diff --git a/src/compiler/GF/Compile.hs b/src/compiler/GF/Compile.hs
index 587558e74..0251862d2 100644
--- a/src/compiler/GF/Compile.hs
+++ b/src/compiler/GF/Compile.hs
@@ -1,21 +1,23 @@
 module GF.Compile (compileToPGF, link, batchCompile, srcAbsName) where
 
+import GF.Compile.GeneratePMCFG(generatePMCFG)
 import GF.Compile.GrammarToPGF(grammar2PGF)
 import GF.Compile.ReadFiles(ModEnv,getOptionsFromFile,getAllFiles,
                             importsOfModule)
 import GF.CompileOne(compileOne)
 
-import GF.Grammar.Grammar(Grammar,emptyGrammar,
+import GF.Grammar.Grammar(Grammar,emptyGrammar,modules,mGrammar,
                           abstractOfConcrete,prependModule)--,msrc,modules
 
+import GF.Infra.CheckM
 import GF.Infra.Ident(ModuleName,moduleNameS)--,showIdent
 import GF.Infra.Option
 import GF.Infra.UseIO(IOE,FullPath,liftIO,getLibraryDirectory,putIfVerb,
-                      justModuleName,extendPathEnv,putStrE,putPointE)
+                      justModuleName,extendPathEnv,putStrE,putPointE,warnOut)
 import GF.Data.Operations(raise,(+++),err)
 
 import Control.Monad(foldM,when,(<=<))
-import GF.System.Directory(doesFileExist,getModificationTime)
+import GF.System.Directory(getCurrentDirectory,doesFileExist,getModificationTime)
 import System.FilePath((</>),isRelative,dropFileName)
 import qualified Data.Map as Map(empty,insert,elems) --lookup
 import Data.List(nub)
@@ -35,8 +37,14 @@ link :: Options -> (ModuleName,Grammar) -> IOE PGF
 link opts (cnc,gr) =
   putPointE Normal opts "linking ... " $ do
     let abs = srcAbsName gr cnc
+
+    -- if a module was compiled with no-pmcfg then we generate now
+    cwd <- getCurrentDirectory
+    (gr',warnings) <- runCheck' opts (fmap mGrammar $ mapM (generatePMCFG opts cwd gr) (modules gr))
+    warnOut opts warnings
+
     probs <- liftIO (maybe (return Map.empty) readProbabilitiesFromFile (flag optProbsFile opts))
-    pgf <- grammar2PGF opts gr abs probs
+    pgf <- grammar2PGF opts gr' abs probs
     when (verbAtLeast opts Normal) $ putStrE "OK"
     return pgf
 
diff --git a/src/compiler/GF/Compile/GeneratePMCFG.hs b/src/compiler/GF/Compile/GeneratePMCFG.hs
index 8dfcd3c9b..d507ea5ca 100644
--- a/src/compiler/GF/Compile/GeneratePMCFG.hs
+++ b/src/compiler/GF/Compile/GeneratePMCFG.hs
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 module GF.Compile.GeneratePMCFG
-    (generatePMCFG, type2fields, addPMCFG
+    (generatePMCFG, type2fields
     ) where
 
 import GF.Grammar hiding (VApp,VRecType)
@@ -28,10 +28,11 @@ import Data.List(mapAccumL,sortBy)
 import Data.Maybe(fromMaybe)
 
 generatePMCFG :: Options -> FilePath -> SourceGrammar -> SourceModule -> Check SourceModule
-generatePMCFG opts cwd gr cmo@(cm,cmi) = do
-  let gr' = prependModule gr cmo
-  js <- mapM (addPMCFG opts cwd gr' cmi) (Map.toList (jments cmi))
-  return (cm,cmi{jments = (Map.fromAscList js)})
+generatePMCFG opts cwd gr cmo@(cm,cmi)
+  | isModCnc cmi = do let gr' = prependModule gr cmo
+                      js <- mapM (addPMCFG opts cwd gr' cmi) (Map.toList (jments cmi))
+                      return (cm,cmi{jments = (Map.fromAscList js)})
+  | otherwise    = return cmo
 
 addPMCFG opts cwd gr cmi (id,CncCat mty@(Just (L loc ty)) mdef mref mprn Nothing) = do
   defs <- case mdef of