diff --git a/tools/python/neb1.py b/tools/python/neb1.py
index 065f511e2e..4bf315d143 100755
--- a/tools/python/neb1.py
+++ b/tools/python/neb1.py
@@ -12,16 +12,18 @@
 #   only atoms of itype in dfile2,...,dfileN are added to dfinal
 
 import sys,os
+path = os.environ["LAMMPS_PYTHON_TOOLS"]
+sys.path.append(path)
+from dump import dump
 from dump import dump
-if not globals().has_key("argv"): argv = sys.argv
 
-if len(argv) < 5:
+if len(sys.argv) < 5:
   print "Syntax: neb1.py dfinal itype dfile1 dfile2 ..."
   sys.exit()
 
-dfinal = argv[1]
-itype = int(argv[2])
-files = argv[3:]
+dfinal = sys.argv[1]
+itype = int(sys.argv[2])
+files = sys.argv[3:]
 
 tstr = "$type == %d" % itype
 
diff --git a/tools/python/neb2.py b/tools/python/neb2.py
index 3cf6de09e1..502a09f95b 100755
--- a/tools/python/neb2.py
+++ b/tools/python/neb2.py
@@ -9,15 +9,16 @@
 # for M replicas, final snapshots are renumbered in final file from 1 to M
 
 import sys,os
+path = os.environ["LAMMPS_PYTHON_TOOLS"]
+sys.path.append(path)
 from dump import dump
-if not globals().has_key("argv"): argv = sys.argv
 
-if len(argv) < 5:
+if len(sys.argv) < 5:
   print "Syntax: neb2.py dfinal dfile1 dfile2 ..."
   sys.exit()
 
-dfinal = argv[1]
-files = argv[2:]
+dfinal = sys.argv[1]
+files = sys.argv[2:]
 
 if os.path.exists(dfinal): os.remove(dfinal)