diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ffc4dc9..079624a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ Base needs Bash version 4.2 or above.
 
 Set up is easy.  Essentially, this is what you have to do:
 
-* Check out Base. The standard location for Base is $HOME/base.  In case your git directory is elsewhere, symlink `$HOME/git` to it or specify the path by setting `BASE_HOME` in `$HOME/.baserc` file.
+* Check out Base. The standard location for Base is $HOME/git/base.  In case your git directory is elsewhere, symlink `$HOME/git` to it or specify the path by setting `BASE_HOME` in `$HOME/.baserc` file.
 * Consolidate your individual settings from your current `.bash_profile` and `.bashrc` into `$USER.sh` file.  Place this file under `base/user` directory and check it in to git.
 * Make a backup of your `.bash_profile`.  Replace this file with a symlink to `base/lib/bash_profile`.
 * Make a backup of your `.bashrc`.  Replace this file with a symlink to `base/lib/bashrc`.
@@ -37,10 +37,10 @@ Here is an example:
     mkdir git && cd git
     git clone git@github.com:codeforester/base.git
     cd $HOME
-    mv .bash_profile .bash_profile.safe && ln -sf $HOME/base/lib/bash_profile .bash_profile
-    mv .bashrc       .bashrc.safe       && ln -sf $HOME/base/lib/bashrc       .bashrc
-    cp $USER.sh $HOME/base/user
-    cd $HOME/base
+    mv .bash_profile .bash_profile.safe && ln -sf $HOME/git/base/lib/bash_profile .bash_profile
+    mv .bashrc       .bashrc.safe       && ln -sf $HOME/git/base/lib/bashrc       .bashrc
+    cp $USER.sh $HOME/git/base/user
+    cd $HOME/git/base
     git add user/$USER.sh
     git commit -m "Adding the initial version of $USER.sh"
     git push
@@ -80,11 +80,12 @@ In a typical setting, `.bashrc` sources in `$BASE_HOME/base_init.sh` which does
 # **Functions exported by base_init.sh**
 
 * import       - sources in libraries from any place under `BASE_HOME` directory
+* base_wrapper - initializes Base inside scripts
 * base_update  - does a `git pull` on Base git directory; add it to `user/<user>.sh` to "auto update" Base
 
 # **FAQ**
 
-## My git location is not `$HOME/base`.  What should I do?
+## My git location is not `$HOME/git/base`.  What should I do?
 
 You can either
 
@@ -92,7 +93,7 @@ You can either
       
   BASE_HOME=/path/to/base
 
-* symlink `$HOME/base` to the right place
+* symlink `$HOME/git/base` to the right place
 
 You need to do this on every host where you want Base.
 
@@ -122,19 +123,19 @@ Yes, you can, though you will lose the flexibility of keeping your `.bash_profil
 
 To turn on Base upon login, add this to your `.bash_profile`:
 
-    export BASE_HOME=/path/to/base
     source "$BASE_HOME/base_init.sh"
 
 after making sure you have the base repo checked out under `$BASE_HOME` directory.
 
-If you don't want to change your `.bash_profile` at all, you can still turn Base on and off as needed. First, make sure BASE_HOME is set appropriately, ideally in your `.bash_profile`.
+If you don't want to change your `.bash_profile` at all, you can still turn Base on and off as needed.
 
-Run this command to get a shell with Base turned on:
+To turn it on:
 
-    $BASE_HOME/base.sh shell
+    source "$BASE_HOME/base_init.sh"
+
+To turn it off:
 
