diff --git a/compute/src/test/resources/initscript_with_jetty.sh b/compute/src/test/resources/initscript_with_jetty.sh
index fca9683265..741b6d2c11 100644
--- a/compute/src/test/resources/initscript_with_jetty.sh
+++ b/compute/src/test/resources/initscript_with_jetty.sh
@@ -227,11 +227,11 @@ END_OF_JCLOUDS_SCRIPT
 	installOpenJDK || return 1
 	iptables -I INPUT 1 -p tcp --dport 8080 -j ACCEPT
 	iptables-save
-	mkdir /tmp/$$
-	curl -q -s -S -L --connect-timeout 10 --max-time 600 --retry 20 -X GET  http://archive.eclipse.org/jetty/8.1.8.v20121106/dist/jetty-distribution-8.1.8.v20121106.tar.gz |(mkdir -p /tmp/$$ &&cd /tmp/$$ &&tar -xpzf -)
+	export TAR_TEMP="$(mktemp -d)"
+	curl -q -s -S -L --connect-timeout 10 --max-time 600 --retry 20 -X GET  http://archive.eclipse.org/jetty/8.1.8.v20121106/dist/jetty-distribution-8.1.8.v20121106.tar.gz |(mkdir -p "${TAR_TEMP}" &&cd "${TAR_TEMP}" &&tar -xpzf -)
 	mkdir -p /usr/local/jetty
-	mv /tmp/$$/*/* /usr/local/jetty
-	rm -rf /tmp/$$
+	mv "${TAR_TEMP}"/*/* /usr/local/jetty
+	rm -rf "${TAR_TEMP}"
 	chown -R web /usr/local/jetty
 	
 END_OF_JCLOUDS_SCRIPT
diff --git a/scriptbuilder/src/main/java/org/jclouds/scriptbuilder/domain/Statements.java b/scriptbuilder/src/main/java/org/jclouds/scriptbuilder/domain/Statements.java
index 365d6a36fa..6d0dcdcf27 100644
--- a/scriptbuilder/src/main/java/org/jclouds/scriptbuilder/domain/Statements.java
+++ b/scriptbuilder/src/main/java/org/jclouds/scriptbuilder/domain/Statements.java
@@ -189,11 +189,12 @@ public class Statements {
     */
    public static Statement extractTargzAndFlattenIntoDirectory(URI tgz, String dest) {
       return new StatementList(ImmutableSet.<Statement> builder()
-            .add(exec("mkdir /tmp/$$"))
-            .add(extractTargzIntoDirectory(tgz, "/tmp/$$"))
+            .add(exec("export TAR_TEMP=\"$(mktemp -d)\""))
+            .add(extractTargzIntoDirectory(tgz, "\"${TAR_TEMP}\""))
             .add(exec("mkdir -p " + dest))
-            .add(exec("mv /tmp/$$/*/* " + dest))
-            .add(exec("rm -rf /tmp/$$")).build());
+            .add(exec("mv \"${TAR_TEMP}\"/*/* " + dest))
+            .add(exec("rm -rf \"${TAR_TEMP}\""))
+            .build());
    }
    
    public static Statement extractTargzIntoDirectory(URI targz, String directory) {
diff --git a/scriptbuilder/src/test/java/org/jclouds/scriptbuilder/domain/StatementsTest.java b/scriptbuilder/src/test/java/org/jclouds/scriptbuilder/domain/StatementsTest.java
index 1ea5234c73..8bd1143615 100644
--- a/scriptbuilder/src/test/java/org/jclouds/scriptbuilder/domain/StatementsTest.java
+++ b/scriptbuilder/src/test/java/org/jclouds/scriptbuilder/domain/StatementsTest.java
@@ -54,11 +54,11 @@ public class StatementsTest {
                   "/usr/local/maven");
       assertEquals(
             save.render(OsFamily.UNIX),
-            "mkdir /tmp/$$\n" +
-            "curl -q -s -S -L --connect-timeout 10 --max-time 600 --retry 20 -X GET  http://www.us.apache.org/dist/maven/binaries/apache-maven-3.0.4-bin.tar.gz |(mkdir -p /tmp/$$ &&cd /tmp/$$ &&tar -xpzf -)\n" +
+            "export TAR_TEMP=\"$(mktemp -d)\"\n" +
+            "curl -q -s -S -L --connect-timeout 10 --max-time 600 --retry 20 -X GET  http://www.us.apache.org/dist/maven/binaries/apache-maven-3.0.4-bin.tar.gz |(mkdir -p \"${TAR_TEMP}\" &&cd \"${TAR_TEMP}\" &&tar -xpzf -)\n" +
             "mkdir -p /usr/local/maven\n" +
-            "mv /tmp/$$/*/* /usr/local/maven\n" +
-            "rm -rf /tmp/$$\n");
+            "mv \"${TAR_TEMP}\"/*/* /usr/local/maven\n" +
+            "rm -rf \"${TAR_TEMP}\"\n");
    }
 
