diff --git a/compiler/commands.nim b/compiler/commands.nim
index f5434fb621..31a185d838 100644
--- a/compiler/commands.nim
+++ b/compiler/commands.nim
@@ -508,6 +508,7 @@ proc parseCommand*(command: string): Command =
   of "jsonscript": cmdJsonscript
   of "nifc": cmdNifC  # generate C from NIF files
   of "ic": cmdIc  # generate .build.nif for nifmake
+  of "icconfig": cmdIcConfig  # produce the precompiled config artifact
   else: cmdUnknown
 
 proc setCmd*(conf: ConfigRef, cmd: Command) =
@@ -960,6 +961,11 @@ proc processSwitch*(switch, arg: string, pass: TCmdLinePass, info: TLineInfo;
     # config loading can replay it instead of re-parsing the `nim.cfg` chain.
     expectArg(conf, switch, arg, pass, info)
     conf.icPreparsedConfig = arg
+  of "icconfigout":
+    # `nim icconfig` only: where to write the precompiled config artifact (see
+    # options.icConfigOut). The `nim ic` driver spawns the producer with this.
+    expectArg(conf, switch, arg, pass, info)
+    conf.icConfigOut = arg
   of "icbackendstage":
     # `nim nifc` only: per-module backend stage, one of cg|merge|emit (see
     # options.icBackendStage). Empty (switch unused) keeps the whole-program
diff --git a/compiler/deps.nim b/compiler/deps.nim
index 34d06ac0e1..7015db6f1a 100644
--- a/compiler/deps.nim
+++ b/compiler/deps.nim
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 ## This enables incremental and parallel compilation using the `m` switch.
 
 import std / [os, tables, sets, times, osproc, algorithm, strtabs, strutils, syncio]
-import options, msgs, lineinfos, pathutils, condsyms, icconfig,
+import options, msgs, lineinfos, pathutils, condsyms,
   modulepaths, extccomp, cnif
 
 import "../dist/nimony/src/lib" / [nifstreams, bitabs, nifreader, nifbuilder]
@@ -211,6 +211,15 @@ proc processInclude(c: var DepContext; includePath: string; current: Node) =
   traverseDeps(c, c.toPair(resolved), current)
   discard c.includeStack.pop()
 
