diff --git a/hlrs-plumbing/scripts/xx_populate_release_directory.sh b/hlrs-plumbing/scripts/xx_populate_release_directory.sh
index 728ddce..9b723ef 100755
--- a/hlrs-plumbing/scripts/xx_populate_release_directory.sh
+++ b/hlrs-plumbing/scripts/xx_populate_release_directory.sh
@@ -31,23 +31,10 @@
 #   └── ...
 #
 
-_VERBOSITY=1
-
-if [[ "$#" -ne 2 ]]; then
-  echo "Syntax: $0 release_tag base_prefix"
-  echo "Populates directory <base_prefix>/release/<release_tag> with the release tagged as <release_tag>."
-  # TODO: exit with error code
-fi
-
-echo "TODO: check for $TMPDIR"
-
-arg_tag=$1
-arg_prefix=$2
-
 log () {
     local msg=$1
     if [[ -n $_VERBOSITY ]]; then 
-        echo $msg
+        echo "### $msg"
     fi
 }
 
@@ -73,42 +60,88 @@ create_dir () {
 }
 
 
-# process input arguments
-HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_VERSION__USER=$(canonize_tag $arg_tag)
-HLRS_OPT_PREFIX__USER=$(create_dir $arg_prefix)
+_VERBOSITY=1
+
+if [[ "$#" -ne 2 ]]; then
+  echo "Syntax: $0 release_tag base_prefix"
+  echo "Populates directory <base_prefix>/release/<release_tag> with the release tagged as <release_tag>."
+  # TODO: exit with error code
+fi
+
+echo "TODO: check for \$TMPDIR and execution bit in \$TMPDIR"
+
+
+# process script arguments 
+arg_tag=$(canonize_tag $1)
+arg_prefix=$2
 
 # Define various repo locations
-_HLRS_SPACK_REPO=file://$HOME/spack-test/dummy_repo/spack-v0.21.2.git
-_HLRS_SPACK_PLUMBING_REPO=file://$HOME/spack-test/dummy_repo/software-stack-plumbing.git
-_HLRS_SPACK_CONFIG_REPO=file://$HOME/spack-test/dummy_repo/software-stack-hlrs-spack.git
+_HLRS_SPACK_REPO=file://$HOME/spack-test/dummy_repo/spack.git
+_HLRS_SPACK_PLUMBING_REPO=file://$HOME/spack-test/dummy_repo/release_root.git
+_HLRS_SPACK_CONFIG_REPO=file://$HOME/spack-test/dummy_repo/hlrs-spack.git
 
-# bootstrap environment variables 
-# (using [bash process substitution](https://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/process-sub.html))
-log "### bootstrap environment variables"
-source <(curl -L $_HLRS_SPACK_PLUMBING_REPO/hlrs-plumbing/envs/00_base_prefix.env)
-source <(curl -L $_HLRS_SPACK_PLUMBING_REPO/hlrs-plumbing/envs/01_release_root.env)
-source <(curl -L $_HLRS_SPACK_PLUMBING_REPO/hlrs-plumbing/envs/02_hlrs_spack_root.env)
-log "### ... done"
 
-# setup plumbing directory
-log "### setup plumbing directory"
+# bootstrap staging area
+log "setup staging area at:"
+staging_dir=$(mktemp -d)/staging 
+log "    $staging_dir"
+
+# bootstrap plumbing directory
+log "bootstrap plumbing directory ..."
 curl -L $_HLRS_SPACK_PLUMBING_REPO/hlrs-plumbing/scripts/xx_checkout_repo.sh | \
   bash -s -- $_HLRS_SPACK_PLUMBING_REPO \
+  $arg_tag $staging_dir .
+plumbing_dir=$staging_dir/hlrs-plumbing
+log "... done"
+
+
+# set anchors for environment variables to staging area
+HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_VERSION__USER=$arg_tag
+HLRS_OPT_PREFIX__USER=$(create_dir $staging_dir/prefix)
+
+# bootstrap environment variables 
+log "bootstrap environment variables ..."
+source $plumbing_dir/envs/00_base_prefix.env
+source $plumbing_dir/envs/01_release_root.env
+source $plumbing_dir/envs/02_hlrs_spack_root.env
+log "... done"
+
+# setup plumbing directory
+log "setup plumbing directory ..."
+$plumbing_dir/scripts/xx_checkout_repo.sh $_HLRS_SPACK_PLUMBING_REPO \
   $HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_VERSION $HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_ROOT .
-_HLRS_PLUMBING_DIR=$HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_ROOT/hlrs-plumbing
-log "### ... done"
+log "... done"
 
 # setup hlrs-spack directory
-log "### setup hlrs-spack directory"
-$_HLRS_PLUMBING_DIR/scripts/xx_checkout_repo.sh $_HLRS_SPACK_CONFIG_REPO \
+log "setup hlrs-spack directory ..."
+$plumbing_dir/scripts/xx_checkout_repo.sh $_HLRS_SPACK_CONFIG_REPO \
   $HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_VERSION $HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_ROOT hlrs-spack
-log "### ... done"
+log "... done"
 
 # setup $SPACK_ROOT directory
-log "### setup $SPACK_ROOT directory"
-$_HLRS_PLUMBING_DIR/scripts/xx_checkout_repo.sh $_HLRS_SPACK_REPO \
+log "setup $SPACK_ROOT directory ..."
+$plumbing_dir/scripts/xx_checkout_repo.sh $_HLRS_SPACK_REPO \
   $HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_VERSION $HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_HLRS_SPACK_ROOT spack
-log "### ... done"
+log "... done"
 
 # setup opt-non-spack 
-# TODO
\ No newline at end of file
+# TODO
+
+# re-evaluate environment variables 
+log "bootstrap final environment variables ..."
+staging_release_root=$HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_ROOT
+source $plumbing_dir/envs/xx_unload_env.env
+HLRS_OPT_PREFIX__USER=$(create_dir $arg_prefix)
+source $plumbing_dir/envs/00_base_prefix.env
+source $plumbing_dir/envs/01_release_root.env
+log "... done"
+
+# move to final destination
+log "move release root to final destination at:"
+log "    $HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_ROOT"
+final_release_root=$(create_dir $HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_ROOT)
+## TODO: check dir above; refuse to overwrite
+mv $staging_release_root/{*,.git} $final_release_root
+
+
+## TODO: remove staging dir