diff --git a/script/roms b/script/roms
index fe666754..ff5bec0c 100755
--- a/script/roms
+++ b/script/roms
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ cfgsdir="config/coreboot"
 picosrc="src/pico-serprog"
 picosdk="src/pico-sdk"
 stm32src="src/stm32-vserprog"
+tmpcfg="$tmpdir/tmpcfg"
 
 # Disable all payloads by default.
 # target.cfg files have to specifically enable [a] payload(s)
@@ -250,12 +251,11 @@ build_grub_roms()
 	# we only need insert grub.elf once, for each coreboot config:
 	cbfs "$tmprom" "$grubelf" "$grub_cbfs"
 
-	tmpcfg="$tmpdir/tmpcfg"
 	printf "set grub_scan_disk=\"%s\"\n" "$grub_scan_disk" > "$tmpcfg" || \
 	    $err "set grub_scan_disk, $grub_scan_disk, $tmpcfg"
 	cbfs "$tmprom" "$tmpcfg" scan.cfg raw
-	printf "set timeout=%s\n" "$grub_timeout" > "$tmpcfg" || \
-	    $err "set timeout, $grub_timeout, $tmpcfg"
+
+	printf "set timeout=%s\n" "$grub_timeout" > "$tmpcfg" || $err "!time"
 	[ -z "$grub_timeout" ] || cbfs "$tmprom" "$tmpcfg" timeout.cfg raw
 
 	newrom="$romdir/${payload1}_${board}_${initmode}_$displaymode.rom"