diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 670e490..f61a95e 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -3,11 +3,13 @@ file_hasher.ilk
 file_hasher.rdi
 file_hasher.exe
 file_hashes.txt
-Binaries/file_hashes.txt
+/Binaries
 file_list.txt
 temp_code.c
-/.cache/clangd/index
+/.cache
 /file_hasher
 /io_uring_test
 /file_hasher
 /io_uring_test
+/compile_commands.json
+/build
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2e6f72d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,284 @@
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.20)
+project(filehasher
+    VERSION 1.0.0
+    DESCRIPTION "High-performance file hasher with I/O Ring/io_uring support"
+    LANGUAGES C
+)
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Force compiler search order
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+# On Windows, prefer clang-cl, then GCC, then Clang
+if(WIN32)
+    # Try to force compiler order if not already set
+    if(NOT CMAKE_C_COMPILER)
+        # Search in preferred order
+        find_program(CLANG_CL_COMPILER NAMES clang-cl)
+        find_program(GCC_COMPILER NAMES gcc)
+        find_program(CLANG_COMPILER NAMES clang)
+        
+        if(CLANG_CL_COMPILER)
+            message(STATUS "Found clang-cl as preferred compiler: ${CLANG_CL_COMPILER}")
+            set(CMAKE_C_COMPILER "${CLANG_CL_COMPILER}" CACHE STRING "" FORCE)
+        elseif(GCC_COMPILER)
+            message(STATUS "Found GCC as fallback compiler: ${GCC_COMPILER}")
+            set(CMAKE_C_COMPILER "${GCC_COMPILER}" CACHE STRING "" FORCE)
+        elseif(CLANG_COMPILER)
+            message(STATUS "Found Clang as last-resort compiler: ${CLANG_COMPILER}")
+            set(CMAKE_C_COMPILER "${CLANG_COMPILER}" CACHE STRING "" FORCE)
+        endif()
+    endif()
+else()
+    # On Linux, prefer GCC, then Clang
+    if(NOT CMAKE_C_COMPILER)
+        find_program(GCC_COMPILER NAMES gcc)
+        find_program(CLANG_COMPILER NAMES clang)
+        
+        if(GCC_COMPILER)
+            message(STATUS "Found GCC as preferred compiler: ${GCC_COMPILER}")
+            set(CMAKE_C_COMPILER "${GCC_COMPILER}" CACHE STRING "" FORCE)
+        elseif(CLANG_COMPILER)
+            message(STATUS "Found Clang as fallback compiler: ${CLANG_COMPILER}")
+            set(CMAKE_C_COMPILER "${CLANG_COMPILER}" CACHE STRING "" FORCE)
+        endif()
+    endif()
+endif()
+
+# Now project() will use the compiler we found
+# However, since we needed project() first to get C support,
+# we check what we actually got
+message(STATUS "Using compiler: ${CMAKE_C_COMPILER} (${CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID})")
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Platform and Compiler Detection
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+if(WIN32)
+    set(PLATFORM_WINDOWS TRUE)
+    set(PLATFORM_NAME "Windows")
+else()
+    set(PLATFORM_LINUX TRUE)
+    set(PLATFORM_NAME "Linux")
+endif()
+
+# Compiler type
+if(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "Clang")
+    # Check if it's clang-cl
+    if(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_FRONTEND_VARIANT STREQUAL "MSVC")
+        set(COMPILER_CLANG_CL TRUE)
+        message(STATUS "Detected clang-cl (MSVC-compatible frontend)")
+    else()
+        set(COMPILER_CLANG_GNU TRUE)
+        message(STATUS "Detected Clang (GNU-compatible frontend)")
+    endif()
+elseif(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "GNU")
+    set(COMPILER_GCC TRUE)
+    message(STATUS "Detected GCC")
+elseif(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "MSVC")
+    # We don't want MSVC, but if it's found, warn user
+    message(FATAL_ERROR 
+        "MSVC (cl.exe) detected!\n"
+        "This project requires clang-cl, GCC, or Clang.\n"
+        "Please install one of these compilers or specify manually:\n"
+        "  cmake .. -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=clang-cl\n"
+        "  cmake .. -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=gcc\n"
+        "  cmake .. -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=clang\n"
+    )
+endif()
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Build System Selection
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+if(NOT CMAKE_GENERATOR OR CMAKE_GENERATOR STREQUAL "")
+    find_program(NINJA_EXECUTABLE NAMES ninja)
+    if(NINJA_EXECUTABLE)
+        message(STATUS "Using Ninja build system")
+        set(CMAKE_GENERATOR "Ninja")
+    else()
+        message(STATUS "Ninja not found, using default generator: ${CMAKE_GENERATOR}")
+    endif()
+endif()
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Source Files
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+set(SOURCES
+    file_hasher.c
+    xxhash.c
+    xxh_x86dispatch.c
+)
+
+# Headers for dependency tracking and IDE
+set(HEADERS
+    arena.h
+    base.h
+    xxhash.h
+    lf_mpmc.h
+)
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Create Executable
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+add_executable(${PROJECT_NAME}
+    ${SOURCES}
+    ${HEADERS}
+)
+
+# Include directories
+target_include_directories(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
+    ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
+)
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Compiler Flags - Exact match to your commands
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+if(PLATFORM_WINDOWS)
+    if(COMPILER_CLANG_CL)
+        # === clang-cl flags ===
+        # Release: /O2
+        target_compile_options(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
+            $<$<CONFIG:Release>:/O2>
+        )
+        # Debug: /Zi /Od
+        target_compile_options(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
+            $<$<CONFIG:Debug>:/Zi /Od>
+        )
+        # Common warnings
+        target_compile_options(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE /W4)
