diff --git a/cmd/osbuild-composer/composer.go b/cmd/osbuild-composer/composer.go
index ec8e7e8b6..13523db08 100644
--- a/cmd/osbuild-composer/composer.go
+++ b/cmd/osbuild-composer/composer.go
@@ -13,13 +13,10 @@ import (
 	"path"
 
 	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/cloudapi"
-	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/common"
 	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/distroregistry"
 	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/jobqueue/fsjobqueue"
 	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/kojiapi"
-	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/reporegistry"
 	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/rpmmd"
-	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/store"
 	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/weldr"
 	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/worker"
 )
@@ -73,35 +70,11 @@ func NewComposer(config *ComposerConfigFile, stateDir, cacheDir string, logger *
 	return &c, nil
 }
 
-func (c *Composer) InitWeldr(repoPaths []string, weldrListener net.Listener) error {
-	archName := common.CurrentArch()
-
-	hostDistro := c.distros.FromHost()
-	if hostDistro == nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("host distro is not supported")
-	}
-
-	arch, err := hostDistro.GetArch(archName)
+func (c *Composer) InitWeldr(repoPaths []string, weldrListener net.Listener) (err error) {
+	c.weldr, err = weldr.New(repoPaths, c.stateDir, c.rpm, c.distros, c.logger, c.workers)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("Host distro does not support host architecture: %v", err)
+		return err
 	}
-
-	rr, err := reporegistry.New(repoPaths)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error loading repository definitions: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	// Check if repositories for the host distro and arch were loaded
-	_, err = rr.ReposByArch(arch, false)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("loaded repository definitions don't contain any for the host distro/arch: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	store := store.New(&c.stateDir, arch, c.logger)
-	compatOutputDir := path.Join(c.stateDir, "outputs")
-
-	c.weldr = weldr.New(c.rpm, arch, hostDistro, rr, c.logger, store, c.workers, compatOutputDir)
-
 	c.weldrListener = weldrListener
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/internal/client/unit_test.go b/internal/client/unit_test.go
index 9fa0db91e..0c788c8e3 100644
--- a/internal/client/unit_test.go
+++ b/internal/client/unit_test.go
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ func executeTests(m *testing.M) int {
 	})
 
 	logger := log.New(os.Stdout, "", 0)
-	api := weldr.New(rpm, arch, distro, rr, logger, fixture.Store, fixture.Workers, "")
+	api := weldr.NewTestAPI(rpm, arch, distro, rr, logger, fixture.Store, fixture.Workers, "")
 	server := http.Server{Handler: api}
 	defer server.Close()
 
diff --git a/internal/weldr/api.go b/internal/weldr/api.go
index 07a1b274c..cc5687f9a 100644
--- a/internal/weldr/api.go
+++ b/internal/weldr/api.go
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/blueprint"
 	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/common"
 	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/distro"
+	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/distroregistry"
 	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/jobqueue"
 	osbuild "github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/osbuild1"
 	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/ostree"
@@ -53,6 +54,9 @@ type API struct {
 	router *httprouter.Router
 
 	compatOutputDir string
+
+	hostDistroName string                   // Name of the host distro
+	distros        *distroregistry.Registry // Supported distros
 }
 
 type ComposeState int
@@ -94,18 +98,68 @@ func (api *API) systemRepoNames() (names []string) {
 
 var ValidBlueprintName = regexp.MustCompile(`^[a-zA-Z0-9._-]+$`)
 
-func New(rpmmd rpmmd.RPMMD, arch distro.Arch, distro distro.Distro, repoRegistry *reporegistry.RepoRegistry, logger *log.Logger, store *store.Store, workers *worker.Server, compatOutputDir string) *API {
+// NewTestAPI is used for the test framework, sets up a single distro
+func NewTestAPI(rpm rpmmd.RPMMD, arch distro.Arch, distro distro.Distro, rr *reporegistry.RepoRegistry, logger *log.Logger, store *store.Store, workers *worker.Server, compatOutputDir string) *API {
+	distros, _ := distroregistry.New(distro)
+
 	api := &API{
 		store:           store,
 		workers:         workers,
-		rpmmd:           rpmmd,
+		rpmmd:           rpm,
 		arch:            arch,
 		distro:          distro,
-		repoRegistry:    repoRegistry,
+		repoRegistry:    rr,
 		logger:          logger,
 		compatOutputDir: compatOutputDir,
+		hostDistroName:  distro.Name(),
+		distros:         distros,
+	}
+	return setupRouter(api)
+}
+
+func New(repoPaths []string, stateDir string, rpm rpmmd.RPMMD, distros *distroregistry.Registry, logger *log.Logger, workers *worker.Server) (*API, error) {
+
+	hostDistro := distros.FromHost()
+	if hostDistro == nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("host distro is not supported")
+	}
+	archName := common.CurrentArch()
+
+	hostArch, err := hostDistro.GetArch(archName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Host distro does not support host architecture: %v", err)
 	}
 
+	rr, err := reporegistry.New(repoPaths)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error loading repository definitions: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Check if repositories for the host distro and arch were loaded
+	_, err = rr.ReposByArch(hostArch, false)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("loaded repository definitions don't contain any for the host distro/arch: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	store := store.New(&stateDir, hostArch, logger)
+	compatOutputDir := path.Join(stateDir, "outputs")
+
+	api := &API{
+		store:           store,
+		workers:         workers,
+		rpmmd:           rpm,
+		arch:            hostArch,
+		distro:          hostDistro,
+		repoRegistry:    rr,
+		logger:          logger,
+		compatOutputDir: compatOutputDir,
+		hostDistroName:  hostDistro.Name(),
+		distros:         distros,
+	}
+	return setupRouter(api), nil
+}
+
+func setupRouter(api *API) *API {
 	api.router = httprouter.New()
 	api.router.RedirectTrailingSlash = false
 	api.router.RedirectFixedPath = false
diff --git a/internal/weldr/api_test.go b/internal/weldr/api_test.go
index b8c07403c..0894530cd 100644
--- a/internal/weldr/api_test.go
+++ b/internal/weldr/api_test.go
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ func createWeldrAPI(tempdir string, fixtureGenerator rpmmd_mock.FixtureGenerator
 		panic(err)
 	}
 
-	return New(rpm, arch, d, rr, nil, fixture.Store, fixture.Workers, ""), fixture.Store
+	return NewTestAPI(rpm, arch, d, rr, nil, fixture.Store, fixture.Workers, ""), fixture.Store
 }
 
 func TestBasic(t *testing.T) {