+proc getsImplicitImports(c: DepContext; nimFile: string): bool =
+  ## Mirror the compiler's `belongsToStdlib` guard (pipelines.nim): `--import:X`
+  ## (conf.implicitImports) is applied only to NON-stdlib modules. The scanner
+  ## must agree, otherwise it edges a stdlib module → X that the compiler never
+  ## actually creates, fabricating a cycle that folds X — and the modules X
+  ## claims to produce — into the system SCC (whose `nim m` is driven from
+  ## system.nim and never reaches them). Stdlib == under conf.libpath.
+  not isRelativeTo(nimFile, c.config.libpath.string)
+
 proc processImport(c: var DepContext; importPath: string; current: Node) =
   let resolved = resolveImport(c, current.files[0].nimFile, importPath)
   if resolved.len == 0 or not fileExists(resolved):
@@ -226,12 +235,15 @@ proc processImport(c: var DepContext; importPath: string; current: Node) =
     # Every module depends on system.nim
     if c.systemNodeId >= 0:
       newNode.deps.add c.systemNodeId
-    # ... and on every `--import`ed module (conf.implicitImports). A `--import`ed
-    # module is itself imported by its own closure (which also gets these edges),
-    # so the cycle folds into one strongly-connected component (see computeSCCs),
-    # just like system.nim's closure.
-    for impId in c.implicitNodeIds:
-      if impId != newNode.id: newNode.deps.add impId
+    # ... and on every `--import`ed module (conf.implicitImports), but only for
+    # the non-stdlib modules the compiler actually applies implicit imports to
+    # (see getsImplicitImports). A `--import`ed module is imported by its own
+    # non-stdlib closure (which also gets these edges), so that cycle folds into
+    # one small strongly-connected component (see computeSCCs) instead of being
+    # smeared across system + stdlib.
+    if getsImplicitImports(c, pair.nimFile):
+      for impId in c.implicitNodeIds:
+        if impId != newNode.id: newNode.deps.add impId
     c.processedModules[pair.modname] = newNode.id
     c.nodes.add newNode
     traverseDeps(c, pair, newNode)
@@ -694,15 +706,14 @@ proc computeForwardedArgs(c: DepContext): seq[string] =
   # then abort builds the whole-program compilation accepts. Forward the
   # real project so children filter diagnostics identically.
   result.add "--icproject:" & c.config.projectFull.string
-  # Precompiled config: serialise the driver's config once and have every
-  # child replay it instead of re-parsing the `nim.cfg` chain and re-running
-  # `config.nims` in the VM. See compiler/icconfig.nim. `-d:icNoPreparsedConfig`
-  # restores the old per-child config parsing (for bisecting a suspected
-  # config-replay divergence without clearing caches).
-  if not isDefined(c.config, "icNoPreparsedConfig"):
-    let cfgArtifact = nimcache / "ic_config.cfg.nif"
-    writeIcConfig(c.config, cfgArtifact)
-    result.add "--icPreparsedConfig:" & cfgArtifact
+  # Precompiled config: every child replays the one artifact produced (in a
+  # separate `nim icconfig` process) and already replayed by the driver itself —
+  # see `icconfig.ensureIcConfig`, run before the driver's own `loadConfigs`. So
+  # `nim ic` is always governed by this single artifact, for speed and so the
+  # driver and its children agree by construction. Forward the path the driver
+  # replayed (`conf.icPreparsedConfig`); `commandIc` has already guaranteed it
+  # exists, else it bailed.
+  result.add "--icPreparsedConfig:" & c.config.icPreparsedConfig
 
 proc generateFrontendBuildFile(c: DepContext; forwardedArgs: seq[string]): string =
   ## Frontend build file: the nifler (parse) and `nim m` (sem) rules only. The
@@ -1029,6 +1040,12 @@ proc commandIc*(conf: ConfigRef) =
       rawMessage(conf, errGenerated, "nifler tool not found. Install nimony or add nifler to PATH.")
       return
 
+    # Resolve the `.nim` source first, exactly like `wantMainModule`. Without
+    # this, an extensionless project arg (`nim ic path/to/foo`) resolves to a
+    # same-named sibling that already exists — e.g. the ELF a prior `nim c`
+    # left behind — and nifler chokes on the binary (`invalid token \127`,
+    # ELF magic). `addFileExt` only appends when there is no extension.
+    conf.projectFull = addFileExt(conf.projectFull, NimExt)
     let projectFile = conf.projectFull.string
     if not fileExists(projectFile):
       rawMessage(conf, errGenerated, "project file not found: " & projectFile)
@@ -1118,6 +1135,15 @@ proc commandIc*(conf: ConfigRef) =
     # from its importer — and rerun; nifmake's mtime pruning keeps completed
     # work. A round that discovers nothing new but still fails is a real error.
     let forwardedArgs = computeForwardedArgs(c)
+    # The precompiled config drives every `nim m`/`nim nifc` child and the driver
+    # itself (`ensureIcConfig` produced it and `loadConfigs` replayed it). If it
+    # is not on disk something went wrong producing it — children would each
+    # silently fall back to re-parsing the whole config chain — so refuse to
+    # continue without it.
+    if conf.icPreparsedConfig.len == 0 or not fileExists(conf.icPreparsedConfig):
+      rawMessage(conf, errGenerated,
+        "precompiled config missing: " & conf.icPreparsedConfig)
+      return
     let nifmake = findNifmake()
     # Build the per-module rules concurrently: nifmake fans out all commands at
     # each DAG depth via execProcesses (defaults to all cores). Cold builds are
@@ -1164,8 +1190,9 @@ proc commandIc*(conf: ConfigRef) =
               let newNode = Node(files: @[pair], id: c.nodes.len)
               if c.systemNodeId >= 0:
                 newNode.deps.add c.systemNodeId
-              for impId in c.implicitNodeIds:
-                if impId != newNode.id: newNode.deps.add impId
+              if getsImplicitImports(c, pair.nimFile):
+                for impId in c.implicitNodeIds:
+                  if impId != newNode.id: newNode.deps.add impId
               c.processedModules[pair.modname] = newNode.id
               c.nodes.add newNode
               idx = newNode.id
diff --git a/compiler/icconfig.nim b/compiler/icconfig.nim
index 653fb2dfd6..0250ee0583 100644
--- a/compiler/icconfig.nim
+++ b/compiler/icconfig.nim
@@ -31,23 +31,39 @@
 ## `--path` arguments; replaying their raw, config-dir-relative arguments here
 ## would misresolve.
 
-import options, commands, lineinfos
-import std/[algorithm, os, sets]
+import options, commands, lineinfos, pathutils, msgs
+import std/[algorithm, os, sets, osproc, times, streams, syncio]
 import "../dist/nimony/src/lib" / [nifbuilder, nifcoreparse]
 
 const
-  IcConfigVersion* = "1"
+  IcConfigVersion* = "2"
     ## Artifact format version. Bump on any layout change here so a child built
     ## by an older compiler rejects a stale artifact and falls back to normal
     ## config loading instead of replaying a format it cannot parse.
 
 proc writeIcConfig*(conf: ConfigRef; outfile: string) =
-  ## Serialise the config-file switches recorded during `loadConfigs` plus the
-  ## resolved `cppDefines` set into the artifact at `outfile`.
-  var b = nifbuilder.open(outfile)
+  ## Serialise the resolved config (the config-file switches recorded during
+  ## `loadConfigs`, the resolved `cppDefines`/`searchPaths`, the nimcache dir, and
+  ## the list of config *source* files for staleness detection) into `outfile`.
+  ## `OnlyIfChanged`: when the content is byte-identical to what is already on
+  ## disk the file is left untouched so its mtime does not advance — otherwise
+  ## every `nim ic` run would re-fire the whole nifmake graph (see `nifler`'s
+  ## `produceConfig`, whose model this mirrors).
+  var b = nifbuilder.open(outfile, writeMode = OnlyIfChanged)
   b.withTree "stmts":
     b.withTree "meta":
       b.addStrLit IcConfigVersion
+    b.withTree "sources":
+      # Every config file read while loading (nim.cfg chain + config.nims), so a
+      # later run can decide via mtimes whether this artifact is still current
+      # (see `sourcesChanged`).
+      for f in conf.configFiles:
+        b.addStrLit f.string
+    b.withTree "nimcache":
+      # Resolved build nimcache. Recorded (unlike the path-search switches) so the
+      # driver, which replays this artifact instead of parsing `nim.cfg`, still
+      # learns a `--nimcache:` set inside `nim.cfg` and builds in the right place.
+      b.addStrLit conf.nimcacheDir.string
     b.withTree "cppdefines":
       # HashSet iteration order is unspecified; sort so the artifact is
       # byte-stable across runs (nifmake keys rebuilds off content changes).
@@ -55,6 +71,15 @@ proc writeIcConfig*(conf: ConfigRef; outfile: string) =
       for d in conf.cppDefines: defs.add d
       sort defs
       for d in defs: b.addStrLit d
+    b.withTree "searchpaths":
+      # The resolved (absolute) search paths. Path-search *switches* are skipped
+      # below because their raw arguments are config-dir-relative; the net effect
+      # lives here instead, so a replayer with no `--path` command-line arguments
+      # (the `nim ic` driver itself) still resolves imports. `nim m`/`nim nifc`
+      # children also receive these as forwarded `--path` args; the dedup on
+      # replay makes the overlap harmless.
+      for p in conf.searchPaths:
+        b.addStrLit p.string
     b.withTree "switches":
       for sw in conf.icConfigSwitches:
         b.addTree "sw"
@@ -74,7 +99,10 @@ proc applyIcConfig*(conf: ConfigRef; infile: string): bool =
   let
     stmtsTag = tags.registerTag("stmts")
     metaTag = tags.registerTag("meta")
+    sourcesTag = tags.registerTag("sources")
+    nimcacheTag = tags.registerTag("nimcache")
     cppTag = tags.registerTag("cppdefines")
+    pathsTag = tags.registerTag("searchpaths")
