diff --git a/runtime/autoload/vimball.vim b/runtime/autoload/vimball.vim
index 9c7dcbd..8171bcd 100644
--- a/runtime/autoload/vimball.vim
+++ b/runtime/autoload/vimball.vim
@@ -268,6 +268,14 @@ fun! vimball#Vimball(really,...)
    let filecnt = filecnt + 1
 "   call Decho("fname<".fname."> fsize=".fsize." filecnt=".filecnt. " fenc=".fenc)
 
+   if fname =~? '\%(^\|/\)\.VimballRecord$'
+     echomsg "(Vimball) Forbidding .VimballRecord filename, aborting..."
+     exe "tabn ".curtabnr
+     bw! Vimball
+     call s:ChgDir(curdir)
+     return
+   endif
+
    if a:really
     echomsg "extracted <".fname.">: ".fsize." lines"
    else
@@ -306,7 +314,7 @@ fun! vimball#Vimball(really,...)
       else
        call mkdir(dirname)
       endif
-	  call s:RecordInVar(home,"rmdir('".dirname."')")
+	  call s:RecordDirInVar(dirname)
      endif
     endwhile
    endif
@@ -340,7 +348,7 @@ fun! vimball#Vimball(really,...)
 	 exe "silent w! ".fnameescape(fnamepath)
 	endif
 	echo "wrote ".fnameescape(fnamepath)
-	call s:RecordInVar(home,"call delete('".fnamepath."')")
+	call s:RecordInVar(fnamepath)
     endif
 
     " return to tab with vimball
@@ -460,12 +468,17 @@ fun! vimball#RmVimball(...)
 	endif
     let s:VBRstring= substitute(exestring,'call delete(','','g')
     let s:VBRstring= substitute(s:VBRstring,"[')]",'','g')
-"	call Decho("exe ".exestring)
-	sil! keepalt keepjumps exe exestring
-	sil! keepalt keepjumps d
-	let exestring= strlen(substitute(exestring,'call delete(.\{-})|\=',"D","g"))
-"	call Decho("exestring<".exestring.">")
-	echomsg "removed ".exestring." files"
+    let nr_files= 0
+    for line in split(exestring, '|')
+      if line !~ '^call delete(''[^'']\{-}''\(,"d"\)\?)$'
+        echomsg "ignoring .VimballRecord entry: " line
+      else
+        sil! keepalt keepjumps exe line
+        let nr_files+= 1
+      endif
+    endfor
+    sil! keepalt keepjumps d
+    echomsg "removed ".nr_files." files"
    else
     let s:VBRstring= ''
 	let curfile    = substitute(curfile,'\.vmb','','')
@@ -599,21 +612,20 @@ fun! s:ChgDir(newdir)
 endfun
 
 " ---------------------------------------------------------------------
-" s:RecordInVar: record a un-vimball command in the .VimballRecord file {{{2
-fun! s:RecordInVar(home,cmd)
-"  call Dfunc("RecordInVar(home<".a:home."> cmd<".a:cmd.">)")
-  if a:cmd =~ '^rmdir'
-"   if !exists("s:recorddir")
-"    let s:recorddir= substitute(a:cmd,'^rmdir',"call s:Rmdir",'')
-"   else
-"    let s:recorddir= s:recorddir."|".substitute(a:cmd,'^rmdir',"call s:Rmdir",'')
-"   endif
-  elseif !exists("s:recordfile")
-   let s:recordfile= a:cmd
-  else
-   let s:recordfile= s:recordfile."|".a:cmd
+" s:RecordInVar: record a un-vimball file deletion in the .VimballRecord file {{{2
+fun! s:RecordInVar(file)
+  if !exists("s:recordfile")
+    let s:recordfile=[]
+  endif
+  call add(s:recordfile, 'call delete(' . string(a:file) . ')')
+endfun
+
+" s:RecordDirInVar: record a un-vimball dir deletion in the .VimballRecord file {{{2
+fun! s:RecordDirInVar(dir)
+  if !exists("s:recorddir")
+    let s:recorddir = []
   endif
-"  call Dret("RecordInVar : s:recordfile<".(exists("s:recordfile")? s:recordfile : "")."> s:recorddir<".(exists("s:recorddir")? s:recorddir : "").">")
+  call add(s:recorddir, 'call delete(' . string(a:dir) . ',"d")')
 endfun
 
