diff --git a/cluster/mesos/docker/config-default.sh b/cluster/mesos/docker/config-default.sh
index 675ca69163..9798210ae0 100755
--- a/cluster/mesos/docker/config-default.sh
+++ b/cluster/mesos/docker/config-default.sh
@@ -52,12 +52,16 @@ MESOS_DOCKER_API_TIMEOUT="${MESOS_DOCKER_API_TIMEOUT:-180}"
 # Timeout (in seconds) to wait for each addon to come up
 MESOS_DOCKER_ADDON_TIMEOUT="${MESOS_DOCKER_ADDON_TIMEOUT:-180}"
 
-# Path to directory to dump logs to in case of kube-up failure.
+# Path to directory on the host to use as the root for multiple docker volumes.
+# ${MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR}/log - storage of component logs (written on deploy failure)
+# ${MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR}/auth - storage of SSL certs/keys/tokens
+# ${MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR}/<component>/mesos - storage of mesos slave work (e.g. task logs)
 # If using docker-machine or boot2docker, should be under /Users (which is mounted from the host into the docker vm).
 # If running in a container, $HOME should be resolved outside of the container.
-MESOS_DOCKER_LOG_DIR="${MESOS_DOCKER_LOG_DIR:-${HOME}/tmp/kubernetes/log}"
+MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR="${MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR:-${HOME}/tmp/kubernetes}"
 
-# Path to directory to store SSL certs/keys/tokens.
-# If using docker-machine or boot2docker, should be under /Users (which is mounted from the host into the docker vm).
-# If running in a container, $HOME should be resolved outside of the container.
-MESOS_DOCKER_AUTH_DIR="${MESOS_DOCKER_AUTH_DIR:-${HOME}/tmp/kubernetes/auth}"
+# Path to directory to store mesos slave docker-in-docker images & volumes.
+# Usage: ${MESOS_DOCKER_IMAGE_DIR}/<component>/docker
+# Must not be either an AUFS mount or an SMB/CIFS mount.
+# If using docker-machine or boot2docker, should NOT be under /Users (which is mounted from the host into the docker vm).
+MESOS_DOCKER_IMAGE_DIR="${MESOS_DOCKER_IMAGE_DIR:-/var/tmp/kubernetes}"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/cluster/mesos/docker/docker-compose.yml b/cluster/mesos/docker/docker-compose.yml
index 03fb7e8191..6137a61aef 100644
--- a/cluster/mesos/docker/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/cluster/mesos/docker/docker-compose.yml
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ mesosslave1:
   - MESOS_RESOURCES=cpus:4;mem:1280;disk:25600;ports:[21000-21099]
   - MESOS_SWITCH_USER=0
   - MESOS_CONTAINERIZERS=docker,mesos
+  - MESOS_WORK_DIR=/var/tmp/mesos
   - DOCKER_NETWORK_OFFSET=0.0.1.0
   - DOCKER_DAEMON_ARGS=--log-level=error
   links:
@@ -47,7 +48,8 @@ mesosslave1:
   - mesosmaster1
   - "ambassador:apiserver"
   volumes:
-  - /var/tmp/mesosslave1:/var/lib/docker
+  - ${MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR}/mesosslave1/mesos:/var/tmp/mesos
+  - ${MESOS_DOCKER_IMAGE_DIR}/mesosslave1/docker:/var/lib/docker
 mesosslave2:
   hostname: mesosslave2
   privileged: true
@@ -62,6 +64,7 @@ mesosslave2:
   - MESOS_RESOURCES=cpus:4;mem:1280;disk:25600;ports:[21000-21099]
   - MESOS_SWITCH_USER=0
   - MESOS_CONTAINERIZERS=docker,mesos
+  - MESOS_WORK_DIR=/var/tmp/mesos
   - DOCKER_NETWORK_OFFSET=0.0.2.0
   - DOCKER_DAEMON_ARGS=--log-level=error
   links:
@@ -69,7 +72,8 @@ mesosslave2:
   - mesosmaster1
   - "ambassador:apiserver"
   volumes:
-  - /var/tmp/mesosslave2:/var/lib/docker
+  - ${MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR}/mesosslave2/mesos:/var/tmp/mesos
+  - ${MESOS_DOCKER_IMAGE_DIR}/mesosslave2/docker:/var/lib/docker
 apiserver:
   hostname: apiserver
   image: mesosphere/kubernetes-mesos
@@ -105,7 +109,7 @@ apiserver:
   - MESOS_DOCKER_MESOS_TIMEOUT
   - KUBE_KEYGEN_TIMEOUT
   volumes:
-  - ${MESOS_DOCKER_AUTH_DIR}:/var/run/kubernetes/auth:ro
+  - ${MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR}/auth:/var/run/kubernetes/auth:ro
   links:
   - etcd
   - mesosmaster1
@@ -131,7 +135,7 @@ controller:
   - MESOS_DOCKER_MESOS_TIMEOUT
   - MESOS_DOCKER_API_TIMEOUT
   volumes:
-  - ${MESOS_DOCKER_AUTH_DIR}:/var/run/kubernetes/auth:ro
+  - ${MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR}/auth:/var/run/kubernetes/auth:ro
   links:
   - mesosmaster1
   - apiserver
@@ -173,6 +177,6 @@ keygen:
   - apiserver
   - /var/run/kubernetes/auth
   volumes:
-  - ${MESOS_DOCKER_AUTH_DIR}:/var/run/kubernetes/auth
+  - ${MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR}/auth:/var/run/kubernetes/auth
   links:
   - apiserver
diff --git a/cluster/mesos/docker/util.sh b/cluster/mesos/docker/util.sh
index 672675292f..2cc2053c44 100644
--- a/cluster/mesos/docker/util.sh
+++ b/cluster/mesos/docker/util.sh
@@ -33,9 +33,6 @@ source "${provider_root}/${KUBE_CONFIG_FILE-"config-default.sh"}"
 source "${KUBE_ROOT}/cluster/common.sh"
 source "${provider_root}/common/bin/util-ssl.sh"
 
