "" ? "kola-basic" : "kola-basic-${marker}"
                 ids += id
-                shwrap("cosa kola run ${rerun} --output-dir=${outputDir}/${id} --basic-qemu-scenarios")
+                shwrap("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa kola run ${rerun} --output-dir=${outputDir}/${id} --basic-qemu-scenarios")
             }
             // normal run (without reprovision tests because those require a lot of memory)
             id = marker == "" ? "kola" : "kola-${marker}"
             ids += id
-            shwrap("cosa kola run ${rerun} --output-dir=${outputDir}/${id} --build=${buildID} ${archArg} ${platformArgs} --tag '!reprovision' --parallel ${parallel} ${args}")
+            shwrap("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa kola run ${rerun} --output-dir=${outputDir}/${id} --build=${buildID} ${archArg} ${platformArgs} --tag '!reprovision' --parallel ${parallel} ${args}")
 
             // re-provision tests (not run with --parallel argument to kola)
             id = marker == "" ? "kola-reprovision" : "kola-reprovision-${marker}"
             ids += id
-            shwrap("cosa kola run ${rerun} --output-dir=${outputDir}/${id} --build=${buildID} ${archArg} ${platformArgs} --tag reprovision ${args}")
+            shwrap("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa kola run ${rerun} --output-dir=${outputDir}/${id} --build=${buildID} ${archArg} ${platformArgs} --tag reprovision ${args}")
         }
     }
 
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ def call(params = [:]) {
             try {
                 def id = marker == "" ? "kola-upgrade" : "kola-upgrade-${marker}"
                 ids += id
-                shwrap("cosa kola ${rerun} --output-dir=${outputDir}/${id} --upgrades --build=${buildID} ${archArg} ${platformArgs}")
+                shwrap("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa kola ${rerun} --output-dir=${outputDir}/${id} --upgrades --build=${buildID} ${archArg} ${platformArgs}")
             } catch(e) {
                 if (params["allowUpgradeFail"]) {
                     warnError(message: 'Upgrade Failed') {
@@ -128,22 +128,19 @@ def call(params = [:]) {
         }
     }
 
-    // Run the Kola tests from the cosaDir
-    dir(cosaDir) {
-        try {
-            if (kolaRuns.size() == 1) {
-                kolaRuns.each { k, v -> v() }
-            } else {
-                parallel(kolaRuns)
-            }
-        } finally {
-            for (id in ids) {
-                // sanity check kola actually ran and dumped its output
-                shwrap("cosa shell -- test -d ${outputDir}/${id}")
-                // collect the output
-                shwrap("cosa shell -- tar -c --xz ${outputDir}/${id} > ${env.WORKSPACE}/${id}-${token}.tar.xz || :")
-                archiveArtifacts allowEmptyArchive: true, artifacts: "${id}-${token}.tar.xz"
-            }
+    try {
+        if (kolaRuns.size() == 1) {
+            kolaRuns.each { k, v -> v() }
+        } else {
+            parallel(kolaRuns)
+        }
+    } finally {
+        for (id in ids) {
+            // sanity check kola actually ran and dumped its output
+            shwrap("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa shell -- test -d ${outputDir}/${id}")
+            // collect the output
+            shwrap("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa shell -- tar -c --xz ${outputDir}/${id} > ${env.WORKSPACE}/${id}-${token}.tar.xz || :")
+            archiveArtifacts allowEmptyArchive: true, artifacts: "${id}-${token}.tar.xz"
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/vars/kolaTestIso.groovy b/vars/kolaTestIso.groovy
index 3a594b3..d0c13e0 100644
--- a/vars/kolaTestIso.groovy
+++ b/vars/kolaTestIso.groovy
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ def call(params = [:]) {
     def token = shwrapCapture("uuidgen | cut -f1 -d-")
 
     // Create a unique output directory for this run of fcosKola
-    def outputDir = shwrapCapture("cosa shell -- mktemp -d ${cosaDir}/tmp/kolaTestIso-XXXXX")
+    def outputDir = shwrapCapture("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa shell -- mktemp -d ${cosaDir}/tmp/kolaTestIso-XXXXX")
 