-or
-    $BASE_HOME/base.sh
+    base_deactivate
 
 # **Debugging**
 
diff --git a/base.sh b/base.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 93aee37..0000000
--- a/base.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,399 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-
-#
-# base.sh
-#
-# This is a wrapper or a common entry point for Base. It helps in two main ways:
-#
-# 1. Install base or change Base settings  (install, embrace, set-team, set-shared-teams)
-# 2. Do things with the installed version of Base (status, run, shell)
-#
-# In shell mode, we would create a Bash shell:
-# a) using Base's bash_profile in case Base is installed
-# b) using the in-line common bash_profile in case Base is not installed
-#
-
-error_exit()    { printf 'ERROR: %s\n' "$@" >&2; exit 1; }
-exit_if_error() { local ec=$1; shift; (($ec)) && error_exit "$@"; }
-cd_base()       { cd -- "$BASE_HOME" || exit_if_error 1 "Can't cd to BASE_HOME at '$BASE_HOME'"; }
-usage_error() {
-    printf '%s\n' "$@" >&2
-    show_common_help >&2
-    exit 2
-}
-
-show_common_help() {
-    cat << EOF
-Usage: base [-b DIR] [-t TEAM] [-x] [install|embrace|update|run|status|shell|set-team|set-shared-teams|version|help] ...
--b DIR     - use DIR as BASE_HOME directory
--t TEAM    - use TEAM as BASE_TEAM
--s TEAM    - use TEAM as BASE_SHARED_TEAMS [use space delimited strings for multiple teams]
--f         - ignore the existing installation and force install [relevant only for 'base install' command]
--v         - show the CLI version
--x         - turn on bash debug mode
-
-install               - install Base
-embrace               - override .bash_profile and .bashrc so that Base gets enabled upon login
-update                - update Base by running 'git pull' in BASE_HOME directory
-run                   - run the rest of the command line after initializing Base
-shell                 - if Base is installed, create an interactive Bash shell with Base initialized
-                        if Base is not installed, create an interactive Bash shell with default settings
-status                - check if Base is installed or not
-set-team TEAM         - set BASE_TEAM in $HOME/.baserc
-set-shared-teams TEAM - set shared BASE_SHARED_TEAMS in $HOME/.baserc [use space delimited strings for multiple teams]
-version               - show the CLI version
-help                  - show this help message
-man                  - print one line summary of all Base scripts, use '-t team' to filter by team
-
-Invoking without any arguments would result in an interactive Bash shell with default settings.
-EOF
-}
-
-base_init() {
-    local base_init=$BASE_HOME/base_init.sh
-    [[ -f $base_init ]] && source "$base_init"
-}
-
-get_base_home() {
-    if [[ ! $HOME ]]; then
-        error_exit "Environment variable 'HOME' is not set!"
-    fi
-    if [[ ! -d $HOME ]]; then
-        error_exit "\$HOME '$HOME' is not a directory!"
-    fi
-
-    # if BASE_HOME is not already set, source .baserc to see it is defined there
-    if [[ ! $BASE_HOME ]]; then
-        local baserc=$HOME/.baserc
-        [[ -f $baserc ]] && source "$baserc"
-    fi
-
-    # if BASE_HOME is still not set, go with the default value
-    BASE_HOME=${BASE_HOME:-$HOME/base}
-}
-
-create_base_home() {
-    # if set, BASE_HOME must hold a directory name
-    if [[ -e $BASE_HOME && ! -d $BASE_HOME ]]; then
-        error_exit "$BASE_HOME exists but it is not a directory!"
-    else
-        mkdir -- "$BASE_HOME"
-        exit_if_error $? "Can't create directory '$BASE_HOME'"
-    fi
-}
-
-verify_base() {
-    # now make sure BASE_HOME directory is actually a git repo
-    local git=$BASE_HOME/.git
-    if [[ ! -d $git ]]; then
-        glb_error_message="Directory '$BASE_HOME' isn't a git repo; check if Base is installed"
-        return 1
-    else
-        local oldpwd=$PWD
-        cd -- "$git" || { glb_error_message="Can't cd to '$git' directory"; return 1; }
-        if ! git rev-parse --git-dir &>/dev/null; then
-            glb_error_message="Directory '$git' isn't a git repo; check if Base is installed"
-            return 1
-        fi
-        local file missing=()
-        for file in base_init.sh lib/bash_profile lib/bashrc; do
-            if [[ ! -f $BASE_HOME/$file ]]; then
-                missing+=($file)
-            fi
-        done
-        cd -- "$oldpwd"
-        if (( ${#missing[@]} > 0)); then
-            glb_error_message="Files missing in Base repo: ${missing[@]}"
-            return 1
-        fi
-    fi
-    return 0
-}
-
-patch_baserc() {
-    local var value base_text_array=() grep_expr
-    local marker="# BASE_MARKER, do not delete"
-    local baserc=$HOME/.baserc baserc_temp=$HOME/.baserc.temp
-    for var; do
-        value=${!var}
-        if [[ $value ]]; then
-            base_text_array+=("export $var=\"$value\" $marker")
-        fi
-        if [[ $grep_expr ]]; then
-            grep_expr="$grep_expr|$var=.*$marker"
-        else
-            grep_expr="$var=.*$marker"
-        fi
-    done
-    if [[ ! -f $baserc ]]; then
-        touch -- "$baserc"
-        exit_if_error $? "Couldn't create '$baserc'"
-    fi
-    rm -f "$baserc_temp"
-    if [[ $grep_expr ]]; then
-        grep -Ev -- "$grep_expr" "$baserc" > "$baserc_temp"
-    else
-        touch -- "$baserc_temp"
-    fi
-    [[ -f $baserc_temp ]] || exit_if_error 1 "Couldn't create '$baserc_temp'"
-    printf '%s\n' "${base_text_array[@]}" >> "$baserc_temp"
-    exit_if_error $? "Couldn't append to '$baserc_temp'"
-    mv -f -- "$baserc_temp" "$baserc"
-    exit_if_error $? "Couldn't overwrite '$baserc'"
-    return 0
-}
-
-do_install() {
-    local repo="ssh://git@github.com:codeforester/base.git"
-    if [[ -d $BASE_HOME ]]; then
-        if ((force_install)); then
-            local base_home_backup=$BASE_HOME.$current_time
-            if mv -- "$BASE_HOME" "$base_home_backup"; then
-                printf '%s\n' "Moved current base home directory '$BASE_HOME' to '$base_home_backup'"
-            else
-                exit_if_error 1 "Couldn't move current base home directory '$BASE_HOME' to '$base_home_backup'"
-            fi
-        else
-            printf '%s\n' "Base is already installed at '$BASE_HOME'"
-            exit 0
-        fi
-    fi
-
-    git clone "$repo" "$BASE_HOME"
-    exit_if_error $? "Couldn't install Base"
-    printf '%s\n' "Installed Base at '$BASE_HOME'"
-
-    #
-    # patch .baserc
-    # This is how we remember custom BASE_HOME path and BASE_TEAM values.
-    # The user is free to put custom code into the .baserc file.
-    # A marker is appended to the lines managed by base CLI.
-    #
-    BASE_TEAM=$base_team
-    BASE_SHARED_TEAMS=$base_shared_teams
-    patch_baserc BASE_HOME BASE_TEAM BASE_SHARED_TEAMS
-
-    exit 0
-}
-
-do_embrace() {
-    if ! verify_base; then
-        error_exit "$glb_error_message"
-    fi
-    local base_bash_profile=$BASE_HOME/lib/bash_profile
-    local base_bashrc=$BASE_HOME/lib/bashrc
-    local bash_profile=$HOME/.bash_profile
-    local bashrc=$HOME/.bashrc
-    if [[ -L $bash_profile ]]; then
-        local bash_profile_link=$(readlink "$bash_profile")
-    fi
-    if [[ -L $bashrc ]]; then
-        local bashrc_link=$(readlink "$bashrc")
-    fi
-    if [[ $bash_profile_link = $base_bash_profile ]]; then
-        printf '%s\n' "$bash_profile is already symlinked to $base_bash_profile"
-    else
-        if [[ -f $bash_profile ]]; then
-            local bash_profile_backup=$HOME/.bash_profile.$current_time
-            printf '%s\n' "Backing up $bash_profile to $bash_profile_backup and overriding it with $base_bash_profile"
-            if ! cp -- "$bash_profile" "$bash_profile_backup"; then
-                exit_if_error $? "ERROR: can't create a backup of $bash_profile"
-            fi
-        fi
-        if ln -sf -- "$base_bash_profile" "$bash_profile"; then
-            printf '%s\n' "Symlinked '$bash_profile' to '$base_bash_profile'"
-        fi
-    fi
-    if [[ $bashrc_link = $base_bashrc ]]; then
-        printf '%s\n' "$bashrc is already symlinked to $base_bashrc"
-    else
-        if [[ -f $bashrc ]]; then
-            local bashrc_backup=$HOME/.bashrc.$current_time
-            printf '%s\n' "Backing up $bashrc to $bashrc_backup and overriding it with $base_bashrc"
-            if ! cp -- "$bashrc" "$bashrc_backup"; then
-                exit_if_error $? "ERROR: can't create a backup of $bashrc"
-            fi
-        fi
-        if ln -sf -- "$base_bashrc" "$bashrc"; then
-            printf '%s\n' "Symlinked '$bash_profile' to '$base_bash_profile'"
-        fi
-    fi
-}
-
-do_update() {
-    if [[ -d $BASE_HOME ]]; then
-        cd -- "$BASE_HOME" || error_exit "Can't cd to BASE_HOME at '$BASE_HOME'"
-        git pull
-    else
-        printf '%s\n' "ERROR: Base is not installed at BASE_HOME '$BASE_HOME'"
-        exit 1
-    fi
-}
-
-do_run() {
-    if ! verify_base; then
-        error_exit "$glb_error_message"
-    fi
-    base_init
-    "$@"
-}
-
-do_status() {
-    if [[ ! -d $BASE_HOME ]]; then
-        printf '%s\n' "Base is not installed at '$BASE_HOME'"
-        exit 1
-    fi
-
-    if ! verify_base; then
-        error_exit "$glb_error_message"
-    else
-        printf '%s\n' "Base is installed at $BASE_HOME"
-    fi
-    exit 0
-}
-
-do_shell() {
-    local base_bash_profile=$BASE_HOME/lib/bash_profile
-    if [[ -d $BASE_HOME && -f $base_bash_profile ]]; then
-        export BASE_SHELL=1
-        exec bash --rcfile "$base_bash_profile"
-    else
-        do_common_shell
-    fi
-}
-
-do_common_shell() {
-    local common_bash_profile=${0%/*}/bash_profile
-    if [[ -f $common_bash_profile ]]; then
-        exec bash --rcfile "$common_bash_profile"
-    else
-        error_exit "Common bash profile '$common_bash_profile' not found"
-    fi
-}
-
-do_version() {
-    printf '%s\n' "base version $BASE_VERSION"
-}
-
-do_man() {
-    local dir bin desc dirs team
-    local -A teams
-    if ! verify_base; then
-        error_exit "$glb_error_message"
-    fi
-	if ! command -v base-wrapper >/dev/null; then
-		error_exit "base-wrapper needs to be in your \$PATH to be able to run this command."
-	fi
-    dirs=(bin company/bin)
-    [[ $base_team ]] || base_team=$BASE_TEAM
-    if [[ $base_team ]]; then
-        dirs+=(team/$base_team/bin)
-        teams[$base_team]=1
-    fi
-    # note: BASE_SHARED_TEAMS could be a space delimited string or an array
-    for team in $BASE_SHARED_TEAMS "${BASE_SHARED_TEAMS[@]}"; do
-        [[ ${teams[$team]} ]] && continue
-        dirs+=(team/$team/bin)
-        teams[$team]=1
-    done
-    for dir in "${dirs[@]}"; do
-        dir=$BASE_HOME/$dir
-        [[ -d $dir ]] || continue
-        cd -- "$dir" || continue
-        printf '%s\n' "${dir#$BASE_HOME/}:"
-        for bin in *; do
-            [[ -f $bin ]] || continue
-            if head -1 "$bin" | grep -Eq '!/usr/bin/env[[:space:]]+base-wrapper[[:space:]]*'; then
-                desc=$(./"$bin" --describe)
-                printf '\t\t%s\n' "$bin: $desc"
-            fi
-        done
-    done
-}
-
-do_set_team() {
-    if (($# > 1)); then
-        usage_error "Got too many arguments"
-    else
-        if [[ $1 ]]; then
-            BASE_TEAM=$1
-        else
-            BASE_TEAM=$base_team
-        fi
-        if [[ ! $BASE_TEAM ]]; then
-            usage_error "Usage: base set-team TEAM"
-        fi
-    fi
-
-    patch_baserc BASE_TEAM
-}
-
-do_set_shared_teams() {
-    if (($# > 0)); then
-        BASE_SHARED_TEAMS=$*
-    elif [[ $base_shared_teams ]]; then
-        BASE_SHARED_TEAMS=$base_shared_teams
-    else
-        usage_error "Usage: base set-shared-teams TEAM ..."
-    fi
-    patch_baserc BASE_SHARED_TEAMS
-}
-
-assert_bash_version() {
-    local curr_version=$1 min_needed_version=$2
-    if ((curr_version < min_needed_version)); then
-        error_exit "Need Bash version >= $min_needed_version; your version is $curr_version"
-    fi
-}
-
-main() {
-    local bash_version="${BASH_VERSINFO[0]}${BASH_VERSINFO[1]}" timefmt="%Y-%m-%d:%H:%M:%S"
-    if [[ $1 =~ -h|--help|-help|help ]]; then
-        show_common_help
-        exit 0
-    fi
-    if [[ $1 =~ --version|-version|-v ]]; then
-        do_version
-        exit 0
-    fi
-    force_install=0
-    if ((bash_version >= 42)); then
-        printf -v current_time "%($timefmt)T" -1
-    else
-        current_time=$(date +"$timefmt")
-    fi
-    while getopts "fhb:s:t:vx" opt; do
-        case $opt in
-        b) export BASE_HOME=$OPTARG;;
-        t) export base_team=$OPTARG;;
-        s) export base_shared_teams=$OPTARG;;
-        f) force_install=1;;
-        v) do_version
-           exit 0;;
-        x) set -x;;
-        *) show_common_help >&2
-           exit 2;;
-        esac
-    done
-    shift $((OPTIND-1))
-    command=$1
-    shift 2>/dev/null
-    get_base_home
-    case $command in
-    embrace)          do_embrace;;
-    help)             show_common_help;;
-    install)          assert_bash_version "$bash_version" 42; do_install;;
-    run)              do_run "$@";;
-    set-shared-teams) do_set_shared_teams "$@";;
-    set-team)         do_set_team "$@";;
-    shell)            do_shell;;
-    status)           do_status;;
-    update)           do_update;;
-    version)          do_version;;
-    man)              do_man;;
-    "")               do_common_shell;;
-    *)                usage_error "Unrecognized command: $command";;
-    esac
-}
-
-main "$@"
diff --git a/base_init.sh b/base_init.sh
index dbebf2f..69cab2b 100755
--- a/base_init.sh
+++ b/base_init.sh
@@ -35,6 +35,39 @@ check_bash_version() {
     return $rc
 }
 
