diff --git a/COMPILING.md b/COMPILING.md
index e43e23f1..5f828023 100644
--- a/COMPILING.md
+++ b/COMPILING.md
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 > ```bash
 > # one-time bootstrap: clang assembles the seed, then ludicc compiles bin/ludic
 > mkdir -p bin && clang selfhost/ludicc.seed.ll -o bin/ludicc
-> bin/ludicc tools/ludic-cli/dev.ludic -o bin/ludic-dev
+> bin/ludicc --unsafe --globals tools/ludic-cli/dev.ludic -o bin/ludic-dev
 > bin/ludic-dev build                                  # the whole toolchain into bin/
 >                                                      #   (ludicc, ludic, ludic-fmt, ludic-lsp)
 > bin/ludicc examples/games/snake.ludic -o bin/snake   # the compiler, directly
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index d1c8128a..c6d0c971 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ From a clean checkout, one line lifts the toolchain off the seed:
 
 ```bash
 mkdir -p bin && clang selfhost/ludicc.seed.ll -o bin/ludicc
-bin/ludicc tools/ludic-cli/dev.ludic -o bin/ludic-dev
+bin/ludicc --unsafe --globals tools/ludic-cli/dev.ludic -o bin/ludic-dev
 ```
 
 That gives you `bin/ludic-dev`, the contributor tool: it replaces every