diff --git a/config/initializers/triclops.rb b/config/initializers/triclops.rb
index d1d1d1c..c2672d4 100644
--- a/config/initializers/triclops.rb
+++ b/config/initializers/triclops.rb
@@ -42,15 +42,14 @@ def validate_triclops_config!
   validate_triclops_config!
 
   # If temp_directory is not set, default to ruby temp dir
-  TRICLOPS[:tmp_directory] = Dir.tmpdir if TRICLOPS[:tmp_directory].nil?
-
+  TRICLOPS[:tmp_directory] = Dir.tmpdir if TRICLOPS[:tmp_directory].blank?
   # Make temp_directory if it does not already exist
   FileUtils.mkdir_p(TRICLOPS[:tmp_directory])
 
-  # Set the TMPDIR ENV variable so that Vips (via Imogen) writes temp files here.
-  # This defaults to the OS temp directory if not otherwise set, which can be a
-  # problem if we're on a host that has limited local disk space.
-  ENV['TMPDIR'] = TRICLOPS[:tmp_directory]
+  # If vips_tmp_directory is not set, default to ruby temp dir
+  TRICLOPS['vips_tmp_directory'] = Dir.tmpdir if TRICLOPS['vips_tmp_directory'].blank?
+  # Make vips_tmp_directory if it does not already exist
+  FileUtils.mkdir_p(TRICLOPS['vips_tmp_directory'])
 end
 
 Rails.application.config.active_job.queue_adapter = :inline if TRICLOPS['run_queued_jobs_inline']
diff --git a/config/templates/triclops.template.yml b/config/templates/triclops.template.yml
index fd19a94..4f95af0 100644
--- a/config/templates/triclops.template.yml
+++ b/config/templates/triclops.template.yml
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ development:
     retry_delay: 1
     retry_count: 11
   tmp_directory: <%= Rails.root.join('tmp', 'triclops_development_tmp') %>
+  vips_tmp_directory: <%= Rails.root.join('tmp', 'triclops_development_tmp') %>
 
 test:
   run_queued_jobs_inline: true
@@ -25,3 +26,4 @@ test:
     retry_delay: 1
     retry_count: 11
   tmp_directory: <%= Rails.root.join('tmp', 'triclops_test_tmp') %>
+  vips_tmp_directory: <%= Rails.root.join('tmp', 'triclops_test_tmp') %>