diff --git a/config.yml.example b/config.yml.example
index 5f65092..f0ed36d 100644
--- a/config.yml.example
+++ b/config.yml.example
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ development: &defaults
   # redis:
   #   host: localhost
   #   port: 6379
-  # use_redis_dir_listing: true
 
 test:
   <<: *defaults
diff --git a/lib/remote_storage/swift.rb b/lib/remote_storage/swift.rb
index 6074492..535947e 100644
--- a/lib/remote_storage/swift.rb
+++ b/lib/remote_storage/swift.rb
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ module RemoteStorage
     end
 
     def get_directory_listing(user, directory)
-      if settings.use_redis_dir_listing
+      if directory_backend(user).match /new/
         get_directory_listing_from_redis(user, directory)
       else
         get_directory_listing_from_swift(user, directory)
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ module RemoteStorage
     end
 
     def has_name_collision?(user, directory, key)
-      if settings.use_redis_dir_listing
+      if directory_backend(user).match /new/
         has_name_collision_via_redis?(user, directory, key)
       else
         has_name_collision_via_swift?(user, directory, key)
@@ -518,6 +518,10 @@ module RemoteStorage
       @redis ||= Redis.new(host: settings.redis["host"], port: settings.redis["port"])
     end
 
+    def directory_backend(user)
+      @directory_backend ||= redis.get("rs_config:dir_backend:#{user}") || "legacy"
+    end
+
     def etag_for(body)
       objects = JSON.parse(body)
 
diff --git a/spec/spec_helper.rb b/spec/spec_helper.rb
index c92c47f..8cec109 100644
--- a/spec/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/spec_helper.rb
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ def redis
 end
 
 def purge_redis
-  redis.keys("*").each do |key|
+  redis.keys("rs_*").each do |key|
     redis.del key
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/swift/app_spec.rb b/spec/swift/app_spec.rb
index 6b2a876..b4b9d38 100644
--- a/spec/swift/app_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/swift/app_spec.rb
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ describe "App" do
 
     before do
       purge_redis
+      redis.set "rs_config:dir_backend:phil", "new"
     end
 
     context "authorized" do
@@ -107,6 +108,7 @@ describe "App" do
 
     before do
       purge_redis
+      redis.set "rs_config:dir_backend:phil", "new"
     end
 
     context "authorized" do
@@ -191,9 +193,11 @@ describe "App" do
 
     before do
       purge_redis
+      redis.set "rs_config:dir_backend:phil", "new"
     end
 
     context "authorized" do
+
       before do
         redis.sadd "authorizations:phil:amarillo", [":rw"]
         header "Authorization", "Bearer amarillo"
@@ -255,6 +259,33 @@ describe "App" do
 
       end
     end
+
+    context "with legacy directory backend" do
+
+      before do
+        redis.sadd "authorizations:phil:amarillo", [":rw"]
+        header "Authorization", "Bearer amarillo"
+
+        put_stub = OpenStruct.new(headers: {etag: "bla"})
+        RestClient.stub :put, put_stub do
+          put "/phil/food/aguacate", "si"
+          put "/phil/food/camaron", "yummi"
+        end
+
+        redis.set "rs_config:dir_backend:phil", "legacy"
+      end
+
+      it "serves directory listing from Swift backend" do
+        RemoteStorage::Swift.stub_any_instance :get_directory_listing_from_swift, "directory listing" do
+          get "/phil/food/"
+        end
+
+        last_response.status.must_equal 200
+        last_response.body.must_equal "directory listing"
+      end
+
+    end
+
   end
 end