diff --git a/lib/puppet/indirector/node/yaml.rb b/lib/puppet/indirector/node/yaml.rb
index 5a316b62e..b72abab24 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/indirector/node/yaml.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/indirector/node/yaml.rb
@@ -1,7 +1,22 @@
 require 'puppet/node'
 require 'puppet/indirector/yaml'
 
 class Puppet::Node::Yaml < Puppet::Indirector::Yaml
   desc "Store node information as flat files, serialized using YAML,
     or deserialize stored YAML nodes."
+
+  protected
+
+  def fix(object)
+    # This looks very strange because when the object is read from disk the
+    # environment is a string and by assigning it back onto the object it gets
+    # converted to a Puppet::Node::Environment.
+    #
+    # The Puppet::Node class can't handle this itself because we are loading
+    # with just straight YAML, which doesn't give the object a chance to modify
+    # things as it is loaded. Instead YAML simply sets the instance variable
+    # and leaves it at that.
+    object.environment = object.environment
+    object
+  end
 end
diff --git a/lib/puppet/indirector/yaml.rb b/lib/puppet/indirector/yaml.rb
index dae477e76..9a6be8895 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/indirector/yaml.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/indirector/yaml.rb
@@ -1,67 +1,63 @@
 require 'puppet/indirector/terminus'
 require 'puppet/util/yaml'
 
 # The base class for YAML indirection termini.
 class Puppet::Indirector::Yaml < Puppet::Indirector::Terminus
   # Read a given name's file in and convert it from YAML.
   def find(request)
     file = path(request.key)
     return nil unless Puppet::FileSystem.exist?(file)
 
     begin
-      return Puppet::Util::Yaml.load_file(file)
+      return fix(Puppet::Util::Yaml.load_file(file))
     rescue Puppet::Util::Yaml::YamlLoadError => detail
       raise Puppet::Error, "Could not parse YAML data for #{indirection.name} #{request.key}: #{detail}", detail.backtrace
     end
   end
 
   # Convert our object to YAML and store it to the disk.
   def save(request)
     raise ArgumentError.new("You can only save objects that respond to :name") unless request.instance.respond_to?(:name)
 
     file = path(request.key)
 
     basedir = File.dirname(file)
 
     # This is quite likely a bad idea, since we're not managing ownership or modes.
     Dir.mkdir(basedir) unless Puppet::FileSystem.exist?(basedir)
 
     begin
       Puppet::Util::Yaml.dump(request.instance, file)
     rescue TypeError => detail
       Puppet.err "Could not save #{self.name} #{request.key}: #{detail}"
     end
   end
 
   # Return the path to a given node's file.
   def path(name,ext='.yaml')
     if name =~ Puppet::Indirector::BadNameRegexp then
       Puppet.crit("directory traversal detected in #{self.class}: #{name.inspect}")
       raise ArgumentError, "invalid key"
     end
 
     base = Puppet.run_mode.master? ? Puppet[:yamldir] : Puppet[:clientyamldir]
     File.join(base, self.class.indirection_name.to_s, name.to_s + ext)
   end
 
   def destroy(request)
     file_path = path(request.key)
     Puppet::FileSystem.unlink(file_path) if Puppet::FileSystem.exist?(file_path)
   end
 
   def search(request)
     Dir.glob(path(request.key,'')).collect do |file|
-      YAML.load_file(file)
+      fix(Puppet::Util::Yaml.load_file(file))
     end
   end
 
-  private
+  protected
 
-  def from_yaml(text)
-    YAML.load(text)
-  end
-
-  def to_yaml(object)
-    YAML.dump(object)
+  def fix(object)
+    object
   end
 end