diff --git a/hw/production_test/.gitignore b/hw/production_test/.gitignore
index 5ceb386..5aa5059 100644
--- a/hw/production_test/.gitignore
+++ b/hw/production_test/.gitignore
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 venv
+wipedonce
diff --git a/hw/production_test/production_test.py b/hw/production_test/production_test.py
index a25ed42..d6f540c 100755
--- a/hw/production_test/production_test.py
+++ b/hw/production_test/production_test.py
@@ -417,7 +417,7 @@ def run_tests(test_list):
     return True
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
-    last_a = 0
+    last_a = 1
 
     # Allow any of the settings in the file_locations structure to be overridden
     import argparse
@@ -454,13 +454,9 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
             options.append([test])
             i += 1
 
-
-        if(int(last_a) == 0):
-            a = input('\n\n\nPlease type an option number and press return:')
-        else:
-            a = input('\n\n\nPress return to re-run test {:}, or type in a new option number and press return:'.format(last_a))
-            if a == '':
-                a = last_a
+        a = input('\n\n\nPress return to run test {:}, or type in a new option number and press return:'.format(last_a))
+        if a == '':
+            a = last_a
 
         try:
             test_sequence = options[int(a)-1]
diff --git a/hw/production_test/run b/hw/production_test/run
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..c7aa603
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hw/production_test/run
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+set -eu
+
+if [ -e /etc/debian_version ]; then
+  dpkg -s python3-venv || sudo apt install python3-venv
+fi
+
+# their current venv might have gone funky...
+if [ -e venv ] && [ ! -e wipedonce ]; then
+  rm -rf venv
+  touch wipedonce
+fi
+
+if [ ! -e venv ]; then
+  python3 -m venv venv
+  . ./venv/bin/activate
+  pip3 install -r requirements.txt
+else
+  . ./venv/bin/activate
+fi
+
+./production_test.py