diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc b/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc
index b3fb02ce6..89433d867 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc
@@ -835,7 +835,7 @@ ApplicationBase::init_app ()
     mc->finish ();
 
     //  as this regenerates the macro collection, autorun_early is required again
-    //  note: this does no re-execute macros that have been executed already
+    //  note: this does not re-execute macros that have been executed already
     lym::MacroCollection::root ().autorun_early ();
 
   }
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layMacroController.cc b/src/lay/lay/layMacroController.cc
index e3f3dbb76..2eb517e76 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layMacroController.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layMacroController.cc
@@ -62,13 +62,15 @@ MacroController::add_macro_category (const std::string &name, const std::string
 void
 MacroController::finish ()
 {
-  lym::MacroCollection::root ().clear ();
+  lym::MacroCollection &root = lym::MacroCollection::root ();
+
+  root.clear ();
 
   //  Scan built-in macros
   //  These macros are always taken, even if there are no macros requested (they are required to
   //  fully form the API).
-  lym::MacroCollection::root ().add_folder (tl::to_string (QObject::tr ("Built-In")), ":/built-in-macros", "macros", true);
-  lym::MacroCollection::root ().add_folder (tl::to_string (QObject::tr ("Built-In")), ":/built-in-pymacros", "pymacros", true);
+  root.add_folder (tl::to_string (QObject::tr ("Built-In")), ":/built-in-macros", "macros", true);
+  root.add_folder (tl::to_string (QObject::tr ("Built-In")), ":/built-in-pymacros", "pymacros", true);
 
   //  scans the macros from techs and packages (this will allow autorun-early on them)
   //  and updates m_external_paths
@@ -92,13 +94,13 @@ MacroController::finish ()
               description += " - " + tl::to_string (tr ("%1 branch").arg (tl::to_qstring (*f)));
             }
 
-            lym::MacroCollection::root ().add_folder (description, mp, m_macro_categories[c].name, p->readonly);
+            root.add_folder (description, mp, m_macro_categories[c].name, p->readonly);
 
           }
 
         } else if (p->cat == m_macro_categories[c].name) {
 
-          lym::MacroCollection::root ().add_folder (p->description, p->path, m_macro_categories[c].name, p->readonly);
+          root.add_folder (p->description, p->path, m_macro_categories[c].name, p->readonly);
 
         }
 
@@ -121,7 +123,7 @@ MacroController::finish ()
 
   if (! m_no_implicit_macros) {
     for (std::vector <ExternalPathDescriptor>::const_iterator p = m_external_paths.begin (); p != m_external_paths.end (); ++p) {
-      lym::MacroCollection *mc = lym::MacroCollection::root ().add_folder (p->description, p->path, p->cat, p->readonly);
+      lym::MacroCollection *mc = root.add_folder (p->description, p->path, p->cat, p->readonly);
       if (mc) {
         mc->set_virtual_mode (p->type);
       }
diff --git a/src/lym/lym/gsiDeclLymMacro.cc b/src/lym/lym/gsiDeclLymMacro.cc
index 28e1ac4d7..4555c562e 100644
--- a/src/lym/lym/gsiDeclLymMacro.cc
+++ b/src/lym/lym/gsiDeclLymMacro.cc
@@ -123,6 +123,14 @@ public:
 
   void register_gsi (const char *name)
   {
+    //  do not register an interpreter again (this is important as registration code
+    //  may be executed again and we do not want to have two interpreters for the same thing)
+    for (tl::Registrar<lym::MacroInterpreter>::iterator cls = tl::Registrar<lym::MacroInterpreter>::begin (); cls != tl::Registrar<lym::MacroInterpreter>::end (); ++cls) {
+      if (cls.current_name () == name) {
+        return;
+      }
+    }
+
     //  makes the object owned by the C++ side
     keep ();
 
@@ -220,6 +228,16 @@ public:
     m->set_interpreter (lym::Macro::DSLInterpreter);
     m->set_format (storage_scheme ());
 
+    //  avoid registering the same template twice
+    for (auto t = m_templates.begin (); t != m_templates.end (); ++t) {
+      if ((*t)->path () == m->path ()) {
+        delete *t;
+        *t = m;
+        return m;
+      }
+    }
+
+    //  not present yet - install at end
     m_templates.push_back (m);
     return m;
   }