diff --git a/app/src/processing/app/Base.java b/app/src/processing/app/Base.java
index 354e32d89..c8d0762bd 100644
--- a/app/src/processing/app/Base.java
+++ b/app/src/processing/app/Base.java
@@ -1759,12 +1759,7 @@ public class Base {
         sketchbookFolder.mkdirs();
       }
     }
-
-    getSketchbookLibrariesFolder().mkdir();
-    getSketchbookToolsFolder().mkdir();
-    getSketchbookModesFolder().mkdir();
-    getSketchbookExamplesFolder().mkdir();
-//    System.err.println("sketchbook: " + sketchbookFolder);
+    makeSketchbookSubfolders();
   }
 
 
@@ -1772,6 +1767,18 @@ public class Base {
     sketchbookFolder = folder;
     Preferences.setSketchbookPath(folder.getAbsolutePath());
     rebuildSketchbookMenus();
+    makeSketchbookSubfolders();
+  }
+
+
+  /**
+   * Create the libraries, modes, tools, examples folders in the sketchbook.
+   */
+  static protected void makeSketchbookSubfolders() {
+    getSketchbookLibrariesFolder().mkdirs();
+    getSketchbookToolsFolder().mkdirs();
+    getSketchbookModesFolder().mkdirs();
+    getSketchbookExamplesFolder().mkdirs();
   }
 
 
diff --git a/todo.txt b/todo.txt
index 816b830a1..07efd655c 100644
--- a/todo.txt
+++ b/todo.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 0240 (3.0b2)
 X make download-jdk-macosx target work properly
 X remove "pair is" debug messages
+X create sketchbook subfolders on startup
+X   https://github.com/processing/processing/issues/3548
+
 
 _ if no platforms selected in export, will still say "done exporting!"
 _   maybe if none selected, should default select the current platform