diff --git a/plugin/ipam/cni.go b/plugin/ipam/cni.go
index a5d407b8..4c9a45a8 100644
--- a/plugin/ipam/cni.go
+++ b/plugin/ipam/cni.go
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ func (i *Ipam) Allocate(args *skel.CmdArgs) (*types.Result, error) {
 		conf = &ipamConf{}
 	}
 	containerID := args.ContainerID
+	if containerID == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Weave CNI Allocate: blank container name")
+	}
 	var ipnet *net.IPNet
 
 	if conf.Subnet == "" {
diff --git a/test/830_cni_plugin_test.sh b/test/830_cni_plugin_test.sh
index 4631d97b..07aa6cf6 100755
--- a/test/830_cni_plugin_test.sh
+++ b/test/830_cni_plugin_test.sh
@@ -4,34 +4,37 @@
 
 start_suite "Test CNI plugin"
 
-coverage_args() {
-    # no coverage reporting for now; but when the plugin binary has
-    # been built for coverage reporting we need to prevent it from
-    # complaining about the non-coverage args.
-    [ -n "$COVERAGE" ] && echo "--"
-}
-
 cni_connect() {
     pid=$(container_pid $1 $2)
-    docker_on $1 run --rm --privileged --net=host --pid=host -i \
-        -e CNI_VERSION=1 -e CNI_COMMAND=ADD -e CNI_CONTAINERID=c1 \
-        -e CNI_NETNS=/proc/$pid/ns/net -e CNI_IFNAME=eth0 -e CNI_PATH=/opt/cni/bin \
-        weaveworks/plugin:latest $(coverage_args) --cni-net <<EOF
-{
-    "name": "weave",
-    "type": "weave-net"
-}
-EOF
+    run_on $1 CNI_VERSION=1 CNI_COMMAND=ADD CNI_CONTAINERID=c1 CNI_IFNAME=eth0 \
+    CNI_NETNS=/proc/$pid/ns/net CNI_PATH=/opt/cni/bin /opt/cni/bin/weave-net 
 }
 
+run_on $HOST1 sudo mkdir -p /opt/cni/bin
+# setup-cni is a subset of 'weave setup', without doing any 'docker pull's
+weave_on $HOST1 setup-cni
 weave_on $HOST1 launch
 weave_on $HOST1 expose
 
 C1=$(docker_on $HOST1 run --net=none --name=c1 -dt $SMALL_IMAGE /bin/sh)
 C2=$(docker_on $HOST1 run --net=none --name=c2 -dt $SMALL_IMAGE /bin/sh)
 
-cni_connect $HOST1 c1 >/dev/null
-cni_connect $HOST1 c2 >/dev/null
+cni_connect $HOST1 c1 <<EOF
+{
+    "name": "weave",
+    "type": "weave-net"
+}
+EOF
+cni_connect $HOST1 c2 <<EOF
+{
+    "name": "weave",
+    "type": "weave-net",
+    "ipam": {
+        "type": "weave-ipam",
+        "routes": [ { "dst": "10.32.0.0/12" } ]
+    }
+}
+EOF
 
 C1IP=$(container_ip $HOST1 c1)
 C2IP=$(container_ip $HOST1 c2)
diff --git a/weave b/weave
index b61b4438..964a666a 100755
--- a/weave
+++ b/weave
@@ -118,16 +118,16 @@ docker_run_options() {
 }
 
 cni_volume_options() {
-    [ "$1" = "setup" ] && echo -v /etc/cni:/etc/cni -v /opt/cni:/opt/cni
+    [ "$1" = "setup" -o "$1" = "setup-cni" ] && echo -v /etc/cni:/etc/cni -v /opt/cni:/opt/cni
 }
 
 create_cni_script() {
     cat >"$1" <<EOF
 #!/bin/sh
-docker run --rm --privileged --net=host --pid=host -i \\
+docker run --rm $(docker_run_options) --pid=host -i \\
  -e CNI_VERSION -e CNI_COMMAND -e CNI_CONTAINERID -e CNI_NETNS \\
  -e CNI_IFNAME -e CNI_ARGS -e CNI_PATH $(cni_volume_options setup) \\
- $PLUGIN_IMAGE "$2"
+ $PLUGIN_IMAGE $COVERAGE_ARGS $2
 EOF
     chmod a+x "$1"
 }
@@ -141,6 +141,16 @@ create_cni_config() {
 EOF
 }
 
+setup_cni() {
+    if [ -d /opt/cni/bin ] ; then
+        create_cni_script /opt/cni/bin/weave-net  --cni-net
+        create_cni_script /opt/cni/bin/weave-ipam --cni-ipam
+    fi
+    if [ -d /etc/cni/net.d -a ! -f /etc/cni/net.d/10-weave.conf ] ; then
+        create_cni_config /etc/cni/net.d/10-weave.conf
+    fi
+}
+
 exec_remote() {
     docker $DOCKER_CLIENT_ARGS run --rm \
         $(docker_run_options) \
@@ -1880,13 +1890,10 @@ case "$COMMAND" in
         for img in $IMAGE $EXEC_IMAGE $PLUGIN_IMAGE ; do
             docker pull $img
         done
-        if [ -d /opt/cni/bin ] ; then
-            create_cni_script /opt/cni/bin/weave-net  --cni-net
-            create_cni_script /opt/cni/bin/weave-ipam --cni-ipam
-        fi
-        if [ -d /etc/cni/net.d -a ! -f /etc/cni/net.d/10-weave.conf ] ; then
-            create_cni_config /etc/cni/net.d/10-weave.conf
-        fi
+        setup_cni
+        ;;
+    setup-cni)
+        setup_cni
         ;;
     version)
         [ $# -eq 0 ] || usage