diff --git a/collects/scribblings/inside/memory.scrbl b/collects/scribblings/inside/memory.scrbl
index 2a717c9fc8..d82b13b40d 100644
--- a/collects/scribblings/inside/memory.scrbl
+++ b/collects/scribblings/inside/memory.scrbl
@@ -688,7 +688,7 @@ Registers an extension's global variable that can contain Scheme
 
 @function[(int scheme_main_setup
            [int no_auto_statics]
-           [Scheme_Main main]
+           [Scheme_Env_Main main]
            [int argc]
            [char** argv])]{
 
@@ -697,11 +697,11 @@ calling @cpp{scheme_basic_env}, and then calls @var{main} with the
 namespace, @var{argc}, and @var{argv}. (The @var{argc} and @var{argv}
 are just passed on to @var{main}, and are not inspected in any way.)
 
-The @cpp{Scheme_Main} type is defined as follows:
+The @cpp{Scheme_Env_Main} type is defined as follows:
 
 @verbatim[#:indent 4]{
-typedef int (*Scheme_Main)(Scheme_Env *env, 
-                           int argc, char **argv);
+typedef int (*Scheme_Env_Main)(Scheme_Env *env, 
+                               int argc, char **argv);
 }
 
 The result of @var{main} is the result of @cpp{scheme_main_setup}.
@@ -711,6 +711,24 @@ explicitly registered with the garbage collector; see
 @secref["im:memoryalloc"] for more information.}
 
 
+@function[(int scheme_main_stack_setup
+           [int no_auto_statics]
+           [Scheme_Nested_Main main]
+           [void* data])]{
+
+A more primitive variant of @cpp{scheme_main_setup} that initializes
+the GC stack base but does not create the initial namespace (so an
+embedding application can perform other operations that involve
+garbage-collected data before creating a namespace).
+
+The @var{data} argument is passed through to @var{main}, where the
+@cpp{Scheme_Nested_Main} type is defined as follows:
+
+@verbatim[#:indent 4]{
+typedef int (*Scheme_Nested_Main)(void *data);
+}}
+
+
 @function[(void scheme_set_stack_base
            [void* stack_addr]
            [int no_auto_statics])]{
@@ -739,7 +757,7 @@ must be the beginning or end of a local-frame registration. Worse, in
 CGC or 3m, if @cpp{real_main} is declared @cpp{static}, the compiler
 may inline it and place variables containing collectable values deeper
 in the stack than @cpp{dummy}. To avoid these problems, use
-@cpp{scheme_main_setup}, instead.}
+@cpp{scheme_main_setup} or @cpp{scheme_main_stack_setup}, instead.}
 
 @function[(void scheme_set_stack_bounds
            [void* stack_addr]
diff --git a/collects/scribblings/inside/overview.scrbl b/collects/scribblings/inside/overview.scrbl
index 9227183e1a..5b193fd234 100644
--- a/collects/scribblings/inside/overview.scrbl
+++ b/collects/scribblings/inside/overview.scrbl
@@ -296,13 +296,16 @@ To embed PLT Scheme CGC in a program, follow these steps:
   installing from source also places this file in the installation's
   @filepath{include} directory.}
 
- @item{Start your main program through the @cpp{scheme_main_setup}
-  trampoline, and put all uses of MzScheme functions inside the
-  function passed to @cpp{scheme_main_setup}. The @cpp{scheme_main_setup}
-  function registers the current C stack location with the memory
-  manager. It also creates the initial namespace @cpp{Scheme_Env*} by
-  calling @cppi{scheme_basic_env} and passing the result to the
-  function provided to @cpp{scheme_main_setup}.}
+ @item{Start your main program through the @cpp{scheme_main_setup} (or
+  @cpp{scheme_main_stack_setup}) trampoline, and put all uses of
+  MzScheme functions inside the function passed to
+  @cpp{scheme_main_setup}. The @cpp{scheme_main_setup} function
+  registers the current C stack location with the memory manager. It
+  also creates the initial namespace @cpp{Scheme_Env*} by calling
+  @cppi{scheme_basic_env} and passing the result to the function
+  provided to @cpp{scheme_main_setup}. (The
+  @cpp{scheme_main_stack_setup} trampoline registers the C stack with
+  the memory manager without creating a namespace.)}
 
