diff --git a/sources/Adapters/picoTracker/gui/SerialDebugUI.cpp b/sources/Adapters/picoTracker/gui/SerialDebugUI.cpp
index d8327a15..bc98af13 100644
--- a/sources/Adapters/picoTracker/gui/SerialDebugUI.cpp
+++ b/sources/Adapters/picoTracker/gui/SerialDebugUI.cpp
@@ -54,8 +54,10 @@ void SerialDebugUI::dispatchCmd(char *input) {
     saveConfig();
   } else if (strcmp(cmd, "mkdir") == 0) {
     mkdir(arg);
+  } else if (strcmp(cmd, "rmdir") == 0) {
+    rmdir(arg);
   } else if (strcmp(cmd, "help") == 0) {
-    Trace::Log("SERIALDEBUG", "cat, ls, rm, mkdir, help");
+    Trace::Log("SERIALDEBUG", "cat, ls, rm, mkdir, rmdir, save, help");
   } else {
     Trace::Log("SERIALDEBUG", "unknown command");
   }
@@ -120,5 +122,14 @@ void SerialDebugUI::saveConfig() {
 
 void SerialDebugUI::mkdir(const char *path) {
   auto picoFS = PicoFileSystem::GetInstance();
-  picoFS->makeDir(path, true);
+  if (!picoFS->makeDir(path, true)) {
+    Trace::Error("failed to create dir:%s", path);
+  }
+}
+
+void SerialDebugUI::rmdir(const char *path) {
+  auto picoFS = PicoFileSystem::GetInstance();
+  if (!picoFS->DeleteDir(path)) {
+    Trace::Error("failed to remove dir:%s", path);
+  }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/sources/Adapters/picoTracker/gui/SerialDebugUI.h b/sources/Adapters/picoTracker/gui/SerialDebugUI.h
index 5639edab..4bf36e19 100644
--- a/sources/Adapters/picoTracker/gui/SerialDebugUI.h
+++ b/sources/Adapters/picoTracker/gui/SerialDebugUI.h
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ class SerialDebugUI {
   void rmFile(const char *path);
   void saveConfig();
   void mkdir(const char *path);
+  void rmdir(const char *path);
 
 private:
   int lp_ = 0;
diff --git a/sources/Application/Application.cpp b/sources/Application/Application.cpp
index f885e34b..8f2388c0 100644
--- a/sources/Application/Application.cpp
+++ b/sources/Application/Application.cpp
@@ -60,6 +60,15 @@ bool Application::initProject(char *projectName) {
     if (PersistencyService::GetInstance()->Load(projectName) ==
         PERSIST_LOAD_FAILED) {
       Trace::Error("failed to load CURRENT proj: %s\n", projectName);
+      if (strcmp(projectName, UNNAMED_PROJECT_NAME) == 0) {
+        // untitled project is missing so need to create a new one
+        if (PersistencyService::GetInstance()->CreateProject() !=
+            PERSIST_SAVED) {
+          Trace::Log("APPLICATION", "FAILED to create new UNTITLED project !!");
+          // TODO: show user some sort of error message and how to recover from
+          // this?
+        }
+      }
     }
     return false;
   } else {
diff --git a/sources/System/FileSystem/PicoFileSystem.cpp b/sources/System/FileSystem/PicoFileSystem.cpp
index f7ed73fa..1a62fe3b 100644
--- a/sources/System/FileSystem/PicoFileSystem.cpp
+++ b/sources/System/FileSystem/PicoFileSystem.cpp
@@ -194,9 +194,11 @@ bool PicoFileSystem::DeleteFile(const char *path) {
   return sd.remove(path);
 }
 
+// directory has to be empty
 bool PicoFileSystem::DeleteDir(const char *path) {
   std::lock_guard<Mutex> lock(mutex);
-  return sd.rmdir(path);
+  auto delDir = sd.open(path, O_READ);
+  return delDir.rmdir();
 }
 
 bool PicoFileSystem::exists(const char *path) {