+base_activate() {
+    local rc=0
+    if [[ ! $BASE_HOME ]]; then
+        printf '%s\n' "ERROR: BASE_HOME is not set"
+        rc=1
+    else
+        local script=$BASE_HOME/base_init.sh
+        if [[ -f "$script" ]]; then
+            unset __base_init_sourced__ # bypass the "idempotence" check
+            source "$script"            # which makes sure the script really gets sourced
+        else
+            printf '%s\n' "ERROR: Base init script '$script' does not exist"
+            rc=1
+        fi
+    fi
+    return $rc
+}
+
+base_deactivate() {
+    if [[ $_old_vars_saved ]]; then
+        PATH=$_old_PATH
+        PS1=$_old_PS1
+        [[ $_old_BASE_HOME ]] && BASE_HOME=$_old_BASE_HOME
+
+        unset _old_PATH _old_PS1 _old_vars_saved _old_BASE_HOME
+        unset BASE_OS BASE_HOST BASE_DEBUG BASE_SOURCES
+        unset -f check_bash_version do_init base_debug base_error set_base_home source_it \
+                import_libs_and_profiles base_update base_wrapper base_main \
+                base_deactivate
+        unset __base_init_sourced__
+    fi
+}
+
 do_init() {
     local rc=0
     [[ -f $HOME/.base_debug ]] && export BASE_DEBUG=1
@@ -57,6 +90,14 @@ do_init() {
     BASE_HOST=$(hostname -s)
     export BASE_SOURCES=() BASE_OS BASE_HOST
 