-log_dir="${MESOS_DOCKER_LOG_DIR}"
-auth_dir="${MESOS_DOCKER_AUTH_DIR}"
-
 
 # Run kubernetes scripts inside docker.
 # This bypasses the need to set up network routing when running docker in a VM (e.g. boot2docker).
@@ -119,6 +116,7 @@ function cluster::mesos::docker::run_in_docker_cagen {
 
 # Generate kubeconfig data for the created cluster.
 function create-kubeconfig {
+  local -r auth_dir="${MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR}/auth"
   local kubectl="${KUBE_ROOT}/cluster/kubectl.sh"
 
   export CONTEXT="${KUBERNETES_PROVIDER}"
@@ -157,7 +155,7 @@ function detect-master {
 
   docker_id=$(docker ps --filter="name=docker_apiserver" --quiet)
   if [[ "${docker_id}" == *'\n'* ]]; then
-    echo "ERROR: Multiple API Servers running in docker" 1>&2
+    echo "ERROR: Multiple API Servers running" 1>&2
     return 1
   fi
 
@@ -175,6 +173,10 @@ function detect-master {
 # but might not have a Kublet running unless a kubernetes task has been scheduled on them.
 function detect-minions {
   docker_ids=$(docker ps --filter="name=docker_mesosslave" --quiet)
+  if [ -z "${docker_ids}" ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: Mesos slave(s) not running" 1>&2
+    return 1
+  fi
   while read -r docker_id; do
     minion_ip=$(docker inspect --format="{{.NetworkSettings.IPAddress}}" "${docker_id}")
     KUBE_MINION_IP_ADDRESSES+=("${minion_ip}")
@@ -192,9 +194,11 @@ function verify-prereqs {
 
 # Initialize
 function cluster::mesos::docker::init_auth {
-  local -r auth_dir="$1"
+  local -r auth_dir="${MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR}/auth"
 
   #TODO(karlkfi): reuse existing credentials/certs/keys
+  # Nuke old auth
+  echo "Creating Auth Dir: ${auth_dir}" 1>&2
   mkdir -p "${auth_dir}"
   rm -rf "${auth_dir}"/*
 
@@ -213,7 +217,17 @@ function cluster::mesos::docker::init_auth {
 
 # Instantiate a kubernetes cluster.
 function kube-up {
-  # Nuke logs up front so that we know any existing logs came from the last kube-up
+  # Nuke old mesos-slave workspaces
+  for ((i=1; i <= NUM_MINIONS; i++)) do
+    local work_dir="${MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR}/mesosslave${i}/mesos"
+    echo "Creating Mesos Work Dir: ${work_dir}" 1>&2
+    mkdir -p "${work_dir}"
+    rm -rf "${work_dir}"/*
+  done
+
+  local -r log_dir="${MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR}/log"
+
+  # Nuke old logs
   mkdir -p "${log_dir}"
   rm -rf "${log_dir}"/*
 
@@ -230,7 +244,7 @@ function kube-up {
     "${provider_root}/keygen/build.sh"
   fi
 
-  cluster::mesos::docker::init_auth "${auth_dir}"
+  cluster::mesos::docker::init_auth
 
   # Dump logs on premature exit (errexit triggers exit).
   # Trap EXIT instead of ERR, because ERR can trigger multiple times with errtrace enabled.
@@ -241,7 +255,8 @@ function kube-up {
   export MESOS_DOCKER_MESOS_TIMEOUT="${MESOS_DOCKER_MESOS_TIMEOUT}"
   export MESOS_DOCKER_API_TIMEOUT="${MESOS_DOCKER_API_TIMEOUT}"
   export KUBE_KEYGEN_TIMEOUT="${KUBE_KEYGEN_TIMEOUT}"
-  export MESOS_DOCKER_AUTH_DIR="${MESOS_DOCKER_AUTH_DIR}"
+  export MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR="${MESOS_DOCKER_WORK_DIR}"
+  export MESOS_DOCKER_IMAGE_DIR="${MESOS_DOCKER_IMAGE_DIR}"
   docker-compose -f "${compose_file}" up -d
 
   # await-health-check requires GNU timeout
@@ -330,7 +345,7 @@ function cluster::mesos::docker::await_ready {
 
 # Prints the status of the kube-system pod specified
 function cluster::mesos::docker::addon_status {
-  local pod_name=$1
+  local pod_name="$1"
   local kubectl="${KUBE_ROOT}/cluster/kubectl.sh"
   local phase=$("${kubectl}" get pods --namespace=kube-system -l k8s-app=${pod_name} -o template --template="{{(index .items 0).status.phase}}" 2>/dev/null)
   phase="${phase:-Unknown}"