diff --git a/scp.c b/scp.c
index 66ee4533..e548935c 100644
--- a/scp.c
+++ b/scp.c
@@ -2050,11 +2050,12 @@ while (stat != SCPE_EXIT) {                             /* in case exit */
         fprintf (sim_log, "%s%s\n", sim_prompt, cptr);
     if (sim_deb && (sim_deb != sim_log) && (sim_deb != stdout))
         fprintf (sim_deb, "%s%s\n", sim_prompt, cptr);
-    cptr = get_glyph (cptr, gbuf, 0);                   /* get command glyph */
+    cptr = get_glyph_cmd (cptr, gbuf);                  /* get command glyph */
     sim_switches = 0;                                   /* init switches */
     if ((cmdp = find_cmd (gbuf)))                       /* lookup command */
         stat = cmdp->action (cmdp->arg, cptr);          /* if found, exec */
-    else stat = SCPE_UNK;
+    else
+        stat = SCPE_UNK;
     stat_nomessage = stat & SCPE_NOMESSAGE;             /* extract possible message supression flag */
     stat_nomessage = stat_nomessage || (!sim_show_message);/* Apply global suppression */
     stat = SCPE_BARE_STATUS(stat);                      /* remove possible flag */
@@ -2805,7 +2806,7 @@ do {
         sim_printf("%s> %s\n", do_position(), cptr);
     if (*cptr == ':')                                   /* ignore label */
         continue;
-    cptr = get_glyph (cptr, gbuf, 0);                   /* get command glyph */
+    cptr = get_glyph_cmd (cptr, gbuf);                  /* get command glyph */
     sim_switches = 0;                                   /* init switches */
     sim_gotofile = fpin;
     sim_do_echo = echo;
@@ -7227,6 +7228,7 @@ return cptr;
 /* get_glyph            get next glyph (force upper case)
    get_glyph_nc         get next glyph (no conversion)
    get_glyph_quoted     get next glyph (potentially enclosed in quotes, no conversion)
+   get_glyph_cmd        get command glyph (force upper case, extract leading !)
    get_glyph_gen        get next glyph (general case)
 
    Inputs:
@@ -7296,6 +7298,16 @@ CONST char *get_glyph_quoted (const char *iptr, char *optr, char mchar)
 return (CONST char *)get_glyph_gen (iptr, optr, mchar, FALSE, TRUE, '\\');
 }
 
+CONST char *get_glyph_cmd (const char *iptr, char *optr)
+{
+/* Tolerate "!subprocess" vs. requiring "! subprocess" */
+if ((iptr[0] == '!') && (!sim_isspace(iptr[1]))) {
+    strcpy (optr, "!");                     /* return ! as command glyph */
+    return (CONST char *)(iptr + 1);        /* and skip over the leading ! */
+    }
+return (CONST char *)get_glyph_gen (iptr, optr, 0, TRUE, FALSE, 0);
+}
+
 /* Trim trailing spaces from a string
 
     Inputs:
diff --git a/scp.h b/scp.h
index e8493261..938851fb 100644
--- a/scp.h
+++ b/scp.h
@@ -152,6 +152,7 @@ CONST char *get_sim_opt (int32 opt, CONST char *cptr, t_stat *st);
 CONST char *get_glyph (const char *iptr, char *optr, char mchar);
 CONST char *get_glyph_nc (const char *iptr, char *optr, char mchar);
 CONST char *get_glyph_quoted (const char *iptr, char *optr, char mchar);
+CONST char *get_glyph_cmd (const char *iptr, char *optr);
 t_value get_uint (const char *cptr, uint32 radix, t_value max, t_stat *status);
 CONST char *get_range (DEVICE *dptr, CONST char *cptr, t_addr *lo, t_addr *hi,
     uint32 rdx, t_addr max, char term);