--- a/nashorn/src/jdk/internal/dynalink/DynamicLinkerFactory.java	Thu Aug 01 12:23:38 2013 +0200
+++ b/nashorn/src/jdk/internal/dynalink/DynamicLinkerFactory.java	Wed Aug 07 16:38:44 2013 +0200
@@ -84,6 +84,8 @@
 package jdk.internal.dynalink;
 
 import java.lang.invoke.MutableCallSite;
+import java.security.AccessController;
+import java.security.PrivilegedAction;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collections;
@@ -117,7 +119,9 @@
      */
     public static final int DEFAULT_UNSTABLE_RELINK_THRESHOLD = 8;
 
-    private ClassLoader classLoader = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
+    private boolean classLoaderExplicitlySet = false;
+    private ClassLoader classLoader;
+
     private List<? extends GuardingDynamicLinker> prioritizedLinkers;
     private List<? extends GuardingDynamicLinker> fallbackLinkers;
     private int runtimeContextArgCount = 0;
@@ -126,12 +130,13 @@
 
     /**
      * Sets the class loader for automatic discovery of available linkers. If not set explicitly, then the thread
-     * context class loader at the time of the constructor invocation will be used.
+     * context class loader at the time of {@link #createLinker()} invocation will be used.
      *
      * @param classLoader the class loader used for the autodiscovery of available linkers.
      */
     public void setClassLoader(ClassLoader classLoader) {
         this.classLoader = classLoader;
+        classLoaderExplicitlySet = true;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -260,7 +265,8 @@
         addClasses(knownLinkerClasses, prioritizedLinkers);
         addClasses(knownLinkerClasses, fallbackLinkers);
 
-        final List<GuardingDynamicLinker> discovered = AutoDiscovery.loadLinkers(classLoader);
+        final ClassLoader effectiveClassLoader = classLoaderExplicitlySet ? classLoader : getThreadContextClassLoader();
+        final List<GuardingDynamicLinker> discovered = AutoDiscovery.loadLinkers(effectiveClassLoader);
         // Now, concatenate ...
         final List<GuardingDynamicLinker> linkers =
                 new ArrayList<>(prioritizedLinkers.size() + discovered.size()
@@ -303,6 +309,15 @@
                 runtimeContextArgCount, syncOnRelink, unstableRelinkThreshold);
     }
 
+    private static ClassLoader getThreadContextClassLoader() {
+        return AccessController.doPrivileged(new PrivilegedAction<ClassLoader>() {
+            @Override
+            public ClassLoader run() {
+                return Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
     private static void addClasses(Set<Class<? extends GuardingDynamicLinker>> knownLinkerClasses,
             List<? extends GuardingDynamicLinker> linkers) {
         for(GuardingDynamicLinker linker: linkers) {