diff --git a/tools/catalog-local.js b/tools/catalog-local.js
index eddcaee50c..b64f9c64ef 100644
--- a/tools/catalog-local.js
+++ b/tools/catalog-local.js
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ var LocalCatalog = function (options) {
   self.packages = {};
 
   self.initialized = false;
-  self.containingCatalog = options.containingCatalog || self;
 
     // Local directories to search for package source trees
   self.localPackageSearchDirs = null;
diff --git a/tools/catalog.js b/tools/catalog.js
index 33de312966..271548999d 100644
--- a/tools/catalog.js
+++ b/tools/catalog.js
@@ -105,14 +105,14 @@ var ACCEPT_NON_EMPTY = function (result) {
 };
 
 // The LayeredCatalog provides a way to query multiple catalogs in a uniform way
-// A LayeredCatalog typically contains:
+// A LayeredCatalog contains:
 //  - a local catalog referencing the packages of the project
 //  - a reference to the official catalog
-var LayeredCatalog = function() {
+var LayeredCatalog = function (localCatalog, otherCatalog) {
   var self = this;
 
-  self.localCatalog = null;
-  self.otherCatalog = null;
+  self.localCatalog = localCatalog;
+  self.otherCatalog = otherCatalog;
 };
 
 _.extend(LayeredCatalog.prototype, {
@@ -121,12 +121,6 @@ _.extend(LayeredCatalog.prototype, {
     return "LayeredCatalog []";
   },
 
-  setCatalogs: function(local, remote) {
-    var self = this;
-    self.localCatalog = local;
-    self.otherCatalog = remote;
-  },
-
   getLatestVersion: function (name) {
     var self = this;
     return self._returnFirst("getLatestVersion", arguments, ACCEPT_NON_EMPTY);
@@ -147,14 +141,6 @@ _.extend(LayeredCatalog.prototype, {
     return self.otherCatalog[f].apply(self.otherCatalog, splittedArgs);
   },
 
-  getLocalPackageNames: function () {
-    return this.localCatalog.getAllPackageNames();
-  },
-
-  getPackageSource: function (packageName) {
-    return this.localCatalog.getPackageSource(packageName);
-  },
-
   getPackage: function (name) {
     return this._returnFirst("getPackage", arguments, ACCEPT_NON_EMPTY);
   },
@@ -180,14 +166,6 @@ _.extend(LayeredCatalog.prototype, {
     return result;
   },
 
-  initialize: function (options) {
-    this.localCatalog.initialize(options);
-  },
-
-  reset: function () {
-    this.localCatalog.reset();
-  },
-
   // As getVersion, but returns info on the latest version of the
   // package, or null if the package doesn't exist or has no versions.
   // It does not include prereleases (with dashes in the version);
diff --git a/tools/package-map.js b/tools/package-map.js
index b9997c1fe8..8ad11a766b 100644
--- a/tools/package-map.js
+++ b/tools/package-map.js
@@ -11,13 +11,13 @@ var utils = require('./utils.js');
 // .meteor/packages file on disk.)
 //
 // It has a corresponding JSON format (used, eg, inside buildinfo files).
-exports.PackageMap = function (versions, cat) {
+exports.PackageMap = function (versions, localCatalog) {
   var self = this;
   self._map = {};
-  self.catalog = cat;
+  self._localCatalog = localCatalog;
 
   _.each(versions, function (version, packageName) {
-    var packageSource = cat.getPackageSource(packageName);
+    var packageSource = localCatalog.getPackageSource(packageName);
     if (packageSource) {
       self._map[packageName] =
         { kind: 'local', version: version, packageSource: packageSource };
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ _.extend(exports.PackageMap.prototype, {
         throw Error("not a subset: " + packageName);
       subsetVersions[packageName] = info.version;
     });
-    return new exports.PackageMap(subsetVersions, self.catalog);
+    return new exports.PackageMap(subsetVersions, self._localCatalog);
   },
 
   toJSON: function () {
diff --git a/tools/project-context.js b/tools/project-context.js
index b6cf0b46dd..8ae400585a 100644
--- a/tools/project-context.js
+++ b/tools/project-context.js
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ _.extend(exports.ProjectContext.prototype, {
       return;  // error is already in buildmessage
 
     self.packageMap = new packageMapModule.PackageMap(
-      solution.answer, self.projectCatalog);
+      solution.answer, self.localCatalog);
 
     self.packageMapDelta = new packageMapModule.PackageMapDelta({
       cachedVersions: cachedVersions,
@@ -444,15 +444,13 @@ _.extend(exports.ProjectContext.prototype, {
     var self = this;
     buildmessage.assertInCapture();
 
-    self.projectCatalog = new catalog.LayeredCatalog;
-    self.localCatalog = new catalogLocal.LocalCatalog({
-      containingCatalog: self.projectCatalog
-    });
-    self.projectCatalog.setCatalogs(self.localCatalog, catalog.official);
+    self.localCatalog = new catalogLocal.LocalCatalog;
+    self.projectCatalog = new catalog.LayeredCatalog(
+      self.localCatalog, catalog.official);
 
     var searchDirs = self._localPackageSearchDirs();
     buildmessage.enterJob({ title: "scanning local packages" }, function () {
-      self.projectCatalog.initialize({
+      self.localCatalog.initialize({
         localPackageSearchDirs: searchDirs,
         explicitlyAddedLocalPackageDirs: self._explicitlyAddedLocalPackageDirs
       });