diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 951f4142..9769e745 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ A preview of the next release can be installed from
 - Partially Fix [#1695](https://github.com/babashka/babashka/issues/1695): `--repl` arg handling should consume only one arg (itself) ([@bobisageek](https://github.com/bobisageek))
 - Partially Fix [#1695](https://github.com/babashka/babashka/issues/1695): make `*command-line-args*` value available in the REPL ([@bobisageek](https://github.com/bobisageek))
 - Fix [#1686](https://github.com/babashka/babashka/issues/1686): do not fetch dependencies/invoke java for `version`, `help`, and `describe` options ([@bobisageek](https://github.com/bobisageek))
+- [#1696](https://github.com/babashka/babashka/issues/1696): add `clojure.lang.DynamicClassLoader` constructors ([@bobisageek](https://github.com/bobisageek))
+- [#1696](https://github.com/babashka/babashka/issues/1696): add `clojure.core/*source-path*` (points to the same sci var as `*file*`) ([@bobisageek](https://github.com/bobisageek))
+- [#1696](https://github.com/babashka/babashka/issues/1696): add `clojure.main/with-read-known` ([@bobisageek](https://github.com/bobisageek))
+- [#1696](https://github.com/babashka/babashka/issues/1696): add `clojure.core.server/repl-read` ([@bobisageek](https://github.com/bobisageek))
 
 ## 1.3.190 (2024-04-17)
 
diff --git a/src/babashka/impl/classes.clj b/src/babashka/impl/classes.clj
index 4a0889d7..80d9b127 100644
--- a/src/babashka/impl/classes.clj
+++ b/src/babashka/impl/classes.clj
@@ -561,6 +561,7 @@
           ~@(when features/yaml? '[org.yaml.snakeyaml.error.YAMLException])
           ~@(when features/hsqldb? '[org.hsqldb.jdbcDriver])]
     :constructors [clojure.lang.Delay
+                   clojure.lang.DynamicClassLoader
                    clojure.lang.LineNumberingPushbackReader
                    java.io.EOFException]
     :methods [borkdude.graal.LockFix] ;; support for locking
diff --git a/src/babashka/impl/clojure/core.clj b/src/babashka/impl/clojure/core.clj
index b887715f..fb39383d 100644
--- a/src/babashka/impl/clojure/core.clj
+++ b/src/babashka/impl/clojure/core.clj
@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@
    '*math-context* math-context
    '*compiler-options* compiler-options
    '*compile-path* compile-path
+   '*source-path* sci/file
    'with-precision (sci/copy-var with-precision clojure-core-ns)
    '-with-precision (sci/copy-var -with-precision clojure-core-ns)
    ;; STM
diff --git a/src/babashka/impl/clojure/main.clj b/src/babashka/impl/clojure/main.clj
index 83f0c38a..af89f966 100644
--- a/src/babashka/impl/clojure/main.clj
+++ b/src/babashka/impl/clojure/main.clj
@@ -55,6 +55,13 @@ by default when a new command-line REPL is started."} repl-requires
   '[[clojure.repl :refer (source apropos pst dir doc find-doc)]
     [clojure.pprint :refer (pp pprint)]])
 
+(defmacro with-read-known
+  "Evaluates body with *read-eval* set to a \"known\" value,
+   i.e. substituting true for :unknown if necessary."
+  [& body]
+  `(binding [*read-eval* (if (= :unknown *read-eval*) true *read-eval*)]
+     ~@body))
+
 (defn repl
   "Generic, reusable, read-eval-print loop. By default, reads from *in*,
   writes to *out*, and prints exception summaries to *err*. If you use the
diff --git a/src/babashka/impl/repl.clj b/src/babashka/impl/repl.clj
index 86fd58e6..289ba1ec 100644
--- a/src/babashka/impl/repl.clj
+++ b/src/babashka/impl/repl.clj
@@ -46,6 +46,16 @@
     (when-not (= c \newline)
       (r/unread s c))))
 
