diff --git a/compile/CompilerArguments.scala b/compile/CompilerArguments.scala
index 7db74ddc8..b47741cb3 100644
--- a/compile/CompilerArguments.scala
+++ b/compile/CompilerArguments.scala
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ package sbt
 package compiler
 
 	import java.io.File
-	import CompilerArguments.{abs, absString}
+	import CompilerArguments.{abs, absString, BootClasspathOption}
 
 /** Forms the list of options that is passed to the compiler from the required inputs and other options.
 * The directory containing scala-library.jar and scala-compiler.jar (scalaLibDirectory) is required in
@@ -45,11 +45,12 @@ final class CompilerArguments(scalaInstance: ScalaInstance, cp: ClasspathOptions
 	}
 	def filterLibrary(classpath: Seq[File]) =
 		if(cp.filterLibrary) classpath.filterNot(_.getName contains ScalaArtifacts.LibraryID) else classpath
-	def bootClasspathOption = if(cp.autoBoot) Seq("-bootclasspath", createBootClasspath) else Nil
-	def bootClasspath = if(cp.autoBoot) sbt.IO.pathSplit(createBootClasspath).map(new File(_)).toSeq else Nil
+	def bootClasspathOption = if(cp.autoBoot) Seq(BootClasspathOption, createBootClasspath) else Nil
+	def bootClasspath = if(cp.autoBoot) IO.parseClasspath(createBootClasspath) else Nil
 }
 object CompilerArguments
 {
+	val BootClasspathOption = "-bootclasspath"
 	def abs(files: Seq[File]): Seq[String] = files.map(_.getAbsolutePath)
 	def abs(files: Set[File]): Seq[String] = abs(files.toSeq)
 	def absString(files: Seq[File]): String = abs(files).mkString(File.pathSeparator)
diff --git a/main/actions/AggressiveCompile.scala b/main/actions/AggressiveCompile.scala
index 5494518ca..589ad15ed 100644
--- a/main/actions/AggressiveCompile.scala
+++ b/main/actions/AggressiveCompile.scala
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ class AggressiveCompile(cacheDirectory: File)
 		val absClasspath = classpath.map(_.getCanonicalFile)
 		val apiOption= (api: Either[Boolean, Source]) => api.right.toOption
 		val cArgs = new CompilerArguments(compiler.scalaInstance, compiler.cp)
-		val searchClasspath = withBootclasspath(cArgs, absClasspath)
+		val searchClasspath = explicitBootClasspath(options.options) ++ withBootclasspath(cArgs, absClasspath)
 		val entry = Locate.entry(searchClasspath, definesClass)
 		
 		val compile0 = (include: Set[File], callback: AnalysisCallback) => {
@@ -106,6 +106,9 @@ class AggressiveCompile(cacheDirectory: File)
 		}
 	def javaOnly(f: File) = f.getName.endsWith(".java")
 
+	private[this] def explicitBootClasspath(options: Seq[String]): Seq[File] =
+		options.dropWhile(_ != CompilerArguments.BootClasspathOption).drop(1).take(1).headOption.toList.flatMap(IO.parseClasspath)
+
 	import AnalysisFormats._
 	val store = AggressiveCompile.staticCache(cacheDirectory, AnalysisStore.sync(AnalysisStore.cached(FileBasedStore(cacheDirectory))))
 }
diff --git a/util/io/IO.scala b/util/io/IO.scala
index 651a2d069..91a31f8eb 100644
--- a/util/io/IO.scala
+++ b/util/io/IO.scala
@@ -627,4 +627,6 @@ object IO
 	}
 	def assertAbsolute(f: File) = assert(f.isAbsolute, "Not absolute: " + f)
 	def assertAbsolute(uri: URI) = assert(uri.isAbsolute, "Not absolute: " + uri)
+
+	def parseClasspath(s: String): Seq[File] = IO.pathSplit(s).map(new File(_)).toSeq
 }