diff --git a/eval.c b/eval.c
index aad0bd02..5ba4a3f0 100644
--- a/eval.c
+++ b/eval.c
@@ -2349,53 +2349,9 @@ sexp sexp_load_standard_ports (sexp ctx, sexp env, FILE* in, FILE* out,
   return SEXP_VOID;
 }
 
-static const char* sexp_initial_features[] = {
-  sexp_platform,
-#if SEXP_BSD
-  "bsd",
-#endif
-#if defined(_WIN32) || defined(__MINGW32__)
-  "windows",
-#endif
-#if SEXP_USE_DL
-  "dynamic-loading",
-#endif
-#if SEXP_USE_BIDIRECTIONAL_PORTS
-  "bidir-ports",
-#endif
-#if SEXP_USE_MODULES
-  "modules",
-#endif
-#if SEXP_USE_BOEHM
-  "boehm-gc",
-#endif
-#if SEXP_USE_UTF8_STRINGS
-  "full-unicode",
-#endif
-#if SEXP_USE_GREEN_THREADS
-  "threads",
-#endif
-#if SEXP_USE_NTP_GETTIME
-  "ntp",
-#endif
-#if SEXP_USE_AUTO_FORCE
-  "auto-force",
-#endif
-#if SEXP_USE_COMPLEX
-  "complex",
-#endif
-#if SEXP_USE_RATIOS
-  "ratios",
-#endif
-  "r7rs",
-  "chibi",
-  NULL,
-};
-
 sexp sexp_load_standard_env (sexp ctx, sexp e, sexp version) {
   int len;
   char init_file[128];
-  const char** features;
   int endianess_check = 1;
   sexp_gc_var3(op, tmp, sym);
   sexp_gc_preserve3(ctx, op, tmp, sym);
@@ -2404,9 +2360,7 @@ sexp sexp_load_standard_env (sexp ctx, sexp e, sexp version) {
                   tmp=sexp_c_string(ctx, sexp_so_extension, -1));
   tmp = SEXP_NULL;
   sexp_push(ctx, tmp, sym=sexp_intern(ctx, (*(unsigned char*) &endianess_check) ? "little-endian" : "big-endian", -1));
-  for (features=sexp_initial_features; *features; features++)
-    sexp_push(ctx, tmp, sym=sexp_intern(ctx, *features, -1));
-  sexp_env_define(ctx, e, sym=sexp_intern(ctx, "*features*", -1), tmp);
+  sexp_env_define(ctx, e, sym=sexp_intern(ctx, "*features*", -1), sexp_global(ctx, SEXP_G_FEATURES));
   sexp_global(ctx, SEXP_G_OPTIMIZATIONS) = SEXP_NULL;
 #if SEXP_USE_SIMPLIFY
   op = sexp_make_foreign(ctx, "sexp_simplify", 1, 0,
diff --git a/include/chibi/sexp.h b/include/chibi/sexp.h
index 4104e953..b9c381f7 100755
--- a/include/chibi/sexp.h
+++ b/include/chibi/sexp.h
@@ -1320,6 +1320,7 @@ enum sexp_context_globals {
   SEXP_G_SYMBOLS,
 #endif
   SEXP_G_TYPES,
+  SEXP_G_FEATURES,
   SEXP_G_NUM_TYPES,
   SEXP_G_OOM_ERROR,             /* out of memory exception object */
   SEXP_G_OOS_ERROR,             /* out of stack exception object */
diff --git a/main.c b/main.c
index 7cd94c4d..a4e1cf45 100644
--- a/main.c
+++ b/main.c
@@ -236,8 +236,8 @@ static sexp sexp_add_import_binding (sexp ctx, sexp env) {
 }
 
 static sexp sexp_load_standard_repl_env (sexp ctx, sexp env, sexp k, int bootp) {
-  sexp_gc_var1(e);
-  sexp_gc_preserve1(ctx, e);
+  sexp_gc_var3(e, ls, sym);
+  sexp_gc_preserve3(ctx, e, ls, sym);
   e = sexp_load_standard_env(ctx, env, k);
   if (!sexp_exceptionp(e)) {
 #if SEXP_USE_MODULES
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ static sexp sexp_load_standard_repl_env (sexp ctx, sexp env, sexp k, int bootp)
     if (!sexp_exceptionp(e))
       e = sexp_load_standard_params(ctx, e);
   }
-  sexp_gc_release1(ctx);
+  sexp_gc_release3(ctx);
   return e;
 }
 