+(defn repl-read [sci-ctx in-stream _request-prompt request-exit]
+  (if (nil? (r/peek-char in-stream))
+    request-exit
+    (let [v (parser/parse-next sci-ctx in-stream)]
+      (skip-if-eol in-stream)
+      (if (or (identical? :repl/quit v)
+            (identical? :repl/exit v))
+        request-exit
+        v))))
+
 (defn repl
   "REPL with predefined hooks for attachable socket server."
   ([sci-ctx] (repl sci-ctx nil))
@@ -68,15 +78,8 @@
                       (sio/println))
                     (eval-form sci-ctx `(apply require (quote ~m/repl-requires)))))
         :read (or read
-                  (fn [_request-prompt request-exit]
-                    (if (nil? (r/peek-char in))
-                      request-exit
-                      (let [v (parser/parse-next sci-ctx in)]
-                        (skip-if-eol in)
-                        (if (or (identical? :repl/quit v)
-                                (identical? :repl/exit v))
-                          request-exit
-                          v)))))
+                (fn [request-prompt request-exit]
+                     (repl-read sci-ctx in request-prompt request-exit)))
         :eval (or eval
                   (fn [expr]
                     (sci/with-bindings {sci/file "<repl>"
diff --git a/src/babashka/impl/server.clj b/src/babashka/impl/server.clj
index 78af54c7..a1e9fdd0 100644
--- a/src/babashka/impl/server.clj
+++ b/src/babashka/impl/server.clj
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 (ns babashka.impl.server
   (:require [babashka.impl.clojure.core.server :as server]
             [babashka.impl.common :as common]
+            [babashka.impl.repl :as repl]
             [babashka.impl.socket-repl :as socket-repl]
             [sci.core :as sci]))
 
@@ -17,9 +18,14 @@
   (fn [& args]
     (apply server/start-server (common/ctx) args)))
 
+(def repl-read
+  (fn [& args]
+    (apply repl/repl-read (common/ctx) @sci/in args)))
+
 (def clojure-core-server-namespace
   {'repl (sci/copy-var socket-repl/repl sns)
    'prepl (sci/copy-var prepl sns)
    'io-prepl (sci/copy-var io-prepl sns)
    'start-server (sci/copy-var start-server sns)
-   'stop-server (sci/copy-var server/stop-server sns)})
+   'stop-server (sci/copy-var server/stop-server sns)
+   'repl-read (sci/copy-var repl-read sns)})
diff --git a/src/babashka/main.clj b/src/babashka/main.clj
index e310c1fc..750d2f56 100644
--- a/src/babashka/main.clj
+++ b/src/babashka/main.clj
@@ -385,6 +385,7 @@ Use bb run --help to show this help output.
                                           (repl/start-repl! (common/ctx) opts))) {:ns clojure-main-ns})
                    'with-bindings (sci/copy-var clojure-main/with-bindings clojure-main-ns)
                    'repl-caught (sci/copy-var repl/repl-caught clojure-main-ns)
+                   'with-read-known (sci/copy-var clojure-main/with-read-known clojure-main-ns)
                    'main main-var}
     'clojure.test t/clojure-test-namespace
     'clojure.math math-namespace
diff --git a/test/babashka/impl/clojure/main_test.clj b/test/babashka/impl/clojure/main_test.clj
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8dad506a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/babashka/impl/clojure/main_test.clj
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+(ns babashka.impl.clojure.main-test
+  (:require [babashka.test-utils :as tu]
+            [clojure.edn :as edn]
+            [clojure.test :as t :refer [deftest is testing]]))
+
+(def bb
+  (comp edn/read-string tu/bb))
+
+(deftest with-read-known-test
+  (testing ":unknown gets set to true"
+    (is (true? (bb nil (pr-str '(binding [*read-eval* :unknown]
+                                  (clojure.main/with-read-known *read-eval*)))))))
+  (testing "other values don't change"
+    (t/are [read-eval-value]
+      (= read-eval-value
+        (bb nil (str "(binding [*read-eval* " read-eval-value "]"
+                  " (clojure.main/with-read-known *read-eval*))")))
+      false true 5)))
diff --git a/test/babashka/impl/server_test.clj b/test/babashka/impl/server_test.clj
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ebd677de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/babashka/impl/server_test.clj
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+(ns babashka.impl.server-test
+  (:require [babashka.test-utils :as tu]
+            [clojure.edn :as edn]
+            [clojure.test :as t :refer [deftest is testing]]))
+
+(def bb
+  (comp edn/read-string tu/bb))
+
+(deftest repl-read-test
+  (testing "arbitrary values can be read"
+    (t/are [input result]
+      (= result (bb input "(let [request-exit (Object.)]
+                           (loop [acc []]
+                             (let [v (clojure.core.server/repl-read nil request-exit)]
+                               (if (= v request-exit)
+                                 acc
+                                 (recur (conj acc v))))))"))
+      "abc" '[abc]
+      "123 456" [123 456]
+      "(nil ns/symbol (true))\n  (+ 1 2 3)" '[(nil ns/symbol (true)) (+ 1 2 3)])))