diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.Common/CoreFileProvider.cs b/BizHawk.Client.Common/CoreFileProvider.cs
index c5230b2bc6..f079c61d36 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.Common/CoreFileProvider.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.Common/CoreFileProvider.cs
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 		/// <exception cref="MissingFirmwareException">not found and <paramref name="required"/> is true</exception>
 		public string GetFirmwarePath(string sysId, string firmwareId, bool required, string msg = null)
 		{
-			var path = FirmwareManager.Request(Global.Config.PathEntries.FirmwaresPathFragment, sysId, firmwareId);
+			var path = FirmwareManager.Request(Global.Config.PathEntries.FirmwaresPathFragment, Global.Config.FirmwareUserSpecifications, sysId, firmwareId);
 			if (path != null && !File.Exists(path))
 			{
 				path = null;
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.Common/FirmwareManager.cs b/BizHawk.Client.Common/FirmwareManager.cs
index 6f504868a5..3b91c1728c 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.Common/FirmwareManager.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.Common/FirmwareManager.cs
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 			public string FirmwareId { get; set; }
 		}
 
-		public ResolutionInfo Resolve(string firmwaresPath, FirmwareDatabase.FirmwareRecord record, bool forbidScan = false)
+		public ResolutionInfo Resolve(string firmwaresPath, IDictionary<string, string> userSpecifications, FirmwareDatabase.FirmwareRecord record, bool forbidScan = false)
 		{
 			// purpose of forbidScan: sometimes this is called from a loop in Scan(). we don't want to repeatedly DoScanAndResolve in that case, its already been done.
 			bool first = true;
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 			{
 				if (!forbidScan)
 				{
-					DoScanAndResolve(firmwaresPath);
+					DoScanAndResolve(firmwaresPath, userSpecifications);
 				}
 
 				first = false;
@@ -66,9 +66,9 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 		}
 
 		// Requests the specified firmware. tries really hard to scan and resolve as necessary
-		public string Request(string firmwaresPath, string sysId, string firmwareId)
+		public string Request(string firmwaresPath, IDictionary<string, string> userSpecifications, string sysId, string firmwareId)
 		{
-			var resolved = Resolve(firmwaresPath, FirmwareDatabase.LookupFirmwareRecord(sysId, firmwareId));
+			var resolved = Resolve(firmwaresPath, userSpecifications, FirmwareDatabase.LookupFirmwareRecord(sysId, firmwareId));
 			if (resolved == null)
 			{
 				return null;
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 			return false;
 		}
 
-		public void DoScanAndResolve(string firmwaresPath)
+		public void DoScanAndResolve(string firmwaresPath, IDictionary<string, string> userSpecifications)
 		{
 			// build a list of file sizes. Only those will be checked during scanning
 			var sizes = new HashSet<long>();
@@ -148,6 +148,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 			}
 
 			using var reader = new RealFirmwareReader();
+
 			// build a list of files under the global firmwares path, and build a hash for each of them while we're at it
 			var todo = new Queue<DirectoryInfo>();
 			todo.Enqueue(new DirectoryInfo(PathManager.MakeAbsolutePath(firmwaresPath, null)));
@@ -162,9 +163,9 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 				}
 
 				// we're going to allow recursing into subdirectories, now. its been verified to work OK
-				foreach (var disub in di.GetDirectories())
+				foreach (var subDir in di.GetDirectories())
 				{
-					todo.Enqueue(disub);
+					todo.Enqueue(subDir);
 				}
 				
