diff --git a/src/confdb/confdb.c b/src/confdb/confdb.c
index 21e96634e61..252c557ce9a 100644
--- a/src/confdb/confdb.c
+++ b/src/confdb/confdb.c
@@ -650,6 +650,11 @@ int confdb_init(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
     int ret = EOK;
     mode_t old_umask;
 
+    if (cdb_ctx == NULL) {
+        DEBUG(SSSDBG_FATAL_FAILURE, "Bad argument\n");
+        return EFAULT;
+    }
+
     cdb = talloc_zero(mem_ctx, struct confdb_ctx);
     if (!cdb)
         return ENOMEM;
diff --git a/src/tools/common/sss_tools.c b/src/tools/common/sss_tools.c
index b7200554c26..7c0a2d3a5a9 100644
--- a/src/tools/common/sss_tools.c
+++ b/src/tools/common/sss_tools.c
@@ -87,19 +87,12 @@ static void sss_tool_common_opts(struct sss_tool_ctx *tool_ctx,
     poptFreeContext(pc);
 }
 
-static errno_t sss_tool_confdb_init(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
-                                    struct confdb_ctx **_confdb)
+errno_t sss_tool_confdb_init(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx, struct confdb_ctx **_confdb)
 {
-    struct confdb_ctx *confdb;
-    char *path;
+    static const char *path = DB_PATH"/"CONFDB_FILE;
     errno_t ret;
     struct stat statbuf;
 
-    path = talloc_asprintf(mem_ctx, "%s/%s", DB_PATH, CONFDB_FILE);
-    if (path == NULL) {
-        return ENOMEM;
-    }
-
     ret = stat(path, &statbuf);
     if (ret != 0) {
         ret = errno;
@@ -108,18 +101,13 @@ static errno_t sss_tool_confdb_init(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
         return ret;
     }
 
-    ret = confdb_init(mem_ctx, &confdb, path);
-    talloc_zfree(path);
+    ret = confdb_init(mem_ctx, _confdb, path);
     if (ret != EOK) {
         DEBUG(SSSDBG_FATAL_FAILURE, "Unable to connect to config DB [%d]: %s\n",
               ret, sss_strerror(ret));
         return ret;
     }
 
-    if (_confdb != NULL) {
-        *_confdb = confdb;
-    }
-
     return EOK;
 }
 
@@ -599,25 +587,3 @@ errno_t sss_tool_parse_name(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
 
     return ret;
 }
-
-errno_t sss_tool_connect_to_confdb(TALLOC_CTX *ctx, struct confdb_ctx **cdb_ctx)
-{
-    int ret;
-    char *confdb_path = NULL;
-
-    confdb_path = talloc_asprintf(ctx, "%s/%s", DB_PATH, CONFDB_FILE);
-    if (confdb_path == NULL) {
-        DEBUG(SSSDBG_CRIT_FAILURE,
-              "Could not allocate memory for confdb path\n");
-        return ENOMEM;
-    }
-
-    ret = confdb_init(ctx, cdb_ctx, confdb_path);
-    if (ret != EOK) {
-        DEBUG(SSSDBG_CRIT_FAILURE,
-              "Could not initialize connection to the confdb\n");
-    }
-
-    talloc_free(confdb_path);
-    return ret;
-}
diff --git a/src/tools/common/sss_tools.h b/src/tools/common/sss_tools.h
index 69d35bde0c6..45526e4fe81 100644
--- a/src/tools/common/sss_tools.h
+++ b/src/tools/common/sss_tools.h
@@ -101,6 +101,6 @@ errno_t sss_tool_parse_name(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
                             struct sss_domain_info **_domain);
 
 
-errno_t sss_tool_connect_to_confdb(TALLOC_CTX *ctx, struct confdb_ctx **cdb_ctx);
+errno_t sss_tool_confdb_init(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx, struct confdb_ctx **_confdb);
 
