diff --git a/cmd/helm/helm.go b/cmd/helm/helm.go
index 4bdd9a388..da6a5c54e 100644
--- a/cmd/helm/helm.go
+++ b/cmd/helm/helm.go
@@ -17,37 +17,20 @@ limitations under the License.
 package main // import "helm.sh/helm/v4/cmd/helm"
 
 import (
-	"io"
 	"log"
 	"os"
-	"strings"
-
-	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
-	"sigs.k8s.io/yaml"
 
 	// Import to initialize client auth plugins.
 	_ "k8s.io/client-go/plugin/pkg/client/auth"
 
-	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/action"
-	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/cli"
 	helmcmd "helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/cmd"
 	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/kube"
-	kubefake "helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/kube/fake"
-	release "helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/release/v1"
-	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/storage/driver"
 )
 
-var settings = cli.New()
-
 func init() {
 	log.SetFlags(log.Lshortfile)
 }
 
-// hookOutputWriter provides the writer for writing hook logs.
-func hookOutputWriter(_, _, _ string) io.Writer {
-	return log.Writer()
-}
-
 func main() {
 	// Setting the name of the app for managedFields in the Kubernetes client.
 	// It is set here to the full name of "helm" so that renaming of helm to
@@ -55,24 +38,12 @@ func main() {
 	// manager as picked up by the automated name detection.
 	kube.ManagedFieldsManager = "helm"
 
-	actionConfig := new(action.Configuration)
-	cmd, err := helmcmd.NewRootCmd(actionConfig, os.Stdout, os.Args[1:])
+	cmd, err := helmcmd.NewRootCmd(os.Stdout, os.Args[1:])
 	if err != nil {
 		helmcmd.Warning("%+v", err)
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
-	cobra.OnInitialize(func() {
-		helmDriver := os.Getenv("HELM_DRIVER")
-		if err := actionConfig.Init(settings.RESTClientGetter(), settings.Namespace(), helmDriver, helmcmd.Debug); err != nil {
-			log.Fatal(err)
-		}
-		if helmDriver == "memory" {
-			loadReleasesInMemory(actionConfig)
-		}
-		actionConfig.SetHookOutputFunc(hookOutputWriter)
-	})
-
 	if err := cmd.Execute(); err != nil {
 		helmcmd.Debug("%+v", err)
 		switch e := err.(type) {
@@ -83,41 +54,3 @@ func main() {
 		}
 	}
 }
-
-// This function loads releases into the memory storage if the
-// environment variable is properly set.
-func loadReleasesInMemory(actionConfig *action.Configuration) {
-	filePaths := strings.Split(os.Getenv("HELM_MEMORY_DRIVER_DATA"), ":")
-	if len(filePaths) == 0 {
-		return
-	}
-
-	store := actionConfig.Releases
-	mem, ok := store.Driver.(*driver.Memory)
-	if !ok {
-		// For an unexpected reason we are not dealing with the memory storage driver.
-		return
-	}
-
-	actionConfig.KubeClient = &kubefake.PrintingKubeClient{Out: io.Discard}
-
-	for _, path := range filePaths {
-		b, err := os.ReadFile(path)
-		if err != nil {
-			log.Fatal("Unable to read memory driver data", err)
-		}
-
-		releases := []*release.Release{}
-		if err := yaml.Unmarshal(b, &releases); err != nil {
-			log.Fatal("Unable to unmarshal memory driver data: ", err)
-		}
-
-		for _, rel := range releases {
-			if err := store.Create(rel); err != nil {
-				log.Fatal(err)
-			}
-		}
-	}
-	// Must reset namespace to the proper one
-	mem.SetNamespace(settings.Namespace())
-}
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/helpers_test.go b/pkg/cmd/helpers_test.go
index 5f9f4e769..effbc1673 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/helpers_test.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/helpers_test.go
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ func executeActionCommandStdinC(store *storage.Storage, in *os.File, cmd string)
 		Log:          func(_ string, _ ...interface{}) {},
 	}
 
-	root, err := NewRootCmd(actionConfig, buf, args)
+	root, err := newRootCmdWithConfig(actionConfig, buf, args)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, "", err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/root.go b/pkg/cmd/root.go
index 942060896..ea686be7c 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/root.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/root.go
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/yaml"
 
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/clientcmd"
@@ -33,8 +34,11 @@ import (
 	"helm.sh/helm/v4/internal/tlsutil"
 	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/action"
 	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/cli"
+	kubefake "helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/kube/fake"
 	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/registry"
+	release "helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/release/v1"
 	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/repo"
+	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/storage/driver"
 )
 
 var globalUsage = `The Kubernetes package manager
@@ -102,7 +106,26 @@ func Warning(format string, v ...interface{}) {
 	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "WARNING: "+format+"\n", v...)
 }
 
-func NewRootCmd(actionConfig *action.Configuration, out io.Writer, args []string) (*cobra.Command, error) {
+func NewRootCmd(out io.Writer, args []string) (*cobra.Command, error) {
+	actionConfig := new(action.Configuration)
+	cmd, err := newRootCmdWithConfig(actionConfig, out, args)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	cobra.OnInitialize(func() {
+		helmDriver := os.Getenv("HELM_DRIVER")
+		if err := actionConfig.Init(settings.RESTClientGetter(), settings.Namespace(), helmDriver, Debug); err != nil {
+			log.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		if helmDriver == "memory" {
+			loadReleasesInMemory(actionConfig)
+		}
+		actionConfig.SetHookOutputFunc(hookOutputWriter)
+	})
+	return cmd, nil
+}
+
+func newRootCmdWithConfig(actionConfig *action.Configuration, out io.Writer, args []string) (*cobra.Command, error) {
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
 		Use:          "helm",
 		Short:        "The Helm package manager for Kubernetes.",
@@ -119,6 +142,7 @@ func NewRootCmd(actionConfig *action.Configuration, out io.Writer, args []string
 			}
 		},
 	}
+
 	flags := cmd.PersistentFlags()
 
 	settings.AddFlags(flags)
@@ -232,6 +256,49 @@ func NewRootCmd(actionConfig *action.Configuration, out io.Writer, args []string
 	return cmd, nil
 }
 
+// This function loads releases into the memory storage if the
+// environment variable is properly set.
+func loadReleasesInMemory(actionConfig *action.Configuration) {
+	filePaths := strings.Split(os.Getenv("HELM_MEMORY_DRIVER_DATA"), ":")
+	if len(filePaths) == 0 {
+		return
+	}
+
+	store := actionConfig.Releases
+	mem, ok := store.Driver.(*driver.Memory)
+	if !ok {
+		// For an unexpected reason we are not dealing with the memory storage driver.
+		return
+	}
+
+	actionConfig.KubeClient = &kubefake.PrintingKubeClient{Out: io.Discard}
+
+	for _, path := range filePaths {
+		b, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Fatal("Unable to read memory driver data", err)
+		}
+
+		releases := []*release.Release{}
+		if err := yaml.Unmarshal(b, &releases); err != nil {
+			log.Fatal("Unable to unmarshal memory driver data: ", err)
+		}
+
+		for _, rel := range releases {
+			if err := store.Create(rel); err != nil {
+				log.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	// Must reset namespace to the proper one
+	mem.SetNamespace(settings.Namespace())
+}
+
+// hookOutputWriter provides the writer for writing hook logs.
+func hookOutputWriter(_, _, _ string) io.Writer {
+	return log.Writer()
+}
+
 func checkForExpiredRepos(repofile string) {
 
 	expiredRepos := []struct {