diff --git a/configuration/driver/icedrv_calendar.F90 b/configuration/driver/icedrv_calendar.F90
index 87e4d93b8..3a9ceaa35 100644
--- a/configuration/driver/icedrv_calendar.F90
+++ b/configuration/driver/icedrv_calendar.F90
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ module icedrv_calendar
          new_hour       , & ! new hour = .true.
          use_leap_years , & ! use leap year functionality if true
          write_ic       , & ! write initial condition now
+         dump_last      , & ! write restart at end
          force_restart_now  ! force a restart now
 
       character (len=1), public :: &
@@ -241,6 +242,7 @@ subroutine calendar(ttime)
         end select
 
         if (force_restart_now) write_restart = 1
+        if (dump_last .and. istep == npt) write_restart = 1
       
       endif !  istep > 1
 
diff --git a/configuration/driver/icedrv_init.F90 b/configuration/driver/icedrv_init.F90
index cec391032..3052f0d26 100644
--- a/configuration/driver/icedrv_init.F90
+++ b/configuration/driver/icedrv_init.F90
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ subroutine input_data
       use icedrv_diagnostics, only: diag_file, nx_names
       use icedrv_domain_size, only: nilyr, nslyr, max_ntrcr, ncat, n_aero
       use icedrv_calendar, only: year_init, istep0
-      use icedrv_calendar, only: dumpfreq, diagfreq
+      use icedrv_calendar, only: dumpfreq, diagfreq, dump_last
       use icedrv_calendar, only: npt, dt, ndtd, days_per_year, use_leap_years
       use icedrv_restart_shared, only: restart, restart_dir, restart_file
       use icedrv_flux, only: update_ocn_f, l_mpond_fresh, cpl_bgc
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ subroutine input_data
 
       namelist /setup_nml/ &
         days_per_year,  use_leap_years, year_init,       istep0,        &
-        dt,             npt,            ndtd,                           &
+        dt,             npt,            ndtd,            dump_last,     &
         ice_ic,         restart,        restart_dir,     restart_file,  &
         dumpfreq,       diagfreq,       diag_file,       cpl_bgc
 
@@ -209,6 +209,7 @@ subroutine input_data
       diag_file = 'ice_diag' ! history file name prefix
       cpl_bgc = .false.      ! 
       dumpfreq='y'           ! restart frequency option
+      dump_last=.false.      ! restart at end of run
       restart = .false.      ! if true, read restart files for initialization
       restart_dir  = './'    ! write to executable dir for default
       restart_file = 'iced'  ! restart file name prefix
@@ -459,6 +460,7 @@ subroutine input_data
          write(nu_diag,1020) ' diagfreq                  = ', diagfreq
          write(nu_diag,1030) ' dumpfreq                  = ', &
                                trim(dumpfreq)
+         write(nu_diag,1010) ' dump_last                 = ', dump_last
          write(nu_diag,1010) ' restart                   = ', restart
          write(nu_diag,*)    ' restart_dir               = ', &
                                trim(restart_dir)
diff --git a/configuration/scripts/icepack_in b/configuration/scripts/icepack_in
index 1a9091ba5..81072bf9e 100644
--- a/configuration/scripts/icepack_in
+++ b/configuration/scripts/icepack_in
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
     restart        = .false.
     restart_dir    = './restart/'
     dumpfreq       = 'y'
+    dump_last      = .false.
     diagfreq       = 24
     diag_file      = 'ice_diag'
     cpl_bgc        = .false.
diff --git a/configuration/scripts/options/set_nml.smoke b/configuration/scripts/options/set_nml.smoke
index 80fab10dc..1f5bf8515 100644
--- a/configuration/scripts/options/set_nml.smoke
+++ b/configuration/scripts/options/set_nml.smoke
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 #npt            = 24
+dump_last = .true.
diff --git a/doc/source/user_guide/ug_case_settings.rst b/doc/source/user_guide/ug_case_settings.rst
index bd4327d7e..84b984d89 100755
--- a/doc/source/user_guide/ug_case_settings.rst
+++ b/doc/source/user_guide/ug_case_settings.rst
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ column physics.
    "``dumpfreq``", "``y``", "write restart every ``dumpfreq_n`` years", "y"
    "", "``m``", "write restart every ``dumpfreq_n`` months", ""
    "", "``d``", "write restart every ``dumpfreq_n`` days", ""
+   "``dump_last``", "true/false", "write restart at end of run", "false"
    "", "", "*Model Output*", ""
    "``diagfreq``", "integer", "frequency of diagnostic output in ``dt``", "24"
    "", "*e.g.*, 10", "once every 10 time steps", ""
diff --git a/doc/source/user_guide/ug_implementation.rst b/doc/source/user_guide/ug_implementation.rst
index cf2583213..b155f8259 100755
--- a/doc/source/user_guide/ug_implementation.rst
+++ b/doc/source/user_guide/ug_implementation.rst
@@ -173,6 +173,8 @@ for a full, exact restart. The filename begins with the character string
 variable ``dumpfreq``. The namelist variable ``ice_ic`` contains the
 pointer to the filename from which the restart data is to be read and 
 the namelist option ``restart`` must be set to ``.true.`` to use the file.
+``dump_last`` namelist can also be set to true to trigger restarts automatically
+at then end of runs.
 
 .. _bgc-hist:
 
diff --git a/icepack.setup b/icepack.setup
index c79a7f4e3..240c4767c 100755
--- a/icepack.setup
+++ b/icepack.setup
@@ -679,7 +679,7 @@ EOF1
       endif
     endif
 
-    foreach name (${grid} ${setsx})
+    foreach name (${grid} ${test} ${setsx})
       set found = 0
       if (-e ${ICE_SCRIPTS}/options/set_nml.${name}) then
 
@@ -715,8 +715,14 @@ EOF2
         set found = 1
       endif
       if (${found} == 0) then
-        echo "${0}: ERROR, ${ICE_SCRIPTS}/options/set_[nml,env].${name} not found"
-        exit -1
+        if (${name} == ${test}) then
+          echo "${ICE_SCRIPTS}/options/set_[nml,env].${name} not found"
+          echo "`date`${0} ${ICE_SCRIPTS}/options/set_[nml,env].${name} not found" >> ${casedir}/README.case
+        else
+          echo "${0}: ERROR, ${ICE_SCRIPTS}/options/set_[nml,env].${name} not found"
+          echo "`date`${0}: ERROR, ${ICE_SCRIPTS}/options/set_[nml,env].${name} not found" >> ${casedir}/README.case
+          exit -1
+        endif
       endif
     end