diff --git a/.appveyor.yml b/.appveyor.yml
index b97387427..ca3ffc621 100644
--- a/.appveyor.yml
+++ b/.appveyor.yml
@@ -69,12 +69,12 @@ install:
 #
 # install ghc
 #- stack setup
-# use ghc 8.2 to avoid a hledger-web -> network/stack build issue on windows,
-# network 2.7.0.1 should work around it when released
+# use ghc 8.2 to avoid hledger-web -> network/stack/ghc/windows build issue
 # https://github.com/haskell/network/issues/313
 # https://github.com/commercialhaskell/stack/issues/3944
-#- stack --stack-yaml=stack-ghc8.2.yaml setup
-- stack setup
+# network 2.7.0.1 is supposed to work around it
+- stack setup --stack-yaml=stack-ghc8.2.yaml 
+#- stack setup
 #- set PATH=C:\Users\appveyor\AppData\Roaming\local\bin;%PATH%
 #- stack install shelltestrunner
 
@@ -83,9 +83,11 @@ install:
 # hledger-ui's vty dep isn't available on windows
 # hledger-api not tried recently 
 build_script:
-#- stack build --test --copy-bins --local-bin-path=. hledger hledger-web
 # use network 2.7.0.1+ to avoid https://github.com/haskell/network/issues/313
-- stack build --test --copy-bins --local-bin-path=. hledger hledger-web network-2.7.0.2
+#- stack build --test --copy-bins --local-bin-path=. hledger hledger-web network-2.7.0.2
+# use ghc 8.2 to avoid hledger-web -> network/stack/ghc/windows build issue
+# don't run test suites to avoid easytest/windows utf8 issue
+- stack build --copy-bins --local-bin-path=. hledger hledger-web --stack-yaml=stack-ghc8.2.yaml 
 - 7z a -tzip hledger.zip hledger.exe hledger-web.exe
 
 #- hledger-install/hledger-install.sh
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands.hs
index 9e0bb4118..68d10e7d6 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands.hs
@@ -244,6 +244,10 @@ FLAGS
 testcmd :: CliOpts -> Journal -> IO ()
 testcmd opts _undefined = do 
   let args = words' $ query_ $ reportopts_ opts
+  -- workaround for https://github.com/joelburget/easytest/issues/11 
+--  import System.IO (hSetEncoding, stdout, stderr, utf8)
+--  hSetEncoding stdout utf8
+--  hSetEncoding stderr utf8
   e <- runEasytests args $ EasyTest.tests [tests_Hledger, tests_Commands]
   if e then exitFailure else exitSuccess