diff --git a/paperwork_backend/config.py b/paperwork_backend/config.py
index cf4988d..b5aba43 100644
--- a/paperwork_backend/config.py
+++ b/paperwork_backend/config.py
@@ -121,6 +121,7 @@ def get_default_ocr_lang():
         return lang.terminology
     return DEFAULT_OCR_LANG
 
+    return False
 
 class PaperworkConfig(object):
     """
@@ -139,6 +140,9 @@ def __init__(self):
             'ocr_lang': PaperworkSetting(
                 "OCR", "Lang", get_default_ocr_lang
             ),
+            'index_in_workdir': PaperworkSetting(
+                "Global", "index_in_workdir", lambda: False, paperwork_cfg_boolean
+            ),
         }
 
         self._configparser = None
diff --git a/paperwork_backend/docsearch.py b/paperwork_backend/docsearch.py
index 50938de..4565adc 100644
--- a/paperwork_backend/docsearch.py
+++ b/paperwork_backend/docsearch.py
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ class DocSearch(object):
     LABEL_STEP_DESTROYING = "label deletion"
 
     def __init__(self, rootdir, indexdir=None, language=None,
-                 use_default_index_client=True):
+                 use_default_index_client=True, index_in_workdir=False):
         """
         Index files in rootdir (see constructor)
         """
@@ -264,16 +264,20 @@ def __init__(self, rootdir, indexdir=None, language=None,
 
         self.fs = fs.GioFileSystem()
         self.rootdir = self.fs.safe(rootdir)
-
         localdir = os.path.expanduser("~/.local")
-        if indexdir is None:
+
+        if index_in_workdir:
+            base_data_dir = self.fs.unsafe(rootdir)
+            localdir = base_data_dir
+            indexdir = os.path.join(base_data_dir, "index")
+
+        elif indexdir is None:
             base_data_dir = os.getenv(
                 "XDG_DATA_HOME",
                 os.path.join(localdir, "share")
             )
-            indexdir = os.path.join(base_data_dir, "paperwork")
+            indexdir = os.path.join(base_data_dir, "paperwork/index")
 
-        indexdir = os.path.join(indexdir, "index")
         label_guesser_dir = os.path.join(indexdir, "label_guessing")
         self.index.open(localdir, base_data_dir, indexdir, label_guesser_dir,
                         rootdir, language=language)
@@ -351,6 +355,7 @@ def get_doc_from_docid(self, docid, doc_type_name=None, inst=True):
 
     def find_documents(self, sentence, limit=None, must_sort=True,
                        search_type='fuzzy'):
+
         return self.index.find_documents(sentence, limit=limit,
                                          must_sort=must_sort,
                                          search_type=search_type)
diff --git a/paperwork_backend/shell.py b/paperwork_backend/shell.py
index 072e4ab..6bf0719 100644
--- a/paperwork_backend/shell.py
+++ b/paperwork_backend/shell.py
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ def get_docsearch():
 
     verbose("Work directory: {}".format(pconfig.settings['workdir'].value))
 
-    dsearch = docsearch.DocSearch(pconfig.settings['workdir'].value)
+    dsearch = docsearch.DocSearch(pconfig.settings['workdir'].value, index_in_workdir=pconfig.settings['index_in_workdir'].value)
     dsearch.reload_index()
     return dsearch