diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index 02b6c7bc..b42ffab2 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 Package: orderly2
 Title: Orderly Next Generation
-Version: 1.99.47
+Version: 1.99.48
 Authors@R: c(person("Rich", "FitzJohn", role = c("aut", "cre"),
                     email = "rich.fitzjohn@gmail.com"),
              person("Robert", "Ashton", role = "aut"),
diff --git a/R/cleanup.R b/R/cleanup.R
index 41026a37..00e2d36e 100644
--- a/R/cleanup.R
+++ b/R/cleanup.R
@@ -7,11 +7,11 @@
 ##' directories; orderly2 has similar semantics here to git where
 ##' directories are never directly tracked.
 ##'
-##' For recent `gert` (not yet on CRAN) we will ask git if files are
-##' ignored; if ignored then they are good candidates for deletion! We
-##' encourage you to keep a per-report `.gitignore` that lists files
-##' that will copy into the source directory, and then we can use that
-##' same information to clean up these files after generation.
+##' For recent `gert` we will ask git if files are ignored; if ignored
+##' then they are good candidates for deletion! We encourage you to
+##' keep a per-report `.gitignore` that lists files that will copy
+##' into the source directory, and then we can use that same
+##' information to clean up these files after generation.
 ##' Importantly, even if a file matches an ignore rule but has been
 ##' committed to your repository, it will no longer match the ignore
 ##' rule.
@@ -65,6 +65,8 @@
 ##'
 ##' # Do the actual deletion:
 ##' orderly2::orderly_cleanup("data", root = path)
+##'
+##' fs::dir_delete(path)
 orderly_cleanup <- function(name = NULL, dry_run = FALSE, root = NULL) {
   status <- orderly_cleanup_status(name, root)
   n <- length(status$delete)
diff --git a/R/example.R b/R/example.R
index 34c9cbe1..f9cd30e5 100644
--- a/R/example.R
+++ b/R/example.R
@@ -19,18 +19,20 @@
 ##' @examples
 ##' path <- orderly2::orderly_example("default")
 ##' orderly2::orderly_list_src(root = path)
+##'
+##' fs::dir_delete(path)
 orderly_example <- function(name, ..., dest = NULL) {
   match_value(name, "default", call = environment())
   if (is.null(dest)) {
-    dest <- withr::local_tempfile(.local_envir = parent.frame())
+    dest <- tempfile("orderly2_ex_")
   } else {
-    assert_scalar_character(dest, call = environment())
-  }
-  if (file.exists(dest)) {
-    cli::cli_abort("The path '{dest}' cannot exist")
+    assert_scalar_character(dest)
+    if (file.exists(dest)) {
+      cli::cli_abort("The path '{dest}' must not exist")
+    }
   }
+  orderly_init(..., root = dest)
   src <- orderly2_file("example")
-  fs::dir_copy(src, dest)
-  orderly2::orderly_init(..., root = dest)
+  fs::dir_copy(file.path(src, "src"), dest)
   invisible(dest)
 }
diff --git a/R/orderly.R b/R/orderly.R
index 67058364..4958b6c2 100644
--- a/R/orderly.R
+++ b/R/orderly.R
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 ##' @examples
 ##' path <- orderly2::orderly_example("default")
 ##' orderly2::orderly_list_src(root = path)
+##' fs::dir_delete(path)
 orderly_list_src <- function(root = NULL) {
   root_path <- orderly_src_root(root)
   if (!file.exists(file.path(root_path, "src"))) {
diff --git a/R/run.R b/R/run.R
index b7af6c81..1eebb233 100644
--- a/R/run.R
+++ b/R/run.R
@@ -150,6 +150,9 @@
 ##'
 ##' # and we can query the metadata:
 ##' orderly2::orderly_metadata_extract(name = "data", root = path)
+##'
+##' # Cleanup
+##' fs::dir_delete(path)
 orderly_run <- function(name, parameters = NULL, envir = NULL, echo = TRUE,
                         location = NULL, allow_remote = NULL,
                         pull_metadata = FALSE, search_options = NULL,
diff --git a/man/orderly_cleanup.Rd b/man/orderly_cleanup.Rd
index b6ebb33a..4eb2ecaa 100644
--- a/man/orderly_cleanup.Rd
+++ b/man/orderly_cleanup.Rd
@@ -41,11 +41,11 @@ After file deletion, we look through and remove all empty
 directories; orderly2 has similar semantics here to git where
 directories are never directly tracked.
 
-For recent \code{gert} (not yet on CRAN) we will ask git if files are
-ignored; if ignored then they are good candidates for deletion! We
-encourage you to keep a per-report \code{.gitignore} that lists files
-that will copy into the source directory, and then we can use that
-same information to clean up these files after generation.
+For recent \code{gert} we will ask git if files are ignored; if ignored
+then they are good candidates for deletion! We encourage you to
+keep a per-report \code{.gitignore} that lists files that will copy
+into the source directory, and then we can use that same
+information to clean up these files after generation.
 Importantly, even if a file matches an ignore rule but has been
 committed to your repository, it will no longer match the ignore
 rule.
@@ -83,4 +83,6 @@ orderly2::orderly_cleanup_status("data", root = path)
 
 # Do the actual deletion:
 orderly2::orderly_cleanup("data", root = path)
+
+fs::dir_delete(path)
 }
diff --git a/man/orderly_example.Rd b/man/orderly_example.Rd
index b6ce6d1f..6cc8b6a2 100644
--- a/man/orderly_example.Rd
+++ b/man/orderly_example.Rd
@@ -28,4 +28,6 @@ should not form part of your workflow!
 \examples{
 path <- orderly2::orderly_example("default")
 orderly2::orderly_list_src(root = path)
+
+fs::dir_delete(path)
 }
diff --git a/man/orderly_list_src.Rd b/man/orderly_list_src.Rd
index 214e0439..80580773 100644
--- a/man/orderly_list_src.Rd
+++ b/man/orderly_list_src.Rd
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ as the directory (e.g., \code{src/data/data.R} corresponds to \code{data}).
 \examples{
 path <- orderly2::orderly_example("default")
 orderly2::orderly_list_src(root = path)
+fs::dir_delete(path)
 }
 \seealso{
 \link{orderly_metadata_extract} for listing packets
diff --git a/man/orderly_run.Rd b/man/orderly_run.Rd
index 5173ee82..e9b157d5 100644
--- a/man/orderly_run.Rd
+++ b/man/orderly_run.Rd
@@ -197,4 +197,7 @@ fs::dir_tree(path)
 
 # and we can query the metadata:
 orderly2::orderly_metadata_extract(name = "data", root = path)
+
+# Cleanup
+fs::dir_delete(path)
 }
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-example.R b/tests/testthat/test-example.R
index 420f22c9..71a0cf28 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-example.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-example.R
@@ -1,18 +1,3 @@
-test_that("can use self destructing paths", {
-  res <- local({
-    res <- local({
-      tmp <- withr::local_tempfile()
-      path <- suppressMessages(orderly_example("default", dest = NULL))
-      list(path = path, exists_inner = file.exists(path))
-    })
-    res$exists_outer <- file.exists(res$path)
-    res
-  })
-  expect_true(res$exists_inner)
-  expect_false(res$exists_outer)
-})
-
-
 test_that("can use custom path", {
   path <- withr::local_tempfile()
   res <- suppressMessages(orderly_example("default", dest = path))
@@ -34,5 +19,5 @@ test_that("can set config", {
 test_that("error if path exists", {
   path <- withr::local_tempdir()
   expect_error(orderly_example("default", dest = path),
-               "The path '.+' cannot exist")
+               "The path '.+' must not exist")
 })