 #endif /* SRC_TOOLS_COMMON_SSS_TOOLS_H_ */
diff --git a/src/tools/sss_cache.c b/src/tools/sss_cache.c
index 79de13ac872..75daddddbb8 100644
--- a/src/tools/sss_cache.c
+++ b/src/tools/sss_cache.c
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 
 #include "util/util.h"
 #include "tools/tools_util.h"
+#include "tools/common/sss_tools.h"
 #include "db/sysdb.h"
 #include "db/sysdb_services.h"
 #include "db/sysdb_autofs.h"
@@ -661,22 +662,13 @@ static errno_t invalidate_entry(TALLOC_CTX *ctx,
 static errno_t init_domains(struct cache_tool_ctx *ctx,
                             const char *domain)
 {
-    char *confdb_path;
     int ret;
     struct sss_domain_info *dinfo;
 
-    confdb_path = talloc_asprintf(ctx, "%s/%s", DB_PATH, CONFDB_FILE);
-    if (confdb_path == NULL) {
-        return ENOMEM;
-    }
-
-    /* Connect to the conf db */
-    ret = confdb_init(ctx, &ctx->confdb, confdb_path);
-    talloc_free(confdb_path);
+    ret = sss_tool_confdb_init(ctx, &ctx->confdb);
     if (ret != EOK) {
-        DEBUG(SSSDBG_CRIT_FAILURE,
-              "Could not initialize connection to the confdb\n");
-        return ret;
+        ERROR("Can't find configuration db, was SSSD configured and run?\n");
+        return ERR_NO_DOMAIN_ENABLED;
     }
 
     if (domain) {
diff --git a/src/tools/sss_seed.c b/src/tools/sss_seed.c
index 07327da67db..b1c30bebc1d 100644
--- a/src/tools/sss_seed.c
+++ b/src/tools/sss_seed.c
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 #include "util/util.h"
 #include "db/sysdb.h"
 #include "tools/tools_util.h"
+#include "tools/common/sss_tools.h"
 #include "confdb/confdb.h"
 
 #ifndef BUFSIZE
@@ -628,7 +629,6 @@ static int seed_init_db(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
                         struct sysdb_ctx **_sysdb)
 {
     TALLOC_CTX *tmp_ctx = NULL;
-    char *confdb_path = NULL;
     struct confdb_ctx *confdb = NULL;
     struct sss_domain_info *domain = NULL;
     int ret = EOK;
@@ -639,14 +639,7 @@ static int seed_init_db(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
         goto done;
     }
 
-    /* setup confdb */
-    confdb_path = talloc_asprintf(tmp_ctx, "%s/%s", DB_PATH, CONFDB_FILE);
-    if (confdb_path == NULL) {
-        ret = ENOMEM;
-        goto done;
-    }
-
-    ret = confdb_init(tmp_ctx, &confdb, confdb_path);
+    ret = sss_tool_confdb_init(tmp_ctx, &confdb);
     if (ret != EOK) {
         DEBUG(SSSDBG_CRIT_FAILURE,
               "Could not initialize connection to the confdb\n");
diff --git a/src/tools/sssctl/sssctl_data.c b/src/tools/sssctl/sssctl_data.c
index beeb6361cac..43bfd73fc86 100644
--- a/src/tools/sssctl/sssctl_data.c
+++ b/src/tools/sssctl/sssctl_data.c
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ static errno_t sssctl_cache_index_action(enum sysdb_index_actions action,
 
     if (domains == NULL) {
         /* If the user selected no domain, act on all of them */
-        ret = sss_tool_connect_to_confdb(tmp_ctx, &confdb);
+        ret = sss_tool_confdb_init(tmp_ctx, &confdb);
         if (ret != EOK) {
             DEBUG(SSSDBG_OP_FAILURE,
                   "Could not connect to configuration database.\n");
diff --git a/src/tools/sssctl/sssctl_logs.c b/src/tools/sssctl/sssctl_logs.c
index 75e855bb901..c719dcbf0b2 100644
--- a/src/tools/sssctl/sssctl_logs.c
+++ b/src/tools/sssctl/sssctl_logs.c
@@ -567,7 +567,7 @@ errno_t sssctl_debug_level(struct sss_cmdline *cmdline,
     targets = get_targets(ctx, pc_services, pc_domains);
     CHECK(targets == NULL, fini, "Could not allocate memory.");
 
-    ret = sss_tool_connect_to_confdb(ctx, &ctx->confdb);
+    ret = sss_tool_confdb_init(ctx, &ctx->confdb);
     CHECK(ret != EOK, fini, "Could not connect to configuration database.");
 
     ret = get_confdb_sections(ctx, ctx->confdb, &ctx->sections);