diff --git a/config/default/modify.php b/config/default/modify.php
index <HASH>..<HASH> 100644
--- a/config/default/modify.php
+++ b/config/default/modify.php
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@
  */
 $logger = $di->get('logger');
 
-// default log to {$PROJECT_PATH}/tmp/log
-$stream = $di->params['Aura\Project_Kernel\ProjectKernel']['base']
+// default log location is {$PROJECT_PATH}/tmp/log, determined relative to
+// {$PROJECT_PATH}/vendor/aura/project-kernel/config/default/modify.php
+$stream = dirname(dirname(dirname(dirname(dirname(__DIR__)))))
         . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'tmp'
         . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'log';
 $logger->pushHandler($di->newInstance('Monolog\Handler\StreamHandler', array(
diff --git a/src/ProjectKernel.php b/src/ProjectKernel.php
index <HASH>..<HASH> 100644
--- a/src/ProjectKernel.php
+++ b/src/ProjectKernel.php
@@ -28,8 +28,6 @@ class ProjectKernel
         $loader->add('', "{$base}/src");
         $di->set('loader', $loader);
         
-        $di->params[__CLASS__]['base'] = $base;
-        
         $this->di   = $di;
         $this->base = $base;
         $this->mode = $mode;
can't use $di->params after locking