diff --git a/etiquette/constants.py b/etiquette/constants.py
index f57e412..05bf0b5 100644
--- a/etiquette/constants.py
+++ b/etiquette/constants.py
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ ADDITIONAL_MIMETYPES = {
 
 # Photodb ##########################################################################################
 
-DEFAULT_DATADIR = '.\\_etiquette'
+DEFAULT_DATADIR = '_etiquette'
 DEFAULT_DBNAME = 'phototagger.db'
 DEFAULT_CONFIGNAME = 'config.json'
 DEFAULT_THUMBDIR = 'site_thumbnails'
diff --git a/etiquette/exceptions.py b/etiquette/exceptions.py
index 85d2c43..9fd00c7 100644
--- a/etiquette/exceptions.py
+++ b/etiquette/exceptions.py
@@ -192,6 +192,13 @@ class FeatureDisabled(EtiquetteException):
     '''
     error_message = 'This feature has been disabled. Requires {}.'
 
+class NoClosestPhotoDB(EtiquetteException):
+    '''
+    For calls to PhotoDB.closest_photodb where none exists between cwd and
+    drive root.
+    '''
+    error_message = 'There is no PhotoDB in {} or its parents.'
+
 class NoYields(EtiquetteException):
     '''
     For when all of the yield_* arguments have been provided as False, and thus
diff --git a/etiquette/photodb.py b/etiquette/photodb.py
index a6527a6..738d6b4 100644
--- a/etiquette/photodb.py
+++ b/etiquette/photodb.py
@@ -1805,7 +1805,7 @@ class PhotoDB(
             self.ephemeral_directory = tempfile.TemporaryDirectory(prefix='etiquette_ephem_')
             data_directory = self.ephemeral_directory.name
         else:
-            data_directory = constants.DEFAULT_DATADIR
+            data_directory = pathclass.cwd().with_child(constants.DEFAULT_DATADIR)
 
         if isinstance(data_directory, str):
             data_directory = helpers.remove_path_badchars(data_directory, allowed=':/\\')
@@ -1880,6 +1880,34 @@ class PhotoDB(
         self.sql_executescript(constants.DB_PRAGMAS)
         self.sql.commit()
 
+    @classmethod
+    def closest_photodb(cls, *args, **kwargs):
+        '''
+        Starting from the cwd and climbing upwards towards the filesystem root,
+        look for an existing Etiquette data directory and return the PhotoDB
+        object. If none exists, raise exceptions.NoClosestPhotoDB.
+        '''
+        cwd = pathclass.cwd()
+
+        path = cwd
+        while True:
+            if path.with_child(constants.DEFAULT_DATADIR).is_dir:
+                break
+            parent = path.parent
+            if path == parent:
+                raise exceptions.NoClosestPhotoDB(cwd)
+            path = parent
+
+        path = path.with_child(constants.DEFAULT_DATADIR)
+        photodb = cls(
+            path,
+            create=False,
+            *args,
+            **kwargs,
+        )
+        photodb.log.debug('Found closest PhotoDB at %s.', path)
+        return photodb
+
     def __del__(self):
         self.close()
 
diff --git a/frontends/etiquette_cli.py b/frontends/etiquette_cli.py
index 4ff08d7..c914061 100644
--- a/frontends/etiquette_cli.py
+++ b/frontends/etiquette_cli.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import sys
 from voussoirkit import betterhelp
 from voussoirkit import interactive
 from voussoirkit import pathclass
+from voussoirkit import pipeable
 from voussoirkit import spinal
 from voussoirkit import stringtools
 from voussoirkit import vlogging
@@ -14,31 +15,19 @@ import etiquette
 
 LOG_LEVEL = vlogging.NOTSET
 
-class CantFindPhotoDB(Exception):
-    pass
 
 photodbs = {}
 
 def find_photodb():
-    path = pathclass.cwd()
+    cwd = pathclass.cwd()
+    try:
+        return photodbs[cwd]
+    except KeyError:
+        pass
 
-    while True:
-        try:
-            return photodbs[path]
-        except KeyError:
-            pass
-        if path.with_child('_etiquette').is_dir:
-            break
-        if path == path.parent:
-            raise CantFindPhotoDB()
-        path = path.parent
-
-    photodb = etiquette.photodb.PhotoDB(
-        path.with_child('_etiquette'),
-        create=False,
-        log_level=LOG_LEVEL,
-    )
-    photodbs[path] = photodb
+    # If this raises, main will catch it.
+    photodb = etiquette.photodb.PhotoDB.closest_photodb()
+    photodbs[cwd] = photodb
     return photodb
 
 # HELPERS ##########################################################################################
@@ -780,13 +769,18 @@ def main(argv):
         )
         return args
 
-    return betterhelp.subparser_main(
-        primary_args,
-        parser,
-        main_docstring=DOCSTRING,
-        sub_docstrings=SUB_DOCSTRINGS,
-        args_postprocessor=pp,
-    )
+    try:
+        return betterhelp.subparser_main(
+            primary_args,
+            parser,
+            main_docstring=DOCSTRING,
+            sub_docstrings=SUB_DOCSTRINGS,
+            args_postprocessor=pp,
+        )
+    except etiquette.exceptions.NoClosestPhotoDB as exc:
+        pipeable.stderr(exc.error_message)
+        pipeable.stderr('Try etiquette_cli init')
+        return 1
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     raise SystemExit(main(sys.argv[1:]))
diff --git a/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/common.py b/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/common.py
index a36cc4f..eb52525 100644
--- a/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/common.py
+++ b/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/common.py
@@ -320,4 +320,4 @@ def send_file(filepath, override_mimetype=None):
 
 def init_photodb(*args, **kwargs):
     global P
-    P = etiquette.photodb.PhotoDB(*args, **kwargs)
+    P = etiquette.photodb.PhotoDB.closest_photodb(*args, **kwargs)
diff --git a/frontends/etiquette_flask/etiquette_flask_dev.py b/frontends/etiquette_flask/etiquette_flask_dev.py
index ba20023..5315259 100644
--- a/frontends/etiquette_flask/etiquette_flask_dev.py
+++ b/frontends/etiquette_flask/etiquette_flask_dev.py
@@ -18,8 +18,10 @@ import os
 import sys
 
 from voussoirkit import pathclass
+from voussoirkit import pipeable
 from voussoirkit import vlogging
 
+import etiquette
 import backend
 
 site = backend.site
@@ -31,7 +33,6 @@ LOG_LEVEL = vlogging.NOTSET
 
 def etiquette_flask_launch(
         *,
-        create,
         localhost_only,
         port,
         use_https,
@@ -55,7 +56,12 @@ def etiquette_flask_launch(
     if localhost_only:
         site.localhost_only = True
 
-    backend.common.init_photodb(create=create, log_level=LOG_LEVEL)
+    try:
+        backend.common.init_photodb(log_level=LOG_LEVEL)
+    except etiquette.exceptions.NoClosestPhotoDB as exc:
+        pipeable.stderr(exc.error_message)
+        pipeable.stderr('Try etiquette_cli init')
+        return 1
 
     message = f'Starting server on port {port}, pid={os.getpid()}'
     if use_https:
@@ -69,7 +75,6 @@ def etiquette_flask_launch(
 
 def etiquette_flask_launch_argparse(args):
     return etiquette_flask_launch(
-        create=args.create,
         localhost_only=args.localhost_only,
         port=args.port,
         use_https=args.use_https,
@@ -82,7 +87,6 @@ def main(argv):
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
 
     parser.add_argument('port', nargs='?', type=int, default=5000)
-    parser.add_argument('--dont_create', '--dont-create', '--no-create', dest='create', action='store_false', default=True)
     parser.add_argument('--https', dest='use_https', action='store_true', default=None)
     parser.add_argument('--localhost_only', '--localhost-only', dest='localhost_only', action='store_true')
     parser.set_defaults(func=etiquette_flask_launch_argparse)
diff --git a/frontends/etiquette_repl.py b/frontends/etiquette_repl.py
index 9169361..26c3e25 100644
--- a/frontends/etiquette_repl.py
+++ b/frontends/etiquette_repl.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import sys
 import traceback
 
 from voussoirkit import interactive
+from voussoirkit import pipeable
 from voussoirkit import vlogging
 
 import etiquette
@@ -38,7 +39,13 @@ def photag(photo_id):
 
 def erepl_argparse(args):
     global P
-    P = etiquette.photodb.PhotoDB(create=args.create, log_level=LOG_LEVEL)
+
+    try:
+        P = etiquette.photodb.PhotoDB.closest_photodb(log_level=LOG_LEVEL)
+    except etiquette.exceptions.NoClosestPhotoDB as exc:
+        pipeable.stderr(exc.error_message)
+        pipeable.stderr('Try etiquette_cli init')
+        return 1
 
     if args.exec_statement:
         exec(args.exec_statement)
@@ -62,7 +69,6 @@ def main(argv):
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
 
     parser.add_argument('--exec', dest='exec_statement', default=None)
-    parser.add_argument('--dont_create', '--dont-create', '--no-create', dest='create', action='store_false', default=True)
     parser.set_defaults(func=erepl_argparse)
 
     args = parser.parse_args(argv)