diff --git CHANGELOG.md CHANGELOG.md
index 38a0fc13..03e6b2f6 100644
--- CHANGELOG.md
+++ CHANGELOG.md
@@ -21,6 +21,11 @@
 
   - `$XDG_DATA_HOME/luakit/local_storage -> $XDG_DATA_HOME/luakit/localstorage`
   - `$XDG_DATA_HOME/luakit/indexeddb -> $XDG_DATA_HOME/luakit/databases/indexeddb`
+- Setting DEVELOPMENT_PATHS will now create /tmp/luakit-devhome/{config,data,cache}
+  and refrains from using the direcories in the users HOME directory. There won't
+  be a config file in the /tmp/luakit-devhome/config directory. But this directory
+  is searched first, with a fallback to the config directory in the luakit source
+  directory.
 
 ### Fixed
 
diff --git luah.c luah.c
index a5c97030..589db0a7 100644
--- luah.c
+++ luah.c
@@ -203,14 +203,14 @@ luaH_parserc(const gchar *confpath, gboolean run)
     /* compile list of config search paths */
     paths = g_ptr_array_new_with_free_func(g_free);
 
+    /* search users config dir (see: XDG_CONFIG_HOME) */
+    g_ptr_array_add(paths, g_build_filename(globalconf.config_dir, "rc.lua", NULL));
+
 #if DEVELOPMENT_PATHS
     /* allows for testing luakit in the project directory */
     g_ptr_array_add(paths, g_strdup("./config/rc.lua"));
 #endif
 
-    /* search users config dir (see: XDG_CONFIG_HOME) */
-    g_ptr_array_add(paths, g_build_filename(globalconf.config_dir, "rc.lua", NULL));
-
     /* search system config dirs (see: XDG_CONFIG_DIRS) */
     config_dirs = g_get_system_config_dirs();
     for(; *config_dirs; config_dirs++)
diff --git luakit.c luakit.c
index aa0c7e42..39cf733d 100644
--- luakit.c
+++ luakit.c
@@ -50,9 +50,17 @@ static void
 init_directories(void)
 {
     /* create luakit directory */
+#if DEVELOPMENT_PATHS
+    info("DEVELOPMENT_PATHS NOTICE: Luakit is using /tmp/luakit-devhome.");
+    globalconf.cache_dir  = g_build_filename("/tmp/luakit-devhome/cache", globalconf.profile, NULL);
+    globalconf.config_dir = g_build_filename("/tmp/luakit-devhome/config", globalconf.profile, NULL);
+    globalconf.data_dir   = g_build_filename("/tmp/luakit-devhome/data", globalconf.profile, NULL);
+
+#else
     globalconf.cache_dir  = g_build_filename(g_get_user_cache_dir(),  "luakit", globalconf.profile, NULL);
     globalconf.config_dir = g_build_filename(g_get_user_config_dir(), "luakit", globalconf.profile, NULL);
     globalconf.data_dir   = g_build_filename(g_get_user_data_dir(),   "luakit", globalconf.profile, NULL);
+#endif
     g_mkdir_with_parents(globalconf.cache_dir,  0700);
     g_mkdir_with_parents(globalconf.config_dir, 0700);
     g_mkdir_with_parents(globalconf.data_dir,   0700);