diff --git a/dapps/tests/app/config/namesystem.json b/dapps/tests/app/config/namesystem.js
similarity index 75%
rename from dapps/tests/app/config/namesystem.json
rename to dapps/tests/app/config/namesystem.js
index 0ae3340be..bb7297b75 100644
--- a/dapps/tests/app/config/namesystem.json
+++ b/dapps/tests/app/config/namesystem.js
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
-{
+module.exports = {
   "default": {
     "enabled": true,
-    "available_providers": [
-      "ens"
-    ],
+    "available_providers": ["ens"],
     "provider": "ens",
     "register": {
       "rootDomain": "embark.eth",
@@ -13,5 +11,8 @@
         "MyToken2": "$MyToken2"
       }
     }
+  },
+  test: {
+    enabled: true
   }
-}
+};
diff --git a/dapps/tests/service/index.js b/dapps/tests/service/index.js
index a35761904..a78414d8a 100644
--- a/dapps/tests/service/index.js
+++ b/dapps/tests/service/index.js
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ module.exports = function (embark) {
 
   embark.registerContractConfiguration({
     "default": {
-      "contracts": {
+      "deploy": {
         "PluginStorage": {
           "args": ["$SimpleStorage"]
         }
diff --git a/packages/embark/src/cmd/cmd.js b/packages/embark/src/cmd/cmd.js
index 7da51b7bb..bf165181c 100644
--- a/packages/embark/src/cmd/cmd.js
+++ b/packages/embark/src/cmd/cmd.js
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ class Cmd {
   test() {
     program
       .command('test [file]')
-      .option('-e, --env <env>', __('configuration environment to use (default: development)'))
+      .option('-e, --env <env>', __('configuration environment to use (default: test)'))
       .option('-n , --node <node>', __('node for running the tests ["vm", "embark", <endpoint>] (default: vm)\n') +
               '                       vm - ' + __('start and use an Ethereum simulator (ganache)') + '\n' +
               '                       embark - ' + __('use the node of a running embark process') + '\n' +
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ class Cmd {
           txDetails: options.txDetails,
           node: options.node,
           coverage: options.coverage,
-          env: options.env || 'development'
+          env: options.env || 'test'
         });
       });
   }
diff --git a/packages/embark/src/lib/core/config.js b/packages/embark/src/lib/core/config.js
index b0696ec13..159a710aa 100644
--- a/packages/embark/src/lib/core/config.js
+++ b/packages/embark/src/lib/core/config.js
@@ -251,7 +251,11 @@ Config.prototype._doMergeConfig = function(config, defaultConfig, env) {
   let configObject = recursiveMerge(defaultConfig, config);
 
   if (env) {
-    return recursiveMerge(configObject['default'] || {}, configObject[env]);
+    if (env === 'test' && !configObject[env]) {
+      // Disabled all configs in tests as they are opt in
+      return Object.assign({}, defaultConfig.default, {enabled: false});
+    }
+    return recursiveMerge(configObject.default || {}, configObject[env]);
   } else if (env !== false) {
     this.logger.warn(__("No environment called %s found. Using defaults.", env));
   }
@@ -279,6 +283,10 @@ Config.prototype.loadBlockchainConfigFile = function() {
   const envConfig = userConfig[this.env];
 
   if (envConfig) {
+    if (envConfig.ethereumClientName || envConfig.hasOwnProperty('isDev') || envConfig.hasOwnProperty('mineWhenNeeded')) {
+      this.logger.error(__('The blockchain config has changed quite a bit in Embark 5\nPlease visit %s to know what has to be changed', embark5ChangesUrl.underline));
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
     if (envConfig.clientConfig) {
       Object.assign(envConfig, envConfig.clientConfig);
       delete envConfig.clientConfig;
@@ -312,11 +320,6 @@ Config.prototype.loadBlockchainConfigFile = function() {
 
   this.blockchainConfig = this._doMergeConfig(userConfig, blockchainDefaults, this.env);
 
-  if (this.blockchainConfig.ethereumClientName || this.blockchainConfig.isDev || this.blockchainConfig.mineWhenNeeded) {
-    this.logger.error(__('The blockchain config has changed quite a bit in Embark 5\nPlease visit %s to know what has to be changed', embark5ChangesUrl.underline));
-    process.exit(1);
-  }
-
   if (!configFilePath) {
     this.blockchainConfig.default = true;
   }
diff --git a/packages/embark/src/lib/core/configDefaults.js b/packages/embark/src/lib/core/configDefaults.js
index a86510f6a..9b8a67283 100644
--- a/packages/embark/src/lib/core/configDefaults.js
+++ b/packages/embark/src/lib/core/configDefaults.js
@@ -3,33 +3,34 @@ import {recursiveMerge} from "embark-utils";
 const constants = require('embark-core/constants');
 
 export function getBlockchainDefaults(env) {
+  const defaults = {
+    enabled: true,
+    client: constants.blockchain.clients.geth,
+    proxy: true,
+    datadir: `.embark/${env}/datadir`,
+    rpcHost: "localhost",
+    rpcPort: 8545,
+    rpcCorsDomain: {
+      auto: true,
+      additionalCors: []
+    },
+    wsRPC: true,
+    wsOrigins: {
+      auto: true,
+      additionalCors: []
+    },
+    wsHost: "localhost",
+    wsPort: 8546,
+    networkType: "custom",
+    miningMode: 'dev',
+    nodiscover: true,
+    maxpeers: 0,
+    targetGasLimit: 8000000,
+    simulatorBlocktime: 0
+  };
   return {
-    default: {
-      enabled: true,
-      client: constants.blockchain.clients.geth,
-      proxy: true,
-      datadir: `.embark/${env}/datadir`,
-      rpcHost: "localhost",
-      rpcPort: 8545,
-      rpcCorsDomain: {
-        auto: true,
-        additionalCors: []
-      },
-      wsRPC: true,
-      wsOrigins: {
-        auto: true,
-        additionalCors: []
-      },
-      wsHost: "localhost",
-      wsPort: 8546,
-      networkType: "custom",
-      isDev: false,
-      mineWhenNeeded: false,
-      nodiscover: true,
-      maxpeers: 0,
-      targetGasLimit: 8000000,
-      simulatorBlocktime: 0
-    }
+    default: defaults,
+    test: defaults
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/site/source/docs/plugin_reference.md b/site/source/docs/plugin_reference.md
index 9c806a59e..8342fb7a7 100644
--- a/site/source/docs/plugin_reference.md
+++ b/site/source/docs/plugin_reference.md
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ Typically this call is used in combination with `embark.addContractFile`
 module.exports = function(embark) {
   embark.registerContractConfiguration({
     "default": {
-      "contracts": {
+      "deploy": {
         "DGDToken": {
           "args": [
             100
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ module.exports = function(embark) {
       }
     },
     "livenet": {
-      "contracts": {
+      "deploy": {
         "DGDToken": {
           "address": "0xe0b7927c4af23765cb51314a0e0521a9645f0e2a"
         }