diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 9d5ac89d6..c1e350e26 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -515,6 +515,7 @@ dnl Check for Winsock and other functionality on Win32 (*not* CygWin)
 dnl
 EXTRA_DEFS=""
 mingw_libpath=false
+guile_tools_exe=false
 case $host in
   *-*-mingw*)
     AC_CHECK_HEADER(winsock2.h, [AC_DEFINE([HAVE_WINSOCK2_H], 1,
@@ -527,10 +528,12 @@ case $host in
         [Define if you need additional CPP macros on Win32 platforms.])
     fi
     mingw_libpath=true
+    guile_tools_exe=true
     ;;
 esac
 AC_SUBST(EXTRA_DEFS)
 AM_CONDITIONAL([MINGW_LIBPATH], [test x$mingw_libpath = xtrue])
+AM_CONDITIONAL([GUILE_TOOLS_EXE], [test x$guile_tools_exe = xtrue])
 
 # Reasons for testing:
 #   crt_externs.h - Darwin specific
diff --git a/libguile/Makefile.am b/libguile/Makefile.am
index 089a8f5dd..2ca98f8a9 100644
--- a/libguile/Makefile.am
+++ b/libguile/Makefile.am
@@ -55,6 +55,10 @@ ETAGS_ARGS = --regex='/SCM_\(GLOBAL_\)?\(G?PROC\|G?PROC1\|SYMBOL\|VCELL\|CONST_L
 lib_LTLIBRARIES = libguile-@GUILE_EFFECTIVE_VERSION@.la
 bin_PROGRAMS = guile
 
+if GUILE_TOOLS_EXE
+bin_PROGRAMS += guile-tools$(EXEEXT)
+endif
+
 noinst_PROGRAMS = guile_filter_doc_snarfage gen-scmconfig
 
 gen_scmconfig_SOURCES = gen-scmconfig.c
@@ -477,6 +481,13 @@ EXTRA_libguile_@GUILE_EFFECTIVE_VERSION@_la_SOURCES = \
     locale-categories.h			\
     mini-gmp.h
 
+if GUILE_TOOLS_EXE
+guile_tools_SOURCES = guile-tools.c
+guile_tools_CFLAGS = $(GUILE_CFLAGS) $(AM_CFLAGS)
+guile_tools_LDADD = libguile-@GUILE_EFFECTIVE_VERSION@.la $(gnulib_library)
+guile_tools_LDFLAGS = $(GUILE_CFLAGS)
+endif
+
 ## delete guile-snarf.awk from the installation bindir, in case it's
 ## lingering there due to an earlier guile version not having been
 ## wiped out.
diff --git a/libguile/guile-tools.c b/libguile/guile-tools.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..755dd4405
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libguile/guile-tools.c
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
+#  include <config.h>
+#endif
+
+#include <locale.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+#include <libguile.h>
+
+static void
+inner_main (void *closure SCM_UNUSED, int argc, char **argv)
+{
+  SCM mainproc;
+
+  scm_c_use_module ("guild");
+  mainproc = scm_c_private_ref("guild", "main");
+  scm_call_1 (mainproc, scm_program_arguments());
+}
+
+int main(int argc, char **argv)
+{
+  setlocale (LC_ALL, "");
+  scm_boot_guile (argc, argv, inner_main, 0);
+  return 0;
+}
diff --git a/meta/Makefile.am b/meta/Makefile.am
index 0525b0493..66b957b6d 100644
--- a/meta/Makefile.am
+++ b/meta/Makefile.am
@@ -28,7 +28,21 @@ EXTRA_DIST=						\
   guile-$(GUILE_EFFECTIVE_VERSION)-uninstalled.pc.in	\
   guild.in guile-config.in
 
-# What we now call `guild' used to be known as `guile-tools'.
+# guild is a Guile shell script.  For the benefit of systems without a
+# posix shell, we also save guild as a regular scheme module, so that it
+# can be called by guile.
+guild.scm: guild
+	cp guild guild.scm
+
+moddir = $(pkgdatadir)/$(GUILE_EFFECTIVE_VERSION)
+nobase_mod_DATA = guild.scm
+
+
+# What we now call `guild' used to be known as `guile-tools'.  For posix
+# shell systems no harm in installing guile-tools as an alias for guild.
+# For systems without posix shell, we reserve guile-tools for the
+# non-shell version of guild.
+if !GUILE_TOOLS_EXE
 install-exec-hook:
 	guild="`echo $(ECHO_N) guild				\
 	   | $(SED) -e '$(program_transform_name)'`" ;		\
@@ -36,6 +50,8 @@ install-exec-hook:
 	   | $(SED) -e '$(program_transform_name)'`" ;		\
 	cd $(DESTDIR)$(bindir) && rm -f "$$guile_tools" &&	\
 	$(LN_S) "$$guild" "$$guile_tools"
+endif
+
 
 pkgconfig_DATA = guile-$(GUILE_EFFECTIVE_VERSION).pc
 
@@ -114,5 +130,5 @@ guild: $(srcdir)/guild.in $(top_builddir)/config.status
 	mv "$@.out" "$@"
 
 CLEANFILES =					\
-  guile-config guild				\
+  guile-config guild guild.scm			\
   guile-$(GUILE_EFFECTIVE_VERSION).pc guile-$(GUILE_EFFECTIVE_VERSION)-uninstalled.pc