diff --git a/applications/utilities/mesh/manipulation/setSet/Allwmake b/applications/utilities/mesh/manipulation/setSet/Allwmake
index 1e116a3315fd9c00a0ae3d6d1bbf863a0b02fed5..ef0a57395196e4272fa337b27a8445ccde74a62d 100755
--- a/applications/utilities/mesh/manipulation/setSet/Allwmake
+++ b/applications/utilities/mesh/manipulation/setSet/Allwmake
@@ -1,15 +1,17 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 cd ${0%/*} || exit 1    # run from this directory
 
-READLINE=0
 if [ -f /usr/include/readline/readline.h ]
 then
     echo "Found readline/readline.h  --  enabling readline support."
-    READLINE=1
+    export READLINE=1
     export READLINELINK="-lreadline -lncurses"
-    break
+else
+    # no readline/readline.h  --  disabling readline support
+    export READLINE=0
+    unset READLINELINK
 fi
-export READLINE
+
 wmake
 
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------- end-of-file
diff --git a/applications/utilities/mesh/manipulation/setSet/Make/options b/applications/utilities/mesh/manipulation/setSet/Make/options
index dcb1b5910c2a4722f691f46ab49b03026ae18eeb..d56c2b57f7181281636c4db63cae61029ae1b874 100644
--- a/applications/utilities/mesh/manipulation/setSet/Make/options
+++ b/applications/utilities/mesh/manipulation/setSet/Make/options
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
+/* NB: trailing zero after define improves robustness */
+
 EXE_INC = \
-    -DREADLINE=$(READLINE) \
+    -DREADLINE=$(READLINE)0 \
     -I$(LIB_SRC)/meshTools/lnInclude
 
 EXE_LIBS = \