diff --git a/pd/nw/pdgui.js b/pd/nw/pdgui.js
index 727670b735355dcb93b0a4adc8d0cef4228e5aab..9221c7bf223aeaa6c068d4f0d0e1120c8b61373f 100644
--- a/pd/nw/pdgui.js
+++ b/pd/nw/pdgui.js
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ exports.get_lib_dir = function() {
     return lib_dir;
 }
 
-exports.get_pd_opendir = function() {
+function get_pd_opendir() {
     if (pd_opendir) {
         return pd_opendir;
     } else {
@@ -48,6 +48,16 @@ exports.get_pd_opendir = function() {
     }
 }
 
+exports.get_pd_opendir = get_pd_opendir;
+
+function set_pd_opendir(dir) {
+    pd_opendir = dir;
+}
+
+function gui_set_current_dir(dummy, dir_and_filename) {
+    set_pd_opendir(path.dirname(dir_and_filename));
+}
+
 function gui_set_gui_preset(name) {
     skin.set(name);
 }
@@ -543,7 +553,7 @@ exports.menu_saveas = menu_saveas;
 
 function menu_new () {
     // try not to use a global here
-    untitled_directory = pwd;
+    untitled_directory = get_pd_opendir();
     pdsend("pd filename",
            "Untitled-" + untitled_number,
            enquote(defunkify_windows_path(untitled_directory)));
@@ -764,7 +774,7 @@ function open_file(file) {
     if (basename.match(/\.(pd|pat|mxt)$/i) != null) {
         pdsend("pd open", enquote(basename),
             (enquote(directory)));
-        pd_opendir = directory;
+        set_pd_opendir(directory);
         //::pd_guiprefs::update_recentfiles "$filename" 1
     }
 }
diff --git a/pd/src/s_main.c b/pd/src/s_main.c
index e6f503167278d14feb84dd13524615cb59ac8bf1..b020b81f0b37c8135c9a40e823c2cc8c55b1a609 100644
--- a/pd/src/s_main.c
+++ b/pd/src/s_main.c
@@ -171,7 +171,9 @@ static void openit(const char *dirname, const char *filename)
     {
         close (fd);
         glob_evalfile(0, gensym(nameptr), gensym(dirbuf));
-        sys_vgui("pdtk_set_current_dir {%s}\n", filename);
+        //sys_vgui("pdtk_set_current_dir {%s}\n", filename);
+        gui_vmess("gui_set_current_dir", "xs",
+            0, filename);
     }
     else
         error("%s: can't open", filename);