diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 735d342a79eb5..50f36ea3a09a1 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ julia-deps: | $(DIRS) $(build_datarootdir)/julia/base $(build_datarootdir)/julia
 julia-stdlib: | $(DIRS) julia-deps
 	@$(MAKE) $(QUIET_MAKE) -C $(BUILDROOT)/stdlib
 
-julia-base: julia-deps $(build_sysconfdir)/julia/startup.jl $(build_man1dir)/julia.1 $(build_datarootdir)/julia/julia-config.jl
+julia-base: julia-deps $(build_sysconfdir)/julia/startup.jl $(build_man1dir)/julia.1 $(build_datarootdir)/julia/julia-config.jl $(build_datarootdir)/julia/juliac.jl $(build_datarootdir)/julia/juliac-buildscript.jl
 	@$(MAKE) $(QUIET_MAKE) -C $(BUILDROOT)/base
 
 julia-libccalltest: julia-deps
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ $(build_sysconfdir)/julia/startup.jl: $(JULIAHOME)/etc/startup.jl | $(build_sysc
 	@echo Creating usr/etc/julia/startup.jl
 	@cp $< $@
 
-$(build_datarootdir)/julia/julia-config.jl: $(JULIAHOME)/contrib/julia-config.jl | $(build_datarootdir)/julia
+$(build_datarootdir)/julia/%: $(JULIAHOME)/contrib/% | $(build_datarootdir)/julia
 	$(INSTALL_M) $< $(dir $@)
 
 $(build_depsbindir)/stringreplace: $(JULIAHOME)/contrib/stringreplace.c | $(build_depsbindir)
diff --git a/test/trimming/buildscript.jl b/contrib/juliac-buildscript.jl
similarity index 100%
rename from test/trimming/buildscript.jl
rename to contrib/juliac-buildscript.jl
diff --git a/contrib/juliac.jl b/contrib/juliac.jl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..61e0e91958667
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/juliac.jl
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+# Julia compiler wrapper script
+# NOTE: The interface and location of this script are considered unstable/experimental
+
+cmd = Base.julia_cmd()
+cmd = `$cmd --startup-file=no --history-file=no`
+output_type = nothing  # exe, sharedlib, sysimage
+trim = nothing
+outname = nothing
+file = nothing
+add_ccallables = false
+
+help = findfirst(x->x == "--help", ARGS)
+if help !== nothing
+    println(
+        """
+        Usage: julia juliac.jl [--output-exe | --output-lib | --output-sysimage] <name> [options] <file.jl>
+        --trim=<no,safe,unsafe,unsafe-warn>  Only output code statically determined to be reachable
+        --compile-ccallable  Include all methods marked `@ccallable` in output
+        --verbose            Request verbose output
+        """)
+    exit(0)
+end
+
+let i = 1
+    while i <= length(ARGS)
+        arg = ARGS[i]
+        if arg == "--output-exe" || arg == "--output-lib" || arg == "--output-sysimage"
+            isnothing(output_type) || error("Multiple output types specified")
+            global output_type = arg
+            i == length(ARGS) && error("Output specifier requires an argument")
+            global outname = ARGS[i+1]
+            i += 1
+        elseif startswith(arg, "--trim")
+            arg = split(arg, '=')
+            if length(arg) == 1
+                global trim = "safe"
+            else
+                global trim = arg[2]
+            end
+        elseif arg == "--compile-ccallable"
+            global add_ccallables = true
+        else
+            if arg[1] == '-' || !isnothing(file)
+                println("Unexpected argument `$arg`")
+                exit(1)
+            end
+            global file = arg
+        end
+        i += 1
+    end
+end
+
+isnothing(outname) && error("No output file specified")
+isnothing(file) && error("No input file specified")
+
+absfile = abspath(file)
+cflags = readchomp(`$(cmd) $(joinpath(Sys.BINDIR, Base.DATAROOTDIR,"julia", "julia-config.jl")) --cflags `)
+cflags = Base.shell_split(cflags)
+allflags = readchomp(`$(cmd) $(joinpath(Sys.BINDIR, Base.DATAROOTDIR,"julia", "julia-config.jl")) --allflags`)
+allflags = Base.shell_split(allflags)
+tmpdir = mktempdir(cleanup=false)
+initsrc_path = joinpath(tmpdir, "init.c")
+init_path = joinpath(tmpdir, "init.a")
+img_path = joinpath(tmpdir, "img.a")
+bc_path = joinpath(tmpdir, "img-bc.a")
+
+open(initsrc_path, "w") do io
+    print(io, """
+              #include <julia.h>
+              __attribute__((constructor)) void static_init(void) {
+                  if (jl_is_initialized())
+                      return;
+                  julia_init(JL_IMAGE_IN_MEMORY);
+                  jl_exception_clear();
+              }
+              """)
+end
+
+static_call_graph_arg() = isnothing(trim) ?  `` : `--trim=$(trim)`
+is_verbose() = verbose ? `--verbose-compilation=yes` : ``
+cmd = addenv(`$cmd --project=$(Base.active_project()) --output-o $img_path --output-incremental=no --strip-ir --strip-metadata $(static_call_graph_arg()) $(joinpath(@__DIR__,"juliac-buildscript.jl")) $absfile $output_type $add_ccallables`, "OPENBLAS_NUM_THREADS" => 1, "JULIA_NUM_THREADS" => 1)
+
+if !success(pipeline(cmd; stdout, stderr))
+    println(stderr, "\nFailed to compile $file")
+    exit(1)
+end
+
+run(`cc $(cflags) -g -c -o $init_path $initsrc_path`)
+
+if output_type == "--output-lib" || output_type == "--output-sysimage"
+    of, ext = splitext(outname)
+    soext = "." * Base.BinaryPlatforms.platform_dlext()
+    if ext == ""
+        outname = of * soext
+    end
+end
+
+julia_libs = Base.shell_split(Base.isdebugbuild() ? "-ljulia-debug -ljulia-internal-debug" : "-ljulia -ljulia-internal")
+try
+    if output_type == "--output-lib"
+        run(`cc $(allflags) -o $outname -shared -Wl,$(Base.Linking.WHOLE_ARCHIVE) $img_path  -Wl,$(Base.Linking.NO_WHOLE_ARCHIVE) $init_path  $(julia_libs)`)
+    elseif output_type == "--output-sysimage"
+        run(`cc $(allflags) -o $outname -shared -Wl,$(Base.Linking.WHOLE_ARCHIVE) $img_path  -Wl,$(Base.Linking.NO_WHOLE_ARCHIVE)             $(julia_libs)`)
+    else
+        run(`cc $(allflags) -o $outname -Wl,$(Base.Linking.WHOLE_ARCHIVE) $img_path -Wl,$(Base.Linking.NO_WHOLE_ARCHIVE) $init_path $(julia_libs)`)
+    end
+catch
+    println("\nCompilation failed.")
+    exit(1)
+end
diff --git a/test/trimming/Makefile b/test/trimming/Makefile
index 5c5e7184c9e7a..c6e105d637013 100644
--- a/test/trimming/Makefile
+++ b/test/trimming/Makefile
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ endif
 # location of test source
 SRCDIR := $(abspath $(dir $(lastword $(MAKEFILE_LIST))))
 JULIAHOME := $(abspath $(SRCDIR)/../..)
+BUILDSCRIPT := $(BIN)/../share/julia/juliac-buildscript.jl
 include $(JULIAHOME)/Make.inc
 
