diff --git a/compiler/commands.nim b/compiler/commands.nim
index 591bf8883d07..06b487cf043e 100644
--- a/compiler/commands.nim
+++ b/compiler/commands.nim
@@ -652,6 +652,7 @@ proc processSwitch(switch, arg: string, pass: TCmdLinePass, info: TLineInfo;
   of "genscript", "gendeps":
     expectNoArg(switch, arg, pass, info)
     incl(gGlobalOptions, optGenScript)
+    incl(gGlobalOptions, optCompileOnly)
   of "colors": processOnOffSwitchG({optUseColors}, arg, pass, info)
   of "lib":
     expectArg(switch, arg, pass, info)
diff --git a/compiler/extccomp.nim b/compiler/extccomp.nim
index f9b18a3354e7..f8938e3af5bb 100644
--- a/compiler/extccomp.nim
+++ b/compiler/extccomp.nim
@@ -470,8 +470,9 @@ proc execExternalProgram*(cmd: string, msg = hintExecuting) =
 
 proc generateScript(projectFile: string, script: Rope) =
   let (dir, name, ext) = splitFile(projectFile)
-  writeRope(script, dir / addFileExt("compile_" & name,
+  writeRope(script, getNimcacheDir() / addFileExt("compile_" & name,
                                      platform.OS[targetOS].scriptExt))
+  copyFile(libpath / "nimbase.h", getNimcacheDir() / "nimbase.h")
 
 proc getOptSpeed(c: TSystemCC): string =
   result = getConfigVar(c, ".options.speed")
diff --git a/doc/advopt.txt b/doc/advopt.txt
index 0d1578f78f15..d4a4b4961303 100644
--- a/doc/advopt.txt
+++ b/doc/advopt.txt
@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@ Advanced options:
   --noLinking               compile Nim and generated files but do not link
   --noMain                  do not generate a main procedure
   --genScript               generate a compile script (in the 'nimcache'
-                            subdirectory named 'compile_$$project$$scriptext')
+                            subdirectory named 'compile_$$project$$scriptext'),
+                            implies --compileOnly
   --genDeps                 generate a '.deps' file containing the dependencies
   --os:SYMBOL               set the target operating system (cross-compilation)
   --cpu:SYMBOL              set the target processor (cross-compilation)
diff --git a/tests/flags/tgenscript.nim b/tests/flags/tgenscript.nim
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6a037b5d8f7e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/flags/tgenscript.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+discard """
+  file: "tgenscript.nim"
+"""
+
+echo "--genscript"
diff --git a/tests/testament/backend.nim b/tests/testament/backend.nim
index 4acef9ca4ea5..385f1171c107 100644
--- a/tests/testament/backend.nim
+++ b/tests/testament/backend.nim
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ type
   CommitId = distinct string
 
 proc `$`*(id: MachineId): string {.borrow.}
-proc `$`(id: CommitId): string {.borrow.}
+#proc `$`(id: CommitId): string {.borrow.} # not used
 
 var
   thisMachine: MachineId
diff --git a/tests/testament/categories.nim b/tests/testament/categories.nim
index 2f9198759870..84e536636a05 100644
--- a/tests/testament/categories.nim
+++ b/tests/testament/categories.nim
@@ -63,6 +63,26 @@ proc compileRodFiles(r: var TResults, cat: Category, options: string) =
   test "gtkex1", true
   test "gtkex2"
 
+# --------------------- flags tests -------------------------------------------
+
+proc flagTests(r: var TResults, cat: Category, options: string) =
+  # --genscript
+  const filename = "tests"/"flags"/"tgenscript"
+  const genopts = " --genscript"
+  let nimcache = nimcacheDir(filename, genopts, targetC)
+  testSpec r, makeTest(filename, genopts, cat)
+
+  when defined(windows):
+    testExec r, makeTest(filename, " cmd /c cd " & nimcache &
+                         " && compile_tgenscript.bat", cat)
+
+  when defined(linux):
+    testExec r, makeTest(filename, " sh -c \"cd " & nimcache &
+                         " && sh compile_tgenscript.sh\"", cat)
+
+  # Run
+  testExec r, makeTest(filename, " " & nimcache / "tgenscript", cat)
+
 # --------------------- DLL generation tests ----------------------------------
 
