This manuscript was submitted before the latest GMD editorial, so making the code available to the editor was required, but it was not necessary to make the code available to anonymous reviewers. The rules have changed now (post Editorial v1.2) future papers would have to extend the access to anonymous reviewers. This is normally achieved by making a license agreement with Copernicus, the publisher.

As to the present manuscript under consideration... the authors made the code accessible to me. I cannot identify the exact set up files for the experiments conducted in this paper, and I would like to see them clearly identified and made available as a supplement to the paper. I am still a bit confused (maybe more so after admiring the code!) on the naming of the different model setups. Why is it "HARMONIE-AROME" but not "HARMONIE-ALARO", and then we have HCLIM38-AROME, HCLIM38-ALADIN, and HCLIM38-ALARO... but, HARMONIE-AROME=HCLIM38-AROME ?

An email exchange revealed an amazing website full of helpful information for users of the model which includes archived information for recent model versions. I would like to see this website discussed in the manuscript.

I would also like to know how the version of the model (along with the documentation) discussed in this paper are to be archived such that future readers of the paper will be able to obtain the precise version. This should be clarified in the manuscript.

I am sorry to make another minor revision but experience shows that if I choose technical corrections, the requested changes are rarely attended to. Please feel free to email me to prompt me into action if you don’t hear back swiftly after your next response!

You wrote in the authors response,
“ R: The terminology is indeed quite complex and not always easy to describe. There is only HARMONIE-AROME because the HIRLAM consortium is officially maintaining and developing only the AROME model configuration for NWP purposes. Nevertheless, other model configurations are available in the code and can be used, even though they are not officially supported. This is why HCLIM38 can include all the three model configurations. HARMONIE-AROME refers to a specific model configuration for NWP purposes. HCLIM38-AROME is similar to (and based on) HARMONIE-AROME but includes modifications that are necessary for climate simulations, such as a more sophisticated soil scheme.”

This is so much more comprehensible than what I find in the manuscript. Such practical details are absolutely appropriate to include in a GMD paper. So please can you add the information to the manuscript...

Thanks for your patience! The evolution of model versions can be very difficult to describe in a way that makes sense to someone without prior knowledge. I am happy to accept the paper.