diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index d710ba713..b869490c6 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -209,17 +209,19 @@ check: \
 	@($(SHELLTESTV) checks \
 		&& echo $@ PASSED) || echo $@ FAILED
 
-sandbox: .cabal-sandbox sandbox-links \
-	$(call def-help,sandbox,\
-	set up a cabal sandbox and some symlinks\
-	)
+include sandbox.mk
 
-.cabal-sandbox: \
-	$(call def-help,.cabal-sandbox,\
-	initialise ./.cabal sandbox and add hledger packages as sources \
-	)
-	cabal sandbox init
-	cabal sandbox add-source ./hledger-lib ./hledger ./hledger-web
+# sandbox: .cabal-sandbox sandbox-links \
+# 	$(call def-help,sandbox,\
+# 	set up a cabal sandbox and some symlinks\
+# 	)
+
+# .cabal-sandbox: \
+# 	$(call def-help,.cabal-sandbox,\
+# 	initialise ./.cabal sandbox and add hledger packages as sources \
+# 	)
+# 	cabal sandbox init
+# 	cabal sandbox add-source ./hledger-lib ./hledger ./hledger-web
 
 sandbox-links: \
 	$(call def-help,sandbox-links,\
@@ -228,7 +230,7 @@ sandbox-links: \
 	-for p in hledger{-lib,,-web}; do (cd $$p/dist; ln -s dist-*/build); done
 
 install: \
-	$(call def-help,sandbox-links,\
+	$(call def-help,install,\
 	cabal install the main hledger packages and all their dependencies\
 	in the sandbox if any; otherwise in the users package db\
 	)
@@ -817,34 +819,25 @@ viewcoverage: \
 	)
 	$(VIEWHTML) doc/profs/coverage/index.html
 
-repl-lib: \
-	$(call def-help,repl-lib,\
-	single-package debug prompts, using all cabal settings\
-	)
+# XXX with a sandbox, use sandbox-repl-* instead
+repl-lib:\
+	$(call def-help,repl-lib, start a cabal REPL and load the hledger-lib package)
 	(cd hledger-lib; cabal repl)
 
-repl-cli repl: \
-	$(call def-help,repl-cli repl,\
-	\
-	)
+repl-cli:\
+	$(call def-help,repl-cli, start a cabal REPL and load the hledger package)
 	(cd hledger; cabal repl exe:hledger)
 
-repl-web: \
-	$(call def-help,repl-web,\
-	\
-	)
+repl-web:\
+	$(call def-help,repl-web, start a cabal REPL and load the hledger-web package)
 	(cd hledger-web; cabal repl exe:hledger-web)
 
 ghci: \
-	$(call def-help,ghci,\
-	multi-package debug prompts, mimicking most cabal settings\
-	)
-	cabal exec $(GHCI) -- $(WARNINGS) $(INCLUDEPATHS) $(MAIN)
+	$(call def-help,ghci, start a sandbox-aware GHCI REPL and load the hledger-lib and hledger packages)
+	cabal exec $(GHCI) -- -XCPP $(CABALMACROSFLAGS) $(WARNINGS) $(INCLUDEPATHS) hledger/Hledger/Cli/Main.hs
 
 ghci-web: \
-	$(call def-help,ghci-web,\
-	\
-	)
+	$(call def-help,ghci-web, start a sandbox-aware GHCI REPL and load the hledger-lib, hledger and hledger-web packages)
 	cabal exec $(GHCI) -- $(BUILDFLAGS) $(WEBLANGEXTS) hledger-web/app/main.hs
 
 samplejournals: data/sample.journal data/100x100x10.journal data/1000x1000x10.journal data/1000x10000x10.journal data/10000x1000x10.journal data/10000x10000x10.journal data/100000x1000x10.journal \
diff --git a/help-system.mk b/help-system.mk
index 6059624db..b88d7acb3 100644
--- a/help-system.mk
+++ b/help-system.mk
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@ define def-help-section
 	$(if $(need-help),$(warning --------------------$1--------------------$2))
 endef
 
