diff --git a/comitium.go b/comitium.go
index 9a8bae6..5e0c6f3 100644
--- a/comitium.go
+++ b/comitium.go
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ func main() {
 	// dataPath is the location where all the data (list of subs, cached hashes,
 	// etcetera) are stored
 	dataPath := getDataPath()
+	// make sure it exists so we can start working with files in it
+	os.MkdirAll(dataPath, os.ModePerm)
+
 	err := core.Init(dataPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error in initialization: %v\n", err)