+    #
+    # save variables that need to be restored in deactivate
+    #
+    _old_vars_saved=1
+    _old_PATH=$PATH
+    _old_PS1=$PS1
+    _old_BASE_HOME=$BASE_HOME
+
     return $rc
 }
 
@@ -71,7 +112,7 @@ set_base_home() {
 
     # set BASE_HOME to default in case it is not set
     [[ -z $BASE_HOME ]] && {
-        local dir=$HOME/base
+        local dir=$HOME/git/base
         base_debug "BASE_HOME not set; defaulting it to '$dir'"
         BASE_HOME=$dir
     }
@@ -108,8 +149,8 @@ import_libs_and_profiles() {
     source_it    "$BASE_HOME/lib/stdlib.sh"          # common library
     source_it    "$BASE_HOME/company/lib/company.sh" # company specific library
     source_it -i "$BASE_HOME/company/lib/bashrc"     # company specific bashrc for interactive shells
-    source_it -i "$BASE_HOME/user/$USER.sh"          # user specific bashrc in the repo for interactive shells
-    source_it -i "$HOME/.baserc-$USER"               # user specific bashrc outside the repo for interactive shells
+    source_it -i "$BASE_HOME/user/$USER.sh"          # user specific bashrc for interactive shells
+    add_to_path  "$BASE_HOME/company/bin"            # add company bin to PATH
 
     #
     # team specific actions
@@ -131,9 +172,6 @@ import_libs_and_profiles() {
         add_to_path  "$BASE_HOME/team/$team/bin"             # add team bin to PATH (gets priority over company bin)
         teams[$team]=1
     done
-
-    # add company bin to PATH; team bins, if any, take priority over company bin
-    add_to_path  "$BASE_HOME/company/bin"
 }
 
