diff --git a/tools/release/Bootstrap/Config.pm b/tools/release/Bootstrap/Config.pm
index 91e4073b439..a08befdcc9e 100644
--- a/tools/release/Bootstrap/Config.pm
+++ b/tools/release/Bootstrap/Config.pm
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 package Bootstrap::Config;
 
 use strict;
+use POSIX "uname";
 
 # shared static config
 my %config;
@@ -44,31 +45,121 @@ sub Parse {
     close CONFIG;
 }
 
+##
+# Get checks to see if a variable exists and returns it.
+# Returns scalar
+#
+# This method supports system-specific overrides, or "sysvar"s.
+#  For example, if a caller is on win32 and does 
+#  Get(sysvar => "buildDir") and win32_buildDir exists, the value of 
+#  win32_buildDir will be returned. If not, the value of buildDir will
+#  be returned. Otherwise, the die() assertion will be hit.
+##
+
 sub Get {
     my $this = shift;
 
     my %args = @_;
     my $var = $args{'var'};
+    # sysvar will attempt to prepend the OS name to the requested var
+    my $sysvar = $args{'sysvar'};
 
-    die "ASSERT: Bootstep::Config::Get(): null var requested" if (not 
-     defined($args{'var'}));
+    if ((! defined($args{'var'})) && (! defined($args{'sysvar'}))) {
+      die "ASSERT: Bootstep::Config::Get(): null var requested";
+    } elsif ((defined($args{'var'})) && (defined($args{'sysvar'}))) {
+      die "ASSERT: Bootstep::Config::Get(): both var and sysvar requested";
+    }
 
-    if ($this->Exists(var => $var)) {
+    if (defined($args{'sysvar'})) {
+        # look for a system specific var first
+        my $osname = $this->SystemInfo(var => 'osname');
+        my $sysvarOverride = $osname . '_' . $sysvar;
+
+        if ($this->Exists(var => $sysvarOverride)) {
+            return $config{$sysvarOverride};
+        } elsif ($this->Exists(var => $sysvar)) {
+            return $config{$sysvar};
+        } else {
+            die("No such system config variable: $sysvar");
+        }
+    } elsif ($this->Exists(var => $var)) {
         return $config{$var};
     } else {
-        die("No such config variable: $var\n");
+        die("No such config variable: $var");
     }
 }
 
+##
+# Exists checks to see if a config variable exists.
+# Returns boolean (1 or 0)
+#
+# This method supports system-specific overrides, or "sysvar"s.
+#  For example, if a caller is on win32 and does 
+#  Exists(sysvar => "win32_buildDir") and only buildDir exists, a 0
+#  will be returned. There is no "fallback" as in the case of Get.
+##
+
 sub Exists {
     my $this = shift;
     my %args = @_;
+    my $var = $args{'var'};
+    # sysvar will attempt to prepend the OS name to the requested var
+    my $sysvar = $args{'sysvar'};
 
-   die "ASSERT: Bootstep::Config::Exists(): null var requested" if (not 
-     defined($args{'var'}));
+    if ((! defined($args{'var'})) && (! defined($args{'sysvar'}))) {
+      die "ASSERT: Bootstep::Config::Get(): null var requested";
+    } elsif ((defined($args{'var'})) && (defined($args{'sysvar'}))) {
+      die "ASSERT: Bootstep::Config::Get(): both var and sysvar requested";
+    }
+
+    if (defined($args{'sysvar'})) {
+        # look for a system specific var first
+        my $osname = $this->SystemInfo(var => 'osname');
+        my $sysvarOverride = $osname . '_' . $sysvar;
+
+        if (exists($config{$sysvarOverride})) {
+            return 1;
+        } elsif (exists($config{$sysvar})) {
+            return 1;
+        } else {
+            return 0;
+        }
+    } else {
+        return exists($config{$var});
+    }
+}
+
+sub SystemInfo {
+    my $this = shift;
+    my %args = @_;
 
     my $var = $args{'var'};
-    return exists($config{$var});
+
+    my ($sysname, $hostname, $release, $version, $machine ) = uname;
+
+    if ($var eq 'sysname') {
+        return $sysname;
+    } elsif ($var eq 'hostname') {
+        return $hostname;
+    } elsif ($var eq 'release') {
+        return $release;
+    } elsif ($var eq 'version') {
+        return $version;
+    } elsif ($var eq 'machine') {
+        return $machine;
+    } elsif ($var eq 'osname') {
+        if ($sysname =~ /cygwin/i) {
+            return 'win32';
+        } elsif ($sysname =~ /darwin/i) {
+            return 'macosx';
+        } elsif ($sysname =~ /linux/i) {
+            return 'linux';
+        } else {
+            die("Unrecognized OS: $sysname");
+        }
+    } else {
+        die("No system info named $var");
+    }
 }
 
 1;
diff --git a/tools/release/Bootstrap/Step/Build.pm b/tools/release/Bootstrap/Step/Build.pm
index f5305a39a87..eb2a3cb1278 100644
--- a/tools/release/Bootstrap/Step/Build.pm
+++ b/tools/release/Bootstrap/Step/Build.pm
@@ -10,10 +10,10 @@ sub Execute {
     my $this = shift;
 
     my $config = new Bootstrap::Config();
-    my $buildDir = $config->Get(var => 'buildDir');
+    my $buildDir = $config->Get(sysvar => 'buildDir');
     my $productTag = $config->Get(var => 'productTag');
     my $rc = $config->Get(var => 'rc');
-    my $buildPlatform = $config->Get(var => 'buildPlatform');
+    my $buildPlatform = $config->Get(sysvar => 'buildPlatform');
     my $logDir = $config->Get(var => 'logDir');
     my $rcTag = $productTag . '_RC' . $rc;
 
diff --git a/tools/release/Bootstrap/Step/Repack.pm b/tools/release/Bootstrap/Step/Repack.pm
index d6395bf4625..09a757ece42 100644
--- a/tools/release/Bootstrap/Step/Repack.pm
+++ b/tools/release/Bootstrap/Step/Repack.pm
@@ -12,15 +12,15 @@ sub Execute {
     my $this = shift;
 
     my $config = new Bootstrap::Config();
-    my $buildDir = $config->Get(var => 'l10n_buildDir');
+    my $l10n_buildDir = $config->Get(sysvar => 'l10n_buildDir');
     my $productTag = $config->Get(var => 'productTag');
     my $rc = $config->Get(var => 'rc');
     my $logDir = $config->Get(var => 'logDir');
-    my $buildPlatform = $config->Get(var => 'buildPlatform');
+    my $buildPlatform = $config->Get(sysvar => 'buildPlatform');
     my $rcTag = $productTag . '_RC' . $rc;
 
     my $buildLog = catfile($logDir, 'repack_' . $rcTag . '-build-l10n.log');
-    my $lastBuilt = catfile($buildDir, $buildPlatform, 'last-built');
+    my $lastBuilt = catfile($l10n_buildDir, $buildPlatform, 'last-built');
     unlink($lastBuilt) 
       or $this->Log(msg => "Cannot unlink last-built file $lastBuilt: $!");
     $this->Log(msg => "Unlinked $lastBuilt");
diff --git a/tools/release/Makefile b/tools/release/Makefile
index 4cbf028711d..fc694aa441c 100644
--- a/tools/release/Makefile
+++ b/tools/release/Makefile
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 test:
 	for f in release t/test.pl `find . -name "*.pm"`; do perl -c $$f; done
 	if [ -f t/test.log ]; then rm t/test.log; fi
+	if [ ! -f bootstrap.cfg ]; then cp bootstrap.cfg.example bootstrap.cfg; fi
 	./t/test.pl
 
 stage:
diff --git a/tools/release/t/test.pl b/tools/release/t/test.pl
index 3342747fd7f..0c4fbfb188f 100755
--- a/tools/release/t/test.pl
+++ b/tools/release/t/test.pl
@@ -1,8 +1,20 @@
 #!/usr/bin/perl -w
 use strict;
 use Bootstrap::Step;
+use Bootstrap::Config;
 use t::Bootstrap::Step::Dummy;
-#use t::Bootstrap::Step::Tag;
+
+my $config = new Bootstrap::Config();
+unless ($config->Exists(sysvar => 'buildDir')) {
+  print "FAIL: buildDir should exist\n";
+}
+unless ($config->Get(sysvar => 'buildDir')) {
+  print "FAIL: buildDir should be retrievable\n";
+}
+my $sysname = $config->SystemInfo(var => 'sysname');
+unless ($sysname) {
+  print "FAIL: sysname should exist\n";
+} 
 
 my $step = t::Bootstrap::Step::Dummy->new();
 
@@ -11,6 +23,3 @@ $step->Verify();
 $step->Push();
 $step->Announce();
 
-#$step = t::Bootstrap::Step::Tag->new();
-
-#$step->Execute();