diff --git a/IPython/html/notebookapp.py b/IPython/html/notebookapp.py
index 3303b86f0..cbeef79a7 100644
--- a/IPython/html/notebookapp.py
+++ b/IPython/html/notebookapp.py
@@ -530,6 +530,10 @@ class NotebookApp(BaseIPythonApplication):
             except:
                 raise TraitError("Couldn't create notebook dir %r" % new)
         
+        # setting App.notebook_dir implies setting notebook and kernel dirs as well
+        self.config.FileNotebookManager.notebook_dir = new
+        self.config.MappingKernelManager.root_dir = new
+        
 
     def parse_command_line(self, argv=None):
         super(NotebookApp, self).parse_command_line(argv)
diff --git a/IPython/html/services/kernels/kernelmanager.py b/IPython/html/services/kernels/kernelmanager.py
index ac0063754..a2fb8ff33 100644
--- a/IPython/html/services/kernels/kernelmanager.py
+++ b/IPython/html/services/kernels/kernelmanager.py
@@ -42,18 +42,6 @@ class MappingKernelManager(MultiKernelManager):
     kernel_argv = List(Unicode)
     
     root_dir = Unicode(getcwd(), config=True)
-    def _root_dir_default(self):
-        from IPython.html.notebookapp import NotebookApp
-        if NotebookApp.initialized():
-            try:
-                app = NotebookApp.instance()
-            except Exception:
-                # can raise MultipleInstanceError, ignore
-                pass
-            else:
-                return app.notebook_dir
-            return app.notebook_dir
-        return getcwd()
 
     def _root_dir_changed(self, name, old, new):
         """Do a bit of validation of the root dir."""
diff --git a/IPython/html/services/notebooks/filenbmanager.py b/IPython/html/services/notebooks/filenbmanager.py
index c3bd19f44..8d4d68af5 100644
--- a/IPython/html/services/notebooks/filenbmanager.py
+++ b/IPython/html/services/notebooks/filenbmanager.py
@@ -47,17 +47,6 @@ class FileNotebookManager(NotebookManager):
         """
     )
     notebook_dir = Unicode(getcwd(), config=True)
-    def _notebook_dir_default(self):
-        from IPython.html.notebookapp import NotebookApp
-        if NotebookApp.initialized():
-            try:
-                app = NotebookApp.instance()
-            except Exception:
-                # can raise MultipleInstanceError, ignore
-                pass
-            else:
-                return app.notebook_dir
-        return getcwd()
     
     def _notebook_dir_changed(self, name, old, new):
         """Do a bit of validation of the notebook dir."""