diff --git a/cmd/tools/modules/scripting/scripting.v b/cmd/tools/modules/scripting/scripting.v
index 55ddc22c14..edf6a0ade3 100644
--- a/cmd/tools/modules/scripting/scripting.v
+++ b/cmd/tools/modules/scripting/scripting.v
@@ -46,26 +46,25 @@ pub fn cprintln_strong(omessage string) {
 
 pub fn verbose_trace(label string, message string) {
 	if os.getenv('VERBOSE').len > 0 {
-		slabel := '$time.now().format_ss_milli() scripting.$label'
-		cprintln('# ${slabel:-40s} : $message')
+		slabel := '$time.now().format_ss_milli() $label'
+		cprintln('# ${slabel:-43s} : $message')
 	}
 }
 
 pub fn verbose_trace_strong(label string, omessage string) {
 	if os.getenv('VERBOSE').len > 0 {
-		slabel := '$time.now().format_ss_milli() scripting.$label'
+		slabel := '$time.now().format_ss_milli() $label'
 		mut message := omessage
 		if scripting.term_colors {
 			message = term.bright_green(message)
 		}
-		cprintln('# ${slabel:-40s} : $message')
+		cprintln('# ${slabel:-43s} : $message')
 	}
 }
 
 pub fn verbose_trace_exec_result(x os.Result) {
 	if os.getenv('VERBOSE').len > 0 {
 		cprintln('#   cmd.exit_code : ${x.exit_code.str():-4s}  cmd.output:')
-		cprintln('# ----------------------------------- #')
 		mut lnum := 1
 		lines := x.output.split_into_lines()
 		for oline in lines {
@@ -76,17 +75,37 @@ pub fn verbose_trace_exec_result(x os.Result) {
 			cprintln('# ${lnum:3d}: $line')
 			lnum++
 		}
-		cprintln('# ----------------------------------- #')
+		cprintln('# ----------------------------------------------------------------------')
 	}
 }
 
+fn modfn(mname string, fname string) string {
+	return '${mname}.$fname'
+}
+
 pub fn chdir(path string) {
-	verbose_trace_strong(@FN, 'cd $path')
+	verbose_trace_strong(modfn(@MOD, @FN), 'cd $path')
 	os.chdir(path)
 }
 
+pub fn mkdir(path string) ? {
+	verbose_trace_strong(modfn(@MOD, @FN), 'mkdir $path')
+	os.mkdir(path) or {
+		verbose_trace(modfn(@MOD, @FN), '## failed.')
+		return err
+	}
+}
+
+pub fn mkdir_all(path string) ? {
+	verbose_trace_strong(modfn(@MOD, @FN), 'mkdir -p $path')
+	os.mkdir_all(path) or {
+		verbose_trace(modfn(@MOD, @FN), '## failed.')
+		return err
+	}
+}
+
 pub fn rmrf(path string) {
-	verbose_trace_strong(@FN, 'rm -rf $path')
+	verbose_trace_strong(modfn(@MOD, @FN), 'rm -rf $path')
 	if os.exists(path) {
 		if os.is_dir(path) {
 			os.rmdir_all(path) or { panic(err) }
@@ -98,10 +117,10 @@ pub fn rmrf(path string) {
 
 // execute a command, and return a result, or an error, if it failed in any way.
 pub fn exec(cmd string) ?os.Result {
-	verbose_trace_strong(@FN, cmd)
+	verbose_trace_strong(modfn(@MOD, @FN), cmd)
 	x := os.execute(cmd)
 	if x.exit_code != 0 {
-		verbose_trace(@FN, '## failed.')
+		verbose_trace(modfn(@MOD, @FN), '## failed.')
 		return error(x.output)
 	}
 	verbose_trace_exec_result(x)
@@ -110,10 +129,10 @@ pub fn exec(cmd string) ?os.Result {
 
 // run a command, tracing its results, and returning ONLY its output
 pub fn run(cmd string) string {
-	verbose_trace_strong(@FN, cmd)
+	verbose_trace_strong(modfn(@MOD, @FN), cmd)
 	x := os.execute(cmd)
 	if x.exit_code < 0 {
-		verbose_trace(@FN, '## failed.')
+		verbose_trace(modfn(@MOD, @FN), '## failed.')
 		return ''
 	}
 	verbose_trace_exec_result(x)
@@ -124,10 +143,10 @@ pub fn run(cmd string) string {
 }
 
