diff --git a/Netdisco/bin/netdisco-daemon b/Netdisco/bin/netdisco-daemon
index a6665625..c5ab4eb5 100755
--- a/Netdisco/bin/netdisco-daemon
+++ b/Netdisco/bin/netdisco-daemon
@@ -15,21 +15,15 @@ with "Netdisco::Daemon::Actions::$_"
 newdaemon(
   progname => 'netdisco-daemon',
   ($> != 0 ? (pidbase => './') : ()),
-  configfile => '/etc/netdisco/netdisco.conf',
   logpriority => 'daemon.info',
 );
 
 sub gd_preconfig {
   my $self = shift;
-  my $config = load_nd_config($self->{configfile});
 
+  # FIXME: only for Actions should this be checked
   $self->gd_error("No read-write community string has been set.")
-    unless length $config->{_}->{community_rw};
-
-  # add local settings
-  $config->{loc} = {
-    sleep_time => 5,
-  };
+    unless length setting('community_rw');
 
   return (); # important
 }
@@ -66,7 +60,7 @@ sub gd_run_body {
       }
   }
 
-  $self->gd_sleep( var('nd_config')->{loc}->{sleep_time} );
+  $self->gd_sleep( setting('daemon_sleep_time') || 5 );
 }
 
 sub revert_job {
diff --git a/Netdisco/lib/Netdisco/Util/Connect.pm b/Netdisco/lib/Netdisco/Util/Connect.pm
index 3d479b77..bd76ed14 100644
--- a/Netdisco/lib/Netdisco/Util/Connect.pm
+++ b/Netdisco/lib/Netdisco/Util/Connect.pm
@@ -84,17 +84,12 @@ Given an IP address, returns an L<SNMP::Info> instance configured for and
 connected to that device. The IP can be any on the device, and the management
 interface will be connected to.
 
-The Netdisco configuration file must have first been loaded using
-C<load_nd_config> otherwise the connection will fail (it is required for SNMP
-settings).
-
 Returns C<undef> if the connection fails.
 
 =cut
 
 sub snmp_connect {
   my $ip = shift;
-  my $nd_config = var('nd_config')->{_};
 
   # get device details from db
   my $device = get_device($ip)
@@ -103,16 +98,16 @@ sub snmp_connect {
   # TODO: really only supporing v2c at the moment
   my %snmp_args = (
     DestHost => $device->ip,
-    Version => ($device->snmp_ver || $nd_config->{snmpver} || 2),
-    Retries => ($nd_config->{snmpretries} || 2),
-    Timeout => ($nd_config->{snmptimeout} || 1000000),
-    MibDirs => _build_mibdirs(),
+    Version => ($device->snmp_ver || setting('snmpver') || 2),
+    Retries => (setting('snmpretries') || 2),
+    Timeout => (setting('snmptimeout') || 1000000),
+    MibDirs => [ _build_mibdirs() ],
     AutoSpecify => 1,
     IgnoreNetSNMPConf => 1,
     Debug => ($ENV{INFO_TRACE} || 0),
   );
 
-  (my $comm = $nd_config->{community_rw}) =~ s/\s+//g;
+  (my $comm = setting('community_rw')) =~ s/\s+//g;
   my @communities = split /,/, $comm;
 
   my $info = undef;
@@ -131,11 +126,9 @@ sub snmp_connect {
 }
 
 sub _build_mibdirs {
-  my $mibhome  = var('nd_config')->{_}->{mibhome};
-  (my $mibdirs = var('nd_config')->{_}->{mibdirs}) =~ s/\s+//g;
-
-  $mibdirs =~ s/\$mibhome/$mibhome/g;
-  return [ split /,/, $mibdirs ];
+  # FIXME: make this cross-platform (Path::Class?)
+  return map { setting('mibhome') .'/'. $_ }
+             @{ setting('mibdirs') || [] };
 }
 
 1;
diff --git a/Netdisco/lib/Netdisco/Util/DeviceProperties.pm b/Netdisco/lib/Netdisco/Util/DeviceProperties.pm
index 0f1df530..01d00583 100644
--- a/Netdisco/lib/Netdisco/Util/DeviceProperties.pm
+++ b/Netdisco/lib/Netdisco/Util/DeviceProperties.pm
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ subroutines.
 =head2 is_discoverable( $ip )
 
 Given an IP address, returns C<true> if Netdisco on this host is permitted to
-discover its configuration by the local Netdisco configuration file.
+discover its configuration by the local configuration.
 
 The configuration items C<discover_no> and C<discover_only> are checked
 against the given IP.
@@ -41,21 +41,19 @@ sub is_discoverable {
   my $ip = shift;
 
   my $device = NetAddr::IP::Lite->new($ip) or return 0;
-  my $discover_no   = var('nd_config')->{_}->{discover_no};
-  my $discover_only = var('nd_config')->{_}->{discover_only};
+  my $discover_no   = setting('discover_no') || [];
+  my $discover_only = setting('discover_only') || [];
 
-  if (length $discover_no) {
-      my @d_no = split /,\s*/, $discover_no;
-      foreach my $item (@d_no) {
+  if (scalar @$discover_no) {
+      foreach my $item (@$discover_no) {
           my $ip = NetAddr::IP::Lite->new($item) or return 0;
           return 0 if $ip->contains($device);
       }
   }
 
-  if (length $discover_only) {
+  if (scalar @$discover_only) {
       my $okay = 0;
-      my @d_only = split /,\s*/, $discover_only;
-      foreach my $item (@d_only) {
+      foreach my $item (@$discover_only) {
           my $ip = NetAddr::IP::Lite->new($item) or return 0;
           ++$okay if $ip->contains($device);
       }
diff --git a/Netdisco/lib/Netdisco/Util/Permissions.pm b/Netdisco/lib/Netdisco/Util/Permissions.pm
index ad1c10e1..4d9c9089 100644
--- a/Netdisco/lib/Netdisco/Util/Permissions.pm
+++ b/Netdisco/lib/Netdisco/Util/Permissions.pm
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ sub vlan_reconfig_check {
   my $port = shift;
   my $ip = $port->ip;
   my $name = $port->port;
-  my $nd_config = var('nd_config')->{_};
 
   my $is_vlan = is_vlan_interface($port);
 
@@ -40,7 +39,7 @@ sub vlan_reconfig_check {
     if $is_vlan;
 
   return "forbidden: not permitted to change native vlan"
-    if not $nd_config->{vlanctl};
+    if not setting('vlanctl');
 
   return;
 }
@@ -53,22 +52,21 @@ sub port_reconfig_check {
   my $port = shift;
   my $ip = $port->ip;
   my $name = $port->port;
-  my $nd_config = var('nd_config')->{_};
 
   my $has_phone = has_phone($port);
   my $is_vlan   = is_vlan_interface($port);
 
   # uplink check
   return "forbidden: port [$name] on [$ip] is an uplink"
-    if $port->remote_type and not $has_phone and not $nd_config->{allow_uplinks};
+    if $port->remote_type and not $has_phone and not setting('allow_uplinks');
 
   # phone check
   return "forbidden: port [$name] on [$ip] is a phone"
-    if $has_phone and $nd_config->{portctl_nophones};
+    if $has_phone and setting('portctl_nophones');
 
   # vlan (routed) interface check
   return "forbidden: [$name] is a vlan interface on [$ip]"
-    if $is_vlan and not $nd_config->{portctl_vlans};
+    if $is_vlan and not setting('portctl_vlans');
 
   return;
 }