 " ---------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -637,11 +649,11 @@ fun! s:RecordInFile(home)
    setlocal ma
    $
    if exists("s:recordfile") && exists("s:recorddir")
-   	let cmd= cmd.s:recordfile."|".s:recorddir
+   	let cmd= cmd.join(s:recordfile, '|')."|".join(s:recorddir, '|')
    elseif exists("s:recorddir")
-   	let cmd= cmd.s:recorddir
+   	let cmd= cmd.join(s:recorddir, '|')
    elseif exists("s:recordfile")
-   	let cmd= cmd.s:recordfile
+   	let cmd= cmd.join(s:recordfile, '|')
    else
 "    call Dret("s:RecordInFile : neither recordfile nor recorddir exist")
 	return
diff --git a/src/testdir/Make_all.mak b/src/testdir/Make_all.mak
index 98e8903..7eef9a1 100644
--- a/src/testdir/Make_all.mak
+++ b/src/testdir/Make_all.mak
@@ -214,6 +214,7 @@ NEW_TESTS = \
 	test_plugin_phpcomplete \
 	test_plugin_python3complete \
 	test_plugin_tar \
+	test_plugin_vimball \
 	test_plus_arg_edit \
 	test_popup \
 	test_popupwin \
@@ -457,6 +458,7 @@ NEW_TESTS_RES = \
 	test_plugin_phpcomplete.res \
 	test_plugin_python3complete.res \
 	test_plugin_tar.res \
+	test_plugin_vimball.res \
 	test_plus_arg_edit.res \
 	test_popup.res \
 	test_popupwin.res \
diff --git a/src/testdir/test_plugin_vimball.vim b/src/testdir/test_plugin_vimball.vim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0e2ee28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/testdir/test_plugin_vimball.vim
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+" Test for the vimball plugin
+
+let s:testdir = fnamemodify(resolve(expand("%:p")), ":h")
+let s:default_vimball = ['" Vimball Archiver by Charles E. Campbell',
+                       \ 'UseVimball',
+                       \ 'finish',
+                       \ 'XVimball/Xtest.txt	[[[1',
+                       \ '2',
+                       \ 'Hello Vimball',
+                       \ '123']
+
+func SetUp()
+  ru plugin/vimballPlugin.vim
+  let g:vimball_home = s:testdir
+endfunc
+
+func TearDown()
+  call delete('Xtest.vmb')
+  call delete('.VimballRecord')
+endfunc
+
+func s:setup()
+  call mkdir('XVimball', 'p')
+  call writefile(['Hello Vimball', '123'], 'XVimball/Xtest.txt')
+endfunc
+
+func s:teardown()
+  call delete('XVimball', 'rf')
+  call delete('Xtest.vmb')
+  bw! Xtest.vmb
+  bw! XVimball/Xtest.txt
+  if bufloaded('.VimballRecord')
+    bw! .VimballRecord
+  endif
+endfunc
+
+func s:Mkvimball()
+  call s:setup()
+  new
+  0put ='XVimball/Xtest.txt'
+  $d
+  1,1MkVimball! Xtest
+  bw!
+endfunc
+
+func Test_vimball_basic()
+  call s:Mkvimball()
+  call assert_true(filereadable('Xtest.vmb'), 'vimball file should be created')
+  call assert_equal(s:default_vimball, readfile('Xtest.vmb'))
+
+  call delete('XVimball', 'rf')
+  sp Xtest.vmb
+  let mess = execute(':mess')
+  call assert_match('\*\*\*vimball\*\*\* Source this file to extract it!', mess)
+  so %
+  call feedkeys("\<cr>", "t")
+  unlet mess
+  let mess = execute(':mess')->split('\n')
+  call assert_equal('extracted <XVimball/Xtest.txt>: 2 lines', mess[-2])
+
+  call assert_true(filereadable('XVimball/Xtest.txt'), 'extracted file should exist')
+  call assert_equal(['Hello Vimball', '123'], readfile('XVimball/Xtest.txt'))
+ 
+  " Vimball extraction has been recorded
+  call assert_true(filereadable('.VimballRecord'))
+  let record = readfile('.VimballRecord')
+  call assert_equal(1, record->len())
+  call assert_match('^Xtest.vmb: call delete(''.\{-}'')|call delete(''.\{-}'',"d")$', record[0])
+  call s:teardown()
+endfunc
+
+func Test_vimball_VimballRecord_filenames()
+  call s:Mkvimball()
+  call delete('XVimball', 'rf')
+  sp Xtest.vmb
+  4s#.*\ze\t#.VimballRecord#
+  so %
+  call feedkeys("\<cr>", "it")
+
+  let mess = execute(':mess')->split('\n')[-1]
+  call assert_match('(Vimball) Forbidding .VimballRecord filename.* aborting\.\.\.', mess)
+  call assert_false(filereadable('.VimballRecord'))
+  call s:teardown()
+endfunc