 pub fn exit_0_status(cmd string) bool {
-	verbose_trace_strong(@FN, cmd)
+	verbose_trace_strong(modfn(@MOD, @FN), cmd)
 	x := os.execute(cmd)
 	if x.exit_code < 0 {
-		verbose_trace(@FN, '## failed.')
+		verbose_trace(modfn(@MOD, @FN), '## failed.')
 		return false
 	}
 	verbose_trace_exec_result(x)
@@ -138,7 +157,7 @@ pub fn exit_0_status(cmd string) bool {
 }
 
 pub fn tool_must_exist(toolcmd string) {
-	verbose_trace(@FN, toolcmd)
+	verbose_trace(modfn(@MOD, @FN), toolcmd)
 	if exit_0_status('type $toolcmd') {
 		return
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/tools/modules/vgit/vgit.v b/cmd/tools/modules/vgit/vgit.v
index 59714b0844..766c3ced2c 100644
--- a/cmd/tools/modules/vgit/vgit.v
+++ b/cmd/tools/modules/vgit/vgit.v
@@ -4,11 +4,6 @@ import os
 import flag
 import scripting
 
-const (
-	remote_v_repo_url  = 'https://github.com/vlang/v'
-	remote_vc_repo_url = 'https://github.com/vlang/vc'
-)
-
 pub fn check_v_commit_timestamp_before_self_rebuilding(v_timestamp int) {
 	if v_timestamp >= 1561805697 {
 		return
@@ -164,9 +159,9 @@ pub mut:
 
 pub fn add_common_tool_options(mut context VGitOptions, mut fp flag.FlagParser) []string {
 	tdir := os.temp_dir()
-	context.workdir = os.real_path(fp.string('workdir', `w`, tdir, 'A writable base folder. Default: $tdir'))
-	context.v_repo_url = fp.string('vrepo', 0, vgit.remote_v_repo_url, 'The url of the V repository. You can clone it locally too. See also --vcrepo below.')
-	context.vc_repo_url = fp.string('vcrepo', 0, vgit.remote_vc_repo_url, 'The url of the vc repository. You can clone it
+	context.workdir = os.real_path(fp.string('workdir', `w`, context.workdir, 'A writable base folder. Default: $tdir'))
+	context.v_repo_url = fp.string('vrepo', 0, context.v_repo_url, 'The url of the V repository. You can clone it locally too. See also --vcrepo below.')
+	context.vc_repo_url = fp.string('vcrepo', 0, context.vc_repo_url, 'The url of the vc repository. You can clone it
 ${flag.space}beforehand, and then just give the local folder
 ${flag.space}path here. That will eliminate the network ops
 ${flag.space}done by this tool, which is useful, if you want
diff --git a/cmd/tools/oldv.v b/cmd/tools/oldv.v
index fc3c195c7c..3d7b03e1ac 100644
--- a/cmd/tools/oldv.v
+++ b/cmd/tools/oldv.v
@@ -29,22 +29,20 @@ const (
 
 struct Context {
 mut:
-	vgo      vgit.VGitOptions
-	commit_v string = 'master'
-	// the commit from which you want to produce a working v compiler (this may be a commit-ish too)
-	commit_vc string = 'master'
-	// this will be derived from commit_v
+	vgo           vgit.VGitOptions
+	vgcontext     vgit.VGitContext
+	commit_v      string = 'master' // the commit from which you want to produce a working v compiler (this may be a commit-ish too)
 	commit_v_hash string // this will be filled from the commit-ish commit_v using rev-list. It IS a commit hash.
 	path_v        string // the full path to the v folder inside workdir.
 	path_vc       string // the full path to the vc folder inside workdir.
 	cmd_to_run    string // the command that you want to run *in* the oldv repo
-	cc            string = 'cc'
-	// the C compiler to use for bootstrapping.
-	cleanup bool // should the tool run a cleanup first
+	cc            string = 'cc' // the C compiler to use for bootstrapping.
+	cleanup       bool   // should the tool run a cleanup first
+	use_cache     bool   // use local cached copies for --vrepo and --vcrepo in
 }
 
 fn (mut c Context) compile_oldv_if_needed() {
-	mut vgit_context := vgit.VGitContext{
+	c.vgcontext = vgit.VGitContext{
 		workdir: c.vgo.workdir
 		v_repo_url: c.vgo.v_repo_url
 		vc_repo_url: c.vgo.vc_repo_url
@@ -53,28 +51,91 @@ fn (mut c Context) compile_oldv_if_needed() {
 		path_v: c.path_v
 		path_vc: c.path_vc
 	}
-	vgit_context.compile_oldv_if_needed()
-	c.commit_v_hash = vgit_context.commit_v__hash
-	if !os.exists(vgit_context.vexepath) && c.cmd_to_run.len > 0 {
+	c.vgcontext.compile_oldv_if_needed()
+	c.commit_v_hash = c.vgcontext.commit_v__hash
+	if !os.exists(c.vgcontext.vexepath) && c.cmd_to_run.len > 0 {
 		// NB: 125 is a special code, that git bisect understands as 'skip this commit'.
 		// it is used to inform git bisect that the current commit leads to a build failure.
 		exit(125)
 	}
 }
 
