diff --git a/dev/check-files.sh b/dev/check-files.sh
index 7a77ad646ea937a6bf898ab417dadd8d7911a16c..b442ae45ad40451440a671be11ec26d47cf7ee1f 100755
--- a/dev/check-files.sh
+++ b/dev/check-files.sh
@@ -73,7 +73,8 @@ if [ "$MODE" = "all" ]; then
     make $LINT || exit 1
   fi
   if [ $DO_HDRCK = "yes" ] ; then
-    make $HDRCK HDRCK_EXTRA="-quiet" || exit 1
+    # Don't define HDRCK_EXTRA, that is required by external plugins
+    make $HDRCK || exit 1
   fi
 else
   STAGED=$(git diff --diff-filter ACMR --name-only --cached $REFERENCE | sort)
@@ -105,16 +106,17 @@ else
   TMP=$(mktemp)
 
   cleanup () {
-    rm "$TMP"
+    rm -f "$TMP"
   }
   trap cleanup exit
 
-  git check-attr -za $STAGED > "$TMP"
   if [ $DO_LINT = "yes" ] ; then
+    git check-attr -za $STAGED > "$TMP"
     make $LINT LINTCK_FILES_INPUT="$TMP" || exit 1
   fi
-  git check-attr -z header_spec $STAGED > "$TMP"
   if [ $DO_HDRCK = "yes" ] ; then
-    make $HDRCK HDRCK_FILES_INPUT="$TMP" HDRCK_EXTRA="-quiet" || exit 1
+    git check-attr -z header_spec $STAGED > "$TMP"
+    # Don't define HDRCK_EXTRA, that is required by external plugins
+    make $HDRCK HDRCK_FILES_INPUT="$TMP" || exit 1
   fi
 fi
diff --git a/tools/hdrck/hdrck.ml b/tools/hdrck/hdrck.ml
index 339ef47453951e69d545811ef186762de2f3e449..409c06b32eae15abcc0a3a12f0c83cc9ac908841 100644
--- a/tools/hdrck/hdrck.ml
+++ b/tools/hdrck/hdrck.ml
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ and headache_config_file = ref [] (* empty -> headache_config_file_default *)
 and headache_config_file_default = "headers/headache_config.txt"
 and exit_on_warning = ref false
 and exit_on_error = ref true (* only settable to false for debugging purposes *)
-and quiet = ref false
+and quiet = ref true
 
 type mode =
   | Check
@@ -632,6 +632,8 @@ let rec argspec = [
   " enable debug messages";
   "-quiet", Arg.Set quiet,
   "disable most messages";
+  "-verbose", Arg.Unit (fun () -> quiet := false),
+  "print some informative messages";
 
   "-forbidden-headers", Arg.String (fun set -> set_cumulative ~name:"-forbidden-headers" forbidden_headers ~set) ,
   "<license name>,... \t none of the checked files may have one of the <license name> []";