diff --git a/fesvr/htif.cc b/fesvr/htif.cc
index 13cdc0af..c64ce2ad 100644
--- a/fesvr/htif.cc
+++ b/fesvr/htif.cc
@@ -84,12 +84,17 @@ htif_t::~htif_t()
 
 void htif_t::start()
 {
-  if (!targs.empty() && targs[0] != "none") {
-    try {
-      load_program();
-    } catch (const incompat_xlen & err) {
-      fprintf(stderr, "Error: cannot execute %d-bit program on RV%d hart\n", err.actual_xlen, err.expected_xlen);
-      exit(1);
+  if (!targs.empty()) {
+    if (targs[0] != "none") {
+      try {
+        load_program();
+      } catch (const incompat_xlen & err) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: cannot execute %d-bit program on RV%d hart\n", err.actual_xlen, err.expected_xlen);
+        exit(1);
+      }
+    } else {
+      auto empty_symbols = std::map<std::string, uint64_t>();
+      load_symbols(empty_symbols);
     }
   }
 
@@ -150,21 +155,8 @@ std::map<std::string, uint64_t> htif_t::load_payload(const std::string& payload,
   }
 }
 
-void htif_t::load_program()
+void htif_t::load_symbols(std::map<std::string, uint64_t>& symbols)
 {
-  std::map<std::string, uint64_t> symbols = load_payload(targs[0], &entry, load_offset);
-
-  // detect torture tests so we can print the memory signature at the end
-  if (symbols.count("begin_signature") && symbols.count("end_signature")) {
-    sig_addr = symbols["begin_signature"];
-    sig_len = symbols["end_signature"] - sig_addr;
-  }
-
-  for (auto payload : payloads) {
-    reg_t dummy_entry;
-    load_payload(payload, &dummy_entry, 0);
-  }
-
   class nop_memif_t : public memif_t {
    public:
     nop_memif_t(htif_t* htif) : memif_t(htif), htif(htif) {}
@@ -181,6 +173,12 @@ void htif_t::load_program()
     symbols.merge(other_symbols);
   }
 
+  // detect torture tests so we can print the memory signature at the end
+  if (symbols.count("begin_signature") && symbols.count("end_signature")) {
+    sig_addr = symbols["begin_signature"];
+    sig_len = symbols["end_signature"] - sig_addr;
+  }
+
   if (symbols.count("tohost") && symbols.count("fromhost")) {
     tohost_addr = symbols["tohost"];
     fromhost_addr = symbols["fromhost"];
@@ -193,6 +191,18 @@ void htif_t::load_program()
     if ( it == addr2symbol.end())
       addr2symbol[i.second] = i.first;
   }
+}
+
+void htif_t::load_program()
+{
+  std::map<std::string, uint64_t> symbols = load_payload(targs[0], &entry, load_offset);
+
+  load_symbols(symbols);
+
+  for (auto payload : payloads) {
+    reg_t dummy_entry;
+    load_payload(payload, &dummy_entry, 0);
+  }
 
   return;
 }
diff --git a/fesvr/htif.h b/fesvr/htif.h
index a790f46c..380e24af 100644
--- a/fesvr/htif.h
+++ b/fesvr/htif.h
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ class htif_t : public chunked_memif_t
   virtual std::map<std::string, uint64_t> load_payload(const std::string& payload, reg_t* entry,
                                                        reg_t load_addr);
   virtual void load_program();
+  virtual void load_symbols(std::map<std::string, uint64_t>&);
   virtual void idle() {}
 
   const std::vector<std::string>& host_args() { return hargs; }