 
diff --git a/scriptbuilder/src/test/java/org/jclouds/scriptbuilder/statements/ruby/InstallRubyGemsTest.java b/scriptbuilder/src/test/java/org/jclouds/scriptbuilder/statements/ruby/InstallRubyGemsTest.java
index 4733ba37ac..8efa2b12df 100644
--- a/scriptbuilder/src/test/java/org/jclouds/scriptbuilder/statements/ruby/InstallRubyGemsTest.java
+++ b/scriptbuilder/src/test/java/org/jclouds/scriptbuilder/statements/ruby/InstallRubyGemsTest.java
@@ -87,10 +87,10 @@ public class InstallRubyGemsTest {
    private static String installRubyGems(String version) {
       String script = "if ! hash gem 2>/dev/null; then\n"
             + "(\n"
-            + "mkdir /tmp/$$\n"
+            + "export TAR_TEMP=\"$(mktemp -d)\"\n"
             + "curl -q -s -S -L --connect-timeout 10 --max-time 600 --retry 20 -X GET  http://production.cf.rubygems.org/rubygems/rubygems-"
-            + version + ".tgz |(mkdir -p /tmp/$$ &&cd /tmp/$$ &&tar -xpzf -)\n" + "mkdir -p /tmp/rubygems\n"
-            + "mv /tmp/$$/*/* /tmp/rubygems\n" + "rm -rf /tmp/$$\n" + "cd /tmp/rubygems\n"
+            + version + ".tgz |(mkdir -p \"${TAR_TEMP}\" &&cd \"${TAR_TEMP}\" &&tar -xpzf -)\n" + "mkdir -p /tmp/rubygems\n"
+            + "mv \"${TAR_TEMP}\"/*/* /tmp/rubygems\n" + "rm -rf \"${TAR_TEMP}\"\n" + "cd /tmp/rubygems\n"
             + "ruby setup.rb --no-format-executable\n" //
             + "rm -fr /tmp/rubygems\n" + //
             ")\n" + //
diff --git a/scriptbuilder/src/test/resources/test_install_rubygems.sh b/scriptbuilder/src/test/resources/test_install_rubygems.sh
index c9363d24cc..169250c532 100644
--- a/scriptbuilder/src/test/resources/test_install_rubygems.sh
+++ b/scriptbuilder/src/test/resources/test_install_rubygems.sh
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 if ! hash gem 2>/dev/null; then
 (
-mkdir /tmp/$$
-curl -q -s -S -L --connect-timeout 10 --max-time 600 --retry 20 -X GET  http://production.cf.rubygems.org/rubygems/rubygems-1.8.10.tgz |(mkdir -p /tmp/$$ &&cd /tmp/$$ &&tar -xpzf -)
+export TAR_TEMP="$(mktemp -d)"
+curl -q -s -S -L --connect-timeout 10 --max-time 600 --retry 20 -X GET  http://production.cf.rubygems.org/rubygems/rubygems-1.8.10.tgz |(mkdir -p "${TAR_TEMP}" &&cd "${TAR_TEMP}" &&tar -xpzf -)
 mkdir -p /tmp/rubygems
-mv /tmp/$$/*/* /tmp/rubygems
-rm -rf /tmp/$$
+mv "${TAR_TEMP}"/*/* /tmp/rubygems
+rm -rf "${TAR_TEMP}"
 cd /tmp/rubygems
 ruby setup.rb --no-format-executable
 rm -fr /tmp/rubygems
diff --git a/scriptbuilder/src/test/resources/test_install_rubygems_scriptbuilder.sh b/scriptbuilder/src/test/resources/test_install_rubygems_scriptbuilder.sh
index 1c4bb5f8c5..3df852ede0 100644
--- a/scriptbuilder/src/test/resources/test_install_rubygems_scriptbuilder.sh
+++ b/scriptbuilder/src/test/resources/test_install_rubygems_scriptbuilder.sh
@@ -86,11 +86,11 @@ END_OF_JCLOUDS_SCRIPT
 	trap 'echo $?>$INSTANCE_HOME/rc' 0 1 2 3 15
 	if ! hash gem 2>/dev/null; then
 	(
-	mkdir /tmp/$$
-	curl -q -s -S -L --connect-timeout 10 --max-time 600 --retry 20 -X GET  http://production.cf.rubygems.org/rubygems/rubygems-1.8.10.tgz |(mkdir -p /tmp/$$ &&cd /tmp/$$ &&tar -xpzf -)
+	export TAR_TEMP="$(mktemp -d)"
+	curl -q -s -S -L --connect-timeout 10 --max-time 600 --retry 20 -X GET  http://production.cf.rubygems.org/rubygems/rubygems-1.8.10.tgz |(mkdir -p "${TAR_TEMP}" &&cd "${TAR_TEMP}" &&tar -xpzf -)
 	mkdir -p /tmp/rubygems
-	mv /tmp/$$/*/* /tmp/rubygems
-	rm -rf /tmp/$$
+	mv "${TAR_TEMP}"/*/* /tmp/rubygems
+	rm -rf "${TAR_TEMP}"
 	cd /tmp/rubygems
 	ruby setup.rb --no-format-executable
 	rm -fr /tmp/rubygems