diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 463f5a4..d71189d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,23 +1,28 @@
 [![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/scisoft/autocmake.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/scisoft/autocmake/builds)
 
+
 # Autocmake
 
 A CMake plugin composer.
 
+
 ## Projects using Autocmake
 
 - [Numgrid](https://github.com/rbast/numgrid)
 
+
 ## Bootstrapping a new project
 
-Bootstrap a Autocmake infrastructure out of "nothing":
+Download the ``bootstrap.py`` and execute it to fetch other infrastructure files
+which will be needed to build the project:
 
     mkdir cmake  # does not have to be called "cmake" - take the name you prefer
     cd cmake
     wget https://github.com/scisoft/autocmake/raw/master/bootstrap.py
-    python bootstrap.py --init
+    python bootstrap.py --update
 
-This downloads and creates the following files:
+This creates (or updates) the following files (an existing ``autocmake.cfg`` is
+not overwritten by the script):
 
     cmake/
     ├── bootstrap.py   # no need to edit
@@ -29,10 +34,11 @@ This downloads and creates the following files:
 If you use version control, then now is a good moment to status/diff/add
 the newly created files.
 
+
 ## Creating the CMake infrastructure
 
 Then edit ``autocmake.cfg`` and run the ``bootstrap.py`` script which
-creates ``CMakeLists.txt`` and ``setup.py`` in the path specified (here ".."):
+creates ``CMakeLists.txt`` and ``setup.py`` in the build path:
 
     python bootstrap.py ..
 
@@ -55,6 +61,7 @@ the project:
     cd build
     make
 
+
 ## Customizing the CMake modules
 
 The CMake modules can be customized directly inside ``modules/`` but this is
diff --git a/bootstrap.py b/bootstrap.py
index 8a716ea..5aca417 100755
--- a/bootstrap.py
+++ b/bootstrap.py
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import os
 import sys
 import urllib
 import shutil
-import tempfile
 from collections import OrderedDict
 from ConfigParser import ConfigParser
 
@@ -244,22 +243,18 @@ def main(argv):
     Main function.
     """
     if len(argv) != 2:
-        sys.stderr.write("\nYou can bootstrap a project in two steps.\n")
-        sys.stderr.write("First step is typically done only once.\n")
-        sys.stderr.write("Second step can be repeated many time without re-running the first step.\n\n")
-        sys.stderr.write("Step 1:\n")
-        sys.stderr.write("Create an example autocmake.cfg and other infrastructure files\n")
-        sys.stderr.write("which will be needed to configure and build the project:\n")
-        sys.stderr.write("$ %s --init\n\n" % argv[0])
-        sys.stderr.write("Step 2:\n")
-        sys.stderr.write("Create CMakeLists.txt and setup.py in PROJECT_ROOT:\n")
-        sys.stderr.write("$ %s PROJECT_ROOT\n" % argv[0])
-        sys.stderr.write("example:\n")
-        sys.stderr.write("$ %s ..\n" % argv[0])
+        sys.stderr.write("\nYou can bootstrap a project in two steps.\n\n")
+        sys.stderr.write("Step 1: Update or create infrastructure files\n")
+        sys.stderr.write("        which will be needed to configure and build the project:\n")
+        sys.stderr.write("        $ %s --update\n\n" % argv[0])
+        sys.stderr.write("Step 2: Create CMakeLists.txt and setup.py in PROJECT_ROOT:\n")
+        sys.stderr.write("        $ %s <PROJECT_ROOT>\n" % argv[0])
+        sys.stderr.write("        example:\n")
+        sys.stderr.write("        $ %s ..\n" % argv[0])
         sys.exit(-1)
 
-    if argv[1] == '--init':
-        # empty project, create infrastructure files
+    if argv[1] == '--update':
+        # update infrastructure files
         if not os.path.isfile('autocmake.cfg'):
             print('- fetching example autocmake.cfg')
             fetch_url(
@@ -276,6 +271,11 @@ def main(argv):
             src='https://github.com/docopt/docopt/raw/master/docopt.py',
             dst='lib/docopt.py'
         )
+        print('- fetching bootstrap.py')
+        fetch_url(
+            src='%s/raw/master/bootstrap.py' % AUTOCMAKE_GITHUB_URL,
+            dst='bootstrap.py'
+        )
         sys.exit(0)
 
     project_root = argv[1]
diff --git a/test/test.py b/test/test.py
index 9f51909..31cc086 100644
--- a/test/test.py
+++ b/test/test.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ def exe(command):
 def test_cxx():
     os.chdir(os.path.join(HERE, 'cxx', 'cmake'))
     stdout, stderr = exe('wget https://github.com/scisoft/autocmake/raw/master/bootstrap.py')
-    stdout, stderr = exe('python bootstrap.py --init')
+    stdout, stderr = exe('python bootstrap.py --update')
     stdout, stderr = exe('python bootstrap.py ..')
     os.chdir(os.path.join(HERE, 'cxx'))
     stdout, stderr = exe('python setup.py --cxx=g++')