+define def-help-subsection
+	$(if $(need-help),$(warning $1$2))
+endef
+
 define last-element
 	$(word $(words $1),$1)
 endef
diff --git a/sandbox.mk b/sandbox.mk
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..28e5da5e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sandbox.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+# some standard operations in a cabal sandbox, optionally with specified GHC version
+
+#include help-system.mks
+
+sandbox.mk-default: help
+
+
+$(call def-help-subsection,-- Default sandbox)
+
+sandbox-setup:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-setup, set up a cabal sandbox for hledger using the default GHC version)
+	@make sandbox-init sandbox-add-sources
+
+sandbox-init:
+	cabal sandbox init
+
+sandbox-add-sources:
+	cabal sandbox add-source hledger-lib hledger hledger-web
+
+sandbox-list-sources:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-list-sources,)
+	cabal sandbox list-sources
+
+sandbox-pkg-list:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-pkg-list,\
+	)
+	cabal sandbox hc-pkg list
+
+sandbox-pkg-check:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-pkg-check,)
+	cabal sandbox hc-pkg check
+
+sandbox-install-dry-lib:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-install-dry-lib,)
+	cabal install --dry ./hledger-lib
+
+sandbox-install-dry-cli:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-install-dry-cli,)
+	cabal install --dry ./hledger
+
+sandbox-install-dry-web:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-install-dry-web,)
+	cabal install --dry ./hledger-web
+
+sandbox-install-dep-lib:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-install-dep-lib,)
+	cabal install --only-dep ./hledger-lib
+
+sandbox-install-dep-cli:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-install-dep-cli,)
+	cabal install --only-dep ./hledger
+
+sandbox-install-dep-web:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-install-dep-web,)
+	cabal install --only-dep ./hledger-web
+
+sandbox-install-lib:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-install-lib, install hledger-lib)
+	cabal install ./hledger-lib
+
+sandbox-install-cli:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-install-cli, install hledger-lib and hledger)
+	cabal install ./hledger
+
+sandbox-install-web:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-install-web, install hledger-lib and hledger and hledger-web)
+	cabal install ./hledger-web
+
+sandbox-repl-lib:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-repl-lib, start a cabal REPL for the hledger-lib package)
+	(cd hledger-lib; cabal --sandbox-config-file=../cabal.sandbox.config repl)
+
+sandbox-repl-cli:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-repl-cli, start a cabal REPL for the hledger package)
+	(cd hledger; cabal --sandbox-config-file=../cabal.sandbox.config repl exe:hledger)
+
+sandbox-repl-web:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-repl-web, start a cabal REPL for the hledger-web package)
+	(cd hledger-web; cabal --sandbox-config-file=../cabal.sandbox.config repl exe:hledger-web)
+
+
+
+$(call def-help-subsection,-- Sandbox for specified GHC version (eg: make sandbox-7.8.4-setup))
+
+ # .cabal-sandbox.ghc%:
+sandbox-%-setup: \
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-setup, set up a cabal sandbox for hledger using the specified GHC version)
+	@make sandbox-$*-init sandbox-$*-add-sources
+
+sandbox-%-init:
+	cabal --sandbox-config-file=cabal.sandbox.$*.config sandbox init --sandbox .cabal-sandbox.$*
+	@echo "now manually fix the ghc version in package-db: in cabal.sandbox.$*.config"
+
+sandbox-%-add-sources:
+	cabal --sandbox-config-file=cabal.sandbox.$*.config sandbox add-source --sandbox .cabal-sandbox.$* hledger-lib hledger hledger-web
+
+sandbox-%-list-sources:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-list-sources,)
+	cabal --sandbox-config-file=cabal.sandbox.$*.config sandbox list-sources --sandbox .cabal-sandbox.$*
+
+sandbox-%-pkg-list: \
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-pkg-list,\
+	)
+	ghc-pkg-$* --package-db .cabal-sandbox.$*/*$*-packages.conf.d list
+#	ghc-pkg-$* --global-package-db /usr/local/lib/ghc-$*/package.conf.d --package-db .cabal-sandbox.$*/*$*-packages.conf.d list
+
+sandbox-%-pkg-check:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-pkg-check,)
+	ghc-pkg-$* --package-db .cabal-sandbox.$*/*$*-packages.conf.d check
+#	ghc-pkg-$* --global-package-db /usr/local/lib/ghc-$*/package.conf.d --package-db .cabal-sandbox.$*/*$*-packages.conf.d check
+
+sandbox-%-install-dry-lib:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-install-dry-lib,)
+	cabal --sandbox-config-file=cabal.sandbox.$*.config install -w ghc-$* --dry ./hledger-lib
+
+sandbox-%-install-dry-cli:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-install-dry-cli,)
+	cabal --sandbox-config-file=cabal.sandbox.$*.config install -w ghc-$* --dry ./hledger
+
+sandbox-%-install-dry-web:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-install-dry-web,)
+	cabal --sandbox-config-file=cabal.sandbox.$*.config install -w ghc-$* --dry ./hledger-web
+
+sandbox-%-install-dep-lib:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-install-dep-lib,)
+	cabal --sandbox-config-file=cabal.sandbox.$*.config install -w ghc-$* --only-dep ./hledger-lib
+
+sandbox-%-install-dep-cli:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-install-dep-cli,)
+	cabal --sandbox-config-file=cabal.sandbox.$*.config install -w ghc-$* --only-dep ./hledger
+
+sandbox-%-install-dep-web:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-install-dep-web,)
+	cabal --sandbox-config-file=cabal.sandbox.$*.config install -w ghc-$* --only-dep ./hledger-web
+
+sandbox-%-install-lib:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-install-lib,)
+	cabal --sandbox-config-file=cabal.sandbox.$*.config install -w ghc-$* ./hledger-lib
+
+sandbox-%-install-cli:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-install-cli,)
+	cabal --sandbox-config-file=cabal.sandbox.$*.config install -w ghc-$* ./hledger
+
+sandbox-%-install-web:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-install-web,)
+	cabal --sandbox-config-file=cabal.sandbox.$*.config install -w ghc-$* ./hledger-web
+
+sandbox-%-repl-lib:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-repl-lib,)
+	(cd hledger-lib; cabal --sandbox-config-file=../cabal.sandbox.$*.config repl)
+
+sandbox-%-repl-cli:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-repl-cli,)
+	(cd hledger; cabal --sandbox-config-file=../cabal.sandbox.$*.config repl exe:hledger)
+
+sandbox-%-repl-web:\
+	$(call def-help,sandbox-%-repl-web,)
+	(cd hledger-web; cabal --sandbox-config-file=../cabal.sandbox.$*.config repl exe:hledger-web)
+
+
+Clean-sandboxes:\
+	$(call def-help,Clean-sandboxes, delete all sandboxes in this directory)
+	rm -rf .cabal-sandbox* cabal.sandbox*