diff --git a/src/builtin.cpp b/src/builtin.cpp
index 396088dc56..dc1f1f652a 100644
--- a/src/builtin.cpp
+++ b/src/builtin.cpp
@@ -456,6 +456,11 @@ Java_java_lang_System_getVMProperty(Thread* t, jclass, jstring name,
     r = makeLocalReference(t, makeString(t, "%s", t->m->finder->path()));
   } else if (strcmp(n, "avian.version") == 0) {
     r = makeLocalReference(t, makeString(t, AVIAN_VERSION));
+  } else {
+    const char* v = findProperty(t, n);
+    if (v) {
+      r = makeLocalReference(t, makeString(t, v));
+    }
   }
   
   if (r) {
diff --git a/src/compile.cpp b/src/compile.cpp
index aea9eebd58..fe83e102d4 100644
--- a/src/compile.cpp
+++ b/src/compile.cpp
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ vmCall();
 
 namespace {
 
-const bool Verbose = false;
+const bool DebugCompile = true;
 const bool DebugNatives = false;
 const bool DebugCallTable = false;
 const bool DebugMethodTree = false;
@@ -3389,12 +3389,26 @@ compile(MyThread* t, Frame* initialFrame, unsigned ip,
 }
 
 void
-logCompile(const void* code, unsigned size, const char* class_,
+logCompile(MyThread* t, const void* code, unsigned size, const char* class_,
            const char* name, const char* spec)
 {
-  fprintf(stderr, "%s.%s%s: %p %p\n",
-          class_, name, spec, code,
-          static_cast<const uint8_t*>(code) + size);
+  static FILE* log = 0;
+  static bool open = false;
+  if (not open) {
+    open = true;
+    const char* path = findProperty(t, "avian.jit.log");
+    if (name) {
+      log = fopen(path, "wb");
+    } else {
+      log = stderr;
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (log) {
+    fprintf(log, "%p %p %s.%s%s\n",
+            code, static_cast<const uint8_t*>(code) + size,
+            class_, name, spec);
+  }
 }
 
 void
@@ -3644,8 +3658,8 @@ finish(MyThread* t, Assembler* a, const char* name)
 
   a->writeTo(start);
 
-  if (Verbose) {
-    logCompile(start, a->length(), 0, name, 0);
+  if (DebugCompile) {
+    logCompile(t, start, a->length(), 0, name, 0);
   }
 
   return result;
@@ -3740,9 +3754,9 @@ finish(MyThread* t, Context* context)
     set(t, result, SingletonBody + offset, p->value);
   }
 
-  if (Verbose) {
+  if (DebugCompile) {
     logCompile
-      (start, codeSize,
+      (t, start, codeSize,
        reinterpret_cast<const char*>
        (&byteArrayBody(t, className(t, methodClass(t, context->method)), 0)),
        reinterpret_cast<const char*>
@@ -4992,9 +5006,9 @@ compileThunks(MyThread* t, MyProcessor* p)
   uint8_t* start = reinterpret_cast<uint8_t*>
     (&singletonValue(t, p->thunkTable, 0));
 
-  if (Verbose) {
-    logCompile(start, p->thunkSize * ThunkCount, 0, "thunkTable", 0);
-    fprintf(stderr, "thunk size: %d\n", p->thunkSize);
+  if (DebugCompile) {
+    logCompile(t, start, p->thunkSize * ThunkCount, 0, "thunkTable", 0);
+    //fprintf(stderr, "thunk size: %d\n", p->thunkSize);
   }
 
   tableContext.promise.resolved_ = true;
diff --git a/src/finder.cpp b/src/finder.cpp
index 973439b927..c4316b7550 100644
--- a/src/finder.cpp
+++ b/src/finder.cpp
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ void*
 allocate(System* s, unsigned size)
 {
   void* p = s->tryAllocate(size);
-  if (p == 0) abort();
+  if (p == 0) s->abort();
   return p;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/jnienv.cpp b/src/jnienv.cpp
index 329e948687..ce7107dbbc 100644
--- a/src/jnienv.cpp
+++ b/src/jnienv.cpp
@@ -2072,6 +2072,8 @@ JNI_CreateJavaVM(Machine** m, Thread** t, void* args)
   const char* bootClasspath = "";
   const char* bootClasspathAppend = "";
 
