diff --git a/scala/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/queue/engine/LsfJobRunner.scala b/scala/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/queue/engine/LsfJobRunner.scala
index 6dab7e210..130f3b22c 100644
--- a/scala/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/queue/engine/LsfJobRunner.scala
+++ b/scala/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/queue/engine/LsfJobRunner.scala
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ class LsfJobRunner(val function: CommandLineFunction) extends DispatchJobRunner
    * @return the file path to the pre-exec.
    */
   private def writeExec() = {
-    IOUtils.writeTempFile(function.commandLine, ".exec", "", function.commandDirectory)
+    IOUtils.writeTempFile(function.commandLine, ".exec", "")
   }
 
   /**
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ class LsfJobRunner(val function: CommandLineFunction) extends DispatchJobRunner
     mountCommand(function).foreach(command =>
       preExec.append("%s%n".format(command)))
 
-    IOUtils.writeTempFile(preExec.toString, ".preExec", "", function.commandDirectory)
+    IOUtils.writeTempFile(preExec.toString, ".preExec", "")
   }
 
   /**
@@ -211,6 +211,6 @@ class LsfJobRunner(val function: CommandLineFunction) extends DispatchJobRunner
   |fi
   |""".stripMargin.format(function.commandDirectory, touchDone, touchFail))
 
-    IOUtils.writeTempFile(postExec.toString, ".postExec", "", function.commandDirectory)
+    IOUtils.writeTempFile(postExec.toString, ".postExec", "")
   }
 }
diff --git a/scala/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/queue/util/IOUtils.scala b/scala/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/queue/util/IOUtils.scala
index fcd8a3d0f..3e9df9c50 100644
--- a/scala/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/queue/util/IOUtils.scala
+++ b/scala/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/queue/util/IOUtils.scala
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ object IOUtils {
 
   def writeContents(file: File, content: String) =  FileUtils.writeStringToFile(file, content)
 
-  def writeTempFile(content: String, prefix: String, suffix: String = "", directory: File) = {
+  def   writeTempFile(content: String, prefix: String, suffix: String = "", directory: File = null) = {
     val tempFile = absolute(File.createTempFile(prefix, suffix, directory))
     writeContents(tempFile, content)
     tempFile