diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 7df6439d5ee38b236a0731cf5ca09b82c7fcf002..ae54ee305c850655b6132b45fc6980aa9ad14d2a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
   the correct loading behavior of that file.
 
 ### Deprecated ###
+- The command line argument '--prefix' and the 'prefix' argument of
+  `crawler_main` is depricated. Use the new argument "--remove-prefix".
 
 ### Removed ###
 
diff --git a/integrationtests/test_data/extroot/realworld_example/dataset_cfoods.yml b/integrationtests/test_data/extroot/realworld_example/dataset_cfoods.yml
index 7a64d708667182b80b739812e5fdf3369fc5b462..e149c0ccc0008a20d96ee782a853d345d541f3ab 100644
--- a/integrationtests/test_data/extroot/realworld_example/dataset_cfoods.yml
+++ b/integrationtests/test_data/extroot/realworld_example/dataset_cfoods.yml
@@ -31,6 +31,11 @@ Data:
           type: JSONFile
           match: .dataspace.json
           validate: schema/dataspace.schema.json
+          records:
+            JSONFile:
+              role: File
+              path: $dataspace_json
+              file: $dataspace_json
           subtree:
             jsondict:
               type: DictElement
diff --git a/integrationtests/test_data/extroot/realworld_example/schema/dataspace.schema.json b/integrationtests/test_data/extroot/realworld_example/schema/dataspace.schema.json
index 01653bfa821e0a0acbb5a481bfd458e2ed784fb9..c6376ee44d248ce5ea9e24e34bd245255e888e39 100644
--- a/integrationtests/test_data/extroot/realworld_example/schema/dataspace.schema.json
+++ b/integrationtests/test_data/extroot/realworld_example/schema/dataspace.schema.json
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
       "minimum": 20000
     },
     "archived": { "type": "boolean" },
+    "JSONFile": { "type": "string" },
     "url": {
       "type": "string",
       "description": "link to folder on file system (CaosDB or cloud folder)"
diff --git a/integrationtests/test_realworld_example.py b/integrationtests/test_realworld_example.py
index 4158ed22278ef5c871a22d45885e58fbfa84ea3b..5542596e2751a5de8a34a9e19628266e8c753ad3 100644
--- a/integrationtests/test_realworld_example.py
+++ b/integrationtests/test_realworld_example.py
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ from caoscrawler.identifiable_adapters import CaosDBIdentifiableAdapter
 from caoscrawler.structure_elements import Directory
 import pytest
 from caosadvancedtools.models.parser import parse_model_from_json_schema, parse_model_from_yaml
+from caosadvancedtools.loadFiles import loadpath
 
 import sys
 
@@ -52,6 +53,17 @@ def rfp(*pathcomponents):
 DATADIR = rfp("test_data", "extroot", "realworld_example")
 
 
+@pytest.fixture
+def addfiles():
+    loadpath(path='/opt/caosdb/mnt/extroot/',
+             include=None,
+             exclude=None,
+             prefix="",
+             dryrun=False,
+             forceAllowSymlinks=True,
+             )
+
+
 @pytest.fixture
 def usemodel():
     # First load dataspace data model
@@ -85,22 +97,18 @@ def create_identifiable_adapter():
     return ident
 
 
-def test_dataset(clear_database, usemodel):
-    ident = create_identifiable_adapter()
-    crawler = Crawler(identifiableAdapter=ident)
-    crawler_definition = crawler.load_definition(
-        os.path.join(DATADIR, "dataset_cfoods.yml"))
-    # print(json.dumps(crawler_definition, indent=3))
-    # Load and register converter packages:
-    converter_registry = crawler.load_converters(crawler_definition)
-    # print("DictIntegerElement" in converter_registry)
-
-    records = crawler.start_crawling(
-        Directory("data", os.path.join(DATADIR, 'data')),
-        crawler_definition,
-        converter_registry
+def test_dataset(clear_database, usemodel, addfiles):
+    identifiable_path = os.path.join(DATADIR, "identifiables.yml")
+    crawler_definition_path = os.path.join(DATADIR, "dataset_cfoods.yml")
+    crawler_main(
+        os.path.join(DATADIR, 'data'),
+        crawler_definition_path,
+        identifiable_path,
+        True,
+        os.path.join(DATADIR, "provenance.yml"),
+        False,
+        add_prefix="/data"
     )
-    crawler.synchronize()
 
     dataspace = db.execute_query("FIND RECORD Dataspace WITH name=35 AND dataspace_id=20002 AND "
                                  "archived=FALSE AND url='https://datacloud.de/index.php/f/7679'"
@@ -120,12 +128,11 @@ def test_dataset(clear_database, usemodel):
     assert db.execute_query(f"FIND Event WITH latitude=53", unique=True)
 
 
-def test_event_update(clear_database, usemodel):
+def test_event_update(clear_database, usemodel, addfiles):
 
     identifiable_path = os.path.join(DATADIR, "identifiables.yml")
     crawler_definition_path = os.path.join(DATADIR, "dataset_cfoods.yml")
 