 #
@@ -146,6 +184,48 @@ base_update() (
     }
 )
 
+#
+# base_wrapper
+#
+# This function is meant to be called by scripts that are built on top of base.
+# base_wrapper is exported so that it is visible to sub processes started from the login shell.
+# It discovers base_init and sources it.  It also looks at the command line arguments and interprets a few of those,
+# like --debug.  It calls the main function the modified argument list.  The main function is expected to be defined by
+# the calling script.
+#
+base_wrapper() {
+    local grab_debug=0 arg args script
+    [[ $1 = "-d" ]] && { grab_debug=1; shift; }
+    [[ $BASE_HOME ]]    || { printf '%s\n' "ERROR: BASE_HOME is not set" >&2; exit 1; }
+    [[ -d $BASE_HOME ]] || { printf '%s\n' "ERROR: BASE_HOME '$BASE_HOME'is not a directory or is not readable" >&2; exit 1; }
+    script=$BASE_HOME/base_init.sh
+    [[ -f $script ]]    || { printf '%s\n' "ERROR: base_init script '$script'is not present or is not readable" >&2; exit 1; }
+    # shellcheck source=/dev/null
+    source "$script"
+    ((grab_debug)) && {
+        #
+        # grab out '-debug' or '--debug' from argument list and set a global variable to turn on debug mode
+        #
+        for arg; do
+            if [[ $arg = "-debug" ||  $arg = "--debug" ]]; then
+                BASE_DEBUG=1
+            elif [[ $arg = "-describe" ||  $arg = "--describe" ]]; then
+                _describe
+                exit $?
+            elif [[ $arg = "-help" ||  $arg = "--help" ]]; then
+                _help
+                exit $?
+            else
+                args+=("$arg")
+            fi
+        done
+
+        set -- "${args[@]}"
+    }
+
+    main "$@"
+}
+
 base_main() {
     check_bash_version 4 2 || return $?
     do_init || return $?
@@ -161,7 +241,7 @@ base_main() {
     #
     # these functions need to be available to user's subprocesses
     #
-    export -f base_update import
+    export -f base_update base_wrapper import base_activate base_deactivate
 }
 
 #
diff --git a/bin/base-wrapper b/bin/base-wrapper
deleted file mode 100755
index 32ab0b3..0000000
--- a/bin/base-wrapper
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,97 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-
-#
-# base_wrapper
-#
-# This script is meant to be used in the shebang line of Base scripts, like this:
-#
-# #!/usr/bin/env base-wrapper
-#
-# What does this wrapper do?
-#
-# It discovers base_init and sources it.  It also looks at the command line options and interprets a few of those,
-# like --debug, --help, --describe etc.  It calls the main function with the special options removed from the argument list.
-# The main function is expected to be defined by the wrapped script.
-#
-
-_bw_name="base-wrapper"
-_bw_description="Run shell scripts in a standardized environment enriched with Base features"
-_bw_check_and_execute() {
-    local cmd=$1; shift
-    if command -v -- "$cmd" &>/dev/null; then
-        "$cmd" "$@"
-        exit $?
-    else
-        print_error "Function '$cmd' not implemented"
-        exit 1
-    fi
-}
-
-_bw_describe() {
-    printf '%s\n' "$_bw_description"
-}
-
-_bw_usage() {
-    printf '%s\n' "$_bw_name: $_bw_description"
-    printf '%s\n' "Usage: $_bw_name [options] script [args]"
-    cat << EOF
-Options:
--debug|--debug             - Turn on DEBUG logging
--shell-debug|--shell-debug - Turn shell debug on through 'set -x'
--describe|--describe       - Invoke base_describe function if defined in script
--help|--help               - Invoke base_help function if defined in script; if no script specified, show this help
-EOF
-}
-
-base_wrapper() {
-    local arg args script
-
-    ##
-    ## Do Base set up
-    ##
-
-    [[ $1 = "-d" ]] && { grab_debug=1; shift; }
-    [[ $BASE_HOME ]]    || { printf '%s\n' "ERROR: BASE_HOME is not set" >&2; exit 1; }
-    [[ -d $BASE_HOME ]] || { printf '%s\n' "ERROR: BASE_HOME '$BASE_HOME'is not a directory or is not readable" >&2; exit 1; }
-    script=$BASE_HOME/base_init.sh
-    [[ -f $script ]]    || { printf '%s\n' "ERROR: base_init script '$script'is not present or is not readable" >&2; exit 1; }
-    # shellcheck source=/dev/null
-    source "$script"
-    import lib/stdlib.sh
-
-    ##
-    ## Execute the script after processing the special command line arguments
-    ##
-
-    script=$1
-    if [[ ! $script || $script = -* ]]; then
-        _bw_usage >&2
-        exit 2
-    elif [[ ! -f $script ]]; then
-        print_error "Script '$script' does not exist"
-        _bw_usage >&2
-        exit 1
-    fi
-    source "$1"
-    shift
-    for arg; do
-        if [[ $arg =~ ^-debug$|^--debug$ ]]; then
-            export BASE_DEBUG=1
-            set_log_level DEBUG
-        elif [[ $arg =~ ^-shell-debug$|^--shell-debug$ ]]; then
-            set -x
-        elif [[ $arg =~ ^-describe$|^--describe$|^-desc$|^--desc$ ]]; then
-            _bw_check_and_execute base_describe
-        elif [[ $arg =~ ^-help$|^--help$|^-h$|^--help$ ]]; then
-            _bw_check_and_execute base_help
-        else
-            args+=("$arg")
-        fi
-    done
-
-    set -- "${args[@]}"
-    log_debug "Invoking 'main' with arguments: $@"
-    _bw_check_and_execute main "$@"
-}
-
-base_wrapper "$@"
diff --git a/bin/caff b/bin/caff
index b08638a..17f702d 100755
--- a/bin/caff
+++ b/bin/caff
@@ -1,12 +1,8 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env base-wrapper
-
 #
 # caff: call caffeinate for a named process
 #
 
-name=caff
-description="Caffeinate a named process"
-base_help() {
+_help() {
     cat << EOUSAGE
 $description
 Usage: caff process_name
@@ -14,16 +10,11 @@ If process_name matches multiple running process, we pick up the first one.
 EOUSAGE
 }
 
