diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/utils/developer/DeveloperSettings.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/utils/developer/DeveloperSettings.java
index 169491372..f883281f9 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/utils/developer/DeveloperSettings.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/utils/developer/DeveloperSettings.java
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ public class DeveloperSettings {
 	// The factory
 	// ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-	private static final String ATTRIBUTE_NAME = DeveloperSettings.class
+	protected static final String ATTRIBUTE_NAME = DeveloperSettings.class
 			.getName();
 
 	public static DeveloperSettings getBean(HttpServletRequest req) {
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ public class DeveloperSettings {
 
 	private final Map<Keys, Object> settings = new EnumMap<>(Keys.class);
 
-	private DeveloperSettings(ServletContext ctx) {
+	protected DeveloperSettings(ServletContext ctx) {
 		updateFromFile(ctx);
 	}
 
diff --git a/webapp/test/stubs/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/utils/developer/DeveloperSettingsStub.java b/webapp/test/stubs/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/utils/developer/DeveloperSettingsStub.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6e2871596
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webapp/test/stubs/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/utils/developer/DeveloperSettingsStub.java
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/* $This file is distributed under the terms of the license in /doc/license.txt$ */
+
+package stubs.edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.utils.developer;
+
+import javax.servlet.ServletContext;
+
+import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.utils.developer.DeveloperSettings;
+
+/**
+ * Do everything that a standard DeveloperSettings would do, except loading from
+ * a properties file.
+ * 
+ * That way, we don't require ConfigurationProperties to find the Vitro home
+ * directory, so we don't throw errors if there is no ConfigurationProperties.
+ */
+public class DeveloperSettingsStub extends DeveloperSettings {
+	/**
+	 * Factory method. Create the stub and set it into the ServletContext.
+	 */
+	public static void set(ServletContext ctx) {
+		ctx.setAttribute(ATTRIBUTE_NAME, new DeveloperSettingsStub(ctx));
+	}
+
+	protected DeveloperSettingsStub(ServletContext ctx) {
+		super(ctx);
+	}
+
+	@Override
+	protected void updateFromFile(ServletContext ctx) {
+		// Don't bother.
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/webapp/test/stubs/javax/servlet/ServletContextStub.java b/webapp/test/stubs/javax/servlet/ServletContextStub.java
index 46e592d60..eb1e5eab7 100644
--- a/webapp/test/stubs/javax/servlet/ServletContextStub.java
+++ b/webapp/test/stubs/javax/servlet/ServletContextStub.java
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ import javax.servlet.ServletException;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 
+import stubs.edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.utils.developer.DeveloperSettingsStub;
+
 /**
  * A simple stand-in for the {@link ServletContext}, for use in unit tests.
  */
@@ -36,6 +38,11 @@ public class ServletContextStub implements ServletContext {
 	private final Map<String, String> mockResources = new HashMap<String, String>();
 	private final Map<String, String> realPaths = new HashMap<String, String>();
 
+	public ServletContextStub() {
+		// Assume that unit tests won't want to use Developer mode.
+		DeveloperSettingsStub.set(this);
+	}
+	
 	public void setContextPath(String contextPath) {
 		if (contextPath == null) {
 			throw new NullPointerException("contextPath may not be null.");