 # get the executable suffix, if any
@@ -31,8 +32,8 @@ LDFLAGS_ADD = -lm $(shell $(JULIA_CONFIG) --ldflags --ldlibs) -ljulia-internal
 
 release: hello$(EXE)
 
-hello.o: $(SRCDIR)/hello.jl $(SRCDIR)/buildscript.jl
-	$(JULIA) -t 1 -J $(BIN)/../lib/julia/sys.so --startup-file=no --history-file=no --output-o $@ --output-incremental=no --strip-ir --strip-metadata --trim $(SRCDIR)/buildscript.jl $(SRCDIR)/hello.jl --output-exe true
+hello.o: $(SRCDIR)/hello.jl $(BUILDSCRIPT)
+	$(JULIA) -t 1 -J $(BIN)/../lib/julia/sys.so --startup-file=no --history-file=no --output-o $@ --output-incremental=no --strip-ir --strip-metadata --trim $(BUILDSCRIPT) $(SRCDIR)/hello.jl --output-exe true
 
 init.o: $(SRCDIR)/init.c
 	$(CC) -c -o $@ $< $(CPPFLAGS_ADD) $(CPPFLAGS) $(CFLAGS_ADD) $(CFLAGS)
@@ -41,8 +42,7 @@ hello$(EXE): hello.o init.o
 	$(CC) -o $@ $(WHOLE_ARCHIVE) hello.o $(NO_WHOLE_ARCHIVE) init.o $(CPPFLAGS_ADD) $(CPPFLAGS) $(CFLAGS_ADD) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS_ADD) $(LDFLAGS)
 
 check: hello$(EXE)
-	$(JULIA) --depwarn=error $(SRCDIR)/trimming.jl ./hello$(EXE)
-	@echo SUCCESS
+	$(JULIA) --depwarn=error $(SRCDIR)/../runtests.jl $(SRCDIR)/trimming
 
 clean:
 	-rm -f hello$(EXE) init.o hello.o
diff --git a/test/trimming/trimming.jl b/test/trimming/trimming.jl
index eea452e40692a..dfacae7f8e531 100644
--- a/test/trimming/trimming.jl
+++ b/test/trimming/trimming.jl
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 using Test
 
-exe_path = ARGS[1]
+exe_path = joinpath(@__DIR__, "hello"*splitext(Base.julia_exename())[2])
 
 @test readchomp(`$exe_path`) == "Hello, world!"