+  unsigned propertyCount = 0;
+
   for (int i = 0; i < a->nOptions; ++i) {
     if (strncmp(a->options[i].optionString, "-X", 2) == 0) {
       const char* p = a->options[i].optionString + 2;
@@ -2106,7 +2108,7 @@ JNI_CreateJavaVM(Machine** m, Thread** t, void* args)
         classpath = p + sizeof(CLASSPATH_PROPERTY);
       }
 
-      // todo: add properties to VM
+      ++ propertyCount;
     }
   }
 
@@ -2133,8 +2135,17 @@ JNI_CreateJavaVM(Machine** m, Thread** t, void* args)
   Finder* f = makeFinder(s, classpathBuffer, bootLibrary);
   Processor* p = makeProcessor(s, h);
 
+  const char** properties = static_cast<const char**>
+    (h->allocate(sizeof(const char*) * propertyCount));
+  const char** propertyPointer = properties;
+  for (int i = 0; i < a->nOptions; ++i) {
+    if (strncmp(a->options[i].optionString, "-D", 2) == 0) {
+      *(propertyPointer++) = a->options[i].optionString + 2;
+    }
+  }
+
   *m = new (h->allocate(sizeof(Machine)))
-    Machine(s, h, f, p, bootLibrary, builtins);
+    Machine(s, h, f, p, bootLibrary, builtins, properties, propertyCount);
 
   *t = p->makeThread(*m, 0, 0);
 
diff --git a/src/machine.cpp b/src/machine.cpp
index 0b1840feb6..572270e2f0 100644
--- a/src/machine.cpp
+++ b/src/machine.cpp
@@ -1633,7 +1633,8 @@ namespace vm {
 
 Machine::Machine(System* system, Heap* heap, Finder* finder,
                  Processor* processor, const char* bootLibrary,
-                 const char* builtins):
+                 const char* builtins, const char** properties,
+                 unsigned propertyCount):
   vtable(&javaVMVTable),
   system(system),
   heapClient(new (heap->allocate(sizeof(HeapClient)))
@@ -1645,6 +1646,8 @@ Machine::Machine(System* system, Heap* heap, Finder* finder,
   exclusive(0),
   jniReferences(0),
   builtins(builtins),
+  properties(properties),
+  propertyCount(propertyCount),
   activeCount(0),
   liveCount(0),
   fixedFootprint(0),
diff --git a/src/machine.h b/src/machine.h
index 0c4d841f74..d2adce2e33 100644
--- a/src/machine.h
+++ b/src/machine.h
@@ -1122,7 +1122,8 @@ class Machine {
   };
 
   Machine(System* system, Heap* heap, Finder* finder, Processor* processor,
-          const char* bootLibrary, const char* builtins);
+          const char* bootLibrary, const char* builtins,
+          const char** properties, unsigned propertyCount);
 
   ~Machine() { 
     dispose();
@@ -1144,6 +1145,8 @@ class Machine {
   Thread* exclusive;
   Reference* jniReferences;
   const char* builtins;
+  const char** properties;
+  unsigned propertyCount;
   unsigned activeCount;
   unsigned liveCount;
   unsigned fixedFootprint;
@@ -1510,6 +1513,23 @@ setObjectClass(Thread*, object o, object value)
      | (reinterpret_cast<uintptr_t>(cast<object>(o, 0)) & (~PointerMask)));
 }
 
+inline const char*
+findProperty(Thread* t, const char* name)
+{
+  for (unsigned i = 0; i < t->m->propertyCount; ++i) {
+    const char* p = t->m->properties[i];
+    const char* n = name;
+    while (*p and *p != '=' and *n and *p == *n) {
+      ++ p;
+      ++ n;
+    }
+    if (*p == '=' and *n == 0) {
+      return p + 1;
+    }
+  }
+  return 0;
+}
+
 object&
 arrayBodyUnsafe(Thread*, object, unsigned);