diff --git a/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/COLVAR.0.reference b/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/COLVAR.0.reference
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..02d36ac86acd957dc5566aeec75b985e513e0978
--- /dev/null
+++ b/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/COLVAR.0.reference
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+#! FIELDS time d
+ 0.000000 1.732051
diff --git a/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/COLVAR.1.reference b/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/COLVAR.1.reference
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..48952e84922f4213c93032ec1d017332347b5773
--- /dev/null
+++ b/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/COLVAR.1.reference
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+#! FIELDS time d
+ 0.000000 6.928203
diff --git a/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/Makefile b/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3703b27cea227aa053fb6d1d73f861e4384dbcee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+include ../../scripts/test.make
diff --git a/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/config b/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/config
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..4ae6da5caf62b180ea7904e4a70de920753964f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/config
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+mpiprocs=2
+type=driver
+# this is to test a different name
+arg="--plumed plumed.dat --ixyz traj.xyz --multi 2"
diff --git a/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/plumed.0.dat b/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/plumed.0.dat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e74e380096b4a8459b0199929bd9ba66a430d2f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/plumed.0.dat
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+d: DISTANCE ATOMS=1,2
+PRINT ARG=d FILE=COLVAR
diff --git a/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/plumed.1.dat b/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/plumed.1.dat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b16f2d7a092833aa76db3752427ccbd6e12192a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/plumed.1.dat
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+d: DISTANCE ATOMS=1,3
+PRINT ARG=d FILE=COLVAR
diff --git a/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/traj.xyz b/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/traj.xyz
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..6a43046ec4e9b39a93a2eb9ff7de4e1e52d7bf66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/regtest/basic/rt-fix-228/traj.xyz
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+3
+0 0 0
+Ar 1 2 3
+Ar 2 3 4
+Ar 5 6 7