diff --git a/src/make.tcl b/src/make.tcl
index fb2a5353..8f9174d3 100644
--- a/src/make.tcl
+++ b/src/make.tcl
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ namespace eval ::punkboot::lib {
 }
 
 if {"::try" ni [info commands ::try]} {
-    puts stderr "Tcl interpreter possibly too old - 'try' command not found - aborting"
+    puts stderr "Tcl interpreter possibly too old - need at least tcl 8.6 - 'try' command not found - aborting"
     exit 1
 }
 
@@ -296,8 +296,7 @@ if {"::try" ni [info commands ::try]} {
 # and load these in preference to ones that may have been in the interp's tcl::tm::list or auto_path due to environment variables
 set startdir [pwd]
 
-set scriptdir [file dirname [file normalize [info script]]]
-#puts "SCRIPTDIR: $scriptdir"
+#puts "SCRIPTFOLDER: $::punkboot::scriptfolder"
 
 #we are focussed on pure-tcl libs/modules in bootsupport for now.
 #There may be cases where we want to use compiled packages from src/bootsupport/modules_tcl9 etc
@@ -313,8 +312,8 @@ set bootsupport_library_paths   [list]
 set this_platform_generic [punkboot::lib::platform_generic]
 #we always create these lists in order of desired precedence.
 # - this is the same order when adding to auto_path - but will need to be reversed when using tcl:tm::add
-if {[file exists [file join $scriptdir bootsupport]]} {
-    set bootsupportdir [file join $scriptdir bootsupport]
+if {[file exists [file join $::punkboot::scriptfolder bootsupport]]} {
+    set bootsupportdir [file join $::punkboot::scriptfolder bootsupport]
     puts stderr "Using bootsupport dir $bootsupportdir"
 
     lappend bootsupport_module_paths    [file join $bootsupportdir modules_tcl$::tclmajorv] ;#more version-specific modules slightly higher in precedence order
@@ -323,7 +322,7 @@ if {[file exists [file join $scriptdir bootsupport]]} {
     lappend bootsupport_library_paths   [file join $bootsupportdir lib_tcl$::tclmajorv/$this_platform_generic] ;#more version-specific pkgs slightly higher in precedence order
     lappend bootsupport_library_paths   [file join $bootsupportdir lib]
 } else {
-    puts stderr "No bootsupport dir for script [info script] at [file join $scriptdir bootsupport]"
+    puts stderr "No bootsupport dir for script [info script] at [file join $::punkboot::scriptfolder bootsupport]"
     #lappend bootsupport_module_paths    [file join $startdir bootsupport modules_tcl$::tclmajorv]
     #lappend bootsupport_module_paths    [file join $startdir bootsupport modules]
     #lappend bootsupport_library_paths   [file join $startdir bootsupport lib_tcl$::tclmajorv/allplatforms]
@@ -1306,38 +1305,70 @@ proc ::punkboot::punkboot_gethelp {args} {
 }
 
 
+#todo? process and remove first arg dev os internal (and combinations such as dev-os etc)
+##############################################################################################################
+##############################################################################################################
+##############################################################################################################
+set scriptargs $::argv
+namespace eval ::punkboot::app {
+    namespace ensemble create
+    proc help {args} {
+        puts "test help"
+    }
+}
+namespace eval ::punkboot::app::argdoc {
+    proc punkboot_subcommands {} {
+        dict set groups "package"           {packages modules libs}
+        dict set groups "informational"     {check info help}
+        return [punk::args::ensemble_subcommands_definition -groupdict $groups -columns 4 ::punkboot::app]
+    }
+    #punk::args::define {
+    #    @id     -id     punkboot::app 
+    #    @cmd    -name   punkboot::app\
+    #        -summary\
+    #        "Project builder"\
+    #        -help\
+    #        ""
+    #    @form -form help
+    #    @leaders
+    #    subcommand -type "literal(help)"
+    #    @opts
+    #    @values
+    #    what -type string -choices {modules libs shell}
+
+    #    @form -form modules
+    #    subcommand -type "literal(modules)"
+
+    #    @form -form libs
+    #    subcommand -type "literal(libs)"
+
+    #    @form -form shell
+    #    subcommand -type "literal(shell)"
+    #    arg -type any -optional 1 -multiple 1
+    #}
+    punk::args::define {
+        @dynamic
+        @id     -id     ::punkboot::app
+        @cmd    -name   ::punkboot::app\
+            -summary\
+            "Project builder"\
+            -help\
+            ""
+        @leaders
+        ${[punkboot::app::argdoc::punkboot_subcommands]}
+    }
+}
 
+namespace eval ::punkboot::app {
+    proc test {args} {
+        puts "test"
+    }
+}
 
-set scriptargs $::argv
-punk::args::define {
-    @id     -id     punkmake
-    @cmd    -name   punkmake\
-        -summary\
-        "Project builder"\
-        -help\
-        ""
-    @form -form help
-    @leaders
-    subcommand -type "literal(help)"
-    @opts
-    @values
-    what -type string -choices {modules libs shell}
-
-    @form -form modules
-    subcommand -type "literal(modules)"
-
-    @form -form libs
-    subcommand -type "literal(libs)"
-
-    @form -form shell
-    subcommand -type "literal(shell)"
-    arg -type any -optional 1 -multiple 1
-}
-
-#set argd [punk::args::parse $scriptargs -form 0 withid punkmake]
+#set argd [punk::args::parse $scriptargs -form 0 withid ::punkboot::app]
 ###lassign [dict values $argd] leaders opts values received
 #
-#puts stdout [punk::args::usage -scheme nocolour punkmake]
+#puts stdout [punk::args::usage -scheme nocolour ::punkboot::app]
 #exit 1
 
 
@@ -1650,6 +1681,8 @@ if {$::punkboot::command eq "shell"} {
     #todo - make procs vars etc from this file available?
     puts stderr "punk boot shell not implemented - dropping into ordinary punk shell."
 
+    set ::argv [lrange $::argv 1 end]
+    incr ::argc -1
 
     repl::init
     set replresult [repl::start stdin -title make.tcl]
@@ -1840,9 +1873,11 @@ if {$::punkboot::command eq "bootsupport"} {
             }
             set bootsupport_config  $projectroot/src/bootsupport/modules$which/include_modules.config ;#
             set bootsupport_modules [list] ;#variable populated by include_modules.config file - initialise empty for each bm folder
+            set bootsupport_folders [list]
             if {[file exists $bootsupport_config]} {
                 set targetroot $projectroot/src/bootsupport/modules$which
                 source $bootsupport_config ;#populate $bootsupport_modules with project-specific list
+
                 if {![llength $bootsupport_modules]} {
                     puts stderr "bootsupport/modules$which - No local bootsupport modules configured for updating"
                 } else {
@@ -1932,6 +1967,11 @@ if {$::punkboot::command eq "bootsupport"} {
                         $boot_installer destroy
                     }
                 }
+                if {![llength $bootsupport_folders]} {
+                    puts stderr "bootsupport/modules$which - No local bootsupport folders configured for updating"
+                } else {
+
+                }
 
             }
         }
@@ -1939,7 +1979,7 @@ if {$::punkboot::command eq "bootsupport"} {
 
     bootsupport_localupdate $projectroot
 
-    #if this project has custom project layouts, and there is a bootsupport folder  - update their bootsupport 
+    #if this project has custom project layouts, and there is a bootsupport folder  - update their bootsupport
 
     set layout_bases [list\
         $sourcefolder/project_layouts/custom/_project\