diff --git a/cime/scripts/lib/CIME/case.py b/cime/scripts/lib/CIME/case.py
index 4df29d60868e..d99bebaf76fd 100644
--- a/cime/scripts/lib/CIME/case.py
+++ b/cime/scripts/lib/CIME/case.py
@@ -1213,6 +1213,8 @@ def set_file(self, xmlfile):
         gfile = GenericXML(infile=xmlfile)
         ftype = gfile.get_id()
 
+        self.flush(flushall=True)
+
         logger.warn("setting case file to %s"%xmlfile)
         new_env_file = None
         for env_file in self._env_entryid_files:
diff --git a/components/cice/cime_config/buildnml b/components/cice/cime_config/buildnml
index 26f689073b21..292b258e4a4e 100755
--- a/components/cice/cime_config/buildnml
+++ b/components/cice/cime_config/buildnml
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ my $cppdefs = "$cppdefs -DBLCKX=$CICE_BLCKX -DBLCKY=$CICE_BLCKY -DMXBLCKS=$CICE_
 # this will determine if need to rebuild at runtime - force user to call $CASE.buildexe
 
 chdir "$CASEROOT";
-my $sysmod  = "./xmlchange -noecho -id CICE_CPPDEFS -file env_build.xml -val=\'$cppdefs\'";
+my $sysmod  = "./xmlchange --noecho --id CICE_CPPDEFS --val=\'$cppdefs\'";
 system($sysmod) == 0 or die "ERROR cice.buildnml: $sysmod failed: $?\n";
 chdir "$CASEROOT/Buildconf/ciceconf";