RegTest: precommand not executed before the first command #24

I a test file, I defined precommand as follows:

** precommand: {include} _SETUP

And defined the _SETUP "test".

Then I have a test which performs checks before any other action.

Fictitious example (this will be better than my test file, in French, and too verbose for the demonstration):

* _SETUP
> south
> take garden  key
> east
> open garden door with garden key
> east

* walkthrough, part 2
You get out of the garden and enter the deep forest.

In the forest

This is the description of the forest.

> examine tree
This is the description of the tree.

This doesn't work as I would expect: _SETUP is apparently executed just before the > examine tree command, so the three lines of checks above it all fail. I was expecting the precommand to be executed at the very beginning of the test, before any checks are performed.

Is the current behaviour done on purpose, or is it a bug?