diff --git a/basis/command-line/command-line-docs.factor b/basis/command-line/command-line-docs.factor
index 067360530d..db9a6b8e12 100644
--- a/basis/command-line/command-line-docs.factor
+++ b/basis/command-line/command-line-docs.factor
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ $nl
 ARTICLE: "cli" "Command line arguments"
 "Factor command line usage:"
 { $code "factor [VM args...] [script] [args...]" }
-"Zero or more VM arguments can be passed in, followed by an optional script file name. If the script file is specified, it will be run on startup, any arguments after the script file are stored in the following variable, with no further processing by Factor itself:"
+"Zero or more VM arguments can be passed in, followed by an optional script file name. If the script file is specified, it will be run on startup using " { $link run-script } ". Any arguments after the script file are stored in the following variable, with no further processing by Factor itself:"
 { $subsections command-line }
 "Instead of running a script, it is also possible to run a vocabulary; this invokes the vocabulary's " { $link POSTPONE: MAIN: } " word:"
 { $code "factor [system switches...] -run=<vocab name>" }
@@ -159,4 +159,9 @@ $nl
 "There is a way to override the default vocabulary to run on startup, if no script name or " { $snippet "-run" } " switch is specified:"
 { $subsections main-vocab-hook } ;
 
+HELP: run-script
+{ $values { "file" "a pathname string" } }
+{ $description "Parses the Factor source code stored in a file and runs it. The initial vocabulary search path is used. If the source file contains a " { $link POSTPONE: MAIN: } " declaration, the main entry point of the file will be also be executed. Loading messages will be suppressed." }
+{ $errors "Throws an error if loading the file fails, there input is malformed, or if a runtime error occurs while calling the parsed quotation or executing the main entry point." }  ;
+
 ABOUT: "cli"
diff --git a/basis/command-line/command-line.factor b/basis/command-line/command-line.factor
index 88ade747d2..e902bbc396 100644
--- a/basis/command-line/command-line.factor
+++ b/basis/command-line/command-line.factor
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 USING: init continuations hashtables io io.encodings.utf8
 io.files io.pathnames kernel kernel.private namespaces parser
-sequences strings system splitting vocabs.loader alien.strings ;
+sequences source-files strings system splitting vocabs.loader
+alien.strings accessors ;
 IN: command-line
 
 SYMBOL: script
@@ -39,7 +40,10 @@ SYMBOL: command-line
     "=" split1 [ var-param ] [ bool-param ] if* ;
 
 : run-script ( file -- )
-    t "quiet" set-global run-file ;
+    t "quiet" [
+        [ run-file ]
+        [ source-file main>> [ execute( -- ) ] when* ] bi
+    ] with-variable ;
 
 : parse-command-line ( args -- )
     [ command-line off script off ] [
diff --git a/core/source-files/source-files.factor b/core/source-files/source-files.factor
index 120d91bb22..6807e51515 100644
--- a/core/source-files/source-files.factor
+++ b/core/source-files/source-files.factor
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ TUPLE: source-file
 path
 top-level-form
 checksum
-definitions ;
+definitions
+main ;
 
 : record-top-level-form ( quot file -- )
     top-level-form<<
diff --git a/core/syntax/syntax-docs.factor b/core/syntax/syntax-docs.factor
index 2afefe1f2b..0472d6394d 100644
--- a/core/syntax/syntax-docs.factor
+++ b/core/syntax/syntax-docs.factor
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 USING: generic help.syntax help.markup kernel math parser words
 effects classes classes.tuple generic.math generic.single arrays
 io.pathnames vocabs.loader io sequences assocs words.symbol
-words.alias words.constant combinators vocabs.parser ;
+words.alias words.constant combinators vocabs.parser command-line ;
 IN: syntax
 
 ARTICLE: "parser-algorithm" "Parser algorithm"
@@ -858,7 +858,7 @@ HELP: C:
 HELP: MAIN:
 { $syntax "MAIN: word" }
 { $values { "word" word } }
-{ $description "Defines the main entry point for the current vocabulary. This word will be executed when this vocabulary is passed to " { $link run } "." } ;
+{ $description "Defines the main entry point for the current vocabulary and source file. This word will be executed when this vocabulary is passed to " { $link run } " or the source file is passed to " { $link run-script } "." } ;
 
 HELP: <PRIVATE
 { $syntax "<PRIVATE ... PRIVATE>" }
diff --git a/core/syntax/syntax.factor b/core/syntax/syntax.factor
index 07ff0d3c92..864c67d172 100644
--- a/core/syntax/syntax.factor
+++ b/core/syntax/syntax.factor
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ generic.standard generic.hook generic.math generic.parser classes
 io.pathnames vocabs vocabs.parser classes.parser classes.union
 classes.intersection classes.mixin classes.predicate
 classes.singleton classes.tuple.parser compiler.units
-combinators effects.parser slots hash-sets ;
+combinators effects.parser slots hash-sets source-files ;
 IN: bootstrap.syntax
 
 ! These words are defined as a top-level form, instead of with
@@ -233,7 +233,11 @@ IN: bootstrap.syntax
         "))" parse-effect suffix!
     ] define-core-syntax
 
-    "MAIN:" [ scan-word current-vocab main<< ] define-core-syntax
+    "MAIN:" [
+        scan-word
+        [ current-vocab main<< ]
+        [ file get [ main<< ] [ drop ] if* ] bi
+    ] define-core-syntax
 
     "<<" [
         [