diff --git a/compiler/Parser.js b/compiler/Parser.js
index 80c1a0b86..21a764371 100644
--- a/compiler/Parser.js
+++ b/compiler/Parser.js
@@ -222,6 +222,8 @@ class Parser {
                     });
                     return;
                 }
+            } else if (attrName === 'marko-init') {
+                return 'static-text';
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/taglibs/core/core-transformer.js b/taglibs/core/core-transformer.js
index b41e630e5..c139f242f 100644
--- a/taglibs/core/core-transformer.js
+++ b/taglibs/core/core-transformer.js
@@ -70,8 +70,21 @@ var coreAttrHandlers = [
         }
     ],
     [
-        'marko-preserve-whitespace', function(attr, node) {
-            node.setPreserveWhitespace(true);
+        'marko-preserve-whitespace', function(attr, node, el) {
+            el.setPreserveWhitespace(true);
+        }
+    ],
+    [
+        'marko-init', function(attr, node, el) {
+            if (el.tagName !== 'script') {
+                this.addError('The "marko-init" attribute should only be used on the <script> tag');
+                return;
+            }
+            var bodyText = el.bodyText;
+            el.noOutput = true;
+            this.context.addStaticCode(bodyText);
+            el.detach();
+            return null;
         }
     ]
 ];
@@ -123,8 +136,11 @@ module.exports = function transform(el, context) {
             var newNode = attributeTransfomer[attrName](attr, node, el);
             if (newNode !== false) {
                 el.removeAttribute(attrName);
-                if (newNode) {
-                    newNode.pos = node.pos;
+                if (newNode !== undefined) {
+                    if (newNode) {
+                        newNode.pos = node.pos;
+                    }
+
                     node = newNode;
                 }
             }
diff --git a/taglibs/core/marko-taglib.json b/taglibs/core/marko-taglib.json
index 60efd7c65..6558f4cbe 100644
--- a/taglibs/core/marko-taglib.json
+++ b/taglibs/core/marko-taglib.json
@@ -27,11 +27,11 @@
         "preserve-whitespace": true
     },
     "<script>": {
-        "preserve-whitespace": true
-    },
-    "<template-init>": {
-        "code-generator": "./template-init-tag",
-        "body": "static-text"
+        "preserve-whitespace": true,
+        "@marko-init": "boolean",
+        "@*": {
+            "ignore": true
+        }
     },
     "<textarea>": {
         "preserve-whitespace": true
diff --git a/taglibs/core/template-init-tag.js b/taglibs/core/template-init-tag.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 6f4ec40a7..000000000
--- a/taglibs/core/template-init-tag.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-
-
-module.exports = function codeGenerator(elNode, codegen) {
-    var bodyText = elNode.bodyText;
-    elNode.noOutput = true;
-    codegen.addStaticCode(bodyText);
-};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/fixtures/compiler/autotest/template-init/expected.js b/test/fixtures/compiler/autotest/marko-init/expected.js
similarity index 100%
rename from test/fixtures/compiler/autotest/template-init/expected.js
rename to test/fixtures/compiler/autotest/marko-init/expected.js
diff --git a/test/fixtures/compiler/autotest/template-init/template.marko b/test/fixtures/compiler/autotest/marko-init/template.marko
similarity index 65%
rename from test/fixtures/compiler/autotest/template-init/template.marko
rename to test/fixtures/compiler/autotest/marko-init/template.marko
index 80b19d082..99f123476 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/compiler/autotest/template-init/template.marko
+++ b/test/fixtures/compiler/autotest/marko-init/template.marko
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
-<template-init>
+<script marko-init>
 var name = '${name}<div if(foo)></div>';
-</template-init>
+</script>
 
 Hello ${name}!
 ---
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/fixtures/render/autotest/invoke/template.marko b/test/fixtures/render/autotest/invoke/template.marko
index ed233c451..48c039e99 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/render/autotest/invoke/template.marko
+++ b/test/fixtures/render/autotest/invoke/template.marko
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-<template-init>
+<script marko-init>
 function greeting(name, out) {
     out.write('Hello ' + name + '!');
 }
-</template-init>
+</script>
 
 <invoke greeting('Frank', out)/> <invoke greeting('John', out)/>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/fixtures/render/autotest/require/template.marko b/test/fixtures/render/autotest/require/template.marko
index 9d2d290ab..bd5fb53c7 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/render/autotest/require/template.marko
+++ b/test/fixtures/render/autotest/require/template.marko
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
-<template-init>
+<script marko-init>
     var testHelpers = require('./test-helpers')
-</template-init>
+</script>
 
 Hello ${testHelpers.upperCase("world")}!
 Hello ${testHelpers.trim("   World   ")}!