diff --git a/src/commons/Parameters.h b/src/commons/Parameters.h
index 1112e261c..6db7ddbfc 100644
--- a/src/commons/Parameters.h
+++ b/src/commons/Parameters.h
@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@ struct MMseqsParameter {
     }
 };
 
+void initParameterSingleton(void);
+#define DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT void initParameterSingleton() { new Parameters; }
 
 class Parameters {
 public:
@@ -712,13 +714,11 @@ class Parameters {
     static Parameters& getInstance()
     {
         if (instance == NULL) {
-            initInstance();
+            initParameterSingleton();
         }
         return *instance;
     }
-    static void initInstance() {
-        new Parameters;
-    }
+    friend void initParameterSingleton(void);
 
     void setDefaults();
     void initMatrices();
diff --git a/src/mmseqs.cpp b/src/mmseqs.cpp
index f0a5be091..5c7287a81 100644
--- a/src/mmseqs.cpp
+++ b/src/mmseqs.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #include "Command.h"
 #include "DownloadDatabase.h"
 #include "Prefiltering.h"
+#include "Parameters.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "mmseqs";
 const char* tool_name = "MMseqs2";
@@ -19,6 +20,8 @@ void init() {
 }
 void (*initCommands)(void) = init;
 
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
+
 std::vector<DatabaseDownload> externalDownloads = {};
 std::vector<KmerThreshold> externalThreshold = {};
 
diff --git a/src/test/TestAlignment.cpp b/src/test/TestAlignment.cpp
index 62f528a3a..65ee95d0a 100644
--- a/src/test/TestAlignment.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestAlignment.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include "Matcher.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_alignment";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 int main (int, const char**) {
     const size_t kmer_size=6;
diff --git a/src/test/TestAlignmentPerformance.cpp b/src/test/TestAlignmentPerformance.cpp
index 225bd2b84..ed74223c6 100644
--- a/src/test/TestAlignmentPerformance.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestAlignmentPerformance.cpp
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include "StripedSmithWaterman.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_alignmentperformance";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 #define MAX_FILENAME_LIST_FILES 4096
 
diff --git a/src/test/TestAlignmentTraceback.cpp b/src/test/TestAlignmentTraceback.cpp
index 6e66bedb7..ade3abebb 100644
--- a/src/test/TestAlignmentTraceback.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestAlignmentTraceback.cpp
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include "Parameters.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_alignmenttraceback";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 struct scores{
     short H;
diff --git a/src/test/TestAlp.cpp b/src/test/TestAlp.cpp
index d3b98a4b7..7cd701bd1 100644
--- a/src/test/TestAlp.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestAlp.cpp
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ Contents: pairwise alignment algorithms
 #include "sls_alignment_evaluer.hpp"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_alp";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 using namespace Sls;
 using namespace std;
diff --git a/src/test/TestBacktraceTranslator.cpp b/src/test/TestBacktraceTranslator.cpp
index 39328d0ff..b8a7bfd9c 100644
--- a/src/test/TestBacktraceTranslator.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestBacktraceTranslator.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 #include "BacktraceTranslator.h"
-#include "Parameters.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_backtracetranslator";
 
diff --git a/src/test/TestBestAlphabet.cpp b/src/test/TestBestAlphabet.cpp
index fb432c53b..028977593 100644
--- a/src/test/TestBestAlphabet.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestBestAlphabet.cpp
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
 #include "DBReader.h"
 #include "Sequence.h"
 #include "Indexer.h"
-#include "Parameters.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_bestalphabet";
 
diff --git a/src/test/TestCompositionBias.cpp b/src/test/TestCompositionBias.cpp
index 1a3e69914..f55315c13 100644
--- a/src/test/TestCompositionBias.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestCompositionBias.cpp
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include "Parameters.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_compositionbias";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 void calcLocalAaBiasCorrection(Sequence* seq, SubstitutionMatrix * m){
     const int windowSize = 40;
diff --git a/src/test/TestDiagonalScoring.cpp b/src/test/TestDiagonalScoring.cpp
index cdb5b45d8..adb055885 100644
--- a/src/test/TestDiagonalScoring.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestDiagonalScoring.cpp
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include "Parameters.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_diagonalscoring";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 int main (int, const char**) {
     size_t kmer_size = 6;
diff --git a/src/test/TestDiagonalScoringPerformance.cpp b/src/test/TestDiagonalScoringPerformance.cpp
index 3f224d29b..bb260a080 100644
--- a/src/test/TestDiagonalScoringPerformance.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestDiagonalScoringPerformance.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ KSEQ_INIT(int, read)
 #include "Parameters.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_diagonalscoringperformance";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 int main (int, const char**) {
     size_t kmer_size = 6;
diff --git a/src/test/TestKmerGenerator.cpp b/src/test/TestKmerGenerator.cpp
index a74568918..c9d35d535 100644
--- a/src/test/TestKmerGenerator.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestKmerGenerator.cpp
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #include "Parameters.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_kmergenerator";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 int main (int, const char**) {
     const size_t kmer_size=6;
diff --git a/src/test/TestKmerNucl.cpp b/src/test/TestKmerNucl.cpp
index 745615944..4a5666caf 100644
--- a/src/test/TestKmerNucl.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestKmerNucl.cpp
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #include "Orf.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_kmernucl";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 std::string kmerToSting(size_t idx, int size) {
     char output[32];
diff --git a/src/test/TestKmerScore.cpp b/src/test/TestKmerScore.cpp
index 77a6bf981..834e98ffb 100644
--- a/src/test/TestKmerScore.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestKmerScore.cpp
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 #include "Parameters.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_kmerscore";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 int main (int, const char**) {
     const size_t kmer_size = 6;
diff --git a/src/test/TestKwayMerge.cpp b/src/test/TestKwayMerge.cpp
index 864ce52f1..d62619dc7 100644
--- a/src/test/TestKwayMerge.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestKwayMerge.cpp
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 
 #include "SubstitutionMatrix.h"
 #include "Sequence.h"
-#include "Parameters.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_kwaymerge";
 struct KmerEntry{
diff --git a/src/test/TestMultipleAlignment.cpp b/src/test/TestMultipleAlignment.cpp
index 38c7aec16..b01aa55d0 100644
--- a/src/test/TestMultipleAlignment.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestMultipleAlignment.cpp
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include "Parameters.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_multiplealignment";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 int main(int, const char**) {
     Parameters& par = Parameters::getInstance();
diff --git a/src/test/TestPSSM.cpp b/src/test/TestPSSM.cpp
index 4e38f9dca..f6beed89c 100644
--- a/src/test/TestPSSM.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestPSSM.cpp
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #include "MultipleAlignment.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_pssm";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 int main (int, const char**) {
     Parameters& par = Parameters::getInstance();
diff --git a/src/test/TestPSSMPrune.cpp b/src/test/TestPSSMPrune.cpp
index cb36036f6..ce296917c 100644
--- a/src/test/TestPSSMPrune.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestPSSMPrune.cpp
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 #include <string.h>
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_pssmprune";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 int main (int, const char**) {
     Parameters& par = Parameters::getInstance();
diff --git a/src/test/TestProfileAlignment.cpp b/src/test/TestProfileAlignment.cpp
index 6e54ad657..83ae457b1 100644
--- a/src/test/TestProfileAlignment.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestProfileAlignment.cpp
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 #include "Parameters.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_profilealignment";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 int main (int, const char**) {
     const size_t kmer_size=6;
diff --git a/src/test/TestReduceMatrix.cpp b/src/test/TestReduceMatrix.cpp
index b75975d4d..f388d80d8 100644
--- a/src/test/TestReduceMatrix.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestReduceMatrix.cpp
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 #include "Parameters.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_reducematrix";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 int main (int, const char**) {
     const int reductionAlphabetSize = 17;
diff --git a/src/test/TestScoreMatrixSerialization.cpp b/src/test/TestScoreMatrixSerialization.cpp
index 0f383c453..6eee841ae 100644
--- a/src/test/TestScoreMatrixSerialization.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestScoreMatrixSerialization.cpp
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include "Debug.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_scorematrixserialization";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 int main (int, const char**) {
     Parameters& par = Parameters::getInstance();
diff --git a/src/test/TestSequenceIndex.cpp b/src/test/TestSequenceIndex.cpp
index ffdbebfeb..eac38a379 100644
--- a/src/test/TestSequenceIndex.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestSequenceIndex.cpp
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 #include "Parameters.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_sequenceindex";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 int main (int, const char**) {
     size_t kmer_size = 6;
diff --git a/src/test/TestTanTan.cpp b/src/test/TestTanTan.cpp
index fe1fc0b7f..65a25c7cc 100644
--- a/src/test/TestTanTan.cpp
+++ b/src/test/TestTanTan.cpp
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 #include "Parameters.h"
 
 const char* binary_name = "test_tantan";
+DEFAULT_PARAMETER_SINGLETON_INIT;
 
 int main (int, const char**) {
     const size_t kmer_size = 6;