diff --git a/library/compiler/alien/alien-invoke.factor b/library/compiler/alien/alien-invoke.factor
index 35e284ac19..156d8cbb24 100644
--- a/library/compiler/alien/alien-invoke.factor
+++ b/library/compiler/alien/alien-invoke.factor
@@ -84,12 +84,3 @@ M: alien-invoke stack-reserve*
 : define-c-word ( return library function parameters -- )
     [ "()" subseq? not ] subset >r pick r> parse-arglist
     (define-c-word) ;
-
-M: compound unxref-word*
-    dup "infer" word-prop [
-        dup
-        { "infer-effect" "base-case" "no-effect" }
-        reset-props
-        dup word-def \ alien-invoke swap member?
-        [ dup update-xt ] unless
-    ] unless drop ;
diff --git a/library/compiler/compiler.factor b/library/compiler/compiler.factor
index afa192b4fd..16202aa945 100644
--- a/library/compiler/compiler.factor
+++ b/library/compiler/compiler.factor
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 ! Copyright (C) 2004, 2006 Slava Pestov.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 IN: compiler
-USING: errors hashtables inference io kernel math namespaces
-optimizer prettyprint sequences test threads words ;
+USING: errors generic hashtables inference io kernel math
+namespaces optimizer prettyprint sequences test threads words ;
 
 : (compile) ( word -- )
     dup compiling? not over compound? and [
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ optimizer prettyprint sequences test threads words ;
 : compiled ( -- ) "compile" get [ word compile ] when ; parsing
 
 : try-compile ( word -- )
-    [ compile ] [ error. drop ] recover ;
+    [ compile ] [ error. update-xt ] recover ;
 
 : compile-vocabs ( vocabs -- )
     [ words ] map concat
@@ -31,3 +31,17 @@ optimizer prettyprint sequences test threads words ;
     define-temp "compile" get [ dup compile ] when ;
 
 : compile-1 ( quot -- ) compile-quot execute ;
+
+: recompile ( -- )
+    [
+        recompile-words get hash-keys [ try-compile ] each
+        recompile-words get clear-hash
+    ] with-class<cache ;
+
+M: compound unxref-word*
+    dup "infer" word-prop [
+        drop
+    ] [
+        dup dup recompile-words get set-hash
+        { "infer-effect" "base-case" "no-effect" } reset-props
+    ] if ;
diff --git a/library/compiler/generator/xt.factor b/library/compiler/generator/xt.factor
index ca415e11d9..eaff4205aa 100644
--- a/library/compiler/generator/xt.factor
+++ b/library/compiler/generator/xt.factor
@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@ USING: arrays assembler errors generic hashtables kernel
 kernel-internals math namespaces prettyprint queues
 sequences strings vectors words ;
 
+SYMBOL: recompile-words
+
+H{ } clone recompile-words set-global
+
 DEFER: (compile)
 
 : compiled-offset ( -- n ) building get length code-format * ;
@@ -21,6 +25,7 @@ C: label ( -- label ) ;
 SYMBOL: compiled-xts
 
 : save-xt ( word xt -- )
+    over recompile-words get remove-hash
     swap compiled-xts get set-hash ;
 
 SYMBOL: literal-table
@@ -81,7 +86,8 @@ SYMBOL: label-table
 : compiling? ( word -- ? )
     #! A word that is compiling or already compiled will not be
     #! added to the list of words to be compiled.
-    dup compiled? swap compiled-xts get hash-member? or ;
+    dup compiled? over recompile-words get hash-member? not and
+    swap compiled-xts get hash-member? or ;
 
 : with-compiler ( quot -- )
     [
diff --git a/library/modules.factor b/library/modules.factor
index 2bdd7443a7..dc397bc834 100644
--- a/library/modules.factor
+++ b/library/modules.factor
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ H{ } clone modules set-global
 : (require) ( name -- )
     dup module [ drop ] [ load-module ] if ;
 
-: require ( name -- ) (require) compile-all ;
+: require ( name -- ) (require) recompile ;
 
 : run-resources ( seq -- )
     bootstrapping? get