diff --git a/apps/dashboard/app/lib/smart_attributes/attributes/auto_output_directory.rb b/apps/dashboard/app/lib/smart_attributes/attributes/auto_output_directory.rb
index 24fc478321..1c19bf8e1c 100644
--- a/apps/dashboard/app/lib/smart_attributes/attributes/auto_output_directory.rb
+++ b/apps/dashboard/app/lib/smart_attributes/attributes/auto_output_directory.rb
@@ -16,12 +16,8 @@ class AutoOutputDirectory < Attribute
       # Value of auto_output_directory attribute
       # Defaults to first script path in the project
       # @return [String] attribute value
-      def error_path_value
-        "#{opts[:value]}/%j-output.log" || 'Default Output Directory'
-      end
-      
-      def output_path_value
-        "#{opts[:value]}/%j-error.log" || 'Default Output Directory'
+      def value
+        opts[:value] || 'Default Output Directory'
       end
 
       def widget
@@ -32,13 +28,26 @@ def label(*)
         (opts[:label] || 'Output Directory').to_s
       end
 
+      def output_directory_hash
+        { output_path: output_path_value, error_path: error_path_value  }
+      end
+
       # Submission hash describing how to submit this attribute
       # @param fmt [String, nil] formatting of hash
       # @return [Hash] submission hash
       def submit(*)
-        { script: { output_path: output_path_value, error_path: error_path_value } }
+        opts[:value] ? { script: output_directory_hash } : nil
       end
 
+      private
+
+      def error_path_value
+        "#{opts[:value]}/%j-error.log"
+      end
+      
+      def output_path_value
+        "#{opts[:value]}/%j-output.log"
+      end
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/apps/dashboard/test/lib/smart_attributes/auto_output_directory_test.rb b/apps/dashboard/test/lib/smart_attributes/auto_output_directory_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e4b1cbc103
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/dashboard/test/lib/smart_attributes/auto_output_directory_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+require 'test_helper'
+require 'smart_attributes'
+
+module SmartAttributes
+  class AutoOutputDirectoryTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
+    def setup
+      stub_clusters
+      stub_user
+      stub_sacctmgr
+    end
+
+    def dynamic_env
+      {
+        OOD_BC_DYNAMIC_JS:   'true'
+      }
+    end
+
+    test 'correctly sets the value' do
+      with_modified_env(dynamic_env) do
+        options = {
+          value: 'output_extravaganza',
+          label: 'Output Directory'
+        }
+        attribute = SmartAttributes::AttributeFactory.build('auto_output_directory', options)
+
+        assert_equal('output_extravaganza', attribute.value.to_s)
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/apps/dashboard/test/system/project_manager_test.rb b/apps/dashboard/test/system/project_manager_test.rb
index aadbf3d6b2..7cef744bae 100644
--- a/apps/dashboard/test/system/project_manager_test.rb
+++ b/apps/dashboard/test/system/project_manager_test.rb
@@ -456,6 +456,55 @@ def add_auto_environment_variable(project_id, script_id, save: true)
     end
   end
 
+  # super similar to test above, only it adds auto_output_directory
+  test 'submitting a script with output directory' do
+    Dir.mktmpdir do |dir|
+      project_id = setup_project(dir)
+      script_id = setup_script(project_id)
+      project_dir = File.join(dir, 'projects', project_id)
+      ondemand_dir = File.join(project_dir, '.ondemand')
+      add_account(project_id, script_id, save: false)
+
+      click_on('Add new option')
+      select('Log Output Directory', from: 'add_new_field_select')
+      click_on(I18n.t('dashboard.add'))
+      fill_in('launcher_auto_output_directory', with: 'output_extravaganza')
+      click_on(I18n.t('dashboard.save'))
+
+      launcher_path = project_launcher_path(project_id, script_id)
+      find("[href='#{launcher_path}'].btn-success").click
+      assert_selector('h1', text: 'the script title', count: 1)
+
+      # assert defaults
+      assert_equal 'oakley', find('#launcher_auto_batch_clusters').value
+      assert_equal 'pzs0715', find('#launcher_auto_accounts').value
+      assert_equal "#{project_dir}/my_cool_script.sh", find('#launcher_auto_scripts').value
+      assert_nil YAML.safe_load(File.read("#{ondemand_dir}/job_log.yml"))
+
+      select('owens', from: 'launcher_auto_batch_clusters')
+      select('pas2051', from: 'launcher_auto_accounts')
+      select('my_cooler_script.bash', from: 'launcher_auto_scripts')
+
+      Open3
+        .stubs(:capture3)
+        .with({}, 'sbatch', '-o', 'output_extravaganza/job-id-123-output.log',
+                  '-e', 'output_extravaganza/job-id-123-error.log' '-A', 'pas2051',
+                  '--export', 'NONE', '--parsable', '-M', 'owens',
+              stdin_data: "hostname\n")
+        .returns(['job-id-123', '', exit_success])
+
+      OodCore::Job::Adapters::Slurm.any_instance
+                                   .stubs(:info).returns(OodCore::Job::Info.new(id: 'job-id-123', status: :running))
+
+      click_on 'Launch'
+      assert_selector('.alert-success', text: 'job-id-123')
+      jobs = YAML.safe_load(File.read("#{ondemand_dir}/job_log.yml"), permitted_classes: [Time])
+
+      assert_equal(1, jobs.size)
+      assert_equal('job-id-123', jobs[0]['id'])
+    end
+  end
+
   test 'submitting a script with auto attributes that fails' do
     Dir.mktmpdir do |dir|
       project_id = setup_project(dir)
@@ -506,7 +555,8 @@ def add_auto_environment_variable(project_id, script_id, save: true)
       actual_new_options = page.all("##{new_field_id} option").map(&:value).to_set
       expected_new_options = [
         'bc_num_hours', 'auto_queues', 'bc_num_slots', 'auto_cores',
-        'auto_accounts', 'auto_job_name', 'auto_environment_variable'
+        'auto_accounts', 'auto_job_name', 'auto_environment_variable',
+        'auto_output_directory'
       ].to_set
       assert_equal expected_new_options, actual_new_options
     end