     switchesTag = tags.registerTag("switches")
     swTag = tags.registerTag("sw")
   var buf = parseFromFile(infile, 1000, pool, tags)
@@ -95,6 +123,22 @@ proc applyIcConfig*(conf: ConfigRef; infile: string): bool =
             inc c
           else:
             skip c
+      elif c.cursorTagId == nimcacheTag:
+        c.loopInto:
+          if c.kind == StrLit:
+            let nc = strVal(c)
+            # Only when nimcache was not already pinned on the command line: a
+            # `--nimcache:` argument the driver/child was launched with must win
+            # over whatever `nim.cfg` recorded into the artifact.
+            if nc.len > 0 and conf.nimcacheDir.isEmpty:
+              conf.nimcacheDir = AbsoluteDir(nc)
+            inc c
+          else:
+            skip c
+      elif c.cursorTagId == sourcesTag:
+        # Replay does not need the source list; it exists only for
+        # `sourcesChanged`. Skip the whole section.
+        skip c
       elif c.cursorTagId == cppTag:
         c.loopInto:
           if c.kind == StrLit:
@@ -102,6 +146,17 @@ proc applyIcConfig*(conf: ConfigRef; infile: string): bool =
             inc c
           else:
             skip c
+      elif c.cursorTagId == pathsTag:
+        c.loopInto:
+          if c.kind == StrLit:
+            # Append preserving the serialised order (which already reflects the
+            # driver's addPath insert-at-front sequence), deduping against any
+            # path a child already received via a forwarded `--path` argument.
+            let d = AbsoluteDir(strVal(c))
+            if not conf.searchPaths.contains(d): conf.searchPaths.add d
+            inc c
+          else:
+            skip c
       elif c.cursorTagId == switchesTag:
         c.loopInto:
           if c.kind == TagLit and c.cursorTagId == swTag:
@@ -125,3 +180,104 @@ proc applyIcConfig*(conf: ConfigRef; infile: string): bool =
       skip c
   endRead(c)
   result = sawMeta and version == IcConfigVersion
+
+proc sourcesChanged*(configFile: string): bool =
+  ## True when the precompiled config at `configFile` is missing, malformed,
+  ## written by an incompatible version, or any recorded config *source* file is
+  ## newer than it (or has vanished) — i.e. the artifact must be regenerated.
+  ## Mirrors nifler's `sourcesChanged`: the source list lives inside the artifact
+  ## so this needs no out-of-band knowledge of which `nim.cfg`s were read.
+  if not fileExists(configFile): return true
+  let modtime = getLastModificationTime(configFile)
+  var pool = newPool()
+  var tags = newTagPool()
+  let
+    stmtsTag = tags.registerTag("stmts")
+    metaTag = tags.registerTag("meta")
+    sourcesTag = tags.registerTag("sources")
+  var buf = parseFromFile(configFile, 1000, pool, tags)
+  var c = beginRead(buf)
+  if c.kind != TagLit or c.cursorTagId != stmtsTag:
+    endRead(c)
+    return true
+  var version = ""
+  var depsChanged = false
+  c.loopInto:
+    if c.kind == TagLit and c.cursorTagId == metaTag:
+      c.loopInto:
+        if c.kind == StrLit:
+          version = strVal(c)
+          inc c
+        else:
+          skip c
+    elif c.kind == TagLit and c.cursorTagId == sourcesTag:
+      c.loopInto:
+        if c.kind == StrLit:
+          let dep = strVal(c)
+          if not fileExists(dep) or getLastModificationTime(dep) >= modtime:
+            depsChanged = true
+          inc c