+const cache_oldv_folder = os.join_path(os.cache_dir(), 'oldv')
+
+const cache_oldv_folder_v = os.join_path(cache_oldv_folder, 'v')
+
+const cache_oldv_folder_vc = os.join_path(cache_oldv_folder, 'vc')
+
+fn sync_cache() {
+	scripting.verbose_trace(@FN, 'start')
+	if !os.exists(cache_oldv_folder) {
+		scripting.verbose_trace(@FN, 'creating $cache_oldv_folder')
+		scripting.mkdir_all(cache_oldv_folder) or {
+			scripting.verbose_trace(@FN, '## failed.')
+			exit(1)
+		}
+	}
+	scripting.chdir(cache_oldv_folder)
+	for reponame in ['v', 'vc'] {
+		repofolder := os.join_path(cache_oldv_folder, reponame)
+		if !os.exists(repofolder) {
+			scripting.verbose_trace(@FN, 'cloning to $repofolder')
+			scripting.exec('git clone --quiet https://github.com/vlang/$reponame $repofolder') or {
+				scripting.verbose_trace(@FN, '## error during clone: $err')
+				exit(1)
+			}
+		}
+		scripting.chdir(repofolder)
+		scripting.exec('git pull --quiet') or {
+			scripting.verbose_trace(@FN, 'pulling to $repofolder')
+			scripting.verbose_trace(@FN, '## error during pull: $err')
+			exit(1)
+		}
+	}
+	scripting.verbose_trace(@FN, 'done')
+}
+
 fn main() {
 	scripting.used_tools_must_exist(['git', 'cc'])
+	//
+	// Resetting VEXE here allows for `v run cmd/tools/oldv.v'.
+	// the parent V would have set VEXE, which later will
+	// affect the V's run from the tool itself.
+	os.setenv('VEXE', '', true)
+	//
 	mut context := Context{}
+	context.vgo.workdir = cache_oldv_folder
 	mut fp := flag.new_flag_parser(os.args)
 	fp.application(os.file_name(os.executable()))
 	fp.version(tool_version)
 	fp.description(tool_description)
 	fp.arguments_description('VCOMMIT')
 	fp.skip_executable()
-	fp.limit_free_args(1, 1)
-	context.cleanup = fp.bool('clean', 0, true, 'Clean before running (slower).')
+	context.use_cache = fp.bool('cache', `u`, true, 'Use a cache of local repositories for --vrepo and --vcrepo in \$HOME/.cache/oldv/')
+	if context.use_cache {
+		context.vgo.v_repo_url = cache_oldv_folder_v
+		context.vgo.vc_repo_url = cache_oldv_folder_vc
+	} else {
+		context.vgo.v_repo_url = 'https://github.com/vlang/v'
+		context.vgo.vc_repo_url = 'https://github.com/vlang/vc'
+	}
+	should_sync := fp.bool('cache-sync', `s`, false, 'Update the local cache')
+	if !should_sync {
+		fp.limit_free_args(1, 1)
+	}
+	////
+	context.cleanup = fp.bool('clean', 0, false, 'Clean before running (slower).')
 	context.cmd_to_run = fp.string('command', `c`, '', 'Command to run in the old V repo.\n')
 	commits := vgit.add_common_tool_options(mut context.vgo, mut fp)
+	if should_sync {
+		sync_cache()
+		exit(0)
+	}
+	if context.use_cache {
+		if !os.is_dir(cache_oldv_folder_v) || !os.is_dir(cache_oldv_folder_vc) {
+			sync_cache()
+		}
+	}
 	if commits.len > 0 {
 		context.commit_v = commits[0]
 	} else {
@@ -102,7 +163,9 @@ fn main() {
 	if context.cmd_to_run.len > 0 {
 		scripting.cprintln_strong('#           command: ${context.cmd_to_run:-34s}')
 		cmdres := os.execute_or_panic(context.cmd_to_run)
-		scripting.cprintln_strong('#         exit code: ${cmdres.exit_code:-4d}')
+		if cmdres.exit_code != 0 {
+			scripting.cprintln_strong('#         exit code: ${cmdres.exit_code:-4d}')
+		}
 		scripting.cprint_strong('#            result: ')
 		print(cmdres.output)
 		exit(cmdres.exit_code)