-    # TODO(fspreck): Use crawler_main
     crawler_main(
         os.path.join(DATADIR, 'data'),
         crawler_definition_path,
@@ -133,7 +140,7 @@ def test_event_update(clear_database, usemodel):
         True,
         os.path.join(DATADIR, "provenance.yml"),
         False,
-        ""
+        add_prefix="/data"
     )
 
     old_dataset_rec = db.execute_query(
diff --git a/integrationtests/test_use_case_simple_presentation.py b/integrationtests/test_use_case_simple_presentation.py
index 91c523be90a4d0117a7cc54217cae0b911511957..ff2f2a43c5f4f923202218f5cd4eb89b82db04a7 100644
--- a/integrationtests/test_use_case_simple_presentation.py
+++ b/integrationtests/test_use_case_simple_presentation.py
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ def test_complete_crawler(
                  True,
                  os.path.join(DATADIR, "provenance.yml"),
                  False,
-                 "/use_case_simple_presentation")
+                 remove_prefix="/use_case_simple_presentation")
 
     res = db.execute_query("FIND Record Experiment")
     assert len(res) == 1
diff --git a/src/caoscrawler/crawl.py b/src/caoscrawler/crawl.py
index fe6c63ff7af86a76fd6649323c96b8977b9fcc2f..60face1706dabbe40b78026d637154f5c97e13c4 100644
--- a/src/caoscrawler/crawl.py
+++ b/src/caoscrawler/crawl.py
@@ -1229,7 +1229,9 @@ def crawler_main(crawled_directory_path: str,
                  prefix: str = "",
                  securityMode: SecurityMode = SecurityMode.UPDATE,
                  unique_names=True,
-                 restricted_path: Optional[list[str]] = None
+                 restricted_path: Optional[list[str]] = None,
+                 remove_prefix: Optional[str] = None,
+                 add_prefix: Optional[str] = None,
                  ):
     """
 
@@ -1248,7 +1250,7 @@ def crawler_main(crawled_directory_path: str,
     dry_run : bool
         do not commit any chnages to the server
     prefix : str
-        remove the given prefix from file paths
+        DEPRICATED, remove the given prefix from file paths
     securityMode : int
         securityMode of Crawler
     unique_names : bool
@@ -1256,6 +1258,10 @@ def crawler_main(crawled_directory_path: str,
     restricted_path: optional, list of strings
             Traverse the data tree only along the given path. When the end of the given path
             is reached, traverse the full tree as normal.
+    remove_prefix : Optional[str]
+        remove the given prefix from file paths
+    add_prefix : Optional[str]
+        add the given prefix to file paths
 
     Returns
     -------
@@ -1272,11 +1278,17 @@ def crawler_main(crawled_directory_path: str,
         crawler.save_debug_data(provenance_file)
 
     if identifiables_definition_file is not None:
-
         ident = CaosDBIdentifiableAdapter()
         ident.load_from_yaml_definition(identifiables_definition_file)
         crawler.identifiableAdapter = ident
 
+    if prefix != "":
+        warnings.warn(DeprecationWarning("The prefix argument is derpicated. Please use "
+                                         "remove_prefix."))
+        if remove_prefix is not None:
+            raise ValueError("Please do not supply prefix argument. Only remove_prefix")
+        remove_prefix = prefix
+
     if dry_run:
         ins, upd = crawler.synchronize(commit_changes=False)
         inserts = [str(i) for i in ins]
@@ -1291,11 +1303,14 @@ def crawler_main(crawled_directory_path: str,
             if isinstance(elem, db.File):
                 # correct the file path:
                 # elem.file = os.path.join(args.path, elem.file)
-                if prefix is None:
-                    raise RuntimeError(
-                        "No prefix set. Prefix must be set if files are used.")
-                if elem.path.startswith(prefix):
-                    elem.path = elem.path[len(prefix):]
+                if remove_prefix:
+                    if elem.path.startswith(remove_prefix):
+                        elem.path = elem.path[len(remove_prefix):]
+                    else:
+                        raise RuntimeError("Prefix shall be removed from file path but the path "
+                                           "does not start with the prefix")
+                if add_prefix:
+                    elem.path = add_prefix + elem.path
                 elem.file = None
                 # TODO: as long as the new file backend is not finished
                 #       we are using the loadFiles function to insert symlinks.
@@ -1363,8 +1378,12 @@ def parse_args():
     parser.add_argument("-u", "--unique-names",
                         help="Insert or updates entities even if name conflicts exist.")
     parser.add_argument("-p", "--prefix",
-                        help="Remove the given prefix from the paths "
+                        help="DEPRICATED. Remove the given prefix from the paths "
                         "of all file objects.")
+    parser.add_argument("--remove-prefix",
+                        help="Remove the given prefix from the paths of all file objects.")
+    parser.add_argument("--add-prefix",
+                        help="Add the given prefix to the paths of all file objects.")
 
     return parser.parse_args()
 
@@ -1384,6 +1403,10 @@ def main():
     conlogger = logging.getLogger("connection")
     conlogger.setLevel(level=logging.ERROR)
 
+    if args.prefix:
+        print("Please use '--remove-prefix' option instead of '--prefix' or '-p'.")
+        return -1
+
     # logging config for local execution
     logger.addHandler(logging.StreamHandler(sys.stdout))
     if args.debug:
@@ -1406,12 +1429,13 @@ def main():
         debug=args.debug,
         provenance_file=args.provenance,
         dry_run=args.dry_run,
-        prefix=args.prefix,
         securityMode={"retrieve": SecurityMode.RETRIEVE,
                       "insert": SecurityMode.INSERT,
                       "update": SecurityMode.UPDATE}[args.security_mode],
         unique_names=args.unique_names,
-        restricted_path=restricted_path
+        restricted_path=restricted_path,
+        remove_prefix=args.remove_prefix,
+        add_prefix=args.add_prefix,
     ))
 
 
diff --git a/unittests/test_tool.py b/unittests/test_tool.py
index 23b35f2dc9228eeda9137945198c49c19bf5c474..735c33125fcf024d1cb4bd9b83ad222ce66ba2d0 100755
--- a/unittests/test_tool.py
+++ b/unittests/test_tool.py
@@ -792,8 +792,7 @@ def test_validation_error_print(caplog):
                            os.path.join(DATADIR, "identifiables.yml"),
                            True,
                            None,
-                           False,
-                           "/use_case_simple_presentation")
+                           False)
         assert "Couldn't validate" in caplog.text
         caplog.clear()