+        else:
+          skip c
+    else:
+      skip c
+  endRead(c)
+  result = depsChanged or version != IcConfigVersion
+
+proc produceIcConfig*(conf: ConfigRef) =
+  ## The `cmdIcConfig` command. By the time it runs, the normal pipeline has
+  ## already fully parsed the `nim.cfg` chain and run `config.nims`, so the
+  ## resolved config is sitting in `conf`; just serialise it to `--o`.
+  let outPath = conf.icConfigOut
+  if outPath.len == 0:
+    rawMessage(conf, errGenerated, "icconfig: missing output path (--icConfigOut)")
+    return
+  createDir(parentDir(outPath))
+  writeIcConfig(conf, outPath)
+
+proc ensureIcConfig*(conf: ConfigRef) =
+  ## Driver-side (`cmdIc`). Make sure an up-to-date precompiled config exists,
+  ## (re)producing it in a *separate* process when missing or stale, then point
+  ## `conf.icPreparsedConfig` at it so the driver replays the very same config its
+  ## `nim m`/`nim nifc` children will — perfect speed (config parsed at most once,
+  ## skipped entirely when nothing changed) and consistency (one producer, every
+  ## process replays its output). The artifact lives in the nimcache derived from
+  ## the command line (pre-config-parse), which is the one the children are told;
+  ## a `--nimcache:` set inside `nim.cfg` is recovered from the artifact itself.
+  let cacheDir = getNimcacheDir(conf).string
+  # Start from a clean cache when the on-disk NIF format stamp is absent or stale
+  # (see `icFormatVersion`). This must happen HERE, before the config artifact is
+  # produced — `commandIc` performs the same check later, but by then the artifact
+  # would already live in the cache and the wipe would delete it.
+  createDir(cacheDir)
+  let versionFile = cacheDir / "ic.version"
+  let stamp = if fileExists(versionFile): readFile(versionFile) else: ""
+  if stamp != icFormatVersion:
+    removeDir(cacheDir)
+    createDir(cacheDir)
+    writeFile(versionFile, icFormatVersion)
+  let outPath = cacheDir / "ic_config.cfg.nif"
+  if not fileExists(outPath) or sourcesChanged(outPath):
+    createDir(cacheDir)
+    # Re-invoke ourselves as the config producer: reuse this process's command
+    # line, dropping the command argument (`ic`) in favour of `icconfig` and the
+    # explicit output path, both BEFORE the project file (anything after the
+    # project is swallowed into `config.arguments` by `cmdLineRest`). The
+    # producer re-reads `nim.cfg` itself.
+    var pargs = @["icconfig", "--icConfigOut:" & outPath]
+    var droppedCmd = false
+    for a in commandLineParams():
+      if not droppedCmd and a.len > 0 and a[0] != '-':
+        droppedCmd = true  # drop the original command token (`ic`)
+      else:
+        pargs.add a
+    let p = startProcess(getAppFilename(), args = pargs,
+                         options = {poStdErrToStdOut})
+    let outp = p.outputStream.readAll()
+    let code = p.waitForExit()
+    p.close()
+    if code != 0 or not fileExists(outPath):
+      rawMessage(conf, errGenerated,
+        "failed to produce precompiled config (exit code " & $code & "):\n" & outp)
+      return
+  conf.icPreparsedConfig = outPath
diff --git a/compiler/main.nim b/compiler/main.nim
index bf7eb2b675..9052287a1f 100644
--- a/compiler/main.nim
+++ b/compiler/main.nim
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ when defined(nimPreviewSlimSystem):
 import ../dist/checksums/src/checksums/sha1
 
