diff --git a/client/client.go b/client/client.go
index 42756f8aa..188d8a8a8 100644
--- a/client/client.go
+++ b/client/client.go
@@ -106,13 +106,13 @@ func NewClient(local LocalStore, remote RemoteStore) *Client {
 	}
 }
 
-// InitLocal initializes a local repository from root metadata.
+// Init initializes a local repository from root metadata.
 //
 // The root's keys are extracted from the root and saved in local storage.
 // Root expiration is not checked.
 // It is expected that rootJSON was securely distributed with the software
 // being updated.
-func (c *Client) InitLocal(rootJSON []byte) error {
+func (c *Client) Init(rootJSON []byte) error {
 	err := c.loadAndVerifyRootMeta(rootJSON, true /*ignoreExpiredCheck*/)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/client/client_test.go b/client/client_test.go
index c23a96662..15fbb43ae 100644
--- a/client/client_test.go
+++ b/client/client_test.go
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ func (s *ClientSuite) rootMeta(c *C) []byte {
 func (s *ClientSuite) newClient(c *C) *Client {
 	s.local = MemoryLocalStore()
 	client := NewClient(s.local, s.remote)
-	c.Assert(client.InitLocal(s.rootMeta(c)), IsNil)
+	c.Assert(client.Init(s.rootMeta(c)), IsNil)
 	return client
 }
 
@@ -248,9 +248,9 @@ func (s *ClientSuite) TestInit(c *C) {
 	client := NewClient(MemoryLocalStore(), s.remote)
 
 	// check invalid json
-	c.Assert(client.InitLocal(make([]byte, 0)), NotNil)
+	c.Assert(client.Init(make([]byte, 0)), NotNil)
 	rootJson := `{ "signatures": [], "signed": {"version": "wrongtype"}, "spec_version": "1.0.0", "version": 1}`
-	err := client.InitLocal([]byte(rootJson))
+	err := client.Init([]byte(rootJson))
 	c.Assert(err.Error(), Matches, "json: cannot unmarshal string.*")
 
 	// check Update() returns ErrNoRootKeys when uninitialized
@@ -258,12 +258,12 @@ func (s *ClientSuite) TestInit(c *C) {
 	c.Assert(err, Equals, ErrNoRootKeys)
 
 	// check Update() does not return ErrNoRootKeys after initialization
-	c.Assert(client.InitLocal(s.rootMeta(c)), IsNil)
+	c.Assert(client.Init(s.rootMeta(c)), IsNil)
 	_, err = client.Update()
 	c.Assert(err, IsNil)
 }
 
-func (s *ClientSuite) TestInitLocalAllowsExpired(c *C) {
+func (s *ClientSuite) TestInitAllowsExpired(c *C) {
 	s.genKeyExpired(c, "targets")
 	c.Assert(s.repo.Snapshot(), IsNil)
 	c.Assert(s.repo.Timestamp(), IsNil)
@@ -273,11 +273,11 @@ func (s *ClientSuite) TestInitLocalAllowsExpired(c *C) {
 	bytes, err := io.ReadAll(s.remote.meta["root.json"])
 	c.Assert(err, IsNil)
 	s.withMetaExpired(func() {
-		c.Assert(client.InitLocal(bytes), IsNil)
+		c.Assert(client.Init(bytes), IsNil)
 	})
 }
 
-func (s *ClientSuite) TestInitLocal(c *C) {
+func (s *ClientSuite) TestInit(c *C) {
 	client := NewClient(MemoryLocalStore(), s.remote)
 	bytes, err := io.ReadAll(s.remote.meta["root.json"])
 	c.Assert(err, IsNil)
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ func (s *ClientSuite) TestInitLocal(c *C) {
 	_, err = client.Update()
 	c.Assert(err, Equals, ErrNoRootKeys)
 
-	// check InitLocal() returns ErrInvalid when the root's signature is
+	// check Init() returns ErrInvalid when the root's signature is
 	// invalid
 	// modify root and marshal without regenerating signatures
 	root.Version = root.Version + 1
@@ -299,10 +299,10 @@ func (s *ClientSuite) TestInitLocal(c *C) {
 	dataSigned.Signed = rootBytes
 	dataBytes, err := json.Marshal(dataSigned)
 	c.Assert(err, IsNil)
-	c.Assert(client.InitLocal(dataBytes), Equals, verify.ErrInvalid)
+	c.Assert(client.Init(dataBytes), Equals, verify.ErrInvalid)
 
 	// check Update() does not return ErrNoRootKeys after initialization
-	c.Assert(client.InitLocal(bytes), IsNil)
+	c.Assert(client.Init(bytes), IsNil)
 	_, err = client.Update()
 	c.Assert(err, IsNil)
 }
@@ -1042,7 +1042,7 @@ func (s *ClientSuite) TestUpdateHTTP(c *C) {
 		c.Assert(err, IsNil)
 		rootJsonBytes, err := json.Marshal(rootMeta)
 		c.Assert(err, IsNil)
-		c.Assert(client.InitLocal(rootJsonBytes), IsNil)
+		c.Assert(client.Init(rootJsonBytes), IsNil)
 
 		// check update is ok
 		targets, err := client.Update()
diff --git a/client/delegations_test.go b/client/delegations_test.go
index c7303aca1..250e7b700 100644
--- a/client/delegations_test.go
+++ b/client/delegations_test.go
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ func initTestDelegationClient(t *testing.T, dirPrefix string) (*Client, func() e
 	c := NewClient(MemoryLocalStore(), remote)
 	rawFile, err := ioutil.ReadFile(initialStateDir + "/" + "root.json")
 	assert.Nil(t, err)
-	assert.Nil(t, c.InitLocal(rawFile))
+	assert.Nil(t, c.Init(rawFile))
 	files, err := ioutil.ReadDir(initialStateDir)
 	assert.Nil(t, err)
 
diff --git a/client/interop_test.go b/client/interop_test.go
index 8e4becbca..15ece0d33 100644
--- a/client/interop_test.go
+++ b/client/interop_test.go
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ func (t *testCase) runStep(c *C, stepName string) {
 	c.Assert(err, IsNil)
 	rootJsonBytes, err := io.ReadAll(ioReader)
 	c.Assert(err, IsNil)
-	c.Assert(client.InitLocal(rootJsonBytes), IsNil)
+	c.Assert(client.Init(rootJsonBytes), IsNil)
 
 	// check update returns the correct updated targets
 	files, err := client.Update()
diff --git a/client/python_interop/python_interop_test.go b/client/python_interop/python_interop_test.go
index 7a4abdc6a..e2e2a9157 100644
--- a/client/python_interop/python_interop_test.go
+++ b/client/python_interop/python_interop_test.go
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ func (InteropSuite) TestGoClientPythonGenerated(c *C) {
 		client := client.NewClient(client.MemoryLocalStore(), remote)
 		rootJSON, err := ioutil.ReadFile(filepath.Join(testDataDir, dir, "repository", "metadata", "root.json"))
 		c.Assert(err, IsNil)
-		c.Assert(client.InitLocal(rootJSON), IsNil)
+		c.Assert(client.Init(rootJSON), IsNil)
 
 		// check update returns the correct updated targets
 		files, err := client.Update()
diff --git a/cmd/tuf-client/init.go b/cmd/tuf-client/init.go
index f043c0b7c..b3a0f6aef 100644
--- a/cmd/tuf-client/init.go
+++ b/cmd/tuf-client/init.go
@@ -35,5 +35,5 @@ func cmdInit(args *docopt.Args, client *tuf.Client) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	return client.InitLocal(bytes)
+	return client.Init(bytes)
 }