-base_describe() {
+_describe() {
     printf '%s\n' "$description"
 }
 
 main() {
-    silent=0
-    if [[ $1 = "-s" ]]; then
-        silent=1
-        shift
-    fi
     if ! type -ft caffeinate >/dev/null; then
         print_error "There is no caffeinate command on your system"
         exit 1
@@ -31,7 +22,7 @@ main() {
 
     (($# != 1)) && {
         print_error "need an argument"
-        base_help
+        _help
         exit 2
     }
 
@@ -45,7 +36,7 @@ main() {
     if [[ $cpid ]]; then
         caffeinate_pid=$(ps -o args -p "$cpid" | awk 'NR==2 {print $3}')
         if [[ $caffeinate_pid == $vpid ]]; then
-            ((silent)) || printf '%s\n' "Alreading caffeinating: $process_name pid=$vpid, caffeinate pid=$cpid"
+            printf '%s\n' "Alreading caffeinating: $process_name pid=$vpid, caffeinate pid=$cpid"
             exit 0
         fi
     fi
@@ -54,3 +45,9 @@ main() {
     caffeinate -iw "$vpid" & disown
     exit $?
 }
+
+description="Caffeinate a named process"
+base_wrapper -d "$@" || {
+    printf '%s\n' "You need to initialize Base before running this script." >&2
+    exit 1
+}
diff --git a/bin/sort-in-place b/bin/sort-in-place
deleted file mode 100755
index 8df74ce..0000000
--- a/bin/sort-in-place
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,48 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env base-wrapper
-
-#
-# sort-in-place: sort files in place
-#
-
-name=sort-in-place
-description="Sort text files in place"
-base_describe() {
-    printf '%s\n' "$description"
-}
-
-base_help() {
-    printf '%s\n' "$name: $description"
-    printf '%s\n' "Usage: $name [-u] file ..."
-}
-
-main() {
-    local u_flag file temp rc=0
-    if [[ $1 = "-u" ]]; then
-        u_flag=$1
-        shift
-    fi
-
-    for file; do
-        if [[ ! -f $file ]]; then
-            print_warning "$file is not a regular file; skipping"
-            continue
-        fi
-        temp="$file._tmp"
-        if [[ -f "$temp" ]]; then
-            print_warning "$temp already exists; skipping $file"
-            continue
-        fi
-        sort $u_flag "$file" > "$temp"
-        if (($? != 0)); then
-            print_error "Can't write to '$temp'"
-            rc=1
-        else
-            if ! mv -- "$temp" "$file"; then
-                print_error "Can't move '$temp' to '$file'"
-                rc=1
-            fi
-        fi
-    done
-
-    exit $rc
-}
diff --git a/bin/test-command1 b/bin/test-command1
deleted file mode 100755
index 8efd118..0000000
--- a/bin/test-command1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,50 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env base-wrapper
-#
-# ^^^ this shebang line is needed
-#
-
-#
-# test command: <detailed comments about the script>
-#
-
-name=test-command1
-description="Test command 1"
-
-#
-# base-wrapper invokes this function when the script is invoked with '--describe' or '-describe' option
-#
-base_describe() {
-    printf '%s\n' "$description"
-}
-
-#
-# base-wrapper invokes this function when the script is invoked with '--help' or '-help' or '-h' option
-#
-base_help() {
-    printf '%s\n' "$name: $description"
-    printf '%s\n' "Usage: $name ..."
-}
-
-#
-# base-wrapper invokes the main function after stripping out standard options like --describe, --debug, and --help from
-# the command line arguments list
-#
-main() {
-    if (($# != 1)); then
-        print_error "Invalid arguments"
-        base_help
-        exit 2
-    fi
-
-    #
-    # base-wrapper imports stdlib.sh. So, all standard functions, including logging, are available.
-    #
-    log_info "Starting"
-
-    # do something
-    log_info "Finished"
-}
-
-#
-# no need to call main function since that responsibility is delegated to base-wrapper
-#
diff --git a/company/bin/test-command1 b/company/bin/test-command1
deleted file mode 100755
index 7b574ca..0000000
--- a/company/bin/test-command1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env base-wrapper
-
-#
-# see bin/test-command1 to understand the structure of a Base-wrapped script
-#
-
-#
-# test command for team
-#
-main() {
-    log_info "Starting"
-    # do something
-    log_info "Finished"
-}
diff --git a/company/bin/test_command1 b/company/bin/test_command1
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..a18a5e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/company/bin/test_command1
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#
+# test command
+#
+main() {
+    log_info "Starting"
+    # do something
+    log_info "Finished"
+}
+
+base_wrapper "$@" || { printf '%s\n' "ERROR: base environment not initialized; make sure you have sourced base_init.sh before invoking this script" >&2; exit 1; }
diff --git a/lib/assertions.sh b/lib/assertions.sh
index 6b9c8b7..67c1435 100644
--- a/lib/assertions.sh
+++ b/lib/assertions.sh
@@ -52,16 +52,16 @@ assert_regex_match() {
 # assert if variables are set
 # if any variable is not set, exit 1 (when -f option is set) or return 1 otherwise
 #
-# Usage: assert_var_not_null [-f] variable ...
+# Usage: assert_not_null [-f] variable ...
 #
-assert_var_not_null() {
+assert_not_null() {
     local fatal var num_null=0
     [[ "$1" = "-f" ]] && { shift; fatal=1; }
     for var in "$@"; do
         [[ -z "${!var}" ]] && printf '%s\n' "Variable '$var' not set" >&2 &&
         ((num_null++))
     done
-
+  
     if ((num_null > 0)); then
         [[ "$fatal" ]] && exit 1
         return 1
@@ -74,46 +74,6 @@ assert_var_not_null() {
 #
 assert_valid_url() {
     (($#)) || return 0
-    local url=$1
+    url=$1
     curl --fail --head -o /dev/null --silent "$url" || fatal_error "Invalid URL - '$url'"
 }
-
-#
-# assert if directories do exist
-#
-assert_dir_exists() {
-    local dir
-    local rc=0
-    for dir; do
-        if [[ ! -d "$dir" ]]; then
-            log_error "Directory '$dir' does not exist"
-            ((rc++))
-        fi
-    done
-    ((rc)) && exit 1
-}
-
-#
-# assert if directories do exist
-#
-assert_file_exists() {
-    local file
-    local rc=0
-    for file; do
-        if [[ ! -f "$file" ]]; then
-            log_error "File '$file' does not exist"
-            ((rc++))
-        fi
-    done
-    ((rc)) && exit 1
-}
-
-#
-# assert that we are running on the right OS
-#
-assert_os() {
-    (($#)) || return
-    if [[ $BASE_OS != "$1" ]]; then
-        fatal_error "Required OS: $1, current OS: $BASE_OS"
-    fi
-}
diff --git a/lib/bashrc b/lib/bashrc
index 66ec47d..23e8a6c 100644
--- a/lib/bashrc
+++ b/lib/bashrc
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ base_init() {
 
