diff --git a/hack/test-cmd.sh b/hack/test-cmd.sh
index e4e7725f62fb..68108d612fd8 100755
--- a/hack/test-cmd.sh
+++ b/hack/test-cmd.sh
@@ -187,7 +187,12 @@ atomic-enterprise start \
 	"${NODE_CONFIG_DIR}/node-config.yaml"
 
 # test client not configured
-[ "$(oc get services 2>&1 | grep 'Error in configuration')" ]
+[ "$(oc get services 2>&1 | grep 'No configuration file found, please login')" ]
+unused_port=33333
+# setting env bypasses the not configured message
+[ "$(KUBERNETES_MASTER='http://${API_HOST}:${unused_port}' oc get services 2>&1 | grep 'did you specify the right host or port')" ]
+# setting --server bypasses the not configured message
+[ "$(oc get services --server=http://${API_HOST}:${unused_port} 2>&1 | grep 'did you specify the right host or port')" ]
 
 # Set KUBERNETES_MASTER for oc from now on
 export KUBERNETES_MASTER="${API_SCHEME}://${API_HOST}:${API_PORT}"
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/util/clientcmd/factory.go b/pkg/cmd/util/clientcmd/factory.go
index 3acc193705d2..75d9972ef7a9 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/util/clientcmd/factory.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/util/clientcmd/factory.go
@@ -3,16 +3,20 @@ package clientcmd
 import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"os"
 	"sort"
 	"strconv"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/golang/glog"
+
 	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api"
 	kerrors "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api/errors"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api/meta"
 	kclient "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/client/unversioned"
 	kclientcmd "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/client/unversioned/clientcmd"
+	kclientcmdapi "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/client/unversioned/clientcmd/api"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/fields"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubectl"
 	cmdutil "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubectl/cmd/util"
@@ -36,7 +40,6 @@ import (
 // New creates a default Factory for commands that should share identical server
 // connection behavior. Most commands should use this method to get a factory.
 func New(flags *pflag.FlagSet) *Factory {
-	// Override global default to "" so we force the client to ask for user input
 	// TODO refactor this upstream:
 	// DefaultCluster should not be a global
 	// A call to ClientConfig() should always return the best clientCfg possible
@@ -45,12 +48,68 @@ func New(flags *pflag.FlagSet) *Factory {
 
 	// TODO: there should be two client configs, one for OpenShift, and one for Kubernetes
 	clientConfig := DefaultClientConfig(flags)
+	clientConfig = defaultingClientConfig{clientConfig}
 	f := NewFactory(clientConfig)
 	f.BindFlags(flags)
 
 	return f
 }
 
+// defaultingClientConfig detects whether the provided config is the default, and if
+// so returns an error that indicates the user should set up their config.
+type defaultingClientConfig struct {
+	nested kclientcmd.ClientConfig
+}
+
+// RawConfig calls the nested method
+func (c defaultingClientConfig) RawConfig() (kclientcmdapi.Config, error) {
+	return c.nested.RawConfig()
+}
+
+// Namespace calls the nested method, and if an empty config error is returned
+// it checks for the same default as kubectl - the value of POD_NAMESPACE or
+// "default".
+func (c defaultingClientConfig) Namespace() (string, bool, error) {
+	namespace, ok, err := c.nested.Namespace()
+	if err == nil {
+		return namespace, ok, nil
+	}
+	if !kclientcmd.IsEmptyConfig(err) {
+		return "", false, err
+	}
+	// TODO: can we inject the namespace as a file in the secret?
+	namespace = os.Getenv("POD_NAMESPACE")
+	if len(namespace) == 0 {
+		return api.NamespaceDefault, false, nil
+	}
+	return namespace, true, nil
+}
+
+// ClientConfig returns a complete client config
+func (c defaultingClientConfig) ClientConfig() (*kclient.Config, error) {
+	cfg, err := c.nested.ClientConfig()
+	if err == nil {
+		return cfg, nil
+	}
+
+	if !kclientcmd.IsEmptyConfig(err) {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	if icc, err := kclient.InClusterConfig(); err == nil {
+		glog.V(4).Infof("Using in-cluster configuration")
+		return icc, nil
+	}
+
+	return nil, fmt.Errorf(`No configuration file found, please login or point to an existing file:
+
+  1. Via the command-line flag --config
+  2. Via the KUBECONFIG environment variable
+  3. In your home directory as ~/.kube/config
+
+To view or setup config directly use the 'config' command.`)
+}
+
 // Factory provides common options for OpenShift commands
 type Factory struct {
 	*cmdutil.Factory
diff --git a/test/end-to-end/core.sh b/test/end-to-end/core.sh
index c54f34c29caa..604e4fcd92e3 100755
--- a/test/end-to-end/core.sh
+++ b/test/end-to-end/core.sh
@@ -137,6 +137,11 @@ oc login -u e2e-user
 oc project test
 oc whoami
 
+echo "[INFO] Running a CLI command in a container using the service account"
+out=$(oc run cli-with-token --attach --image=openshift/origin:${TAG} --restart=Never -- cli status --loglevel=4 2>&1)
+echo $out
+[ "$(echo $out | grep 'Using in-cluster configuration')" ]
+
 echo "[INFO] Streaming the logs from a deployment twice..."
 oc create -f test/fixtures/failing-dc.yaml
 tryuntil oc get rc/failing-dc-1