diff --git a/frappy_psi/sea.py b/frappy_psi/sea.py
index f95f27b7..7bcaae41 100644
--- a/frappy_psi/sea.py
+++ b/frappy_psi/sea.py
@@ -83,16 +83,22 @@ def get_sea_port(instance):
 
 class SeaConfig:
     @lazy_property
-    def dir(self):
-        seaconfdir = os.environ.get('FRAPPY_SEA_DIR')
-        if seaconfdir is None or not Path(seaconfdir).expanduser().absolute().exists():
+    def dirs(self):
+        seaconfdirs = os.environ.get('FRAPPY_SEA_DIR', '').replace(':', ' ').replace(',', ' ')
+        result = [Path(v) for v in seaconfdirs.split() if Path(v).expanduser().is_dir()]
+        if not result:
             for confdir in generalConfig.confdir:
                 seaconfdir = confdir / 'sea'
-                if seaconfdir.exists():
-                    break
-        else:
-            seaconfdir = Path(seaconfdir).expanduser().absolute()
-        return seaconfdir
+                if seaconfdir.is_dir():
+                    result.append(seaconfdir)
+        return result
+
+    def load_json(self, json_file):
+        for dir in self.dirs:
+            file = dir / json_file
+            if file.is_file():
+                return json.load(file.read_text())
+        raise FileNotFoundError(f'{json_file} not found')
 
 
 seaconfig = SeaConfig()
@@ -385,7 +391,7 @@ class SeaConfigCreator(SeaClient):
             stripped, _, ext = filename.rpartition('.')
             service = SERVICE_NAMES[ext]
             seaconn = 'sea_' + service
-            cfgfile = seaconfig.dir / (stripped + '_cfg.py')
+            cfgfile = seaconfig.dirs[0] / (stripped + '_cfg.py')
             with cfgfile.open('w', encoding='utf-8') as fp:
                 fp.write(CFG_HEADER % {'config': filename, 'seaconn': seaconn, 'service': service,
                                        'nodedescr': description.get(filename, filename)})
@@ -393,7 +399,7 @@ class SeaConfigCreator(SeaClient):
                     fp.write(CFG_MODULE % {'modcls': modcls[obj], 'module': obj, 'seaconn': seaconn})
             content = json.dumps(descr).replace('}, {', '},\n{').replace('[{', '[\n{').replace('}]}, ', '}]},\n\n')
             result.append('%s\n' % cfgfile)
-            fpath = seaconfig.dir / (filename + '.json')
+            fpath = seaconfig.dirs[0] / (filename + '.json')
             fpath.write_text(content + '\n', encoding='utf-8')
             result.append('%s: %s' % (filename, ','.join(n for n in descr)))
         raise SystemExit('; '.join(result))
@@ -529,9 +535,7 @@ class SeaModule(Module):
                 cfgdict['description'] = '%s@%s%s' % (
                     name, json_file, '' if rel_paths is None else f' (rel_paths={rel_paths})')
 
-            with (seaconfig.dir / json_file).open(encoding='utf-8') as fp:
-                content = json.load(fp)
-                descr = content[sea_object]
+            descr = seaconfig.load_json(json_file)[sea_object]
 
             # filter by relative paths
             if rel_paths: