# use /usr/share/espresso/pseudo as directory for pseudo-potentials if the
# environment variable is missing and $HOME/espresso/pseudo does not exist.
--- a/Modules/read_namelists.f90
+++ b/Modules/read_namelists.f90
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@
   !
   USE kinds,     ONLY : DP
   USE input_parameters
+  USE iotk_module, ONLY : iotk_free_unit, iotk_open_write, iotk_close_write
+  USE io_files, ONLY : delete_if_present
   !
   IMPLICIT NONE
   !
@@ -56,6 +58,8 @@
        !
        CHARACTER(LEN=2) :: prog   ! ... specify the calling program
        !
+       INTEGER :: iunpse, ierr 
+       !
        !
        IF ( prog == 'PW' ) THEN
           title = ' '
@@ -98,6 +102,23 @@
        IF ( TRIM( pseudo_dir ) == ' ') THEN
           CALL get_env( 'HOME', pseudo_dir )
           pseudo_dir = TRIM( pseudo_dir ) // '/espresso/pseudo/'
+          CALL iotk_free_unit( iunpse )
+          ! 
+          ! ... it is not obvious how to check for the existence of a
+          ! ... directory with iotk, so we try to create a file in 
+          ! ... $HOME/espresso/pseudo to see if that directory exists
+          ! ... and remove the auxiliary file again afterwards
+          !
+          CALL iotk_open_write ( iunpse, FILE = TRIM( pseudo_dir ) // '.x', IERR=ierr )
+          IF( ierr /= 0 ) THEN
+             !
+             ! ... use the system wide default
+             !
+             pseudo_dir = '/usr/share/espresso/pseudo/'
+          ELSE
+             CALL iotk_close_write( iunpse )
+          END IF
+          CALL delete_if_present( TRIM( pseudo_dir ) // '.x' )
        END IF
        !
        refg          = 0.05_DP