diff --git a/piker/config.py b/piker/config.py
index e2c63ea4..ab8e0dd7 100644
--- a/piker/config.py
+++ b/piker/config.py
@@ -427,7 +427,7 @@ def load_accounts(
 
 ) -> bidict[str, str | None]:
 
-    conf, path = load()
+    conf, path = load(touch_if_dne=True)
     accounts = bidict()
     for provider_name, section in conf.items():
         accounts_section = section.get('accounts')
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index 366d5d95..10be9ef6 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -174,13 +174,14 @@ def tmpconfdir(
     )
     assert path.is_file(), 'WTH.. `brokers.toml` not created!?'
 
-    return tmpconfdir
+    yield tmpconfdir
 
     # NOTE: the `tmp_dir` fixture will wipe any files older then 3 test
     # sessions by default:
     # https://docs.pytest.org/en/6.2.x/tmpdir.html#the-default-base-temporary-directory
     # BUT, if we wanted to always wipe conf dir and all contained files,
-    # rmtree(str(tmp_path))
+    from shutil import rmtree
+    rmtree(str(tmp_path))
 
 
 @pytest.fixture
diff --git a/tests/test_configs.py b/tests/test_configs.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..38d48fe8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_configs.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from piker import config
+
+
+def test_root_conf_networking_section(
+    
+):
+    # load account names from ``brokers.toml``
+    accounts_def = config.load_accounts(
+        providers=['binans'],
+    )
+    # import pdbp; pdbp.set_trace()
+    
+   
+
+
+
+    
\ No newline at end of file