diff --git a/core/core.el b/core/core.el
index f55ac5bbd..4c3174ff5 100644
--- a/core/core.el
+++ b/core/core.el
@@ -49,7 +49,8 @@ Use this for files that change often, like cache files.")
 
 (defvar doom-private-dir
   (eval-when-compile
-    (or (let ((xdg-path
+    (or (getenv "DOOMDIR")
+        (let ((xdg-path
                (expand-file-name "doom/"
                                  (or (getenv "XDG_CONFIG_HOME")
                                      "~/.config"))))