     // list of identifiers for each run for log collection
     def ids = []
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ def call(params = [:]) {
         def id = marker == "" ? "kola-testiso-metal" : "kola-testiso-metal-${marker}"
         ids += id
         def scenariosArg = scenarios == "" ? "" : "--scenarios ${scenarios}"
-        shwrap("cosa kola testiso -S ${extraArgs} ${scenariosArg} --output-dir ${outputDir}/${id}")
+        shwrap("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa kola testiso -S ${extraArgs} ${scenariosArg} --output-dir ${outputDir}/${id}")
     }
     if (!params['skipMetal4k']) {
         // metal4k test doesn't work on s390x for now
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ def call(params = [:]) {
                 def id = marker == "" ? "kola-testiso-metal4k" : "kola-testiso-metal4k-${marker}"
                 ids += id
                 def scenariosArg = scenarios4k == "" ? "" : "--scenarios ${scenarios4k}"
-                shwrap("cosa kola testiso -S --qemu-native-4k ${extraArgs4k} ${scenariosArg} --output-dir ${outputDir}/${id}")
+                shwrap("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa kola testiso -S --qemu-native-4k ${extraArgs4k} ${scenariosArg} --output-dir ${outputDir}/${id}")
             }
         }
     }
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ def call(params = [:]) {
         testIsoRuns["${arch}:kola:multipath"] = {
             def id = marker == "" ? "kola-testiso-multipath" : "kola-testiso-multipath-${marker}"
             ids += id
-            shwrap("cosa kola testiso -S --qemu-multipath ${extraArgsMultipath} --scenarios ${scenariosMultipath} --output-dir ${outputDir}/${id}")
+            shwrap("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa kola testiso -S --qemu-multipath ${extraArgsMultipath} --scenarios ${scenariosMultipath} --output-dir ${outputDir}/${id}")
         }
     }
     if (!params['skipUEFI']) {
@@ -76,32 +76,29 @@ def call(params = [:]) {
             testIsoRuns["${arch}:kola:uefi"] = {
                 def id = marker == "" ? "kola-testiso-uefi" : "kola-testiso-uefi-${marker}"
                 ids += id
-                shwrap("cosa shell -- mkdir -p ${outputDir}/${id}")
-                shwrap("cosa kola testiso -S --qemu-firmware=uefi ${extraArgsUEFI} --scenarios ${scenariosUEFI} --output-dir ${outputDir}/${id}/insecure")
-                shwrap("cosa kola testiso -S --qemu-firmware=uefi-secure ${extraArgsUEFI} --scenarios ${scenariosUEFI} --output-dir ${outputDir}/${id}/secure")
+                shwrap("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa shell -- mkdir -p ${outputDir}/${id}")
+                shwrap("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa kola testiso -S --qemu-firmware=uefi ${extraArgsUEFI} --scenarios ${scenariosUEFI} --output-dir ${outputDir}/${id}/insecure")
+                shwrap("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa kola testiso -S --qemu-firmware=uefi-secure ${extraArgsUEFI} --scenarios ${scenariosUEFI} --output-dir ${outputDir}/${id}/secure")
             }
         }
     }
 
-    // Run the Kola tests from the cosaDir
-    dir(cosaDir) {
-        try {
-            // Run at most two testiso runs at a time to try not to
-            // exceed 8G of memory usage.
-            def runs = [:]
-            testIsoRuns.eachWithIndex { key, value, index ->
-                def i = index + 1 // index starts at 0, adjust
-                runs[key] = value
-                if (i % 2 == 0 || i == testIsoRuns.size()) {
-                    parallel runs
-                    runs = [:] // empty out map for next iteration
-                }
-            }
-        } finally {
-            for (id in ids) {
-                shwrap("cosa shell -- tar -c --xz ${outputDir}/${id} > ${env.WORKSPACE}/${id}-${token}.tar.xz || :")
-                archiveArtifacts allowEmptyArchive: true, artifacts: "${id}-${token}.tar.xz"
+    try {
+        // Run at most two testiso runs at a time to try not to
+        // exceed 8G of memory usage.
+        def runs = [:]
+        testIsoRuns.eachWithIndex { key, value, index ->
+            def i = index + 1 // index starts at 0, adjust
+            runs[key] = value
+            if (i % 2 == 0 || i == testIsoRuns.size()) {
+                parallel runs
+                runs = [:] // empty out map for next iteration
             }
         }
+    } finally {
+        for (id in ids) {
+            shwrap("cd ${cosaDir} && cosa shell -- tar -c --xz ${outputDir}/${id} > ${env.WORKSPACE}/${id}-${token}.tar.xz || :")
+            archiveArtifacts allowEmptyArchive: true, artifacts: "${id}-${token}.tar.xz"
+        }
     }
 }