diff --git a/lisp/Makefile.in b/lisp/Makefile.in
index f33dd01..463252a 100644
--- a/lisp/Makefile.in
+++ b/lisp/Makefile.in
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ EMACS = ../src/emacs${EXEEXT}
 
 # Command line flags for Emacs.
 
-EMACSOPT = -batch --no-site-file --no-site-lisp
+EMACSOPT = -batch --no-site-file --no-site-lisp --debug-init
 
 # Extra flags to pass to the byte compiler
 BYTE_COMPILE_EXTRA_FLAGS =
@@ -183,6 +183,7 @@ $(lisp)/loaddefs.el: $(LOADDEFS)
 	    --eval '(setq autoload-ensure-writable t)' \
 	    --eval '(setq autoload-builtin-package-versions t)' \
 	    --eval '(setq generated-autoload-file (expand-file-name (unmsys--file-name "$@")))' \
+	    --eval '(toggle-debug-on-error)' \
 	    -f batch-update-autoloads ${SUBDIRS_ALMOST}
 
 # This is required by the bootstrap-emacs target in ../src/Makefile, so
@@ -381,7 +382,7 @@ $(MH_E_DIR)/mh-loaddefs.el: $(MH_E_SRC)
 	$(AM_V_GEN)$(emacs) -l autoload \
 	   --eval "(setq generate-autoload-cookie \";;;###mh-autoload\")" \
 	   --eval "(setq generated-autoload-file (expand-file-name (unmsys--file-name \"$@\")))" \
-	   -f batch-update-autoloads $(MH_E_DIR)
+           -f batch-update-autoloads $(MH_E_DIR)
 
 # Update TRAMP internal autoloads. Maybe we could move tramp*.el into
 # an own subdirectory. OTOH, it does not hurt to keep them in
@@ -418,7 +419,7 @@ $(CAL_DIR)/hol-loaddefs.el: $(CAL_SRC) $(CAL_DIR)/diary-loaddefs.el
 	$(AM_V_GEN)$(emacs) -l autoload \
 	   --eval "(setq generate-autoload-cookie \";;;###holiday-autoload\")" \
 	   --eval "(setq generated-autoload-file (expand-file-name (unmsys--file-name \"$@\")))" \
-	   -f batch-update-autoloads $(CAL_DIR)
+           -f batch-update-autoloads $(CAL_DIR)
 
 .PHONY: bootstrap-clean distclean maintainer-clean
 
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/autoload.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/autoload.el
index e688d6b..98bb0d7 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/autoload.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/autoload.el
@@ -226,7 +226,6 @@ make-autoload
 ;; A doc-string-elt property of ELT says that (nth ELT FORM) is
 ;; the doc-string in FORM.
 ;; Those properties are now set in lisp-mode.el.
-
 (defun autoload-find-generated-file ()
   "Visit the autoload file for the current buffer, and return its buffer.
 If a buffer is visiting the desired autoload file, return it."
@@ -234,9 +233,20 @@ autoload-find-generated-file
 	(enable-local-eval nil))
     ;; We used to use `raw-text' to read this file, but this causes
     ;; problems when the file contains non-ASCII characters.
-    (let ((delay-mode-hooks t))
-      (find-file-noselect
-       (autoload-ensure-default-file (autoload-generated-file))))))
+    (let* ((delay-mode-hooks t)
+           (file (autoload-generated-file))
+           (file-missing (not (file-exists-p file))))
+      (message "File missing %s %s" file file-missing)
+      (when file-missing
+        (autoload-ensure-default-file file))
+      (with-current-buffer
+          (find-file-noselect
+           (autoload-ensure-file-writeable
+            file))
+        (when file-missing
+          (setq buffer-backed-up t)
+          (save-buffer))
+        (current-buffer)))))
 
 (defun autoload-generated-file ()
   (expand-file-name generated-autoload-file
@@ -357,21 +367,22 @@ autoload-ensure-writable
 ;;;###autoload
 (put 'autoload-ensure-writable 'risky-local-variable t)
 
+(defun autoload-ensure-file-writeable (file)
+  ;; Probably pointless, but replaces the old AUTOGEN_VCS in lisp/Makefile,
+  ;; which was designed to handle CVSREAD=1 and equivalent.
+  (and autoload-ensure-writable
+       (let ((modes (file-modes file)))
+         (if (zerop (logand modes #o0200))
+             ;; Ignore any errors here, and let subsequent attempts
+             ;; to write the file raise any real error.
+             (ignore-errors (set-file-modes file (logior modes #o0200))))))
+  file)
+
 (defun autoload-ensure-default-file (file)
   "Make sure that the autoload file FILE exists, creating it if needed.
 If the file already exists and `autoload-ensure-writable' is non-nil,
 make it writable."
-  (if (file-exists-p file)
-      ;; Probably pointless, but replaces the old AUTOGEN_VCS in lisp/Makefile,
-      ;; which was designed to handle CVSREAD=1 and equivalent.
-      (and autoload-ensure-writable
-	   (let ((modes (file-modes file)))
-	     (if (zerop (logand modes #o0200))
-		 ;; Ignore any errors here, and let subsequent attempts
-		 ;; to write the file raise any real error.
-		 (ignore-errors (set-file-modes file (logior modes #o0200))))))
-    (write-region (autoload-rubric file) nil file))
-  file)
+  (write-region (autoload-rubric file) nil file))
 
 (defun autoload-insert-section-header (outbuf autoloads load-name file time)
   "Insert the section-header line,