 				foreach (var fi in di.GetFiles())
@@ -217,7 +218,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 			foreach (var fr in FirmwareDatabase.FirmwareRecords)
 			{
 				// do we have a user specification for this firmware record?
-				if (Global.Config.FirmwareUserSpecifications.TryGetValue(fr.ConfigKey, out var userSpec))
+				if (userSpecifications.TryGetValue(fr.ConfigKey, out var userSpec))
 				{
 					// flag it as user specified
 					if (!_resolutionDictionary.TryGetValue(fr, out ResolutionInfo ri))
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.Events.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.Events.cs
index 8f359f1bf3..138c7d2c20 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.Events.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.Events.cs
@@ -965,13 +965,13 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 		{
 			if (e is RomLoader.RomErrorArgs args)
 			{
-				using var configForm = new FirmwaresConfig(this, true, args.RomPath);
+				using var configForm = new FirmwaresConfig(this, Config, true, args.RomPath);
 				var result = configForm.ShowDialog();
 				args.Retry = result == DialogResult.Retry;
 			}
 			else
 			{
-				using var configForm = new FirmwaresConfig(this);
+				using var configForm = new FirmwaresConfig(this, Config);
 				configForm.ShowDialog();
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/FirmwaresConfig.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/FirmwaresConfig.cs
index 425f8fcf36..7b7e3253b2 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/FirmwaresConfig.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/FirmwaresConfig.cs
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 	public partial class FirmwaresConfig : Form
 	{
 		private readonly MainForm _mainForm;
+		private readonly Config _config;
 
 		// friendlier names than the system Ids
 		// Redundant with SystemLookup? Not so fast. That data drives things. This is one step abstracted. Don't be such a smart guy. Keep this redundant list up to date.
@@ -91,11 +92,10 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 		private string _currSelectorDir;
 		private readonly ListViewSorter _listViewSorter;
 
-		private string FirmwaresPath => Global.Config.PathEntries.FirmwaresPathFragment;
-
-		public FirmwaresConfig(MainForm mainForm, bool retryLoadRom = false, string reloadRomPath = null)
+		public FirmwaresConfig(MainForm mainForm, Config config, bool retryLoadRom = false, string reloadRomPath = null)
 		{
 			_mainForm = mainForm;
+			_config = config;
 			InitializeComponent();
 
 			// prep ImageList for ListView with 3 item states for {idUnsure, idMissing, idOk}
@@ -247,15 +247,24 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 		private void DoScan()
 		{
 			lvFirmwares.BeginUpdate();
-			Manager.DoScanAndResolve(FirmwaresPath);
+			Manager.DoScanAndResolve(
+				_config.PathEntries.FirmwaresPathFragment,
+				_config.FirmwareUserSpecifications);
 
 			// for each type of firmware, try resolving and record the result
 			foreach (ListViewItem lvi in lvFirmwares.Items)
 			{
 				var fr = lvi.Tag as FirmwareDatabase.FirmwareRecord;
-				var ri = Manager.Resolve(FirmwaresPath, fr, true);
-				for(int i=4;i<=7;i++)
+				var ri = Manager.Resolve(
+					_config.PathEntries.FirmwaresPathFragment,
+					_config.FirmwareUserSpecifications,
+					fr,
+					true);
+
+				for (int i = 4; i <= 7; i++)
+				{
 					lvi.SubItems[i].Text = "";
+				}
 
 				if (ri == null)
 				{
@@ -333,11 +342,11 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 				return;
 			}
 
-			Manager.DoScanAndResolve(FirmwaresPath);
+			Manager.DoScanAndResolve(_config.PathEntries.FirmwaresPathFragment, _config.FirmwareUserSpecifications);
 
 			foreach (var fr in FirmwareDatabase.FirmwareRecords)
 			{
-				var ri = Manager.Resolve(FirmwaresPath, fr);
+				var ri = Manager.Resolve(_config.PathEntries.FirmwaresPathFragment, _config.FirmwareUserSpecifications, fr);
 				if (ri?.KnownFirmwareFile == null) continue;
 				if (ri.UserSpecified) continue;
 
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/PathConfig.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/PathConfig.cs
index 17d03682b3..127ec8e7f0 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/PathConfig.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/PathConfig.cs
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 								return;
 							}
 
-							using var f = new FirmwaresConfig(_mainForm) { TargetSystem = "Global" };
+							using var f = new FirmwaresConfig(_mainForm, _config) { TargetSystem = "Global" };
 							f.ShowDialog(this);
 						};