  @item{Configure the namespace by adding module declarations. The
   initial namespace contains declarations only for a few primitive
diff --git a/src/mred/mrmain.cxx b/src/mred/mrmain.cxx
index 270b75476d..883af50381 100644
--- a/src/mred/mrmain.cxx
+++ b/src/mred/mrmain.cxx
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ int actual_main(int argc, char **argv)
   return r;
 }
 
-static int main_after_stack(void *data, int argc, char *argv[])
+static int main_after_stack(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
   int rval;
 
@@ -299,9 +299,24 @@ static int main_after_stack(void *data, int argc, char *argv[])
 /* Just jumps to generic main. */
 
 #ifndef wx_msw 
+
+typedef struct {
+  int argc;
+  char **argv;
+} Main_Args;
+
+static int call_main_after_stack(void *data)
+{
+  Main_Args *ma = (Main_Args *)data;
+  return main_after_stack(ma->argc, ma->argv);
+}
+
 int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
-  return scheme_main_stack_setup(1, main_after_stack, NULL, argc, argv);
+  Main_Args ma;
+  ma.argc = argc;
+  ma.argv = argv;
+  return scheme_main_stack_setup(1, call_main_after_stack, &ma);
 }
 #endif
 
@@ -517,22 +532,19 @@ typedef struct {
   int wm_is_mred;
   HINSTANCE hInstance;
   HINSTANCE hPrevInstance;
+  int argc;
+  char **argv;
   int nCmdShow;
 } WinMain_Args;
 
-static int call_main_after_stack(int argc, char *argv[]) 
-{
-  return main_after_stack(NULL, argc, argv);
-}
-
-static int WinMain_after_stack(void *_wma, int argc, char **argv)
+static int WinMain_after_stack(void *_wma)
 {
   WinMain_Args *wma = (WinMain_Args *)_wma;
 
   return wxWinMain(wma->wm_is_mred, wma->hInstance, wma->hPrevInstance, 
-                   argc, argv, 
+                   wma->argc, wma->argv, 
                    wma->nCmdShow, 
-                   call_main_after_stack);
+                   main_after_stack);
 }
 
 int APIENTRY WinMain_dlls_ready(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, LPSTR ignored, int nCmdShow)
@@ -628,9 +640,11 @@ int APIENTRY WinMain_dlls_ready(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, LP
   wma.wm_is_mred = wm_is_mred;
   wma.hInstance = hInstance;
   wma.hPrevInstance = hPrevInstance;
+  wma.argc = argc;
+  wma.argv = argv;
   wma.nCmdShow = nCmdShow;
 
-  return scheme_main_stack_setup(1, WinMain_after_stack, &wma, argc, argv);
+  return scheme_main_stack_setup(1, WinMain_after_stack, &wma);
 }
 
 # ifdef MZ_PRECISE_GC
diff --git a/src/mzscheme/include/scheme.h b/src/mzscheme/include/scheme.h
index 6e3560ab1b..b09e9b42bc 100644
--- a/src/mzscheme/include/scheme.h
+++ b/src/mzscheme/include/scheme.h
@@ -1697,12 +1697,12 @@ MZ_EXTERN void scheme_set_stack_base(void *base, int no_auto_statics);
 MZ_EXTERN void scheme_set_stack_bounds(void *base, void *deepest, int no_auto_statics);
 
 /* Stack-preparation start-up: */
-typedef int (*Scheme_Startup_Main)(void *data, int argc, char **argv);
-MZ_EXTERN int scheme_main_stack_setup(int no_auto_statics, Scheme_Startup_Main _main, void *data, int argc, char **argv);
+typedef int (*Scheme_Nested_Main)(void *data);
+MZ_EXTERN int scheme_main_stack_setup(int no_auto_statics, Scheme_Nested_Main _main, void *data);
 
 /* More automatic start-up: */
-typedef int (*Scheme_Main)(Scheme_Env *env, int argc, char **argv);
-MZ_EXTERN int scheme_main_setup(int no_auto_statics, Scheme_Main _main, int argc, char **argv);
+typedef int (*Scheme_Env_Main)(Scheme_Env *env, int argc, char **argv);
+MZ_EXTERN int scheme_main_setup(int no_auto_statics, Scheme_Env_Main _main, int argc, char **argv);
 