 import pipelines
+from icconfig import produceIcConfig
 
 when not defined(nimKochBootstrap):
   import nifbackend
@@ -439,6 +440,11 @@ proc mainCommand*(graph: ModuleGraph) =
       commandIc(conf)
     else:
       rawMessage(conf, errGenerated, "nim deps not available in bootstrap build")
+  of cmdIcConfig:
+    # Produce the precompiled config artifact for `nim ic` (config already
+    # parsed by the normal pipeline); a separate process spawned by the driver.
+    wantMainModule(conf)
+    produceIcConfig(conf)
   of cmdParse:
     wantMainModule(conf)
     discard parseFile(conf.projectMainIdx, cache, conf)
diff --git a/compiler/modulegraphs.nim b/compiler/modulegraphs.nim
index e145214bcb..af5df92902 100644
--- a/compiler/modulegraphs.nim
+++ b/compiler/modulegraphs.nim
@@ -1063,7 +1063,16 @@ proc getPackage*(graph: ModuleGraph; fileIdx: FileIndex): PSym =
 
 proc belongsToStdlib*(graph: ModuleGraph, sym: PSym): bool =
   ## Check if symbol belongs to the 'stdlib' package.
-  sym.getPackageSymbol.getPackageId == graph.systemModule.getPackageId
+  # Compare the package *name* (an interned ident), not the package symbol's
+  # `.id`. Under per-module IC (`nim m`) the system module is loaded from a NIF
+  # in a process that does not compile it from source, so its package symbol is
+  # reconstructed with a fresh `.id` that no longer matches the freshly-interned
+  # package of a stdlib module compiled standalone here — making the old id
+  # comparison wrongly report `false` and inject `--import`ed modules into the
+  # stdlib. Both are canonically named `stdlib` (lib/stdlib.nimble); in a normal
+  # `nim c` build (system compiled from source) the ids match too, so this is a
+  # no-op there.
+  sym.getPackageSymbol.name.id == graph.systemModule.getPackageSymbol.name.id
 
 proc fileSymbols*(graph: ModuleGraph, fileIdx: FileIndex): SuggestFileSymbolDatabase =
   result = graph.suggestSymbols.getOrDefault(fileIdx, newSuggestFileSymbolDatabase(fileIdx, optIdeExceptionInlayHints in graph.config.globalOptions))
diff --git a/compiler/nim.nim b/compiler/nim.nim
index fd33aca040..0d2a0a95a4 100644
--- a/compiler/nim.nim
+++ b/compiler/nim.nim
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import
   pathutils, modulegraphs
 
 from ast2nif import registerNifAstTags
+from icconfig import ensureIcConfig
 
 from std/browsers import openDefaultBrowser
 from nodejs import findNodeJs
@@ -114,6 +115,14 @@ proc handleCmdLine(cache: IdentCache; conf: ConfigRef) =
 
   self.processCmdLineAndProjectPath(conf)
 
+  # `nim ic` driver: ensure the precompiled config exists (produced by a separate
+  # `nim icconfig` process, skipped when nothing changed) BEFORE config loading,
+  # so `loadConfigs` replays it instead of re-parsing the `nim.cfg` chain — the
+  # driver runs on the exact same config its children will. See icconfig.nim.
+  when not defined(nimKochBootstrap):
+    if conf.cmd == cmdIc:
+      ensureIcConfig(conf)
+
   var graph = newModuleGraph(cache, conf)
   if not self.loadConfigsAndProcessCmdLine(cache, conf, graph):
     return
diff --git a/compiler/nimconf.nim b/compiler/nimconf.nim
index 9c5e4c6d07..fc5f4e3656 100644
--- a/compiler/nimconf.nim
+++ b/compiler/nimconf.nim
@@ -246,10 +246,14 @@ proc getSystemConfigPath*(conf: ConfigRef; filename: RelativeFile): AbsoluteFile
 
