diff --git a/src/punk86.vfs/lib/app-punk/repl.tcl b/src/punk86.vfs/lib/app-punk/repl.tcl
index 493a74a2..a7d4fdf2 100644
--- a/src/punk86.vfs/lib/app-punk/repl.tcl
+++ b/src/punk86.vfs/lib/app-punk/repl.tcl
@@ -28,8 +28,26 @@ proc todo {} {
 
 }
 
+if {[string match "*.vfs/*" [info script]]} {
+    #src/xxx.vfs/lib/app-punk/repl.tcl
+    #back 5 gives same level as src folder
+    #we assume if calling directly into .vfs that the user would prefer to use src/modules - so back only 4
+    set modulefolder [file dirname [file dirname [file dirname [file dirname [info script]]]]]/modules
 
-tcl::tm::add [pwd]/modules
+} else {
+    set modulefolder [file dirname [info nameofexecutable]]/modules
+}
+
+if {[file exists $modulefolder]} {
+    tcl::tm::add $modulefolder
+} else {
+    puts stderr "Warning unable to find module folder at: $modulefolder"
+}
+
+
+if {[file exists [pwd]/modules]} {
+    tcl::tm::add [pwd]/modules
+}
 
 if {![info exists ::env(SHELL)]} {
     set ::env(SHELL) punk86
@@ -48,13 +66,21 @@ if {![info exists ::env(TERM)]} {
 }
 
 
+package require Thread
 #These are strong dependencies 
 # - the repl requires Threading and punk,shellfilter,shellrun to call and display properly.
+# tm list already indexed - need 'package forget' to find modules based on current tcl::tm::list
+
+package forget shellfilter
 package require shellfilter
+package forget shellrun
 package require shellrun
-package require Thread
+package forget punk
 package require punk
 
+
+
+
 #todo - move to less generic namespace
 namespace eval repl {
     variable screen_last_chars "" ;#a small sliding append buffer for last char of any screen output to detect \n vs string
diff --git a/src/punk86.vfs/lib/app-shellspy/shellspy.tcl b/src/punk86.vfs/lib/app-shellspy/shellspy.tcl
index 97a64bf2..37e2e409 100644
--- a/src/punk86.vfs/lib/app-shellspy/shellspy.tcl
+++ b/src/punk86.vfs/lib/app-shellspy/shellspy.tcl
@@ -74,15 +74,21 @@ if {[file extension $arg1] in [list .tCl]} {
 
 #lappend auto_path c:/tcl/lib/tcllib1.20
 
+package require Thread
+
+#NOTE: tm package index will probably already have been created so we must use 'package forget' to restrict to current tcl::tm::list path
+#Review - effect on load time of wasting a previously created index? better way?
 #require core modules only from punk distribution  (REVIEW - override option?)
+package foreget flagfilter
 package require flagfilter
+package forget shellfilter
 package require shellfilter
-package require Thread
+package foget punk
 package require punk
 
 #restore module paths 
 set tm_list_now [tcl::tm::list]
-foreach p [$original_tm_list] {
+foreach p $original_tm_list {
     if {$p ni $tm_list_now} {
         tcl::tm::add $p
     }