 
 MZ_EXTERN void scheme_register_static(void *ptr, long size);
diff --git a/src/mzscheme/main.c b/src/mzscheme/main.c
index 26f4fc6957..ffd557edf1 100644
--- a/src/mzscheme/main.c
+++ b/src/mzscheme/main.c
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ int actual_main(int argc, char *argv[]);
 /*          Prepare for delayload, then call main_after_dlls              */
 
 static int main_after_dlls(int argc, MAIN_char **MAIN_argv);
-static int main_after_stack(void *data, int argc, MAIN_char **MAIN_argv);
+static int main_after_stack(void *data);
 
 # ifdef MZ_PRECISE_GC
 START_XFORM_SKIP;
@@ -240,23 +240,34 @@ END_XFORM_SKIP;
 /************************     main_after_dlls    **************************/
 /*        Prep stack for GC, then call main_after_stack (indirectly)      */
 
+typedef struct {
+  int argc;
+  MAIN_char **argv;
+} Main_Args;
+
 static int main_after_dlls(int argc, MAIN_char **argv)
 {
-  return scheme_main_stack_setup(1, 
-                                 (Scheme_Startup_Main)main_after_stack, NULL, 
-                                 argc, (char **)argv);
+  Main_Args ma;
+  ma.argc = argc;
+  ma.argv = argv;
+  return scheme_main_stack_setup(1, main_after_stack, &ma);
 }
 
 /************************     main_after_stack    *************************/
 /*            Phase 1 setup, then call actual_main (indirectly)           */
 
-static int main_after_stack(void *data, int argc, MAIN_char **MAIN_argv)
+static int main_after_stack(void *data)
 {
   int rval;
+  int argc;
+  MAIN_char **MAIN_argv;
 #ifdef WINDOWS_UNICODE_MAIN
   char **argv;
 #endif
 
+  argc = ((Main_Args *)data)->argc;
+  MAIN_argv = ((Main_Args *)data)->argv;
+
 #if defined(OSKIT) && !defined(OSKIT_TEST) && !KNIT
   oskit_prepare(&argc, &argv);
 #endif
diff --git a/src/mzscheme/src/salloc.c b/src/mzscheme/src/salloc.c
index c8c57a74be..f37c377d17 100644
--- a/src/mzscheme/src/salloc.c
+++ b/src/mzscheme/src/salloc.c
@@ -89,30 +89,36 @@ void scheme_set_stack_base(void *base, int no_auto_statics)
 }
 
 typedef struct {
-  Scheme_Main _main;
+  Scheme_Env_Main _main;
+  int argc;
+  char **argv;
 } Scheme_Main_Data;
 
-static int call_with_basic(void *data, int argc, char **argv)
+static int call_with_basic(void *data)
 {
-  Scheme_Main _main = ((Scheme_Main_Data *)data)->_main;
-  return _main(scheme_basic_env(), argc, argv);
+  Scheme_Main_Data *ma = (Scheme_Main_Data *)data;
+  Scheme_Env_Main _main = ma->_main;
+  
+  return _main(scheme_basic_env(), ma->argc, ma->argv);
 }
 
-int scheme_main_setup(int no_auto_statics, Scheme_Main _main, int argc, char **argv)
+int scheme_main_setup(int no_auto_statics, Scheme_Env_Main _main, int argc, char **argv)
 {
   Scheme_Main_Data d;
   d._main = _main;
-  return scheme_main_stack_setup(no_auto_statics, call_with_basic, &d, argc, argv);
+  d.argc = argc;
+  d.argv = argv;
+  return scheme_main_stack_setup(no_auto_statics, call_with_basic, &d);
 }
 
-int scheme_main_stack_setup(int no_auto_statics, Scheme_Startup_Main _main, void *data, int argc, char **argv)
+int scheme_main_stack_setup(int no_auto_statics, Scheme_Nested_Main _main, void *data)
 {
   void *stack_start;
   int volatile return_code;
 
   scheme_set_stack_base(PROMPT_STACK(stack_start), no_auto_statics);
 
-  return_code = _main(data, argc, argv);
+  return_code = _main(data);
 
 #ifdef MZ_PRECISE_GC
   /* Trick xform conversion to keep start_addr: */