diff --git a/lib/contracts/deploy_manager.js b/lib/contracts/deploy_manager.js
index 3418fb266..4dde6a922 100644
--- a/lib/contracts/deploy_manager.js
+++ b/lib/contracts/deploy_manager.js
@@ -42,6 +42,10 @@ class DeployManager {
         } 
         return callback(null, contractsManager);
       },
+
+      // TODO: remove this
+      // instead it can make a request to check if it's connected to a node
+
       function checkWeb3IsConnected(contractsManager, callback) {
         if (!self.web3) {
           return callback(Error("no web3 instance found"));
@@ -74,6 +78,7 @@ class DeployManager {
           callback(null, contractsManager, web3);
         });
       },
+
       function deployAllContracts(contractsManager, web3, callback) {
         let deploy = new Deploy({
           blockchain: self.blockchain,
@@ -97,6 +102,7 @@ class DeployManager {
         });
       },
       function runAfterDeployCommands(contractsManager, web3, callback) {
+        // TODO: should instead emit a afterDeploy event and/or run a afterDeploy plugin
         let afterDeployCmds = self.config.contractsConfig.afterDeploy || [];
 
         let withErrors = false;
diff --git a/test/contracts.js b/test/contracts.js
index 3090f4162..bb695dc7a 100644
--- a/test/contracts.js
+++ b/test/contracts.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 /*globals describe, it*/
 let ContractsManager = require('../lib/contracts/contracts.js');
+let Compiler = require('../lib/contracts/compiler.js');
 let Logger = require('../lib/core/logger.js');
 let File = require('../lib/core/file.js');
 let TestLogger = require('../lib/tests/test_logger.js');
@@ -29,6 +30,12 @@ describe('embark.Contracts', function() {
     });
     plugins.loadInternalPlugin('solidity', {solcVersion: '0.4.17', contractDirectories: ['app/contracts/']});
 
+    let compiler = new Compiler({plugins: plugins, logger: plugins.logger});
+    let events = new Events();
+    events.setCommandHandler("compiler:contracts", function(contractFiles, cb) {
+      compiler.compile_contracts(contractFiles, cb);
+    });
+
     let contractsManager = new ContractsManager({
       plugins: plugins,
       contractFiles:  [
@@ -65,7 +72,7 @@ describe('embark.Contracts', function() {
         }
       },
       logger: new Logger({}),
-      events: new Events()
+      events: events
     });
 
     describe('#build', function() {
@@ -112,6 +119,12 @@ describe('embark.Contracts', function() {
     });
     plugins.loadInternalPlugin('solidity', {solcVersion: '0.4.17', contractDirectories: ['app/contracts/']});
 
+    let compiler = new Compiler({plugins: plugins, logger: plugins.logger});
+    let events = new Events();
+    events.setCommandHandler("compiler:contracts", function(contractFiles, cb) {
+      compiler.compile_contracts(contractFiles, cb);
+    });
+
     let contractsManager = new ContractsManager({
       plugins: plugins,
       contractFiles:  [
@@ -158,7 +171,7 @@ describe('embark.Contracts', function() {
         }
       },
       logger: new Logger({}),
-      events: new Events()
+      events: events
     });
 
     describe('#build', function() {