diff --git a/src/apk_io.h b/src/apk_io.h
index d04638a..e7ca1f0 100644
--- a/src/apk_io.h
+++ b/src/apk_io.h
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include "apk_atom.h"
 #include "apk_crypto.h"
 
+int apk_make_dirs(int root_fd, const char *dirname, mode_t dirmode, mode_t parentmode);
 ssize_t apk_write_fully(int fd, const void *ptr, size_t size);
 
 struct apk_id_hash {
diff --git a/src/context.c b/src/context.c
index 400e09b..38b8d18 100644
--- a/src/context.c
+++ b/src/context.c
@@ -74,8 +74,7 @@ int apk_ctx_prepare(struct apk_ctx *ac)
 		const int lflags = O_WRONLY | O_APPEND | O_CREAT | O_CLOEXEC;
 		int fd = openat(ac->root_fd, log_path, lflags, 0644);
 		if (fd < 0 && (ac->open_flags & APK_OPENF_CREATE)) {
-			mkdirat(ac->root_fd, "var", 0755);
-			mkdirat(ac->root_fd, "var/log", 0755);
+			apk_make_dirs(ac->root_fd, "var/log", 0755, 0755);
 			fd = openat(ac->root_fd, log_path, lflags, 0644);
 		}
 		if (fd < 0) {
diff --git a/src/database.c b/src/database.c
index 727b44f..027cc76 100644
--- a/src/database.c
+++ b/src/database.c
@@ -1451,9 +1451,7 @@ static inline int setup_static_cache(struct apk_database *db, struct apk_ctx *ac
 	db->cache_dir = apk_static_cache_dir;
 	db->cache_fd = openat(db->root_fd, db->cache_dir, O_RDONLY | O_CLOEXEC);
 	if (db->cache_fd < 0) {
-		mkdirat(db->root_fd, "var", 0755);
-		mkdirat(db->root_fd, "var/cache", 0755);
-		mkdirat(db->root_fd, "var/cache/apk", 0755);
+		apk_make_dirs(db->root_fd, db->cache_dir, 0755, 0755);
 		db->cache_fd = openat(db->root_fd, db->cache_dir, O_RDONLY | O_CLOEXEC);
 		if (db->cache_fd < 0) {
 			if (ac->open_flags & APK_OPENF_WRITE) return -EROFS;
@@ -1884,15 +1882,8 @@ int apk_db_write_config(struct apk_database *db)
 		return 0;
 
 	if (db->ctx->open_flags & APK_OPENF_CREATE) {
-		if (faccessat(db->root_fd, "lib/apk/db", F_OK, 0) != 0) {
-			mkdirat(db->root_fd, "lib", 0755);
-			mkdirat(db->root_fd, "lib/apk", 0755);
-			mkdirat(db->root_fd, "lib/apk/db", 0755);
-		}
-		if (faccessat(db->root_fd, "etc/apk", F_OK, 0) != 0) {
-			mkdirat(db->root_fd, "etc", 0755);
-			mkdirat(db->root_fd, "etc/apk", 0755);
-		}
+		apk_make_dirs(db->root_fd, "lib/apk/db", 0755, 0755);
+		apk_make_dirs(db->root_fd, "etc/apk", 0755, 0755);
 	} else if (db->lock_fd == 0) {
 		apk_err(out, "Refusing to write db without write lock!");
 		return -1;
diff --git a/src/io.c b/src/io.c
index f4ae651..c802ed5 100644
--- a/src/io.c
+++ b/src/io.c
@@ -38,6 +38,21 @@ static inline int atfd_error(int atfd)
 	return atfd < -1 && atfd != AT_FDCWD;
 }
 
+int apk_make_dirs(int root_fd, const char *dirname, mode_t dirmode, mode_t parentmode)
+{
+	char parentdir[PATH_MAX], *slash;
+
+	if (faccessat(root_fd, dirname, F_OK, 0) == 0) return 0;
+	if (mkdirat(root_fd, dirname, dirmode) == 0) return 0;
+	if (errno != ENOENT || !parentmode) return -1;
+
+	slash = strrchr(dirname, '/');
+	if (!slash || slash == dirname || slash-dirname+1 >= sizeof parentdir) return -1;
+	strlcpy(parentdir, dirname, slash-dirname+1);
+	if (apk_make_dirs(root_fd, parentdir, parentmode, parentmode) < 0) return -1;
+	return mkdirat(root_fd, dirname, dirmode);
+}
+
 ssize_t apk_write_fully(int fd, const void *ptr, size_t size)
 {
 	ssize_t i = 0, r;
diff --git a/src/package.c b/src/package.c
index ee34595..b160176 100644
--- a/src/package.c
+++ b/src/package.c
@@ -768,21 +768,6 @@ int apk_ipkg_add_script(struct apk_installed_package *ipkg,
 	return apk_ipkg_assign_script(ipkg, type, apk_blob_from_istream(is, size));
 }
 
-static inline int make_dirs(int root_fd, const char *dirname, mode_t dirmode, mode_t parentmode)
-{
-	char parentdir[PATH_MAX], *slash;
-
-	if (faccessat(root_fd, dirname, F_OK, 0) == 0) return 0;
-	if (mkdirat(root_fd, dirname, dirmode) == 0) return 0;
-	if (errno != ENOENT || !parentmode) return -1;
-
-	slash = strrchr(dirname, '/');
-	if (!slash || slash == dirname || slash-dirname+1 >= sizeof parentdir) return -1;
-	strlcpy(parentdir, dirname, slash-dirname+1);
-	if (make_dirs(root_fd, parentdir, parentmode, parentmode) < 0) return -1;
-	return mkdirat(root_fd, dirname, dirmode);
-}
-
 #ifdef __linux__
 static inline int make_device_tree(struct apk_database *db)
 {
@@ -834,8 +819,8 @@ void apk_ipkg_run_script(struct apk_installed_package *ipkg,
 		return;
 
 	if (!db->script_dirs_checked) {
-		if (make_dirs(root_fd, "tmp", 01777, 0) <0 ||
-		    make_dirs(root_fd, script_exec_dir, 0700, 0755) < 0||
+		if (apk_make_dirs(root_fd, "tmp", 01777, 0) <0 ||
+		    apk_make_dirs(root_fd, script_exec_dir, 0700, 0755) < 0||
 		    make_device_tree(db) < 0) {
 			apk_err(out, "failed to prepare dirs for hook scripts: %s",
 				apk_error_str(errno));