diff --git a/src/fsdocs-tool/BuildCommand.fs b/src/fsdocs-tool/BuildCommand.fs
index 61ab1b5f7..9920ad846 100644
--- a/src/fsdocs-tool/BuildCommand.fs
+++ b/src/fsdocs-tool/BuildCommand.fs
@@ -1455,27 +1455,13 @@ type CoreBuildOptions(watch) =
         let inPackageLocations = Common.InPackageLocations(Path.Combine(dir, "..", "..", ".."))
         let inRepoLocations = Common.InRepoLocations(Path.Combine(dir, "..", "..", "..", "..", ".."))
 
-        let defaultTemplateAttempt1 = inPackageLocations.template_html
-        // This is in-repo only
-        let defaultTemplateAttempt2 = inRepoLocations.template_html
-
         let defaultTemplate =
             if this.nodefaultcontent then
                 None
-            else if
-                (try
-                    File.Exists(defaultTemplateAttempt1)
-                 with _ ->
-                     false)
-            then
-                Some defaultTemplateAttempt1
-            elif
-                (try
-                    File.Exists(defaultTemplateAttempt2)
-                 with _ ->
-                     false)
-            then
-                Some defaultTemplateAttempt2
+            else if inPackageLocations.Exist() then
+                Some inPackageLocations.template_html
+            elif inRepoLocations.Exist() then
+                Some inRepoLocations.template_html
             else
                 None
 
@@ -1484,32 +1470,22 @@ type CoreBuildOptions(watch) =
                   // The "extras" content goes in "."
                   //   From .nuget\packages\fsdocs-tool\7.1.7\tools\net6.0\any
                   //   to .nuget\packages\fsdocs-tool\7.1.7\extras
-                  let attempt1 = inPackageLocations.extras
-
-                  if
-                      (try
-                          Directory.Exists(attempt1)
-                       with _ ->
-                           false)
-                  then
-                      printfn "using extra content from %s" attempt1
-                      (attempt1, ".")
-                  else
+                  if inPackageLocations.Exist() then
+                      printfn "using extra content from %s" inPackageLocations.extras
+                      (inPackageLocations.extras, ".")
+                  else if
                       // This is for in-repo use only, assuming we are executing directly from
                       //   src\fsdocs-tool\bin\Debug\net6.0\fsdocs.exe
                       //   src\fsdocs-tool\bin\Release\net6.0\fsdocs.exe
-                      let attempt2 = inRepoLocations.docs_content
-
-                      if
-                          (try
-                              Directory.Exists(attempt2)
-                           with _ ->
-                               false)
-                      then
-                          printfn "using extra content from %s" attempt2
-                          (attempt2, "content")
-                      else
-                          printfn "no extra content found at %s or %s" attempt1 attempt2 ]
+                      inRepoLocations.Exist()
+                  then
+                      printfn "using extra content from %s" inRepoLocations.docs_content
+                      (inRepoLocations.docs_content, "content")
+                  else
+                      printfn
+                          "no extra content found at %s or %s"
+                          inPackageLocations.extras
+                          inRepoLocations.docs_content ]
 
         // The incremental state (as well as the files written to disk)
         let mutable latestApiDocModel = None
@@ -1573,7 +1549,7 @@ type CoreBuildOptions(watch) =
                                     printfn
                                         "note, no template file '%s' found, and no default template at '%s'"
                                         templateFiles
-                                        defaultTemplateAttempt1
+                                        inRepoLocations.template_html
 
                                     OutputKind.Html, None
 
diff --git a/src/fsdocs-tool/Options.fs b/src/fsdocs-tool/Options.fs
index 077d6fc96..80630b66c 100644
--- a/src/fsdocs-tool/Options.fs
+++ b/src/fsdocs-tool/Options.fs
@@ -58,9 +58,10 @@ module Common =
     type InRepoLocations(relAssemblyPath) =
 
         // relAssemblyPath : relative path from assemly to repo root path
+        member _.RelAssemblyPath = relAssemblyPath
 
         // default folder locations relative to the assembly path
-        member _.docs = Path.Combine(relAssemblyPath, "docs") |> Path.GetFullPath
+        member this.docs = Path.Combine(this.RelAssemblyPath, "docs") |> Path.GetFullPath
         member this.docs_content = Path.Combine(this.docs, "content") |> Path.GetFullPath
         member this.docs_content_image = Path.Combine(this.docs_content, "img") |> Path.GetFullPath
 
@@ -69,6 +70,20 @@ module Common =
         member this.template_ipynb = Path.Combine(this.docs, "_template.ipynb") |> Path.GetFullPath
         member this.template_tex = Path.Combine(this.docs, "_template.tex") |> Path.GetFullPath
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// returns true if all special files and folders of this location exist.
+        /// </summary>
+        member this.Exist() =
+            try
+                Directory.Exists(this.docs)
+                && Directory.Exists(this.docs_content)
+                && Directory.Exists(this.docs_content_image)
+                && File.Exists(this.template_html)
+                && File.Exists(this.template_ipynb)
+                && File.Exists(this.template_tex)
+            with _ ->
+                false
+
     /// <summary>
     /// a set of default locations in the nuget package created for fsdocs-tool.
     /// these files are to be used in 2 scenarios assuming the tool is invoked via cli:
@@ -82,13 +97,14 @@ module Common =
     type InPackageLocations(relAssemblyPath) =
 
         // relAssemblyPath : relative path from assemly to package root path
+        member _.RelAssemblyPath = relAssemblyPath
 
         //   From .nuget\packages\fsdocs-tool\7.1.7\tools\net6.0\any
         //   to .nuget\packages\fsdocs-tool\7.1.7\*
 
         // default folder locations relative to the assembly path
-        member _.templates = Path.Combine(relAssemblyPath, "templates") |> Path.GetFullPath
-        member _.extras = Path.Combine(relAssemblyPath, "extras") |> Path.GetFullPath
+        member this.templates = Path.Combine(this.RelAssemblyPath, "templates") |> Path.GetFullPath
+        member this.extras = Path.Combine(this.RelAssemblyPath, "extras") |> Path.GetFullPath
         member this.extras_content = Path.Combine(this.extras, "content") |> Path.GetFullPath
         member this.extras_content_img = Path.Combine(this.extras_content, "img") |> Path.GetFullPath
 
@@ -96,3 +112,18 @@ module Common =
         member this.template_html = Path.Combine(this.templates, "_template.html") |> Path.GetFullPath
         member this.template_ipynb = Path.Combine(this.templates, "_template.ipynb") |> Path.GetFullPath
         member this.template_tex = Path.Combine(this.templates, "_template.tex") |> Path.GetFullPath
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// returns true if all special files and folders of this location exist.
+        /// </summary>
+        member this.Exist() =
+            try
+                Directory.Exists(this.templates)
+                && Directory.Exists(this.extras)
+                && Directory.Exists(this.extras_content)
+                && Directory.Exists(this.extras_content_img)
+                && File.Exists(this.template_html)
+                && File.Exists(this.template_ipynb)
+                && File.Exists(this.template_tex)
+            with _ ->
+                false