diff --git a/packages/xod-cli/src/commands/boards.js b/packages/xod-cli/src/commands/boards.js
index 61d5591a..743c2476 100644
--- a/packages/xod-cli/src/commands/boards.js
+++ b/packages/xod-cli/src/commands/boards.js
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ class BoardsCommand extends BaseCommand {
         })),
         sortBy(prop('name')),
         b => mergeAvailableInstalled(b.available, b.installed)
-      )(await xdb.listBoards(workspace, aCli));
+      )(await xdb.listBoards(resolveBundledWorkspacePath(), workspace, aCli));
 
       const rows = quiet ? map(b => [b['Board Name'], b.FQBN])(boards) : boards;
 
diff --git a/packages/xod-cli/src/listrTasks.js b/packages/xod-cli/src/listrTasks.js
index 2035e0bb..56690076 100644
--- a/packages/xod-cli/src/listrTasks.js
+++ b/packages/xod-cli/src/listrTasks.js
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ import { loadProject } from 'xod-fs';
 import { createError, foldEither } from 'xod-func-tools';
 import * as xdb from 'xod-deploy-bin';
 
+import { resolveBundledWorkspacePath } from './paths';
+
 export const loadProjectTask = (workspaces, projectPath) => ({
   title: 'Project loading',
   task: ctx =>
@@ -45,7 +47,11 @@ export const transpileTask = () => ({
 export const checkBoardTask = (workspace, fqbn) => ({
   title: 'Check board',
   task: async ctx => {
-    const boards = await xdb.listBoards(workspace, ctx.arduinoCli);
+    const boards = await xdb.listBoards(
+      resolveBundledWorkspacePath(),
+      workspace,
+      ctx.arduinoCli
+    );
     const board = last(filter(el => el.fqbn === fqbn, boards.installed));
 
     // toolchain not installed - handle it
diff --git a/packages/xod-client-electron/src/app/arduinoCli.js b/packages/xod-client-electron/src/app/arduinoCli.js
index 026e7168..d4aee8e4 100644
--- a/packages/xod-client-electron/src/app/arduinoCli.js
+++ b/packages/xod-client-electron/src/app/arduinoCli.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import * as xdb from 'xod-deploy-bin';
 
 import subscribeIpc from './subscribeIpc';
 import { loadWorkspacePath } from './workspaceActions';
+import { getPathToBundledWorkspace } from './utils';
 import {
   LIST_BOARDS,
   UPLOAD_TO_ARDUINO,
@@ -34,7 +35,10 @@ export const upload = (onProgress, cli, payload) => {
 // =============================================================================
 export const subscribeListBoards = cli =>
   subscribeIpc(
-    () => loadWorkspacePath().then(ws => xdb.listBoards(ws, cli)),
+    () =>
+      loadWorkspacePath().then(ws =>
+        xdb.listBoards(getPathToBundledWorkspace(), ws, cli)
+      ),
     LIST_BOARDS
   );
 
@@ -46,7 +50,10 @@ export const subscribeUpload = cli =>
 
 export const subscribeUpdateIndexes = cli =>
   subscribeIpc(
-    () => loadWorkspacePath().then(ws => xdb.updateIndexes(ws, cli)),
+    () =>
+      loadWorkspacePath().then(ws =>
+        xdb.updateIndexes(getPathToBundledWorkspace(), ws, cli)
+      ),
     UPDATE_INDEXES
   );
 
diff --git a/packages/xod-deploy-bin/package.json b/packages/xod-deploy-bin/package.json
index c62826d5..fc941e15 100644
--- a/packages/xod-deploy-bin/package.json
+++ b/packages/xod-deploy-bin/package.json
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
     "fs-extra": "^7.0.1",
     "ramda": "0.24.1",
     "which": "^1.3.1",
+    "xod-fs": "^0.36.0",
     "xod-func-tools": "^0.34.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
diff --git a/packages/xod-deploy-bin/src/arduinoCli.js b/packages/xod-deploy-bin/src/arduinoCli.js
index 75927771..fe68db0e 100644
--- a/packages/xod-deploy-bin/src/arduinoCli.js
+++ b/packages/xod-deploy-bin/src/arduinoCli.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import * as R from 'ramda';
 import * as fse from 'fs-extra';
 import arduinoCli from 'arduino-cli';
 import { createError } from 'xod-func-tools';
+import { isWorkspaceValid, spawnWorkspaceFile } from 'xod-fs';
 
 import {
   ARDUINO_LIBRARIES_DIRNAME,
@@ -407,6 +408,21 @@ const updateIndexesInternal = (wsPath, cli) =>
     });
   });
 
+/**
+ * It creates a workspace file and packages directory if needed.
+ *
+ * :: Path -> Path -> Promise Path Error
+ */
+const ensureWorkspace = (wsBundledPath, wsPath) =>
+  isWorkspaceValid(wsPath).catch(async e => {
+    if (e.errorCode === 'WORKSPACE_DIR_NOT_EXIST_OR_EMPTY') {
+      await prepareWorkspacePackagesDir(wsBundledPath, wsPath);
+      await spawnWorkspaceFile(wsPath);
+      return wsPath;
+    }
+    throw e;
+  });
+
 /**
  * Returns map of installed boards and boards that could be installed:
  * - Installed boards (boards, which are ready for deploy)
@@ -414,9 +430,10 @@ const updateIndexesInternal = (wsPath, cli) =>
  * - Available boards (boards, which packages could be installed)
  *   { name :: String, package :: String, version :: String }
  *
- * :: Path -> ArduinoCli -> Promise { installed :: [InstalledBoard], available :: [AvailableBoard] } Error
+ * :: Path -> Path -> ArduinoCli -> Promise { installed :: [InstalledBoard], available :: [AvailableBoard] } Error
  */
-export const listBoards = async (wsPath, cli) => {
+export const listBoards = async (wsBundledPath, wsPath, cli) => {
+  await ensureWorkspace(wsBundledPath, wsPath);
   await syncAdditionalPackages(wsPath, cli);
 
   return Promise.all([
@@ -455,9 +472,10 @@ export const listBoards = async (wsPath, cli) => {
  * Updates package index json files.
  * Returns a list of just added URLs
  *
- * :: Path -> ArduinoCli -> Promise [URL] Error
+ * :: Path -> Path -> ArduinoCli -> Promise [URL] Error
  */
-export const updateIndexes = async (wsPath, cli) => {
+export const updateIndexes = async (wsBundledPath, wsPath, cli) => {
+  await ensureWorkspace(wsBundledPath, wsPath);
   const addedUrls = await syncAdditionalPackages(wsPath, cli);
 
   await updateIndexesInternal(wsPath, cli);
@@ -466,7 +484,7 @@ export const updateIndexes = async (wsPath, cli) => {
   // all new index files are valid, because `updateIndex`
   // only downloads index files without validating
   // Bug reported: https://github.com/arduino/arduino-cli/issues/81
-  await listBoards(wsPath, cli);
+  await listBoards(wsBundledPath, wsPath, cli);
 
   return addedUrls;
 };