diff --git a/lib/config b/lib/config
index 552aeb0ad1..67d788ccba 100644
--- a/lib/config
+++ b/lib/config
@@ -82,8 +82,6 @@ function merge_config_file {
     local matchgroup=$2
     local configfile=$3
 
-    [[ -r $configfile ]] || touch $configfile
-
     get_meta_section $file $matchgroup $configfile | \
     $CONFIG_AWK_CMD -v configfile=$configfile '
         BEGIN { section = "" }
@@ -114,7 +112,7 @@ function merge_config_group {
 
     for group in $matchgroups; do
         for configfile in $(get_meta_section_files $localfile $group); do
-            if [[ -d $(dirname $configfile) ]]; then
+            if [[ -d $(dirname $(eval "echo $configfile")) ]]; then
                 merge_config_file $localfile $group $configfile
             fi
         done
diff --git a/tests/test_config.sh b/tests/test_config.sh
index 5700f8df29..2634ce0654 100755
--- a/tests/test_config.sh
+++ b/tests/test_config.sh
@@ -42,6 +42,17 @@ type=original
 EOF
 }
 
+function setup_test4 {
+    mkdir -p test-etc
+    cat >test-etc/test4.conf <<EOF
+[fff]
+# original comment
+type=original
+EOF
+    TEST4_DIR="test-etc"
+    TEST4_FILE="test4.conf"
+}
+
 cat >test.conf <<EOF
 [[test1|test1a.conf]]
 [default]
@@ -76,8 +87,11 @@ $TEST_1C_ADD
 attribute=value
  
 # the above line has a single space
-EOF
 
+[[test4|\$TEST4_DIR/\$TEST4_FILE]]
+[fff]
+type=new
+EOF
 
 echo -n "get_meta_section_files: test0 doesn't exist: "
 VAL=$(get_meta_section_files test.conf test0)
@@ -192,4 +206,24 @@ EXPECT_VAL="
 attribute = value"
 check_result "$VAL" "$EXPECT_VAL"
 
+echo -n "merge_config_group test4 variable filename: "
+setup_test4
+merge_config_group test.conf test4
+VAL=$(cat test-etc/test4.conf)
+EXPECT_VAL="[fff]
+# original comment
+type=new"
+check_result "$VAL" "$EXPECT_VAL"
+
+echo -n "merge_config_group test4 variable filename (not exist): "
+setup_test4
+rm test-etc/test4.conf
+merge_config_group test.conf test4
+VAL=$(cat test-etc/test4.conf)
+EXPECT_VAL="
+[fff]
+type = new"
+check_result "$VAL" "$EXPECT_VAL"
+
 rm -f test.conf test1c.conf test2a.conf test-space.conf
+rm -rf test-etc