diff --git a/src/util/command_line_handling.cpp b/src/util/command_line_handling.cpp
index 0ff5f6017f03..fa409dd7a9b9 100644
--- a/src/util/command_line_handling.cpp
+++ b/src/util/command_line_handling.cpp
@@ -145,7 +145,8 @@ namespace hpx { namespace util
             std::size_t num_localities)
         {
             std::size_t batch_localities = env.retrieve_number_of_localities();
-            if (num_localities == 1)
+            if (num_localities == 1 &&
+                batch_localities != std::size_t(batch_localities))
             {
                 std::size_t cfg_num_localities = cfgmap.get_value<std::size_t>(
                     "hpx.localities", batch_localities);
diff --git a/tests/unit/util/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/unit/util/CMakeLists.txt
index a0fe95f7bd08..a7e2ad39047b 100644
--- a/tests/unit/util/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/unit/util/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ set(tests
     any_serialization
     boost_any
     bind_action
+    configuration
     function
     parse_slurm_nodelist
     stencil3_iterator
diff --git a/tests/unit/util/configuration.cpp b/tests/unit/util/configuration.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e6df72c3947e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/util/configuration.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+//  Copyright (c) 2015 Hartmut Kaiser
+//
+//  Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying
+//  file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)
+
+#include <hpx/hpx.hpp>
+#include <hpx/util/lightweight_test.hpp>
+
+int hpx_main(int argc, char* argv[])
+{
+    // check number of localities
+    HPX_TEST_EQ(
+        boost::lexical_cast<boost::uint32_t>(
+            hpx::get_config_entry("hpx.localities", "")),
+                hpx::get_num_localities_sync());
+    HPX_TEST_EQ(
+        boost::lexical_cast<std::size_t>(
+            hpx::get_config_entry("hpx.os_threads", "")),
+                hpx::get_os_thread_count());
+    HPX_TEST_EQ(hpx::get_config_entry("hpx.runtime_mode", ""),
+        std::string("console"));
+
+    return hpx::finalize();
+}
+
+int main(int argc, char* argv[])
+{
+    HPX_TEST_EQ(hpx::init(argc, argv), 0);
+    return hpx::util::report_errors();
+}