     # set BASE_HOME to default in case it is not set
     [[ -z $BASE_HOME ]] && {
-        dir=$HOME/base
+        dir=$HOME/git/base
         base_debug "Defaulting BASE_HOME to '$dir'"
         export BASE_HOME=$dir
     }
diff --git a/lib/file.sh b/lib/file.sh
index 35ced50..95e3aef 100644
--- a/lib/file.sh
+++ b/lib/file.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 ##
 ## file related functions
 ##
-
 dirname2() {
   local path=$1
   [[ $path =~ ^[^/]+$ ]] && dir=. || {              # if path has no slashes, set dir to .
@@ -17,51 +16,3 @@ dirname2() {
 
   [[ $dir ]] && printf '%s\n' "$dir"                # print only if not empty
 }
-
-#
-# Attempt to create a list of directories; throw fatal error lazily in case any mkdir fails
-#
-base_mkdir() {
-    local dir fails=0 failed_dirs=()
-    for dir; do
-        mkdir -p -- "$dir"
-        if (($? != 0)); then
-            ((fails++))
-            failed_dirs+=("$dir")
-        fi
-    done
-    if ((fails == 1)); then
-        fatal_error "Couldn't create directory '${failed_dirs[0]}'"
-    elif ((fails > 1)); then
-        fatal_error "Couldn't create these directories: ${failed_dirs[@]}"
-    fi
-    return 0
-}
-
-#
-# Simple copy with error check
-#
-base_simple_cp() {
-    local src=$1 dest=$2
-    if (($# != 2)); then
-        fatal_error "Usage: base_simple_cp source dest"
-    fi
-
-    if ! command cp -- "$src" "$dest"; then
-        fatal_error "Can't cp '$src' to '$dest'"
-    fi
-}
-
-#
-# Simple move with error check
-#
-base_simple_mv() {
-    local src=$1 dest=$2
-    if (($# != 2)); then
-        fatal_error "Usage: base_simple_mv source dest"
-    fi
-
-    if ! command mv -- "$src" "$dest"; then
-        fatal_error "Can't mv '$src' to '$dest'"
-    fi
-}
diff --git a/lib/net.sh b/lib/net.sh
index baeb5c5..1fadb84 100644
--- a/lib/net.sh
+++ b/lib/net.sh
@@ -2,8 +2,6 @@
 # networking related functions
 #
 
-import lib/assertions.sh
-
 #
 # check if $1 is a valid IPV4 address; return 0 if true, 1 otherwise
 #
@@ -19,16 +17,3 @@ validate_ip4() {
   done
   return 0
 }
-
-#
-# check if URL is valid.  Credit: https://stackoverflow.com/a/12199125/6862601
-#
-is_valid_url() {
-    assert_arg_count $# 1 "is_valid_url: expected 1 argument, got $#"
-    curl --output /dev/null --silent --head --fail "$1"
-}
-
-is_valid_url_no_head() {
-    assert_arg_count $# 1 "is_valid_url_no_head: expected 1 argument, got $#"
-    curl --output /dev/null --silent --fail -r 0-0 "$1"
-}
diff --git a/lib/stdlib.sh b/lib/stdlib.sh
index a750da2..35f543a 100644
--- a/lib/stdlib.sh
+++ b/lib/stdlib.sh
@@ -89,19 +89,12 @@ print_path() {
 #################################################### LOGGING ###########################################################
 
 __log_init__() {
-    if [[ -t 1 ]]; then
-        # colors for logging in interactive mode
-        [[ $COLOR_BOLD ]]   || COLOR_BOLD="\033[1m"
-        [[ $COLOR_RED ]]    || COLOR_RED="\033[0;31m"
-        [[ $COLOR_GREEN ]]  || COLOR_GREEN="\033[0;34m"
-        [[ $COLOR_YELLOW ]] || COLOR_YELLOW="\033[0;33m"
-        [[ $COLOR_BLUE ]]   || COLOR_BLUE="\033[0;32m"
-        [[ $COLOR_OFF ]]    || COLOR_OFF="\033[0m"
-    else
-        # no colors to be used if non-interactive
-        COLOR_RED= COLOR_GREEN= COLOR_YELLOW= COLOR_BLUE= COLOR_OFF=
-    fi
-    readonly COLOR_RED COLOR_GREEN COLOR_YELLOW COLOR_BLUE COLOR_OFF
+    # colors for logging
+    [[ $COLOR_RED ]]    || COLOR_RED="\e[1;31m"
+    [[ $COLOR_YELLOW ]] || COLOR_YELLOW="\e[1;33m"
+    [[ $COLOR_BLUE ]]   || COLOR_BLUE="\e[1;34m"
+    [[ $COLOR_OFF ]]    || COLOR_OFF="\e[0m"
+    readonly COLOR_RED COLOR_YELLOW COLOR_OFF
 
