Index: library/lib/nx-shell.tcl
===================================================================
diff -u -r2a5945f098b50d909d57fb3d3abfaf44608c0ac8 -r3ee0ac91f0a8034ec4739bc2af1016cdf30fbe57
--- library/lib/nx-shell.tcl	(.../nx-shell.tcl)	(revision 2a5945f098b50d909d57fb3d3abfaf44608c0ac8)
+++ library/lib/nx-shell.tcl	(.../nx-shell.tcl)	(revision 3ee0ac91f0a8034ec4739bc2af1016cdf30fbe57)
@@ -16,39 +16,80 @@
       return
     }
     if {[info complete ${:line}]} {
-      set script [list catch [string trim ${:line}] [current]::result [current]::opts]
-      set r [uplevel #0 $script]
-      if {$r} {
-        puts stdout [dict get ${:opts} -errorinfo]
-        unset :opts;
-      } else {
-        puts stdout ${:result}
-        unset :result
-      }
+      :evalScript ${:line}
       unset :line
       if {![info exists :forever]} {
         :prompt
       }
     }
   }
 
-  :public object method prompt {{chan stdout}} {
+  :protected object method evalScript {-exit:switch script} {
+    set script [list catch [string trim $script] [current]::result [current]::opts]
+    set r [uplevel #0 $script]
+    if {$r} {
+      puts stderr [dict get ${:opts} -errorinfo]
+      if {$exit} {
+        exit 1
+      } else {
+        unset :opts;
+      }
+    } else {
+      if {${:result} ne ""} {
+        puts stdout ${:result}
+      }
+      unset :result
+    }
+  }
+
+  :protected object method prompt {{chan stdout}} {
     puts -nonewline $chan "% "
     flush $chan
   }
 
   :public object method run {argc argv} {
-    if {$argc == 0} {
-      :prompt stdout
-      fconfigure stdin -blocking 0 -buffering line
-      fileevent stdin readable [list [current] onRead]
-      vwait :forever
-      fileevent stdin readable {}
-      exit
+    if {[catch {
+      if {$argc == 0} {
+        # interactive mode
+        :prompt stdout
+        fconfigure stdin -blocking 0 -buffering line
+        fileevent stdin readable [list [current] onRead]
+        vwait :forever
+        fileevent stdin readable {}
+        exit
+      } else {
+        # non-interactive modes
+        :nonInteract {*}$argv
+      }
+    } msg]} {
+      puts stderr "[current] failed unexpectedly with '$msg'"
+      exit 2
+    }
+  }
+
+  :protected object method nonInteract {-c:switch args} {
+    if {$c} {
+      # non-interactive mode: arg command xor stdin
+      if {[llength $args]} {
+        # arg command plus argc/argv
+        set args [lassign $args script]
+        set ::argv $args
+        set ::argc [llength $args]
+      } else {
+        # stdin
+        set ::argv ""
+        set ::argc 0
+        set script [gets stdin]
+      }
+      :evalScript -exit $script
     } else {
-      set ::argv [lassign $argv argv0]
+      # non-interactive mode: script
+      set ::argv [lassign $args argv0]
       incr ::argc -1
-      uplevel #0 [list source $argv0]
+      if {[catch {uplevel #0 [list source $argv0]} msg]} {
+        puts stderr $msg
+        exit 1
+      }
     }
   }
 }
Index: library/xotcl/xotclsh.in
===================================================================
diff -u -r2a5945f098b50d909d57fb3d3abfaf44608c0ac8 -r3ee0ac91f0a8034ec4739bc2af1016cdf30fbe57
--- library/xotcl/xotclsh.in	(.../xotclsh.in)	(revision 2a5945f098b50d909d57fb3d3abfaf44608c0ac8)
+++ library/xotcl/xotclsh.in	(.../xotclsh.in)	(revision 3ee0ac91f0a8034ec4739bc2af1016cdf30fbe57)
@@ -8,8 +8,6 @@
     exec $INTERP "$0" ${1+"$@"}
 
 # -*- tcl -*-
-puts  [info nameofexecutable]
-
 #
 # Tiny scripted replacement of a binary xotclsh. This script can be used
 # as interactive shell for testing or like a regular shell with the #!
Index: library/xotcl/xowish.in
===================================================================
diff -u -r2a5945f098b50d909d57fb3d3abfaf44608c0ac8 -r3ee0ac91f0a8034ec4739bc2af1016cdf30fbe57
--- library/xotcl/xowish.in	(.../xowish.in)	(revision 2a5945f098b50d909d57fb3d3abfaf44608c0ac8)
+++ library/xotcl/xowish.in	(.../xowish.in)	(revision 3ee0ac91f0a8034ec4739bc2af1016cdf30fbe57)
@@ -8,8 +8,6 @@
     exec $INTERP "$0" ${1+"$@"}
 
