diff --git a/Lib/distutils/command/build_py.py b/Lib/distutils/command/build_py.py
index 87e3efa..66f5024 100644
--- a/Lib/distutils/command/build_py.py
+++ b/Lib/distutils/command/build_py.py
@@ -177,13 +177,15 @@
         self.check_package (package, package_dir)
         module_files = glob (os.path.join (package_dir, "*.py"))
         modules = []
-        setup_script = os.path.abspath (sys.argv[0])
+        setup_script = os.path.abspath(self.distribution.script_name)
 
         for f in module_files:
             abs_f = os.path.abspath (f)
             if abs_f != setup_script:
                 module = os.path.splitext (os.path.basename (f))[0]
                 modules.append ((package, module, f))
+            else:
+                self.debug_print("excluding %s" % setup_script)
         return modules
 
 
diff --git a/Lib/distutils/command/sdist.py b/Lib/distutils/command/sdist.py
index 2351ebb..06c8f1c 100644
--- a/Lib/distutils/command/sdist.py
+++ b/Lib/distutils/command/sdist.py
@@ -202,7 +202,10 @@
         # manifest, but there's no template -- which will happen if the
         # developer elects to generate a manifest some other way -- then we
         # can't regenerate the manifest, so we don't.)
-        setup_newer = dep_util.newer(sys.argv[0], self.manifest)
+        self.debug_print("checking if %s newer than %s" %
+                         (self.distribution.script_name, self.manifest))
+        setup_newer = dep_util.newer(self.distribution.script_name,
+                                     self.manifest)
 
         # cases:
         #   1) no manifest, template exists: generate manifest
diff --git a/Lib/distutils/core.py b/Lib/distutils/core.py
index 4c982a0..39f1f54 100644
--- a/Lib/distutils/core.py
+++ b/Lib/distutils/core.py
@@ -25,26 +25,30 @@
 # runs the setup script with no arguments at all.  More useful help
 # is generated with various --help options: global help, list commands,
 # and per-command help.
-usage = """\
-usage: %s [global_opts] cmd1 [cmd1_opts] [cmd2 [cmd2_opts] ...]
-   or: %s --help [cmd1 cmd2 ...]
-   or: %s --help-commands
-   or: %s cmd --help
-""" % ((os.path.basename(sys.argv[0]),) * 4)
+USAGE = """\
+usage: %(script)s [global_opts] cmd1 [cmd1_opts] [cmd2 [cmd2_opts] ...]
+   or: %(script)s --help [cmd1 cmd2 ...]
+   or: %(script)s --help-commands
+   or: %(script)s cmd --help
+"""
 
 
 # If DISTUTILS_DEBUG is anything other than the empty string, we run in
 # debug mode.
 DEBUG = os.environ.get('DISTUTILS_DEBUG')
 
+def gen_usage (script_name):
+    script = os.path.basename(script_name)
+    return USAGE % vars()
+
 
 def setup (**attrs):
     """The gateway to the Distutils: do everything your setup script needs
     to do, in a highly flexible and user-driven way.  Briefly: create a
     Distribution instance; find and parse config files; parse the command
-    line; run each of those commands using the options supplied to
-    'setup()' (as keyword arguments), in config files, and on the command
-    line.
+    line; run each Distutils command found there, customized by the options
+    supplied to 'setup()' (as keyword arguments), in config files, and on
+    the command line.
 
     The Distribution instance might be an instance of a class supplied via
     the 'distclass' keyword argument to 'setup'; if no such class is
@@ -79,6 +83,11 @@
     else:
         klass = Distribution
 
+    if not attrs.has_key('script_name'):
+        attrs['script_name'] = sys.argv[0]
+    if not attrs.has_key('script_args'):
+        attrs['script_args'] = sys.argv[1:]
+
     # Create the Distribution instance, using the remaining arguments
     # (ie. everything except distclass) to initialize it
     try:
@@ -97,10 +106,11 @@
     # Parse the command line; any command-line errors are the end user's
     # fault, so turn them into SystemExit to suppress tracebacks.
     try:
-        ok = dist.parse_command_line (sys.argv[1:])
+        ok = dist.parse_command_line()
     except DistutilsArgError, msg:
-        sys.stderr.write (usage + "\n")
-        raise SystemExit, "error: %s" % msg
+        script = os.path.basename(dist.script_name)
+        raise SystemExit, \
+              gen_usage(dist.script_name) + "\nerror: %s" % msg
 
     if DEBUG:
         print "options (after parsing command line):"
diff --git a/Lib/distutils/dist.py b/Lib/distutils/dist.py
index ed829fe..1552dc0 100644
--- a/Lib/distutils/dist.py
+++ b/Lib/distutils/dist.py
@@ -131,6 +131,12 @@
         # for the setup script to override command classes
         self.cmdclass = {}
 
