diff --git a/build/phing/build.yml b/build/phing/build.yml
index 94e1f9852d..a36aaf477a 100644
--- a/build/phing/build.yml
+++ b/build/phing/build.yml
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 bolt:
-  new.dir: ${bolt.root}/../${project.acquia_subname}
+  new.dir: ${bolt.root}/../${project.machine_name}
diff --git a/template/README.md b/template/README.md
index 1bd8bf1df5..57c626f4b8 100644
--- a/template/README.md
+++ b/template/README.md
@@ -21,10 +21,10 @@ Documentation by role:
 ## Resources
 
 * JIRA - link me!
-* [GitHub](http://www.github.com/acquia-pso/${project.acquia_subname})
+* [GitHub](http://www.github.com/acquia-pso/${project.machine_name})
 * Acquia Cloud subscription - link me!
-* [TravisCI](https://travis-ci.com/acquia-pso/${project.acquia_subname}) 
+* [TravisCI](https://travis-ci.com/acquia-pso/${project.machine_name}) 
 
 ----------------
 
-[![Build Status](https://magnum.travis-ci.com/acquia-pso/${project.acquia_subname}.svg?token=eFBAT6vQ9cqDh1Sed5Mw&branch=${git.default_branch})](https://magnum.travis-ci.com/acquia-pso/${project.acquia_subname})
+[![Build Status](https://magnum.travis-ci.com/acquia-pso/${project.machine_name}.svg?token=eFBAT6vQ9cqDh1Sed5Mw&branch=${git.default_branch})](https://magnum.travis-ci.com/acquia-pso/${project.machine_name})
diff --git a/template/composer.json b/template/composer.json
index 762cfb09e6..90c221cabc 100644
--- a/template/composer.json
+++ b/template/composer.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-  "name": "acquia/${project.acquia_subname}",
+  "name": "acquia/${project.machine_name}",
   "license": "proprietary",
   "type": "project",
   "repositories": [
diff --git a/template/docroot/sites/default/settings.php b/template/docroot/sites/default/settings.php
index 744f9c3251..4cf7fe41f6 100755
--- a/template/docroot/sites/default/settings.php
+++ b/template/docroot/sites/default/settings.php
@@ -733,8 +733,8 @@
  * Keep this code block at the end of this file to take full effect.
  */
 if ($is_local_env) {
-  if (isset($_SERVER['DEVDESKTOP_DRUPAL_SETTINGS_DIR']) && file_exists($_SERVER['DEVDESKTOP_DRUPAL_SETTINGS_DIR'] . '/loc_${project.acquia_subname}_dd.inc')) {
-    require $_SERVER['DEVDESKTOP_DRUPAL_SETTINGS_DIR'] . '/loc_${project.acquia_subname}_dd.inc';
+  if (isset($_SERVER['DEVDESKTOP_DRUPAL_SETTINGS_DIR']) && file_exists($_SERVER['DEVDESKTOP_DRUPAL_SETTINGS_DIR'] . '/loc_${project.machine_name}_dd.inc')) {
+    require $_SERVER['DEVDESKTOP_DRUPAL_SETTINGS_DIR'] . '/loc_${project.machine_name}_dd.inc';
   }
   elseif (file_exists(DRUPAL_ROOT . '/sites/default/settings/local.settings.php')) {
     require DRUPAL_ROOT . '/sites/default/settings/local.settings.php';
diff --git a/template/project.yml b/template/project.yml
index 21c1d908a1..aa99d5e3b3 100644
--- a/template/project.yml
+++ b/template/project.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 project:
-  # The acquia_subname value is the machine name of your Github repository.
   # This will determine the the directory name of the new repository.
-  acquia_subname: 'bolted8'
+  # Dev Desktop users: this should match your local site name
+  machine_name: 'bolted8'
   # Used for enforcing correct git commit msg syntax.
   prefix: 'BLT'
   human_name: 'Bolted 8'
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ git:
 drush:
   aliases:
     # The remote environment from which the database will be pulled.
-    remote: ${acquia_subname}.test
+    remote: ${machine_name}.test
     # The local environment against which all local drush commands are run.
     local: self
 
diff --git a/template/readme/local-development.md b/template/readme/local-development.md
index fafc831d18..1f062aa7b4 100644
--- a/template/readme/local-development.md
+++ b/template/readme/local-development.md
@@ -30,21 +30,21 @@ To use Drupal VM with a Drupal project that is generated with Bolt, first place
 To make sure Drush commands work correctly with Drupal VM, inside the new project's `build/custom/phing/build.yml` file, override the `docroot` used for Drush commands with the value:
 
     drush:
-      root: /var/www/[project_acquia_subname]/docroot
+      root: /var/www/[project_machine_name]/docroot
 
 Then follow the Quick Start Guide in [Drupal VM's README](https://github.com/geerlingguy/drupal-vm#quick-start-guide), but before you run  `vagrant up`, make the following changes to your VM
 `config.yml` file:
 
     # Update the hostname to the local development environment hostname.
     vagrant_hostname: [project_local_domain]
-    vagrant_machine_name: [project_acquia_subname]
+    vagrant_machine_name: [project_machine_name]
 
     # Provide the path to the project root to Vagrant.
     vagrant_synced_folders:
       # Set the local_path for the first synced folder to `../`.
       - local_path: ../
         # Set the destination to the Acquia Cloud subscription machine name.
-        destination: /var/www/[project_acquia_subname]
+        destination: /var/www/[project_machine_name]
         type: nfs
 
     # Set this to `7` for a Drupal 7 site, or `8` for a Drupal 8 site.
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ Then follow the Quick Start Guide in [Drupal VM's README](https://github.com/gee
 
     # Set drupal_core_path to the `destination` in the synced folder
     # configuration above, plus `/docroot`.
-    drupal_core_path: /var/www/[project_acquia_subname]/docroot
+    drupal_core_path: /var/www/[project_machine_name]/docroot
 
     # Set drupal_domain to the same thing as the `vagrant_hostname` above.
     drupal_domain: [project_local_domain]
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/BoltTest.php b/tests/phpunit/BoltTest.php
index 6f8fbec3b0..6c4131c3ce 100644
--- a/tests/phpunit/BoltTest.php
+++ b/tests/phpunit/BoltTest.php
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ public function __construct() {
 
     $this->projectDirectory = realpath(dirname(__FILE__) . '/../../');
     $this->config = Yaml::parse(file_get_contents("{$this->projectDirectory}/project.yml"));
-    $this->new_project_dir = dirname($this->projectDirectory) . '/' . $this->config['project']['acquia_subname'];
+    $this->new_project_dir = dirname($this->projectDirectory) . '/' . $this->config['project']['machine_name'];
   }
 
   /**
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ public function testBoltCreate() {
       );
     $this->assertFileNotExists($this->new_project_dir . '/build/tasks/bolt.xml');
     $this->assertNotContains(
-          '${project.acquia_subname}',
+          '${project.machine_name}',
           file_get_contents($this->new_project_dir . '/docroot/sites/default/settings.php')
       );
     $this->assertNotContains(
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/DeployTest.php b/tests/phpunit/DeployTest.php
index b7f83aacdf..bf9390a4ac 100644
--- a/tests/phpunit/DeployTest.php
+++ b/tests/phpunit/DeployTest.php
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ public function __construct() {
 
     $this->projectDirectory = realpath(dirname(__FILE__) . '/../../');
     $this->config = Yaml::parse(file_get_contents("{$this->projectDirectory}/project.yml"));
-    $this->new_project_dir = dirname($this->projectDirectory) . '/' . $this->config['project']['acquia_subname'];
+    $this->new_project_dir = dirname($this->projectDirectory) . '/' . $this->config['project']['machine_name'];
     $this->deploy_dir = $this->new_project_dir . '/deploy';
   }