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ sexp run_main (int argc, char **argv) {
   sexp_sint_t i, j, c, quit=0, print=0, init_loaded=0, mods_loaded=0,
     fold_case=SEXP_DEFAULT_FOLD_CASE_SYMS;
   sexp_uint_t heap_size=0, heap_max_size=SEXP_MAXIMUM_HEAP_SIZE;
-  sexp out=SEXP_FALSE, ctx=NULL;
+  sexp out=SEXP_FALSE, ctx=NULL, ls;
   sexp_gc_var4(tmp, sym, args, env);
   args = SEXP_NULL;
   env = NULL;
@@ -305,14 +305,14 @@ sexp run_main (int argc, char **argv) {
   for (i=1; i < argc && argv[i][0] == '-'; i++) {
     switch ((c=argv[i][1])) {
     case 'D':
-      mods_loaded = 1;
-      load_init(1);
-      tmp = sexp_env_ref(ctx, env, sym=sexp_intern(ctx, "*features*", -1), SEXP_NULL);
-      if (sexp_pairp(tmp)) {
-        sym = sexp_intern(ctx, ((argv[i][2] == '\0') ? argv[++i] : argv[i]+2), -1);
-        for (; sexp_pairp(sexp_cdr(tmp)); tmp=sexp_cdr(tmp))
+      init_context();
+      arg = (argv[i][2] == '\0') ? argv[++i] : argv[i]+2;
+      sym = sexp_intern(ctx, arg, -1);
+      ls = sexp_global(ctx, SEXP_G_FEATURES);
+      if (sexp_pairp(ls)) {
+        for (; sexp_pairp(sexp_cdr(ls)); ls=sexp_cdr(ls))
           ;
-        sexp_cdr(tmp) = sexp_cons(ctx, sym, SEXP_NULL);
+        sexp_cdr(ls) = sexp_cons(ctx, sym, SEXP_NULL);
       }
       break;
     case 'e':
diff --git a/sexp.c b/sexp.c
index aba655fb..8b0cc939 100644
--- a/sexp.c
+++ b/sexp.c
@@ -381,9 +381,53 @@ sexp sexp_finalize_c_type (sexp ctx, sexp self, sexp_sint_t n, sexp obj) {
 
 /****************************** contexts ******************************/
 
+static const char* sexp_initial_features[] = {
+  sexp_platform,
+#if SEXP_BSD
+  "bsd",
+#endif
+#if defined(_WIN32) || defined(__MINGW32__)
+  "windows",
+#endif
+#if SEXP_USE_DL
+  "dynamic-loading",
+#endif
+#if SEXP_USE_BIDIRECTIONAL_PORTS
+  "bidir-ports",
+#endif
+#if SEXP_USE_MODULES
+  "modules",
+#endif
+#if SEXP_USE_BOEHM
+  "boehm-gc",
+#endif
+#if SEXP_USE_UTF8_STRINGS
+  "full-unicode",
+#endif
+#if SEXP_USE_GREEN_THREADS
+  "threads",
+#endif
+#if SEXP_USE_NTP_GETTIME
+  "ntp",
+#endif
+#if SEXP_USE_AUTO_FORCE
+  "auto-force",
+#endif
+#if SEXP_USE_COMPLEX
+  "complex",
+#endif
+#if SEXP_USE_RATIOS
+  "ratios",
+#endif
+  "r7rs",
+  "chibi",
+  NULL,
+};
+
 void sexp_init_context_globals (sexp ctx) {
-  sexp type, *vec, print=NULL;
+  const char** features;
   int i;
+  sexp type, *vec, print=NULL;
   sexp_context_globals(ctx)
     = sexp_make_vector(ctx, sexp_make_fixnum(SEXP_G_NUM_GLOBALS), SEXP_VOID);
 #if ! SEXP_USE_GLOBAL_SYMBOLS
@@ -415,6 +459,11 @@ void sexp_init_context_globals (sexp ctx) {
   sexp_global(ctx, SEXP_G_CONTINUABLE_SYMBOL) = sexp_intern(ctx, "continuable", -1);
   sexp_global(ctx, SEXP_G_EMPTY_VECTOR) = sexp_alloc_type(ctx, vector, SEXP_VECTOR);
   sexp_vector_length(sexp_global(ctx, SEXP_G_EMPTY_VECTOR)) = 0;
+  sexp_global(ctx, SEXP_G_FEATURES) = SEXP_NULL;
+  for (features=sexp_initial_features; *features; features++) {
+    sexp_push(ctx, sexp_global(ctx, SEXP_G_FEATURES), SEXP_FALSE);
+    sexp_car(sexp_global(ctx, SEXP_G_FEATURES)) = sexp_intern(ctx, *features, -1);
+  }
   sexp_global(ctx, SEXP_G_NUM_TYPES) = sexp_make_fixnum(SEXP_NUM_CORE_TYPES);
   sexp_global(ctx, SEXP_G_TYPES)
     = sexp_make_vector(ctx, sexp_make_fixnum(SEXP_INIT_NUM_TYPES), SEXP_VOID);