 # -*- tcl -*-
-puts  [info nameofexecutable]
-
 #
 # Tiny scripted replacement of a binary xowish. This
 # script can be used as interactive shell for testing or like a
Index: nxsh.in
===================================================================
diff -u -r2a5945f098b50d909d57fb3d3abfaf44608c0ac8 -r3ee0ac91f0a8034ec4739bc2af1016cdf30fbe57
--- nxsh.in	(.../nxsh.in)	(revision 2a5945f098b50d909d57fb3d3abfaf44608c0ac8)
+++ nxsh.in	(.../nxsh.in)	(revision 3ee0ac91f0a8034ec4739bc2af1016cdf30fbe57)
@@ -8,8 +8,6 @@
     exec $INTERP "$0" ${1+"$@"}
 
 # -*- tcl -*-
-puts  [info nameofexecutable]
-
 #
 # Tiny scripted replacement of a binary nxsh. This script can be used
 # as interactive shell for testing or like a regular shell with the #!
Index: nxwish.in
===================================================================
diff -u -r2a5945f098b50d909d57fb3d3abfaf44608c0ac8 -r3ee0ac91f0a8034ec4739bc2af1016cdf30fbe57
--- nxwish.in	(.../nxwish.in)	(revision 2a5945f098b50d909d57fb3d3abfaf44608c0ac8)
+++ nxwish.in	(.../nxwish.in)	(revision 3ee0ac91f0a8034ec4739bc2af1016cdf30fbe57)
@@ -8,8 +8,6 @@
     exec $INTERP "$0" ${1+"$@"}
 
 # -*- tcl -*-
-puts  [info nameofexecutable]
-
 #
 # Tiny scripted replacement of a binary nxwish (former xowish). This
 # script can be used as interactive shell for testing or like a
Index: tests/shells.test
===================================================================
diff -u
--- tests/shells.test	(revision 0)
+++ tests/shells.test	(revision 3ee0ac91f0a8034ec4739bc2af1016cdf30fbe57)
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+# -*- Tcl -*-
+package require nx
+package require nx::test
+
+
+## for now, we do not have scripted shells for Windows environments
+## without a bash-like shell, so ...
+
+if {$tcl_platform(platform) eq "windows"} return;
+
+nx::test case nxsh {
+  set rootDir [file join {*}[lrange [file split [file normalize [info script]]] 0 end-2]]
+  set nxsh [file join $rootDir nxsh]
+
+  set run {puts $argc-[join $argv -]}
+  
+  ? [list file exists $nxsh] 1
+  ? [list file executable $nxsh] 1
+   ## stdin is in interactive mode (just a smoke test)
+  ? [list exec $nxsh << "$run; exit"] "% 0-"
+  ## stdin is ignored
+  ? [list exec $nxsh NXSCRIPT.tcl << "$run; exit"] \
+      "couldn't read file \"NXSCRIPT.tcl\": no such file or directory"
+  ## non-interactive mode (-c)
+  ? [list exec $nxsh -c "$run" NXSCRIPT.tcl] \
+      "1-NXSCRIPT.tcl"
+  ? [list exec $nxsh -c << $run] "0-"
+  ? [list exec $nxsh -c $run a b c] "3-a-b-c"
+
+  set tmpfile [file join [::nsf::tmpdir] [pid]]
+  ? [list exec $nxsh $tmpfile] "couldn't read file \"$tmpfile\": no such file or directory"
+  ? [list exec $nxsh $tmpfile a b c] "couldn't read file \"$tmpfile\": no such file or directory"
+
+  set ch [open $tmpfile w+]
+  ? [list file exists $tmpfile] 1
+  ? [list file writable $tmpfile] 1
+  puts $ch $run
+  catch {close $ch}
+  ? [list exec $nxsh $tmpfile] "0-"
+  ? [list exec $nxsh $tmpfile -c "yyy" a b c] "5--c-yyy-a-b-c"
+
+  file delete -force $tmpfile
+
+  ## avoid pollution of global namespace
+  set tclsh [info nameofexecutable]
+  set gvars1 [exec $tclsh << {puts [info vars]}]
+  set gvars2 [exec $nxsh -c << {puts [info vars]}]
+  ? [list expr [list [lsort $gvars1] eq [lsort $gvars2]]] 1
+}
+
+# Local variables:
+#    mode: tcl
+#    tcl-indent-level: 2
+#    indent-tabs-mode: nil
+# End: