diff --git a/garden-service/src/cli/cli.ts b/garden-service/src/cli/cli.ts
index 8f3269a3e2..8bcfa2301b 100644
--- a/garden-service/src/cli/cli.ts
+++ b/garden-service/src/cli/cli.ts
@@ -67,21 +67,33 @@ const OUTPUT_RENDERERS = {
 const GLOBAL_OPTIONS_GROUP_NAME = "Global options"
 const DEFAULT_CLI_LOGGER_TYPE = "fancy"
 
-// For initializing garden without a project config
-export const MOCK_CONFIG: ProjectConfig = {
-  path: process.cwd(),
-  apiVersion: DEFAULT_API_VERSION,
-  kind: "Project",
-  name: "mock-project",
-  defaultEnvironment: "local",
-  dotIgnoreFiles: defaultDotIgnoreFiles,
-  environments: defaultEnvironments,
-  providers: [
-    {
-      name: "local-kubernetes",
-    },
-  ],
-  variables: {},
+/**
+ * Dummy Garden class that doesn't scan for modules nor resolves providers.
+ * Used by commands that have noProject=true. That is, commands that need
+ * to run outside of valid Garden projects.
+ */
+class DummyGarden extends Garden {
+  async resolveProviders() {
+    return []
+  }
+  async scanModules() {}
+}
+
+export async function makeDummyGarden(root: string, gardenOpts: GardenOpts) {
+  const config: ProjectConfig = {
+    path: root,
+    apiVersion: DEFAULT_API_VERSION,
+    kind: "Project",
+    name: "no-project",
+    defaultEnvironment: "",
+    dotIgnoreFiles: defaultDotIgnoreFiles,
+    environments: defaultEnvironments,
+    providers: [],
+    variables: {},
+  }
+  gardenOpts.config = config
+
+  return DummyGarden.factory(root, gardenOpts)
 }
 
 // The help text for these commands is only displayed when calling `garden options`.
@@ -285,9 +297,7 @@ export class GardenCli {
         environmentName: env,
         log,
       }
-      if (command.noProject) {
-        contextOpts.config = MOCK_CONFIG
-      }
+
       let garden: Garden
       let result: any
 
@@ -303,7 +313,11 @@ export class GardenCli {
 
       do {
         try {
-          garden = await Garden.factory(root, contextOpts)
+          if (command.noProject) {
+            garden = await makeDummyGarden(root, contextOpts)
+          } else {
+            garden = await Garden.factory(root, contextOpts)
+          }
           // Register log file writers. We need to do this after the Garden class is initialised because
           // the file writers depend on the project root.
           await this.initFileWriters(logger, garden.projectRoot, garden.gardenDirPath)
diff --git a/garden-service/src/commands/migrate.ts b/garden-service/src/commands/migrate.ts
index f54e69f394..fa0c910db1 100644
--- a/garden-service/src/commands/migrate.ts
+++ b/garden-service/src/commands/migrate.ts
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ export class MigrateCommand extends Command<Args, Opts> {
         await writeFile(path, out)
       } else {
         if (configPaths.length > 1) {
-          log.info(`# Updated config for garden.yml file at path ${path}`)
+          log.info(`# Updated config for garden.yml file at path ${path}:`)
         }
         log.info(out)
       }
diff --git a/garden-service/test/unit/src/cli/cli.ts b/garden-service/test/unit/src/cli/cli.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..63fe2cfee1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/garden-service/test/unit/src/cli/cli.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2018 Garden Technologies, Inc. <info@garden.io>
+ *
+ * This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+ */
+
+import { expect } from "chai"
+import { makeDummyGarden } from "../../../../src/cli/cli"
+import { getDataDir } from "../../../helpers"
+
+describe("cli", () => {
+  describe("makeDummyGarden", () => {
+    it("should initialise and resolve config graph in a directory with no project", async () => {
+      const garden = await makeDummyGarden("./foobarbas", {})
+      const dg = await garden.getConfigGraph(garden.log)
+      expect(garden).to.be.ok
+      expect(await dg.getModules()).to.not.throw
+    })
+    it("should initialise and resolve config graph in a project with invalid config", async () => {
+      const root = getDataDir("test-project-invalid-config")
+      const garden = await makeDummyGarden(root, {})
+      const dg = await garden.getConfigGraph(garden.log)
+      expect(garden).to.be.ok
+      expect(await dg.getModules()).to.not.throw
+    })
+    it("should initialise and resolve config graph in a project with template strings", async () => {
+      const root = getDataDir("test-project-templated")
+      const garden = await makeDummyGarden(root, {})
+      const dg = await garden.getConfigGraph(garden.log)
+      expect(garden).to.be.ok
+      expect(await dg.getModules()).to.not.throw
+    })
+  })
+})
diff --git a/garden-service/test/unit/src/garden.ts b/garden-service/test/unit/src/garden.ts
index 2a9c560a8d..345840f080 100644
--- a/garden-service/test/unit/src/garden.ts
+++ b/garden-service/test/unit/src/garden.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ import {
   testGitUrl,
 } from "../../helpers"
 import { getNames, findByName, deepOmitUndefined } from "../../../src/util/util"
-import { MOCK_CONFIG } from "../../../src/cli/cli"
 import { LinkedSource } from "../../../src/config-store"
 import { ModuleVersion } from "../../../src/vcs/vcs"
 import { getModuleCacheContext } from "../../../src/types/module"
@@ -80,11 +79,6 @@ describe("Garden", () => {
       expect((<any>actions).actionHandlers.prepareEnvironment["test-plugin-b"]).to.be.ok
     })
 
-    it("should initialize with MOCK_CONFIG", async () => {
-      const garden = await Garden.factory("./", { config: MOCK_CONFIG })
-      expect(garden).to.be.ok
-    })
-
     it("should initialize a project with config files with yaml and yml extensions", async () => {
       const garden = await makeTestGarden(getDataDir("test-project-yaml-file-extensions"))
       expect(garden).to.be.ok