diff --git a/client/src/main/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/client/DaemonParameters.java b/client/src/main/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/client/DaemonParameters.java
index b4a3b26e..0f068683 100644
--- a/client/src/main/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/client/DaemonParameters.java
+++ b/client/src/main/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/client/DaemonParameters.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import java.nio.file.Paths;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Optional;
@@ -55,10 +56,14 @@ public class DaemonParameters {
     protected final Map<Path, Properties> mvndProperties = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
     protected final Function<Path, Properties> provider = path -> mvndProperties.computeIfAbsent(path,
             p -> loadProperties(path));
-    protected final Properties properties;
+    private final Map<String, String> properties;
 
-    public DaemonParameters(Properties properties) {
-        this.properties = properties;
+    public DaemonParameters() {
+        this.properties = Collections.emptyMap();
+    }
+
+    protected DaemonParameters(PropertiesBuilder propertiesBuilder) {
+        this.properties = propertiesBuilder.build();
     }
 
     public List<String> getDaemonOpts() {
@@ -239,10 +244,9 @@ public class DaemonParameters {
      * @return            a new {@link DaemonParameters} with {@code userDir} set to the given {@code newUserDir}
      */
     public DaemonParameters cd(Path newUserDir) {
-        Properties properties = new Properties();
-        properties.putAll(this.properties);
-        properties.put(Environment.USER_DIR.getProperty(), newUserDir.toString());
-        return new DaemonParameters(properties);
+        return new DaemonParameters(new PropertiesBuilder()
+                .putAll(this.properties)
+                .put(Environment.USER_DIR.getProperty(), newUserDir.toString()));
     }
 
     public int keepAliveMs() {
@@ -282,7 +286,7 @@ public class DaemonParameters {
     protected EnvValue value(Environment env) {
         return new EnvValue(env, new ValueSource(
                 description -> description.append("value: ").append(env.getProperty()),
-                () -> properties.getProperty(env.getProperty())));
+                () -> properties.get(env.getProperty())));
     }
 
     public static EnvValue systemProperty(Environment env) {
@@ -354,6 +358,35 @@ public class DaemonParameters {
         return result;
     }
 
+    public static class PropertiesBuilder {
+        private Map<String, String> properties = new LinkedHashMap<>();
+
+        public PropertiesBuilder put(String key, String value) {
+            properties.put(key, value);
+            return this;
+        }
+
+        public PropertiesBuilder put(Environment envKey, Object value) {
+            if (value == null) {
+                properties.remove(envKey.getProperty());
+            } else {
+                properties.put(envKey.getProperty(), value.toString());
+            }
+            return this;
+        }
+
+        public PropertiesBuilder putAll(Map<String, String> props) {
+            properties.putAll(props);
+            return this;
+        }
+
+        public Map<String, String> build() {
+            Map<String, String> props = properties;
+            properties = null;
+            return Collections.unmodifiableMap(props);
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * A source of an environment value with a description capability.
      */
diff --git a/client/src/main/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/client/DefaultClient.java b/client/src/main/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/client/DefaultClient.java
index bcf7a3d7..0313ffc5 100644
--- a/client/src/main/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/client/DefaultClient.java
+++ b/client/src/main/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/client/DefaultClient.java
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ import java.time.LocalDateTime;
 import java.time.ZoneId;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
-import java.util.Properties;
 import java.util.function.Supplier;
 import org.fusesource.jansi.Ansi;
 import org.jboss.fuse.mvnd.common.BuildProperties;
@@ -69,7 +68,7 @@ public class DefaultClient implements Client {
         }
 