 proc safeCopyFile(src, dest: string) =
@@ -323,7 +343,7 @@ var nimbleDir = getEnv("NIMBLE_DIR").string
 if nimbleDir.len == 0: nimbleDir = getHomeDir() / ".nimble"
 let
   nimbleExe = findExe("nimble")
-  packageDir = nimbleDir / "pkgs"
+  #packageDir = nimbleDir / "pkgs" # not used
   packageIndex = nimbleDir / "packages.json"
 
 proc waitForExitEx(p: Process): int =
@@ -407,9 +427,9 @@ proc `&.?`(a, b: string): string =
   # candidate for the stdlib?
   result = if b.startswith(a): b else: a & b
 
-proc `&?.`(a, b: string): string =
+#proc `&?.`(a, b: string): string = # not used
   # candidate for the stdlib?
-  result = if a.endswith(b): a else: a & b
+  #result = if a.endswith(b): a else: a & b
 
 proc processSingleTest(r: var TResults, cat: Category, options, test: string) =
   let test = "tests" & DirSep &.? cat.string / test
@@ -429,6 +449,8 @@ proc processCategory(r: var TResults, cat: Category, options: string) =
     jsTests(r, cat, options)
   of "dll":
     dllTests(r, cat, options)
+  of "flags":
+    flagTests(r, cat, options)
   of "gc":
     gcTests(r, cat, options)
   of "longgc":
diff --git a/tests/testament/htmlgen.nim b/tests/testament/htmlgen.nim
index bf26a956d29c..4a888427e0b5 100644
--- a/tests/testament/htmlgen.nim
+++ b/tests/testament/htmlgen.nim
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ proc generateAllTestsContent(outfile: File, allResults: AllTests,
 
 proc generateHtml*(filename: string, onlyFailing: bool) =
   let
-    currentTime = getTime().getLocalTime()
+    currentTime = getTime().local()
     timestring = htmlQuote format(currentTime, "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss 'UTC'zzz")
   var outfile = open(filename, fmWrite)
 
diff --git a/tests/testament/tester.nim b/tests/testament/tester.nim
index 856f95f3b652..f08c83079082 100644
--- a/tests/testament/tester.nim
+++ b/tests/testament/tester.nim
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import
 
 const
   resultsFile = "testresults.html"
-  jsonFile = "testresults.json"
+  #jsonFile = "testresults.json" # not used
   Usage = """Usage:
   tester [options] command [arguments]
 
@@ -150,11 +150,11 @@ proc initResults: TResults =
   result.skipped = 0
   result.data = ""
 
-proc readResults(filename: string): TResults =
-  result = marshal.to[TResults](readFile(filename).string)
+#proc readResults(filename: string): TResults = # not used
+#  result = marshal.to[TResults](readFile(filename).string)
 
-proc writeResults(filename: string, r: TResults) =
-  writeFile(filename, $$r)
+#proc writeResults(filename: string, r: TResults) = # not used
+#  writeFile(filename, $$r)
 
 proc `$`(x: TResults): string =
   result = ("Tests passed: $1 / $3 <br />\n" &
@@ -404,6 +404,21 @@ proc testC(r: var TResults, test: TTest) =
     if exitCode != 0: given.err = reExitCodesDiffer
   if given.err == reSuccess: inc(r.passed)
 
+proc testExec(r: var TResults, test: TTest) =
+  # runs executable or script, just goes by exit code
+  inc(r.total)
+  let (outp, errC) = execCmdEx(test.options.strip())
+  var given: TSpec
+  specDefaults(given)
+  if errC == 0:
+    given.err = reSuccess
+  else:
+    given.err = reExitCodesDiffer
+    given.msg = outp.string
+
+  if given.err == reSuccess: inc(r.passed)
+  r.addResult(test, targetC, "", given.msg, given.err)
+
 proc makeTest(test, options: string, cat: Category, action = actionCompile,
               env: string = ""): TTest =
   # start with 'actionCompile', will be overwritten in the spec: