diff --git a/src/executorlib/task_scheduler/interactive/spawner_pysqa.py b/src/executorlib/task_scheduler/interactive/spawner_pysqa.py
index 6b3b4463..3cdfc709 100644
--- a/src/executorlib/task_scheduler/interactive/spawner_pysqa.py
+++ b/src/executorlib/task_scheduler/interactive/spawner_pysqa.py
@@ -238,6 +238,8 @@ def create_pysqa_block_allocation_scheduler(
     cores_per_worker = executor_kwargs.get("cores", 1)
     if "cwd" in executor_kwargs and executor_kwargs["cwd"] is not None:
         executor_kwargs["cwd"] = os.path.abspath(executor_kwargs["cwd"])
+    elif cache_directory is not None:
+        executor_kwargs["cwd"] = os.path.abspath(cache_directory)
     if cache_directory is not None:
         executor_kwargs["cache_directory"] = os.path.abspath(cache_directory)
     else:
diff --git a/tests/unit/executor/test_flux_cluster.py b/tests/unit/executor/test_flux_cluster.py
index 37661b13..a86937d0 100644
--- a/tests/unit/executor/test_flux_cluster.py
+++ b/tests/unit/executor/test_flux_cluster.py
@@ -71,6 +71,20 @@ def test_executor(self):
             self.assertEqual(len(os.listdir("executorlib_cache")), 4)
             self.assertTrue(fs1.done())
 
+    def test_executor_no_cwd(self):
+        with FluxClusterExecutor(
+            resource_dict={"cores": 2},
+            block_allocation=False,
+            cache_directory="executorlib_cache",
+            pmi_mode=pmi,
+        ) as exe:
+            cloudpickle_register(ind=1)
+            fs1 = exe.submit(mpi_funct, 1)
+            self.assertFalse(fs1.done())
+            self.assertEqual(fs1.result(), [(1, 2, 0), (1, 2, 1)])
+            self.assertEqual(len(os.listdir("executorlib_cache")), 4)
+            self.assertTrue(fs1.done())
+
     def test_executor_blockallocation(self):
         with FluxClusterExecutor(
             resource_dict={"cores": 2, "cwd": "executorlib_cache"},
@@ -86,6 +100,21 @@ def test_executor_blockallocation(self):
             self.assertEqual(len(os.listdir("executorlib_cache")), 2)
             self.assertTrue(fs1.done())
 
+    def test_executor_blockallocation_no_cwd(self):
+        with FluxClusterExecutor(
+            resource_dict={"cores": 2},
+            block_allocation=True,
+            cache_directory="executorlib_cache",
+            pmi_mode=pmi,
+            max_workers=1,
+        ) as exe:
+            cloudpickle_register(ind=1)
+            fs1 = exe.submit(mpi_funct, 1)
+            self.assertFalse(fs1.done())
+            self.assertEqual(fs1.result(), [(1, 2, 0), (1, 2, 1)])
+            self.assertEqual(len(os.listdir("executorlib_cache")), 2)
+            self.assertTrue(fs1.done())
+
     def test_executor_dependencies(self):
         with FluxClusterExecutor(
             resource_dict={"cores": 1, "cwd": "executorlib_cache"},