diff --git a/bin/hipo-utils b/bin/hipo-utils
index 39279600f0..642114f828 100755
--- a/bin/hipo-utils
+++ b/bin/hipo-utils
@@ -8,6 +8,6 @@ export MALLOC_ARENA_MAX=1
 
 java -Xmx2048m -Xms1024m -XX:+UseSerialGC ${jvm_options[@]} \
     -cp ${COATJAVA_CLASSPATH:-''} \
-    org.jlab.jnp.hipo4.utils.HipoUtilities \
+    org.jlab.io.hipo.HipoUtilities \
     ${class_options[@]}
 
diff --git a/common-tools/clas-io/src/main/java/org/jlab/io/hipo/HipoUtilities.java b/common-tools/clas-io/src/main/java/org/jlab/io/hipo/HipoUtilities.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4a68d3b702
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common-tools/clas-io/src/main/java/org/jlab/io/hipo/HipoUtilities.java
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+package org.jlab.io.hipo;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Arrays;
+import org.jlab.utils.system.ClasUtilsFile;
+
+/**
+ * Wrapper to add a default schema directory for "hipo-utils -update".
+ * 
+ */
+public class HipoUtilities extends org.jlab.jnp.hipo4.utils.HipoUtilities {
+        
+    public static void main(String[] args) {
+
+        ArrayList<String> s = new ArrayList<>(Arrays.asList(args));
+
+        if (s.get(0).equals("-update") && !s.contains("-d")) {
+            s.add(1,"-d");
+            s.add(2,ClasUtilsFile.getResourceDir("CLAS12DIR", "etc/bankdefs/hipo4"));
+        }
+
+        org.jlab.jnp.hipo4.utils.HipoUtilities.main(s.toArray(String[]::new));
+    }
+
+}