     #
     # map log level strings (FATAL, ERROR, etc.) to numeric values
@@ -207,10 +200,7 @@ log_info_leave()    { _print_log INFO    "Leaving function ${FUNCNAME[1]}";  }
 log_debug_leave()   { _print_log DEBUG   "Leaving function ${FUNCNAME[1]}";  }
 log_verbose_leave() { _print_log VERBOSE "Leaving function ${FUNCNAME[1]}";  }
 
-#
-# THe print routines don't prefix the messages with the timestamp
-#
-
+# print an error message to stderr
 print_error() {
     {
         printf "${COLOR_RED}ERROR: "
@@ -219,6 +209,7 @@ print_error() {
     } >&2
 }
 
+# print a warning message to stdout
 print_warn() {
     printf "${COLOR_YELLOW}WARN: "
     printf '%s\n' "$@"
@@ -231,27 +222,6 @@ print_info() {
     printf "$COLOR_OFF"
 }
 
-print_success() {
-    printf "${COLOR_GREEN}SUCCESS: "
-    printf '%s\n' "$@"
-    printf "$COLOR_OFF"
-}
-
-print_bold() {
-    printf '%b\n' "$COLOR_BOLD$@$COLOR_OFF"
-}
-
-print_message() {
-    printf '%s\n' "$@"
-}
-
-# print only if output is going to terminal
-print_tty() {
-    if [[ -t 1 ]]; then
-        printf '%s\n' "$@"
-    fi
-}
-
 ################################################## ERROR HANDLING ######################################################
 
 dump_trace() {
@@ -280,7 +250,6 @@ exit_if_error() {
         dump_trace "$@"
         exit $rc
     }
-    return 0
 }
 
 fatal_error() {
@@ -289,43 +258,6 @@ fatal_error() {
     exit_if_error "$ec" "$@"
 }
 
-#
-# run a simple command (no compound statements or pipelines) and exit if it exits with non-zero 
-#
-run_simple() {
-    log_debug "Running command: $*"
-    "$@"
-    exit_if_error $? "run failed: $@"
-}
-
-#
-# safe cd
-#
-base_cd() {
-    local dir=$1
-    [[ $dir ]]   || fatal_error "No arguments or an empty string passed to base_cd"
-    cd -- "$dir" || fatal_error "Can't cd to '$dir'"
-}
-
-base_cd_nonfatal() {
-    local dir=$1
-    [[ $dir ]] || return 1
-    cd -- "$dir" || return 1
-    return 0
-}
-
-#
-# safe_unalias
-#
-safe_unalias() {
-    # Ref: https://stackoverflow.com/a/61471333/6862601
-    local alias_name
-    for alias_name; do
-        [[ ${BASH_ALIASES[$alias_name]} ]] && unalias "$alias_name"
-    done
-    return 0
-}
-
 ################################################# MISC FUNCTIONS #######################################################
 #
 # For functions that need to return a single value, we use the global variable OUTPUT.
@@ -347,14 +279,6 @@ get_my_source_dir() {
     OUTPUT="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[1]}")" >/dev/null 2>&1 && pwd -P)"
 }
 
-#
-# wait for user to hit Enter key
-#
-wait_for_enter() {
-    local prompt=${1:-"Press Enter to continue"}
-    read -r -n1 -s -p "Press Enter to continue" </dev/tty
-}
-
 #################################################### END OF FUNCTIONS ##################################################
 
 __stdlib_init__
diff --git a/team/test-team1/bin/test-command1 b/team/test-team1/bin/test-command1
deleted file mode 100644
index 7b574ca..0000000
--- a/team/test-team1/bin/test-command1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env base-wrapper
-
-#
-# see bin/test-command1 to understand the structure of a Base-wrapped script
-#
-
-#
-# test command for team
-#
-main() {
-    log_info "Starting"
-    # do something
-    log_info "Finished"
-}
diff --git a/team/test-team1/bin/test_command1 b/team/test-team1/bin/test_command1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..701eff8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/team/test-team1/bin/test_command1
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#
+# test command for team
+#
+main() {
+    log_info "Starting"
+    # do something
+    log_info "Finished"
+}
+
+base_wrapper "$@" || { printf '%s\n' "ERROR: base environment not initialized; make sure you have sourced base_init.sh before invoking this script" >&2; exit 1; }
diff --git a/team/test-team2/bin/test-command1 b/team/test-team2/bin/test-command1
deleted file mode 100644
index 7b574ca..0000000
--- a/team/test-team2/bin/test-command1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env base-wrapper
-
-#
-# see bin/test-command1 to understand the structure of a Base-wrapped script
-#
-
-#
-# test command for team
-#
-main() {
-    log_info "Starting"
-    # do something
-    log_info "Finished"
-}
diff --git a/team/test-team2/bin/test_command1 b/team/test-team2/bin/test_command1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..701eff8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/team/test-team2/bin/test_command1
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#
+# test command for team
+#
+main() {
+    log_info "Starting"
+    # do something
+    log_info "Finished"
+}
+
+base_wrapper "$@" || { printf '%s\n' "ERROR: base environment not initialized; make sure you have sourced base_init.sh before invoking this script" >&2; exit 1; }