diff --git a/accounts/keystore/keystore_passphrase.go b/accounts/keystore/keystore_passphrase.go
index 535608a60..eaec39f7d 100644
--- a/accounts/keystore/keystore_passphrase.go
+++ b/accounts/keystore/keystore_passphrase.go
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ package keystore
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"crypto/aes"
+	crand "crypto/rand"
 	"crypto/sha256"
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"encoding/json"
@@ -90,6 +91,12 @@ func (ks keyStorePassphrase) GetKey(addr common.Address, filename, auth string)
 	return key, nil
 }
 
+// StoreKey generates a key, encrypts with 'auth' and stores in the given directory
+func StoreKey(dir, auth string, scryptN, scryptP int) (common.Address, error) {
+	_, a, err := storeNewKey(&keyStorePassphrase{dir, scryptN, scryptP}, crand.Reader, auth)
+	return a.Address, err
+}
+
 func (ks keyStorePassphrase) StoreKey(filename string, key *Key, auth string) error {
 	keyjson, err := EncryptKey(key, auth, ks.scryptN, ks.scryptP)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/cmd/geth/accountcmd.go b/cmd/geth/accountcmd.go
index 0f53c92b0..0db5c4ce0 100644
--- a/cmd/geth/accountcmd.go
+++ b/cmd/geth/accountcmd.go
@@ -291,15 +291,28 @@ func ambiguousAddrRecovery(ks *keystore.KeyStore, err *keystore.AmbiguousAddrErr
 
 // accountCreate creates a new account into the keystore defined by the CLI flags.
 func accountCreate(ctx *cli.Context) error {
-	stack, _ := makeConfigNode(ctx)
+	cfg := gethConfig{Node: defaultNodeConfig()}
+	// Load config file.
+	if file := ctx.GlobalString(configFileFlag.Name); file != "" {
+		if err := loadConfig(file, &cfg); err != nil {
+			utils.Fatalf("%v", err)
+		}
+	}
+	utils.SetNodeConfig(ctx, &cfg.Node)
+	scryptN, scryptP, keydir, err := cfg.Node.AccountConfig()
+
+	if err != nil {
+		utils.Fatalf("Failed to read configuration: %v", err)
+	}
+
 	password := getPassPhrase("Your new account is locked with a password. Please give a password. Do not forget this password.", true, 0, utils.MakePasswordList(ctx))
 
-	ks := stack.AccountManager().Backends(keystore.KeyStoreType)[0].(*keystore.KeyStore)
-	account, err := ks.NewAccount(password)
+	address, err := keystore.StoreKey(keydir, password, scryptN, scryptP)
+
 	if err != nil {
 		utils.Fatalf("Failed to create account: %v", err)
 	}
-	fmt.Printf("Address: {%x}\n", account.Address)
+	fmt.Printf("Address: {%x}\n", address)
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/node/config.go b/node/config.go
index be9e21b4f..1ee02d896 100644
--- a/node/config.go
+++ b/node/config.go
@@ -360,35 +360,43 @@ func (c *Config) parsePersistentNodes(path string) []*discover.Node {
 	return nodes
 }
 
-func makeAccountManager(conf *Config) (*accounts.Manager, string, error) {
+// AccountConfig determines the settings for scrypt and keydirectory
+func (c *Config) AccountConfig() (int, int, string, error) {
 	scryptN := keystore.StandardScryptN
 	scryptP := keystore.StandardScryptP
-	if conf.UseLightweightKDF {
+	if c.UseLightweightKDF {
 		scryptN = keystore.LightScryptN
 		scryptP = keystore.LightScryptP
 	}
 
 	var (
-		keydir    string
-		ephemeral string
-		err       error
+		keydir string
+		err    error
 	)
 	switch {
-	case filepath.IsAbs(conf.KeyStoreDir):
-		keydir = conf.KeyStoreDir
-	case conf.DataDir != "":
-		if conf.KeyStoreDir == "" {
-			keydir = filepath.Join(conf.DataDir, datadirDefaultKeyStore)
+	case filepath.IsAbs(c.KeyStoreDir):
+		keydir = c.KeyStoreDir
+	case c.DataDir != "":
+		if c.KeyStoreDir == "" {
+			keydir = filepath.Join(c.DataDir, datadirDefaultKeyStore)
 		} else {
-			keydir, err = filepath.Abs(conf.KeyStoreDir)
+			keydir, err = filepath.Abs(c.KeyStoreDir)
 		}
-	case conf.KeyStoreDir != "":
-		keydir, err = filepath.Abs(conf.KeyStoreDir)
-	default:
+	case c.KeyStoreDir != "":
+		keydir, err = filepath.Abs(c.KeyStoreDir)
+	}
+	return scryptN, scryptP, keydir, err
+}
+
+func makeAccountManager(conf *Config) (*accounts.Manager, string, error) {
+	scryptN, scryptP, keydir, err := conf.AccountConfig()
+	var ephemeral string
+	if keydir == "" {
 		// There is no datadir.
 		keydir, err = ioutil.TempDir("", "go-ethereum-keystore")
 		ephemeral = keydir
 	}
+
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, "", err
 	}