diff --git a/src/bin/e_main.c b/src/bin/e_main.c
index 1367a0a4f..79da00891 100644
--- a/src/bin/e_main.c
+++ b/src/bin/e_main.c
@@ -180,22 +180,7 @@ _xdg_data_dirs_augment(void)
         e_util_env_set("XDG_CONFIG_DIRS", buf);
      }
 
-   if (!getenv("XDG_RUNTIME_DIR"))
-     {
-        const char *dir;
-
-        snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "/tmp/xdg-XXXXXX");
-        dir = mkdtemp(buf);
-        if (!dir) dir = "/tmp";
-        else
-          {
-             char buf2[4096];
-
-             e_util_env_set("XDG_RUNTIME_DIR", dir);
-             snprintf(buf2, sizeof(buf2), "%s/.e-deleteme", dir);
-             ecore_file_mkdir(buf2);
-          }
-     }
+   // N.B. XDG_RUNTIME_DIR is taken care of in e_start
 
    /* set menu prefix so we get our e menu */
    if (!getenv("XDG_MENU_PREFIX"))
@@ -331,6 +316,11 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
    if (!s) e_util_env_set("EINA_STATGEN", NULL);
 
    _e_main_shutdown_push(eina_shutdown);
+
+   /* Eio's eio_init internally calls efreet_init. Set XDG_MENU_PREFIX here      */
+   /* else efreet's efreet_menu_prefix symbol is set erroneously during eio_init. */
+   _xdg_data_dirs_augment();
+
    if (!e_log_init())
      {
         e_error_message_show(_("Enlightenment could not create a logging domain!\n"));
@@ -423,10 +413,6 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
    TS("EFX Init Done");
    _e_main_shutdown_push((void*)e_efx_shutdown);
 
-   /* Eio's eio_init internally calls efreet_init. Set XDG_MENU_PREFIX here      */
-   /* else efreet's efreet_menu_prefix symbol is set erroneously during eio_init. */
-   _xdg_data_dirs_augment();
-
    TS("EIO Init");
    if (!eio_init())
      {
diff --git a/src/bin/e_start_main.c b/src/bin/e_start_main.c
index 259e5d15b..f7d489a69 100644
--- a/src/bin/e_start_main.c
+++ b/src/bin/e_start_main.c
@@ -558,9 +558,10 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
    char buf[8192], buf2[4096], **args, *home;
    char valgrind_path[PATH_MAX] = "";
    const char *valgrind_log = NULL;
-   const char *bindir;
+   const char *bindir, *s;
    Eina_Bool really_know = EINA_FALSE;
    struct sigaction action;
+   struct stat st;
    pid_t child = -1;
    Eina_Bool restart = EINA_TRUE;
 
@@ -584,6 +585,25 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
    sigemptyset(&action.sa_mask);
    sigaction(SIGHUP, &action, NULL);
 
+   s = getenv("XDG_RUNTIME_DIR");
+   if ((!s) || (stat(s, &st) != 0) || (!S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)))
+     {
+        const char *dir;
+
+        snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "/tmp/xdg-XXXXXX");
+        dir = mkdtemp(buf);
+        if (!dir) dir = "/tmp";
+        else
+          {
+             FILE *f;
+
+             snprintf(buf2, sizeof(buf2), "%s/.e-deleteme", dir);
+             f = fopen(buf2, "w");
+             if (f) fclose(f);
+          }
+        env_set("XDG_RUNTIME_DIR", dir);
+     }
+
    eina_init();
 
    /* reexcute myself with dbus-launch if dbus-launch is not running yet */