         try (TerminalOutput output = new TerminalOutput(logFile)) {
-            new DefaultClient(() -> new DaemonParameters(new Properties())).execute(output, args);
+            new DefaultClient(() -> new DaemonParameters()).execute(output, args);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/integration-tests/src/test/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/it/InteractiveTest.java b/integration-tests/src/test/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/it/InteractiveTest.java
index b2b11ca6..c06e0abe 100644
--- a/integration-tests/src/test/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/it/InteractiveTest.java
+++ b/integration-tests/src/test/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/it/InteractiveTest.java
@@ -16,9 +16,7 @@
 package org.jboss.fuse.mvnd.it;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
-
 import javax.inject.Inject;
-
 import org.jboss.fuse.mvnd.client.Client;
 import org.jboss.fuse.mvnd.client.DaemonParameters;
 import org.jboss.fuse.mvnd.common.logging.ClientOutput;
diff --git a/integration-tests/src/test/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/junit/TestParameters.java b/integration-tests/src/test/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/junit/TestParameters.java
index 0ce27c46..0b0663f5 100644
--- a/integration-tests/src/test/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/junit/TestParameters.java
+++ b/integration-tests/src/test/java/org/jboss/fuse/mvnd/junit/TestParameters.java
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 package org.jboss.fuse.mvnd.junit;
 
 import java.nio.file.Path;
-import java.util.Properties;
 import org.jboss.fuse.mvnd.client.DaemonParameters;
 import org.jboss.fuse.mvnd.common.Environment;
 
@@ -28,27 +27,21 @@ public class TestParameters extends DaemonParameters {
             Path multiModuleProjectDirectory,
             Path javaHome, Path localMavenRepository, Path settings, Path logbackConfigurationPath,
             int idleTimeout, int keepAlive, int maxLostKeepAlive) {
-        super(new Properties());
+        super(new PropertiesBuilder().put(Environment.MVND_PROPERTIES_PATH, mvndPropertiesPath)
+                .put(Environment.MVND_HOME, mavenHome)
+                .put(Environment.USER_HOME, userHome)
+                .put(Environment.USER_DIR, userDir)
+                .put(Environment.MAVEN_MULTIMODULE_PROJECT_DIRECTORY, multiModuleProjectDirectory)
+                .put(Environment.JAVA_HOME, javaHome)
+                .put(Environment.MAVEN_REPO_LOCAL, localMavenRepository)
+                .put(Environment.MAVEN_SETTINGS, settings)
+                .put(Environment.LOGBACK_CONFIGURATION_FILE, logbackConfigurationPath)
+                .put(Environment.DAEMON_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS, idleTimeout)
+                .put(Environment.DAEMON_KEEP_ALIVE_MS, keepAlive)
+                .put(Environment.DAEMON_MAX_LOST_KEEP_ALIVE, maxLostKeepAlive)
+                .put(Environment.MVND_MIN_THREADS, TEST_MIN_THREADS));
         this.testDir = testDir;
-        put(Environment.MVND_PROPERTIES_PATH, mvndPropertiesPath);
-        put(Environment.MVND_HOME, mavenHome);
-        put(Environment.USER_HOME, userHome);
-        put(Environment.USER_DIR, userDir);
-        put(Environment.MAVEN_MULTIMODULE_PROJECT_DIRECTORY, multiModuleProjectDirectory);
-        put(Environment.JAVA_HOME, javaHome);
-        put(Environment.MAVEN_REPO_LOCAL, localMavenRepository);
-        put(Environment.MAVEN_SETTINGS, settings);
-        put(Environment.LOGBACK_CONFIGURATION_FILE, logbackConfigurationPath);
-        put(Environment.DAEMON_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS, idleTimeout);
-        put(Environment.DAEMON_KEEP_ALIVE_MS, keepAlive);
-        put(Environment.DAEMON_MAX_LOST_KEEP_ALIVE, maxLostKeepAlive);
-        put(Environment.MVND_MIN_THREADS, TEST_MIN_THREADS);
-    }
 
-    private void put(Environment env, Object value) {
-        if (value != null) {
-            this.properties.put(env.getProperty(), value.toString());
-        }
     }
 
     public Path getTestDir() {