diff --git a/man/man1/pynml-archive.1 b/man/man1/pynml-archive.1
index 58f48079..6bb593cc 100644
--- a/man/man1/pynml-archive.1
+++ b/man/man1/pynml-archive.1
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.3.
-.TH PYNML-ARCHIVE "1" "March 2024" "pynml-archive v1.2.8" "User Commands"
+.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.1.
+.TH PYNML-ARCHIVE "1" "April 2024" "pynml-archive v1.2.8" "User Commands"
 .SH NAME
 pynml-archive \- manual page for pynml-archive v1.2.8
 .SH DESCRIPTION
@@ -45,4 +45,4 @@ Explicit list of files to create archive of.
 Please see https://docs.neuroml.org for complete documentation on the NeuroML standard and the software ecosystem.
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .PP
-pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.9, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
+pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.8, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
diff --git a/man/man1/pynml-channelanalysis.1 b/man/man1/pynml-channelanalysis.1
index 3aaad936..644f65f3 100644
--- a/man/man1/pynml-channelanalysis.1
+++ b/man/man1/pynml-channelanalysis.1
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.3.
-.TH PYNML-CHANNELANALYSIS "1" "March 2024" "pynml-channelanalysis v1.2.8" "User Commands"
+.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.1.
+.TH PYNML-CHANNELANALYSIS "1" "April 2024" "pynml-channelanalysis v1.2.8" "User Commands"
 .SH NAME
 pynml-channelanalysis \- manual page for pynml-channelanalysis v1.2.8
 .SH DESCRIPTION
@@ -110,4 +110,4 @@ plot current vs voltage for ion channel
 Please see https://docs.neuroml.org for complete documentation on the NeuroML standard and the software ecosystem.
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .PP
-pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.9, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
+pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.8, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
diff --git a/man/man1/pynml-channelml2nml.1 b/man/man1/pynml-channelml2nml.1
index 571d9d7b..77646b08 100644
--- a/man/man1/pynml-channelml2nml.1
+++ b/man/man1/pynml-channelml2nml.1
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.3.
-.TH PYNML-CHANNELML2NML "1" "March 2024" "pynml-channelml2nml v1.2.8" "User Commands"
+.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.1.
+.TH PYNML-CHANNELML2NML "1" "April 2024" "pynml-channelml2nml v1.2.8" "User Commands"
 .SH NAME
 pynml-channelml2nml \- manual page for pynml-channelml2nml v1.2.8
 .SH DESCRIPTION
@@ -41,4 +41,4 @@ Name of the outputfile file
 Please see https://docs.neuroml.org for complete documentation on the NeuroML standard and the software ecosystem.
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .PP
-pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.9, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
+pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.8, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
diff --git a/man/man1/pynml-modchananalysis.1 b/man/man1/pynml-modchananalysis.1
index ee96b49e..191d52da 100644
--- a/man/man1/pynml-modchananalysis.1
+++ b/man/man1/pynml-modchananalysis.1
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.3.
-.TH PYNML-MODCHANANALYSIS "1" "March 2024" "pynml-modchananalysis v1.2.8" "User Commands"
+.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.1.
+.TH PYNML-MODCHANANALYSIS "1" "April 2024" "pynml-modchananalysis v1.2.8" "User Commands"
 .SH NAME
 pynml-modchananalysis \- manual page for pynml-modchananalysis v1.2.8
 .SH DESCRIPTION
@@ -72,4 +72,4 @@ Name of the mod file containing the channel
 Please see https://docs.neuroml.org for complete documentation on the NeuroML standard and the software ecosystem.
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .PP
-pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.9, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
+pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.8, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
diff --git a/man/man1/pynml-plotchan.1 b/man/man1/pynml-plotchan.1
index de072562..8b532c25 100644
--- a/man/man1/pynml-plotchan.1
+++ b/man/man1/pynml-plotchan.1
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.3.
-.TH PYNML-PLOTCHAN "1" "March 2024" "pynml-plotchan v1.2.8" "User Commands"
+.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.1.
+.TH PYNML-PLOTCHAN "1" "April 2024" "pynml-plotchan v1.2.8" "User Commands"
 .SH NAME
 pynml-plotchan \- manual page for pynml-plotchan v1.2.8
 .SH DESCRIPTION
@@ -41,4 +41,4 @@ Do not show plots as they are generated
 Please see https://docs.neuroml.org for complete documentation on the NeuroML standard and the software ecosystem.
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .PP
-pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.9, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
+pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.8, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
diff --git a/man/man1/pynml-plotmorph.1 b/man/man1/pynml-plotmorph.1
index 39f6670a..72ba4483 100644
--- a/man/man1/pynml-plotmorph.1
+++ b/man/man1/pynml-plotmorph.1
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.3.
-.TH PYNML-PLOTMORPH "1" "March 2024" "pynml-plotmorph v1.2.8" "User Commands"
+.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.1.
+.TH PYNML-PLOTMORPH "1" "April 2024" "pynml-plotmorph v1.2.8" "User Commands"
 .SH NAME
 pynml-plotmorph \- manual page for pynml-plotmorph v1.2.8
 .SH DESCRIPTION
@@ -71,4 +71,4 @@ Scale axes so that image is approximately square, for
 Please see https://docs.neuroml.org for complete documentation on the NeuroML standard and the software ecosystem.
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .PP
-pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.9, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
+pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.8, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
diff --git a/man/man1/pynml-plotspikes.1 b/man/man1/pynml-plotspikes.1
index af0f7fea..3dc51793 100644
--- a/man/man1/pynml-plotspikes.1
+++ b/man/man1/pynml-plotspikes.1
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.3.
-.TH PYNML-PLOTSPIKES "1" "March 2024" "pynml-plotspikes v1.2.8" "User Commands"
+.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.1.
+.TH PYNML-PLOTSPIKES "1" "April 2024" "pynml-plotspikes v1.2.8" "User Commands"
 .SH NAME
 pynml-plotspikes \- manual page for pynml-plotspikes v1.2.8
 .SH DESCRIPTION
@@ -60,4 +60,4 @@ Number of bins for rate histogram
 Please see https://docs.neuroml.org for complete documentation on the NeuroML standard and the software ecosystem.
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .PP
-pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.9, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
+pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.8, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
diff --git a/man/man1/pynml-plottimeseries.1 b/man/man1/pynml-plottimeseries.1
index 5bd485a6..a0defb2b 100644
--- a/man/man1/pynml-plottimeseries.1
+++ b/man/man1/pynml-plottimeseries.1
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.3.
-.TH PYNML-PLOTTIMESERIES "1" "March 2024" "pynml-plottimeseries v1.2.8" "User Commands"
+.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.1.
+.TH PYNML-PLOTTIMESERIES "1" "April 2024" "pynml-plottimeseries v1.2.8" "User Commands"
 .SH NAME
 pynml-plottimeseries \- manual page for pynml-plottimeseries v1.2.8
 .SH DESCRIPTION
@@ -41,4 +41,4 @@ Name of the image file to save plot to
 Please see https://docs.neuroml.org for complete documentation on the NeuroML standard and the software ecosystem.
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .PP
-pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.9, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
+pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.8, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
diff --git a/man/man1/pynml-povray.1 b/man/man1/pynml-povray.1
index 346e0d0d..3d49ef03 100644
--- a/man/man1/pynml-povray.1
+++ b/man/man1/pynml-povray.1
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.3.
-.TH PYNML-POVRAY "1" "March 2024" "pynml-povray v1.2.8" "User Commands"
+.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.1.
+.TH PYNML-POVRAY "1" "April 2024" "pynml-povray v1.2.8" "User Commands"
 .SH NAME
 pynml-povray \- manual page for pynml-povray v1.2.8
 .SH DESCRIPTION
@@ -112,4 +112,4 @@ Show segment ids
 Please see https://docs.neuroml.org for complete documentation on the NeuroML standard and the software ecosystem.
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .PP
-pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.9, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
+pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.8, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
diff --git a/man/man1/pynml-sonata.1 b/man/man1/pynml-sonata.1
index c1d49166..cf5adbfc 100644
--- a/man/man1/pynml-sonata.1
+++ b/man/man1/pynml-sonata.1
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.3.
-.TH PYNML-SONATA "1" "March 2024" "pynml-sonata v1.2.8" "User Commands"
+.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.1.
+.TH PYNML-SONATA "1" "April 2024" "pynml-sonata v1.2.8" "User Commands"
 .SH NAME
 pynml-sonata \- manual page for pynml-sonata v1.2.8
 .SH DESCRIPTION
@@ -50,4 +50,4 @@ jNeuroML_NEURON
 Please see https://docs.neuroml.org for complete documentation on the NeuroML standard and the software ecosystem.
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .PP
-pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.9, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
+pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.8, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
diff --git a/man/man1/pynml-summary.1 b/man/man1/pynml-summary.1
index b763f94e..123a4716 100644
--- a/man/man1/pynml-summary.1
+++ b/man/man1/pynml-summary.1
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.3.
-.TH PYNML-SUMMARY "1" "March 2024" "pynml-summary v1.2.8" "User Commands"
+.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.1.
+.TH PYNML-SUMMARY "1" "April 2024" "pynml-summary v1.2.8" "User Commands"
 .SH NAME
 pynml-summary \- manual page for pynml-summary v1.2.8
 .SH DESCRIPTION
@@ -35,4 +35,4 @@ print this help text and exit
 Please see https://docs.neuroml.org for complete documentation on the NeuroML standard and the software ecosystem.
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .PP
-pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.9, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
+pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.8, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
diff --git a/man/man1/pynml-tune.1 b/man/man1/pynml-tune.1
index b676df86..3e38dc32 100644
--- a/man/man1/pynml-tune.1
+++ b/man/man1/pynml-tune.1
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.3.
-.TH PYNML-TUNE "1" "March 2024" "pynml-tune v1.2.8" "User Commands"
+.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.1.
+.TH PYNML-TUNE "1" "April 2024" "pynml-tune v1.2.8" "User Commands"
 .SH NAME
 pynml-tune \- manual page for pynml-tune v1.2.8
 .SH DESCRIPTION
@@ -148,4 +148,4 @@ as optimisation progresses?
 Please see https://docs.neuroml.org for complete documentation on the NeuroML standard and the software ecosystem.
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .PP
-pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.9, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
+pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.8, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
diff --git a/man/man1/pynml.1 b/man/man1/pynml.1
index 105b5132..34ba8b23 100644
--- a/man/man1/pynml.1
+++ b/man/man1/pynml.1
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.3.
-.TH PYNML "1" "March 2024" "pynml v1.2.8" "User Commands"
+.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.49.1.
+.TH PYNML "1" "April 2024" "pynml v1.2.8" "User Commands"
 .SH NAME
 pynml \- manual page for pynml v1.2.8
 .SH DESCRIPTION
@@ -203,6 +203,9 @@ Validate SBML file(s), unit consistency failure generates an error
 .TP
 \fB\-validate\-sedml\fR
 Validate SEDML file(s)
+.TP
+\fB\-swc\fR
+Load NeuroML file(s), and convert it to swc format
 .SH "SEE-ALSO"
 .BR pynml (1),
 .BR pynml-archive (1),
@@ -221,4 +224,4 @@ Validate SEDML file(s)
 Please see https://docs.neuroml.org for complete documentation on the NeuroML standard and the software ecosystem.
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .PP
-pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.9, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
+pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.8, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
diff --git a/man/man1/version.h2m b/man/man1/version.h2m
index fec6a66f..4399080e 100644
--- a/man/man1/version.h2m
+++ b/man/man1/version.h2m
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 [environment]
 .PP
-pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.9, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
+pyNeuroML v1.2.8 (libNeuroML v0.5.8, jNeuroML v0.13.0)
diff --git a/pyneuroml/pynml.py b/pyneuroml/pynml.py
index 97e7b9ee..a7bc6d75 100644
--- a/pyneuroml/pynml.py
+++ b/pyneuroml/pynml.py
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 import lems.model.model as lems_model
 from pyneuroml import DEFAULTS, JNEUROML_VERSION, __version__
 from pyneuroml.errors import ARGUMENT_ERR, UNKNOWN_ERR
+from pyneuroml.swc.ExportSWC import convert_to_swc
 from pyneuroml.utils import extract_lems_definition_files
 
 # these imports are included for backwards compatibility
@@ -415,6 +416,11 @@ def _parse_arguments():
         action="store_true",
         help=("Validate SEDML file(s)"),
     )
+    mut_exc_opts.add_argument(
+        "-swc",
+        action="store_true",
+        help=("Load NeuroML file(s), and convert it to swc format\n"),
+    )
 
     return parser.parse_args()
 
@@ -852,6 +858,15 @@ def _evaluate_arguments(args):
             exit_on_fail = True
             run_multi = True
 
+        elif args.swc:
+            convert_count = 0
+            for f in args.input_files:
+                confirm_neuroml_file(f)
+                logger.info(f"Trying to convert {f} to swc format...")
+                convert_count += 1 if convert_to_swc(f) else 0
+            logger.info(f"Converted {convert_count} file(s) to swc format")
+            sys.exit(0)
+
         if run_multi is False:
             run_jneuroml(
                 pre_args,
diff --git a/pyneuroml/swc/ExportSWC.py b/pyneuroml/swc/ExportSWC.py
index 8750750a..ecb8b31f 100644
--- a/pyneuroml/swc/ExportSWC.py
+++ b/pyneuroml/swc/ExportSWC.py
@@ -124,6 +124,9 @@ def convert_to_swc(nml_file_name, add_comments=False, target_dir=None):
     lines = []
     comment_lines = []
 
+    if len(nml_doc.cells) == 0:
+        return False
+
     for cell in nml_doc.cells:
         swc_file_name = "%s/%s.swc" % (target_dir, cell.id)
         swc_file = open(swc_file_name, "w")
@@ -183,13 +186,15 @@ def convert_to_swc(nml_file_name, add_comments=False, target_dir=None):
         for i in range(len(lines)):
             line = lines[i]
             swc_line = "%s" % (line)
-            print(swc_line)
+            logger.debug(swc_line)
             swc_file.write("%s\n" % swc_line)
 
         swc_file.close()
 
         print("Written to %s" % swc_file_name)
 
+    return True
+
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     if len(sys.argv) == 1:
diff --git a/test-ghactions.sh b/test-ghactions.sh
index f09cb427..117fc599 100755
--- a/test-ghactions.sh
+++ b/test-ghactions.sh
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ echo "##   Test some conversions"
 
 pynml NML2_SingleCompHHCell.nml -svg
 pynml NML2_SingleCompHHCell.nml -png
+pynml NML2_SingleCompHHCell.nml -swc
 pynml LEMS_NML2_Ex5_DetCell.xml -sedml
 pynml LEMS_NML2_Ex9_FN.xml -dlems
 pynml LEMS_NML2_Ex9_FN.xml -brian