diff --git a/tools/mason/MasonTest.chpl b/tools/mason/MasonTest.chpl
index 131566ca1849..4847ea51408b 100644
--- a/tools/mason/MasonTest.chpl
+++ b/tools/mason/MasonTest.chpl
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
 
 
 use ArgumentParser;
-use ChplConfig;
 use FileSystem;
 use List;
 use Map;
@@ -422,14 +421,16 @@ proc getTestPath(fullPath: string, testPath = "") : string {
 proc getRuntimeComm() throws {
   var line: string;
   var python: string;
-  var findPython = spawn([CHPL_HOME:string+"/util/config/find-python.sh"],
-                         stdout = pipeStyle.pipe);
+  var findPython = spawn(
+    [MasonUtils.CHPL_HOME:string+"/util/config/find-python.sh"],
+    stdout = pipeStyle.pipe);
   while findPython.stdout.readLine(line) {
     python = line.strip();
   }
 
-  var checkComm = spawn([python, CHPL_HOME:string+"/util/chplenv/chpl_comm.py"],
-                        stdout = pipeStyle.pipe);
+  var checkComm = spawn(
+    [python, MasonUtils.CHPL_HOME:string+"/util/chplenv/chpl_comm.py"],
+    stdout = pipeStyle.pipe);
   while checkComm.stdout.readLine(line) {
     comm = line.strip();
   }
diff --git a/tools/mason/MasonUtils.chpl b/tools/mason/MasonUtils.chpl
index 62e69e99af12..5485139206c5 100644
--- a/tools/mason/MasonUtils.chpl
+++ b/tools/mason/MasonUtils.chpl
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 
 /* A helper file of utilities for Mason */
 private use CTypes;
+private use ChplConfig;
 public use FileSystem;
 private use List;
 private use Map;
@@ -170,6 +171,41 @@ proc SPACK_ROOT : string {
 
   return spackRoot;
 }
+
+/*
+  Returns the current CHPL_HOME. Tries the following in order:
+  1. The CHPL_HOME environment variable
+  2. Using the `chpl` in PATH to print CHPL_HOME
+  3. The CHPL_HOME of the chpl that built this mason (`ChplConfig.CHPL_HOME`)
+*/
+proc CHPL_HOME : string {
+
+  proc CHPL_HOME_inner() : string {
+    proc getChplHomeFromChpl(): string {
+      var chplHome = "";
+      try {
+        var process = spawn(["chpl", "--print-chpl-home"],
+                             stdout=pipeStyle.pipe);
+        for line in process.stdout.lines() {
+          chplHome = line.strip();
+        }
+      } catch {
+        chplHome = "";
+      }
+      return chplHome;
+    }
+
+    const env = getEnv("CHPL_HOME");
+    const chplHome = if !env.isEmpty() then env else getChplHomeFromChpl();
+    return if !chplHome.isEmpty() then chplHome else ChplConfig.CHPL_HOME;
+  }
+
+  @functionStatic
+  ref chplHome = CHPL_HOME_inner();
+  return chplHome;
+}
+
+
 /*
 This fetches the mason-installed spack registry only.
 Users that define SPACK_ROOT to their own spack installation will use
diff --git a/util/packaging/apt/test/Dockerfile.template b/util/packaging/apt/test/Dockerfile.template
index def08d7b0f6a..21f81d207df1 100644
--- a/util/packaging/apt/test/Dockerfile.template
+++ b/util/packaging/apt/test/Dockerfile.template
@@ -22,4 +22,5 @@ WORKDIR /home/user/MyPackage
 RUN chplcheck src/*.chpl
 RUN mason build
 RUN mason run -- -nl 1
+RUN mkdir test && touch test/test.chpl mason test
 WORKDIR /home/user
diff --git a/util/packaging/rpm/test/Dockerfile.template b/util/packaging/rpm/test/Dockerfile.template
index 6661c5dbea43..4c811eb75fcd 100644
--- a/util/packaging/rpm/test/Dockerfile.template
+++ b/util/packaging/rpm/test/Dockerfile.template
@@ -20,4 +20,5 @@ WORKDIR /home/user/MyPackage
 RUN chplcheck src/*.chpl
 RUN mason build
 RUN mason run -- -nl 1
+RUN mkdir test && touch test/test.chpl mason test
 WORKDIR /home/user