diff --git a/cmd/helm/helm.go b/cmd/helm/helm.go
index 43a032c00..d92b0fab4 100644
--- a/cmd/helm/helm.go
+++ b/cmd/helm/helm.go
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
@@ -44,3 +46,14 @@ func init() {
 func main() {
 	RootCommand.Execute()
 }
+
+func checkArgsLength(expectedNum, actualNum int, requiredArgs ...string) error {
+	if actualNum != expectedNum {
+		arg := "arguments"
+		if expectedNum == 1 {
+			arg = "argument"
+		}
+		return fmt.Errorf("This command needs %v %s: %s", expectedNum, arg, strings.Join(requiredArgs, ", "))
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/cmd/helm/init.go b/cmd/helm/init.go
index f1db1522f..5ea4e4de2 100644
--- a/cmd/helm/init.go
+++ b/cmd/helm/init.go
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package main
 import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 
 	"github.com/kubernetes/helm/pkg/client"
@@ -16,8 +15,7 @@ Kubernetes Cluster and sets up local configuration in $HELM_HOME (default: ~/.he
 `
 
 var (
-	tillerImg   string
-	defaultRepo = map[string]string{"default-name": "default-url"}
+	tillerImg string
 )
 
 func init() {
@@ -83,7 +81,10 @@ func ensureHome() error {
 	repoFile := repositoriesFile()
 	if fi, err := os.Stat(repoFile); err != nil {
 		fmt.Printf("Creating %s \n", repoFile)
-		if err := ioutil.WriteFile(repoFile, []byte("local: localhost:8879/charts\n"), 0644); err != nil {
+		if _, err := os.Create(repoFile); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if err := insertRepoLine("local", "localhost:8879/charts"); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	} else if fi.IsDir() {
diff --git a/cmd/helm/repo.go b/cmd/helm/repo.go
index 97612cc78..fe093a385 100644
--- a/cmd/helm/repo.go
+++ b/cmd/helm/repo.go
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"os"
+	"io/ioutil"
 
 	"github.com/gosuri/uitable"
 	"github.com/kubernetes/helm/pkg/repo"
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 func init() {
 	repoCmd.AddCommand(repoAddCmd)
 	repoCmd.AddCommand(repoListCmd)
+	repoCmd.AddCommand(repoRemoveCmd)
 	RootCommand.AddCommand(repoCmd)
 }
 
@@ -33,9 +34,15 @@ var repoListCmd = &cobra.Command{
 	RunE:  runRepoList,
 }
 
+var repoRemoveCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "remove [flags] [NAME]",
+	Short: "remove a chart repository",
+	RunE:  runRepoRemove,
+}
+
 func runRepoAdd(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-	if len(args) != 2 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("This command needs two argument, a name for the chart repository and the url of the chart repository")
+	if err := checkArgsLength(2, len(args), "name for the chart repository", "the url of the chart repository"); err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
 
 	err := insertRepoLine(args[0], args[1])
@@ -65,35 +72,60 @@ func runRepoList(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func insertRepoLine(name, url string) error {
-	err := checkUniqueName(name)
-	if err != nil {
+func runRepoRemove(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+	if err := checkArgsLength(1, len(args), "name of chart repository"); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-
-	b, _ := yaml.Marshal(map[string]string{name: url})
-	f, err := os.OpenFile(repositoriesFile(), os.O_APPEND|os.O_WRONLY, 0666)
-	if err != nil {
+	if err := removeRepoLine(args[0]); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	defer f.Close()
-	_, err = f.Write(b)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func removeRepoLine(name string) error {
+	r, err := repo.LoadRepositoriesFile(repositoriesFile())
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
+	_, ok := r.Repositories[name]
+	if ok {
+		delete(r.Repositories, name)
+		b, err := yaml.Marshal(&r.Repositories)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if err := ioutil.WriteFile(repositoriesFile(), b, 0666); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+	} else {
+		return fmt.Errorf("The repository, %s, does not exist in your repositories list", name)
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
-func checkUniqueName(name string) error {
-	file, err := repo.LoadRepositoriesFile(repositoriesFile())
+func insertRepoLine(name, url string) error {
+	f, err := repo.LoadRepositoriesFile(repositoriesFile())
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-
-	_, ok := file.Repositories[name]
+	_, ok := f.Repositories[name]
 	if ok {
 		return fmt.Errorf("The repository name you provided (%s) already exists. Please specifiy a different name.", name)
 	}
+
+	if f.Repositories == nil {
+		f.Repositories = make(map[string]string)
+	}
+
+	f.Repositories[name] = url
+
+	b, _ := yaml.Marshal(&f.Repositories)
+	if err := ioutil.WriteFile(repositoriesFile(), b, 0666); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/cmd/helm/repo_test.go b/cmd/helm/repo_test.go
index 6f29a20d7..972051108 100644
--- a/cmd/helm/repo_test.go
+++ b/cmd/helm/repo_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,11 @@ import (
 	"github.com/kubernetes/helm/pkg/repo"
 )
 
+var (
+	testName = "test-name"
+	testURL  = "test-url"
+)
+
 func TestRepoAdd(t *testing.T) {
 	home := createTmpHome()
 	helmHome = home
@@ -13,8 +18,6 @@ func TestRepoAdd(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("%s", err)
 	}
 
-	testName := "test-name"
-	testURL := "test-url"
 	if err := insertRepoLine(testName, testURL); err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("%s", err)
 	}
@@ -33,3 +36,32 @@ func TestRepoAdd(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 }
+
+func TestRepoRemove(t *testing.T) {
+	home := createTmpHome()
+	helmHome = home
+	if err := ensureHome(); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("%s", err)
+	}
+
+	if err := removeRepoLine(testName); err == nil {
+		t.Errorf("Expected error removing %s, but did not get one.", testName)
+	}
+
+	if err := insertRepoLine(testName, testURL); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("%s", err)
+	}
+
+	if err := removeRepoLine(testName); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Error removing %s from repositories", testName)
+	}
+
+	f, err := repo.LoadRepositoriesFile(repositoriesFile())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("%s", err)
+	}
+
+	if _, ok := f.Repositories[testName]; ok {
+		t.Errorf("%s was not successfully removed from repositories list", testName)
+	}
+}