diff --git a/tools/conf/check_uptodate.sh b/tools/conf/check_uptodate.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index f0501c3ae5..0000000000
--- a/tools/conf/check_uptodate.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-TMPFILE=`mktemp`
-trap "rm -f ${TMPFILE}" EXIT
-tools/conf/generate_sample.sh "${TMPFILE}"
-if ! diff "${TMPFILE}" etc/nova/nova.conf.sample
-then
-    echo "E: nova.conf.sample is not up to date, please run tools/conf/generate_sample.sh"
-    exit 42
-fi
diff --git a/tools/conf/generate_sample.sh b/tools/conf/generate_sample.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index fad7210025..0000000000
--- a/tools/conf/generate_sample.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,29 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-# vim: tabstop=4 shiftwidth=4 softtabstop=4
-
-# Copyright 2012 SINA Corporation
-# All Rights Reserved.
-#
-#    Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
-#    not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain
-#    a copy of the License at
-#
-#         http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-#
-#    Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
-#    distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
-#    WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
-#    License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
-#    under the License.
-#
-# @author: Zhongyue Luo, Intel Corporation.
-#
-
-FILES=$(find nova -type f -name "*.py" ! -path "nova/tests/*" \
-        -exec grep -l "Opt(" {} + | sort -u)
-
-export EVENTLET_NO_GREENDNS=yes
-
-MODULEPATH=$(dirname "$0")/../../nova/openstack/common/config/generator.py
-OUTPUTPATH=${1:-etc/nova/nova.conf.sample}
-PYTHONPATH=./:${PYTHONPATH} python $MODULEPATH $FILES > $OUTPUTPATH
diff --git a/tools/conf/README b/tools/config/README
similarity index 89%
rename from tools/conf/README
rename to tools/config/README
index fc2465272f..64c9f09025 100644
--- a/tools/conf/README
+++ b/tools/config/README
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ This generate_sample.sh tool is used to generate etc/nova/nova.conf.sample
 
 Run it from the top-level working directory i.e.
 
-  $> ./tools/conf/generate_sample.sh
+  $> ./tools/config/generate_sample.sh
 
 Watch out for warnings about modules like libvirt, qpid and zmq not
 being found - these warnings are significant because they result
@@ -16,5 +16,5 @@ The tool also identifies any options which are set to the default value.
 
 Run it from the top-level working directory i.e.
 
-  $> ./tools/conf/analyze_opts.py
+  $> ./tools/config/analyze_opts.py
 
diff --git a/tools/conf/analyze_opts.py b/tools/config/analyze_opts.py
similarity index 100%
rename from tools/conf/analyze_opts.py
rename to tools/config/analyze_opts.py
diff --git a/tools/config/check_uptodate.sh b/tools/config/check_uptodate.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..b1f86aaf5f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/config/check_uptodate.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+TEMPDIR=`mktemp -d`
+CFGFILE=nova.conf.sample
+tools/config/generate_sample.sh -b ./ -p nova -o $TEMPDIR
+if ! diff $TEMPDIR/$CFGFILE etc/nova/$CFGFILE
+then
+    echo "E: nova.conf.sample is not up to date, please run tools/config/generate_sample.sh"
+    exit 42
+fi
diff --git a/tools/config/generate_sample.sh b/tools/config/generate_sample.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..9ac41f0dc4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/config/generate_sample.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+print_hint() {
+    echo "Try \`${0##*/} --help' for more information." >&2
+}
+
+PARSED_OPTIONS=$(getopt -n "${0##*/}" -o hb:p:o: \
+                 --long help,base-dir:,package-name:,output-dir: -- "$@")
+
+if [ $? != 0 ] ; then print_hint ; exit 1 ; fi
+
+eval set -- "$PARSED_OPTIONS"
+
+while true; do
+    case "$1" in
+        -h|--help)
+            echo "${0##*/} [options]"
+            echo ""
+            echo "options:"
+            echo "-h, --help                show brief help"
+            echo "-b, --base-dir=DIR        Project base directory (required)"
+            echo "-p, --package-name=NAME   Project package name"
+            echo "-o, --output-dir=DIR      File output directory"
+            exit 0
+            ;;
+        -b|--base-dir)
+            shift
+            BASEDIR=`echo $1 | sed -e 's/\/*$//g'`
+            shift
+            ;;
+        -p|--package-name)
+            shift
+            PACKAGENAME=`echo $1`
+            shift
+            ;;
+        -o|--output-dir)
+            shift
+            OUTPUTDIR=`echo $1 | sed -e 's/\/*$//g'`
+            shift
+            ;;
+        --)
+            break
+            ;;
+    esac
+done
+
+if [ -z $BASEDIR ] || ! [ -d $BASEDIR ]
+then
+    echo "${0##*/}: missing project base directory" >&2 ; print_hint ; exit 1
+fi
+
+PACKAGENAME=${PACKAGENAME:-${BASEDIR##*/}}
+
+OUTPUTDIR=${OUTPUTDIR:-$BASEDIR/etc}
+if ! [ -d $OUTPUTDIR ]
+then
+    echo "${0##*/}: cannot access \`$OUTPUTDIR': No such file or directory" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+BASEDIRESC=`echo $BASEDIR | sed -e 's/\//\\\\\//g'`
+FILES=$(find $BASEDIR/$PACKAGENAME -type f -name "*.py" ! -path "*/tests/*" \
+        -exec grep -l "Opt(" {} + | sed -e "s/^$BASEDIRESC\///g" | sort -u)
+
+export EVENTLET_NO_GREENDNS=yes
+
+MODULEPATH=nova.openstack.common.config.generator
+OUTPUTFILE=$OUTPUTDIR/$PACKAGENAME.conf.sample
+python -m $MODULEPATH $FILES > $OUTPUTFILE
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 617fd12a01..c95e97a238 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ downloadcache = ~/cache/pip
 sitepackages = False
 commands =
   flake8 {posargs}
-  {toxinidir}/tools/conf/check_uptodate.sh
+  {toxinidir}/tools/config/check_uptodate.sh
 
 [testenv:pylint]
 setenv = VIRTUAL_ENV={envdir}