+        # 'script_name' and 'script_args' are usually set to sys.argv[0]
+        # and sys.argv[1:], but they can be overridden when the caller is
+        # not necessarily a setup script run from the command-line.
+        self.script_name = None
+        self.script_args = None
+
         # 'command_options' is where we store command options between
         # parsing them (from config files, the command-line, etc.) and when
         # they are actually needed -- ie. when the command in question is
@@ -326,24 +332,24 @@
 
     # -- Command-line parsing methods ----------------------------------
 
-    def parse_command_line (self, args):
-        """Parse the setup script's command line.  'args' must be a list
-        of command-line arguments, most likely 'sys.argv[1:]' (see the
-        'setup()' function).  This list is first processed for "global
-        options" -- options that set attributes of the Distribution
-        instance.  Then, it is alternately scanned for Distutils
-        commands and options for that command.  Each new command
-        terminates the options for the previous command.  The allowed
-        options for a command are determined by the 'user_options'
-        attribute of the command class -- thus, we have to be able to
-        load command classes in order to parse the command line.  Any
-        error in that 'options' attribute raises DistutilsGetoptError;
-        any error on the command-line raises DistutilsArgError.  If no
-        Distutils commands were found on the command line, raises
-        DistutilsArgError.  Return true if command-line were
-        successfully parsed and we should carry on with executing
-        commands; false if no errors but we shouldn't execute commands
-        (currently, this only happens if user asks for help).
+    def parse_command_line (self):
+        """Parse the setup script's command line, taken from the
+        'script_args' instance attribute (which defaults to 'sys.argv[1:]'
+        -- see 'setup()' in core.py).  This list is first processed for
+        "global options" -- options that set attributes of the Distribution
+        instance.  Then, it is alternately scanned for Distutils commands
+        and options for that command.  Each new command terminates the
+        options for the previous command.  The allowed options for a
+        command are determined by the 'user_options' attribute of the
+        command class -- thus, we have to be able to load command classes
+        in order to parse the command line.  Any error in that 'options'
+        attribute raises DistutilsGetoptError; any error on the
+        command-line raises DistutilsArgError.  If no Distutils commands
+        were found on the command line, raises DistutilsArgError.  Return
+        true if command-line were successfully parsed and we should carry
+        on with executing commands; false if no errors but we shouldn't
+        execute commands (currently, this only happens if user asks for
+        help).
         """
         # We have to parse the command line a bit at a time -- global
         # options, then the first command, then its options, and so on --
@@ -356,7 +362,7 @@
         parser = FancyGetopt (self.global_options + self.display_options)
         parser.set_negative_aliases (self.negative_opt)
         parser.set_aliases ({'license': 'licence'})
-        args = parser.getopt (object=self)
+        args = parser.getopt (args=self.script_args, object=self)
         option_order = parser.get_option_order()
 
         # for display options we return immediately
@@ -506,7 +512,7 @@
         in 'commands'.
         """
         # late import because of mutual dependence between these modules
-        from distutils.core import usage
+        from distutils.core import gen_usage
         from distutils.cmd import Command
 
         if global_options:
@@ -535,7 +541,7 @@
             parser.print_help ("Options for '%s' command:" % klass.__name__)
             print
 
-        print usage
+        print gen_usage(self.script_name)
         return
 
     # _show_help ()
@@ -547,7 +553,7 @@
         line, display the requested info and return true; else return
         false.
         """
-        from distutils.core import usage
+        from distutils.core import gen_usage
 
         # User just wants a list of commands -- we'll print it out and stop
         # processing now (ie. if they ran "setup --help-commands foo bar",
@@ -555,7 +561,7 @@
         if self.help_commands:
             self.print_commands ()
             print
-            print usage
+            print gen_usage(self.script_name)
             return 1
 
         # If user supplied any of the "display metadata" options, then