diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7c61827..9e11bfb 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ Prerequisite: jdk11+
   * [Attach a debugger (remote jvm debug)](#attach-a-debugger-remote-jvm-debug)
 - [Server mode](#server-mode)
 - [Embed into your own project](#embed-into-your-own-project)
-- [Global predef file: `~/.srp.sc`](#global-predef-file-srpsc)
+- [Global predef file: `~/.scala-repl-pp.sc`](#global-predef-file-scala-repl-ppsc)
 - [Verbose mode](#verbose-mode)
 - [Inherited classpath](#inherited-classpath)
 - [Parameters cheat sheet: the most important ones](#parameters-cheat-sheet-the-most-important-ones)
@@ -479,11 +479,11 @@ stringcalc> add(One, Two)
 val res0: stringcalc.Number = Number(3)
 ```
 
-## Global predef file: `~/.srp.sc`
-Code that should be available across all srp sessions can be written into your local `~/.srp.sc`. 
+## Global predef file: `~/.scala-repl-pp.sc`
+Code that should be available across all srp sessions can be written into your local `~/.scala-repl-pp.sc`. 
 
 ```
-echo 'def bar = 90' > ~/.srp.sc
+echo 'def bar = 90' > ~/.scala-repl-pp.sc
 echo 'def baz = 91' > script1.sc
 echo 'def bam = 92' > script2.sc
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/replpp/package.scala b/core/src/main/scala/replpp/package.scala
index 3f0d88d..3f8b9be 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/replpp/package.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/replpp/package.scala
@@ -67,10 +67,11 @@ package object replpp {
 
   /** precompile given predef files (if any) and update Config to include the results in the classpath */
   def precompilePredefFiles(config: Config): Config = {
-    if (config.predefFiles.nonEmpty) {
+    val allPredefFiles = (config.predefFiles :+ globalPredefFile).filter(Files.exists(_))
+    if (allPredefFiles.nonEmpty) {
       val predefClassfilesDir = new SimpleDriver().compileAndGetOutputDir(
         replpp.compilerArgs(config),
-        inputFiles = config.predefFiles,
+        inputFiles = allPredefFiles,
         verbose = config.verbose
       ).get
       config.withAdditionalClasspathEntry(predefClassfilesDir)
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/replpp/scripting/NonForkingScriptRunner.scala b/core/src/main/scala/replpp/scripting/NonForkingScriptRunner.scala
index df91991..7ed386b 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/replpp/scripting/NonForkingScriptRunner.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/replpp/scripting/NonForkingScriptRunner.scala
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package replpp.scripting
 import replpp.{Config, allPredefFiles}
 
 import java.nio.file.Files
+import scala.util.{Failure, Success}
 
 /**
   * Main entrypoint for ScriptingDriver, i.e. it takes commandline arguments and executes a script on the current JVM. 
@@ -43,13 +44,12 @@ object NonForkingScriptRunner {
       scriptArgs = scriptArgs.toArray,
       verbose = verboseEnabled
     ).compileAndRun() match {
-      case Some(exception) =>
+      case Success(_) => // no exception, i.e. all is good
+        if (verboseEnabled) System.err.println(s"script finished successfully")
+      case Failure(exception) =>
         System.err.println(s"error during script execution: ${exception.getMessage}")
         throw exception
-      case None => // no exception, i.e. all is good
-        if (verboseEnabled) System.err.println(s"script finished successfully")
     }
   }
 
-
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/replpp/scripting/ScriptingDriver.scala b/core/src/main/scala/replpp/scripting/ScriptingDriver.scala
index ea9387e..4602a17 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/replpp/scripting/ScriptingDriver.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/replpp/scripting/ScriptingDriver.scala
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ import java.lang.reflect.Method
 import java.net.URLClassLoader
 import java.nio.file.{Files, Path, Paths}
 import scala.language.unsafeNulls
+import scala.util.control.NonFatal
+import scala.util.{Failure, Try}
 
 /**
   * Runs a given script on the current JVM.
@@ -19,9 +21,13 @@ import scala.language.unsafeNulls
   * because we have a fixed class and method name that ScriptRunner uses when it embeds the script and predef code.
   * */
 class ScriptingDriver(compilerArgs: Array[String], predefFiles: Seq[Path], scriptFile: Path, scriptArgs: Array[String], verbose: Boolean) {
-  val wrappingResult = WrapForMainArgs(Files.readString(scriptFile))
-  val wrappedScript = Files.createTempFile("wrapped-script", ".sc")
+  private val wrappingResult = WrapForMainArgs(Files.readString(scriptFile))
+  private val wrappedScript = Files.createTempFile("wrapped-script", ".sc")
+  private val tempFiles = Seq.newBuilder[Path]
+  private var executed = false
+
   Files.writeString(wrappedScript, wrappingResult.fullScript)
+  tempFiles += wrappedScript
 
   if (verbose) {
     println(s"predefFiles: ${predefFiles.mkString(";")}")
@@ -31,27 +37,26 @@ class ScriptingDriver(compilerArgs: Array[String], predefFiles: Seq[Path], scrip
     println(s"compiler arguments: ${compilerArgs.mkString(",")}")
   }
 
-  // TODO change return type to Try[A]?
-  def compileAndRun(): Option[Throwable] = {
-    val inputFiles = wrappedScript +: predefFiles
-    new SimpleDriver(lineNumberReportingAdjustment = -wrappingResult.linesBeforeWrappedCode)
-      .compile(compilerArgs, inputFiles, verbose) { (ctx, outDir) =>
-        given Context = ctx
-        val inheritedClasspath = ctx.settings.classpath.value
-        val classpathEntries = ClassPath.expandPath(inheritedClasspath, expandStar = true).map(Paths.get(_))
-        val mainMethod = lookupMainMethod(outDir, classpathEntries)
-        try {
+  def compileAndRun(): Try[Unit] = {
+    assert(!executed, "scripting driver can only be used once, and this instance has already been used.")
+    executed = true
+    val inputFiles = (wrappedScript +: predefFiles).filter(Files.exists(_))
+    try {
+      new SimpleDriver(lineNumberReportingAdjustment = -wrappingResult.linesBeforeWrappedCode)
+        .compile(compilerArgs, inputFiles, verbose) { (ctx, outDir) =>
+          given Context = ctx
+          tempFiles += outDir
+
+          val inheritedClasspath = ctx.settings.classpath.value
+          val classpathEntries = ClassPath.expandPath(inheritedClasspath, expandStar = true).map(Paths.get(_))
+          val mainMethod = lookupMainMethod(outDir, classpathEntries)
           mainMethod.invoke(null, scriptArgs)
-          None // i.e. no Throwable - this is the 'good case' in the Driver api
-        } catch {
-          case e: java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException =>
-            System.err.println(s"note: we wrapped the given script in some additional code. Use --verbose to see the full script content")
-            Some(e.getCause)
-        } finally {
-          deleteRecursively(outDir)
-          Files.deleteIfExists(wrappedScript)
         }
-      }.flatten
+    } catch {
+      case NonFatal(e) => Failure(e)
+    } finally {
+      tempFiles.result().foreach(deleteRecursively)
+    }
   }
 
   private def lookupMainMethod(outDir: Path, classpathEntries: Seq[Path]): Method = {
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/replpp/util/SimpleDriver.scala b/core/src/main/scala/replpp/util/SimpleDriver.scala
index aac2ac5..246e0a0 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/replpp/util/SimpleDriver.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/replpp/util/SimpleDriver.scala
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import replpp.scripting.CompilerError
 
 import java.nio.file.{Files, Path}
 import scala.language.unsafeNulls
+import scala.util.Try
 
 /** Compiles input files to a temporary directory
  *
@@ -24,20 +25,22 @@ import scala.language.unsafeNulls
  */
 class SimpleDriver(lineNumberReportingAdjustment: Int = 0) extends Driver {
   
-  def compileAndGetOutputDir[A](compilerArgs: Array[String], inputFiles: Seq[Path], verbose: Boolean): Option[Path] =
+  def compileAndGetOutputDir[A](compilerArgs: Array[String], inputFiles: Seq[Path], verbose: Boolean): Try[Path] =
     compile(compilerArgs, inputFiles, verbose) { (ctx, outDir) => outDir }
     
-
-  // TODO change return type to `Try[A]?`
   /** compiles given inputFiles and returns root directory that contains the class and tasty files */
-  def compile[A](compilerArgs: Array[String], inputFiles: Seq[Path], verbose: Boolean)(fun: (Context, Path) => A): Option[A] = {
+  def compile[A](compilerArgs: Array[String], inputFiles: Seq[Path], verbose: Boolean)(fun: (Context, Path) => A): Try[A] = {
     if (verbose) {
       println(s"compiler arguments: ${compilerArgs.mkString(",")}")
       println(s"inputFiles: ${inputFiles.mkString(";")}")
     }
 
     val inputFiles0 = inputFiles.map(pathAsString).toArray
-    setup(compilerArgs ++ inputFiles0, initCtx.fresh).map { case (toCompile, rootCtx) =>
+    val allArgs = compilerArgs ++ inputFiles0
+    Try {
+      val (toCompile, rootCtx) = setup(allArgs, initCtx.fresh)
+        .getOrElse(throw CompilerError(s"error during setup with args=`${allArgs.mkString(" ")}`, details should have been reported already on stderr/stdout"))
+
       val outDir = Files.createTempDirectory("scala-repl-pp")
 
       given ctx0: Context = {
diff --git a/server/src/test/scala/replpp/server/ReplServerTests.scala b/server/src/test/scala/replpp/server/ReplServerTests.scala
index 47bbbc7..cd25fed 100644
--- a/server/src/test/scala/replpp/server/ReplServerTests.scala
+++ b/server/src/test/scala/replpp/server/ReplServerTests.scala
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ object Fixture {
   }
 
   def apply[T](predefCode: String = "")(urlToResult: String => T): T = {
-    val additionalClasspathEntryMaybe =
+    val additionalClasspathEntryMaybe: Option[Path] =
       if (predefCode.trim.isEmpty) None
       else {
         val predefFile = Files.createTempFile(getClass.getName, "scala")
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ object Fixture {
         val predefClassfiles = new SimpleDriver().compileAndGetOutputDir(compilerArgs(additionalClasspathEntryMaybe = None), inputFiles = Seq(predefFile), verbose = false)
           
         Files.delete(predefFile)
-        predefClassfiles
+        predefClassfiles.toOption
       }
     val embeddedRepl = new EmbeddedRepl(compilerArgs(additionalClasspathEntryMaybe))