 proc loadConfigs*(cfg: RelativeFile; cache: IdentCache; conf: ConfigRef; idgen: IdGenerator) =
   setDefaultLibpath(conf)
-  # `nim ic` children replay the precompiled config the driver recorded once,
-  # instead of re-reading the `nim.cfg` chain and re-running `config.nims` in the
-  # VM. A missing/format-incompatible artifact returns false: fall through to
-  # normal config loading so an older child or a deleted cache still works.
+  # The `nim ic` driver and its `nim m`/`nim nifc` children replay the precompiled
+  # config (produced once by a separate `nim icconfig` process — see
+  # `icconfig.ensureIcConfig`, which sets `icPreparsedConfig` for the driver
+  # before this runs; the children get it as a forwarded `--icPreparsedConfig`
+  # argument) instead of re-reading the `nim.cfg` chain and re-running
+  # `config.nims` in the VM. A missing/format-incompatible artifact returns false:
+  # fall through to a normal parse (this is also the path the `nim icconfig`
+  # producer itself takes, since it runs with no `icPreparsedConfig`).
   if conf.icPreparsedConfig.len > 0 and applyIcConfig(conf, conf.icPreparsedConfig):
     return
   template readConfigFile(path) =
diff --git a/compiler/options.nim b/compiler/options.nim
index 012f633946..8559caf0e3 100644
--- a/compiler/options.nim
+++ b/compiler/options.nim
@@ -200,6 +200,7 @@ type
     cmdCompileToNif
     cmdNifC  # generate C code from NIF files
     cmdIc  # generate .build.nif for nifmake
+    cmdIcConfig # `nim ic`'s precompiled-config producer (writes ic_config.cfg.nif)
 
 const
   cmdBackends* = {cmdCompileToC, cmdCompileToCpp, cmdCompileToOC,
@@ -418,12 +419,16 @@ type
                               # module's package the "main package" and unfilter
                               # foreign-package diagnostics; the real project
                               # restores whole-program filtering semantics.
-    icPreparsedConfig*: string # under `nim m`/`nim nifc`: path of the precompiled
-                              # config artifact written once by the `nim ic` driver.
+    icPreparsedConfig*: string # under the `nim ic` driver and its `nim m`/`nim nifc`
+                              # children: path of the precompiled config artifact.
                               # When set, `loadConfigs` replays the recorded
                               # config-file switches from it instead of re-reading
                               # the `nim.cfg` chain and re-running `config.nims`
-                              # (which the VM makes expensive) per subprocess.
+                              # (which the VM makes expensive) per process. The
+                              # artifact itself is produced by a separate
+                              # `nim icconfig` process (see `cmdIcConfig`).
+    icConfigOut*: string      # under `nim icconfig`: the path to write the
+                              # precompiled config artifact to (set via `--o`).
     icConfigSwitches*: seq[tuple[switch, arg: string]]
                               # the config-file (`passPP`) switches applied while
                               # loading config, in order. Recorded by every nim
diff --git a/compiler/pipelines.nim b/compiler/pipelines.nim
index 7c9ce97ff3..ae81ac12f1 100644
--- a/compiler/pipelines.nim
+++ b/compiler/pipelines.nim
@@ -286,6 +286,15 @@ proc compilePipelineModule*(graph: ModuleGraph; fileIdx: FileIndex; flags: TSymF
   result = graph.getModule(fileIdx)
 
   template processModuleAux(moduleStatus) =
+    when defined(icDbg):
+      block:
+        let dbgf = open("/tmp/defdbg.txt", fmAppend)
+        dbgf.writeLine toFullPath(graph.config, fileIdx) &
+          " nimStackTraceOverride=" & $isDefined(graph.config, "nimStackTraceOverride") &
+          " nimscript=" & $isDefined(graph.config, "nimscript") &
+          " optCompress=" & $(optCompress in graph.config.globalOptions) &
+          " cmd=" & $graph.config.cmd
+        dbgf.close()
     onProcessing(graph, fileIdx, moduleStatus, fromModule = fromModule)
     var s: PLLStream = nil
     if sfMainModule in flags: