diff --git a/bin/hledger-balance-as-budget.hs b/bin/hledger-balance-as-budget.hs
index cbd3699f3..77d49a138 100755
--- a/bin/hledger-balance-as-budget.hs
+++ b/bin/hledger-balance-as-budget.hs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env stack
--- stack script --compile --resolver lts-16.25
+#!/usr/bin/env -S stack ghc --verbosity info --package hledger -- -O0
+-- See hledger-check-fancyassertions.hs
 
 -- {-# OPTIONS_GHC -Wno-missing-signatures -Wno-name-shadowing #-}
 
diff --git a/bin/hledger-check-fancyassertions.hs b/bin/hledger-check-fancyassertions.hs
index 1e8ad995d..579e2ba5a 100755
--- a/bin/hledger-check-fancyassertions.hs
+++ b/bin/hledger-check-fancyassertions.hs
@@ -1,5 +1,24 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env stack
--- stack script --compile --resolver lts-16.25
+#!/usr/bin/env -S stack ghc --verbosity info --package hledger-lib -- -O0
+-- Run this script once from inside the hledger source tree; it will
+-- compile itself using the corresponding source version of hledger,
+-- which is the version it is tested with. You can run the compiled
+-- version from anywhere. It is compiled unoptimised, which takes less
+-- time and probably won't be noticeable otherwise; if you care, you
+-- can remove the "-O0" above.
+--
+-- To run it interpreted, eg while tweaking it: replace "ghc" above
+-- with "runghc", and run from inside the hledger source tree.
+--
+-- To make it a standalone script that runs from anywhere and
+-- recompiles itself when changed: replace "ghc" above with
+-- "script --compile --resolver lts-16" (eg).
+-- However this uses the hledger version from that stackage resolver,
+-- so in this case you should check out the corresponding release-tagged
+-- version of this script for compatibility (eg: git checkout 1.18.1).
+--
+-- env -S and a multi-argument shebang line is used, rather than a stack
+-- options line, because current stack won't run the ghc command that way.
+-- Hopefully your env supports -S.
 
 {-
 ```
diff --git a/bin/hledger-check-tagfiles.hs b/bin/hledger-check-tagfiles.hs
index a015aa1ca..d9051e00d 100755
--- a/bin/hledger-check-tagfiles.hs
+++ b/bin/hledger-check-tagfiles.hs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env stack
--- stack script --compile --resolver lts-16.25
+#!/usr/bin/env -S stack ghc --verbosity info --package hledger -- -O0
+-- See hledger-check-fancyassertions.hs
 
 {-
 hledger-check-tagfiles stack script.
diff --git a/bin/hledger-combine-balances.hs b/bin/hledger-combine-balances.hs
index 084a26bc9..9255f2d67 100755
--- a/bin/hledger-combine-balances.hs
+++ b/bin/hledger-combine-balances.hs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env stack
--- stack script --compile --resolver lts-16.25
+#!/usr/bin/env -S stack ghc --verbosity info --package hledger -- -O0
+-- See hledger-check-fancyassertions.hs
 
 {-# OPTIONS_GHC -Wno-missing-signatures -Wno-name-shadowing #-}
 
diff --git a/bin/hledger-print-location.hs b/bin/hledger-print-location.hs
index f7a5437e9..44d8e5de3 100755
--- a/bin/hledger-print-location.hs
+++ b/bin/hledger-print-location.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env stack
-{- stack script --compile --resolver lts-16.25
--}
+#!/usr/bin/env -S stack ghc --verbosity info --package hledger -- -O0
+-- See hledger-check-fancyassertions.hs
+
+--package string-qq
+
 {-
 Quick script that adds file/line number tags to print output.
 cf https://www.reddit.com/r/plaintextaccounting/comments/ddzn8o/finding_corresponding_journal_files_from_hledger/
diff --git a/bin/hledger-smooth.hs b/bin/hledger-smooth.hs
index 40d69b200..10449a5d3 100755
--- a/bin/hledger-smooth.hs
+++ b/bin/hledger-smooth.hs
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env stack
--- stack script --compile --resolver lts-16.25
+#!/usr/bin/env -S stack ghc --verbosity info --package hledger -- -O0
+-- See hledger-check-fancyassertions.hs
+
+--package string-qq
 
 -- This is an unfinished prototype, see https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/issues/1171
 -- Requires a contemporaneous version of the hledger package.
diff --git a/bin/hledger-swap-dates.hs b/bin/hledger-swap-dates.hs
index c8fd88f41..cb81735cd 100755
--- a/bin/hledger-swap-dates.hs
+++ b/bin/hledger-swap-dates.hs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env stack
--- stack script --compile --resolver lts-16.25
+#!/usr/bin/env -S stack ghc --verbosity info --package hledger -- -O0
+-- See hledger-check-fancyassertions.hs
 
 {-# OPTIONS_GHC -Wno-missing-signatures -Wno-name-shadowing #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE NamedFieldPuns #-}
diff --git a/bin/scripts.test b/bin/scripts.test
index 54ca44b5b..b963fdcfd 100644
--- a/bin/scripts.test
+++ b/bin/scripts.test
@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@
 # Check that they all (or at least these ones) still compile with this version of hledger.
 # stdout and exit code are ignored for cleaner failure output.
 # $ ./compile.sh >/dev/null
-$  stack ghc -- hledger-balance-as-budget.hs     >/dev/null || true
-$  stack ghc -- hledger-check-fancyassertions.hs >/dev/null || true
-$  stack ghc -- hledger-check-tagfiles.hs        >/dev/null || true
-$  stack ghc -- hledger-combine-balances.hs      >/dev/null || true
-$  stack ghc --package string-qq -- hledger-print-location.hs >/dev/null || true
-$  stack ghc --package string-qq -- hledger-smooth.hs         >/dev/null || true
-$  stack ghc --package string-qq -- hledger-swap-dates.hs     >/dev/null || true
+$  ./hledger-balance-as-budget.hs     >/dev/null || true
+$  ./hledger-check-fancyassertions.hs >/dev/null || true
+$  ./hledger-check-tagfiles.hs        >/dev/null || true
+$  ./hledger-combine-balances.hs      >/dev/null || true
+$  ./hledger-print-location.hs        >/dev/null || true
+$  ./hledger-smooth.hs                >/dev/null || true
+$  ./hledger-swap-dates.hs            >/dev/null || true