+        
+    elseif(COMPILER_GCC)
+        # === GCC flags (Windows/MinGW) ===
+        # Release: -O3
+        target_compile_options(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
+            $<$<CONFIG:Release>:-O3>
+        )
+        # Debug: -g -O0
+        target_compile_options(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
+            $<$<CONFIG:Debug>:-g -O0>
+        )
+        # Common warnings
+        target_compile_options(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE -Wall -Wextra)
+        
+    elseif(COMPILER_CLANG_GNU)
+        # === Clang flags (Windows, GNU frontend) ===
+        # Release: -O3
+        target_compile_options(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
+            $<$<CONFIG:Release>:-O3>
+        )
+        # Debug: -g -O0
+        target_compile_options(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
+            $<$<CONFIG:Debug>:-g -O0>
+        )
+        # Common warnings
+        target_compile_options(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE -Wall -Wextra)
+    endif()
+    
+    # Windows-specific libraries
+    target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
+        kernel32
+    )
+    
+    # Windows-specific defines
+    target_compile_definitions(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
+        WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN
+        _WIN32_WINNT=0x0A00  # Windows 10+
+    )
+    
+    # Set output name with .exe
+    set_target_properties(${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES
+        SUFFIX ".exe"
+    )
+    
+elseif(PLATFORM_LINUX)
+    # === Linux GCC/Clang flags ===
+    if(COMPILER_GCC OR COMPILER_CLANG_GNU)
+        # Release: -O3
+        target_compile_options(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
+            $<$<CONFIG:Release>:-O3>
+        )
+        # Debug: -g -O0
+        target_compile_options(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
+            $<$<CONFIG:Debug>:-g -O0>
+        )
+        # Common warnings
+        target_compile_options(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE -Wall -Wextra)
+    endif()
+    
+    # Linux-specific libraries
+    find_package(Threads REQUIRED)
+    find_library(LIBURING_LIBRARY NAMES uring)
+    
+    if(LIBURING_LIBRARY)
+        message(STATUS "Found liburing: ${LIBURING_LIBRARY}")
+        target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
+            Threads::Threads
+            ${LIBURING_LIBRARY}
+        )
+    else()
+        message(FATAL_ERROR "liburing not found! Install liburing-dev or equivalent")
+    endif()
+    
+    # Linux-specific defines
+    target_compile_definitions(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
+        _GNU_SOURCE
+    )
+endif()
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# C Standard
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+set_target_properties(${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES
+    C_STANDARD 11
+    C_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON
+    C_EXTENSIONS OFF
+)
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Build Configurations
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+# Set default build type if not specified (matching your Release command)
+if(NOT CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE)
+    set(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE "Release" CACHE STRING 
+        "Choose the type of build: Release or Debug" FORCE)
+    message(STATUS "No build type specified, defaulting to Release")
+endif()
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# IDE Support
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+set(CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS ON)
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Info Target
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+add_custom_target(info
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E echo "=== Build Configuration ==="
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E echo "Project: ${PROJECT_NAME}"
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E echo "Compiler: ${CMAKE_C_COMPILER} (${CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID})"
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E echo "Frontend: $<IF:$<BOOL:${COMPILER_CLANG_CL}>,clang-cl,GNU>"
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E echo "Generator: ${CMAKE_GENERATOR}"
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E echo "Build Type: ${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}"
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E echo "Platform: ${PLATFORM_NAME}"
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E echo "============================"
+)
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Print final configuration
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+message(STATUS "----------------------------------------")
+message(STATUS "Configuration Summary:")
+message(STATUS "  Compiler: ${CMAKE_C_COMPILER}")
+message(STATUS "  Build Type: ${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}")
+message(STATUS "  Generator: ${CMAKE_GENERATOR}")
+message(STATUS "  Platform: ${PLATFORM_NAME}")
+message(STATUS "----------------------------------------")
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c0fd7e6..56fe817 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -20,36 +20,55 @@ It is a high performance cross platform Windows and Linux compatible program, it
   * Fallback to buffered I/O if there is errors in the IO Ring path.  
 
 # Building  
-## Windows  
-### Release  
 
-**Note**: Make sur to use UCRT64 environment from MSYS2 instead of the standard MinGW environment. 
+## Windows  
+**Requirements**: Make sur to use UCRT64 environment from MSYS2 instead of the standard MinGW environment. 
 UCRT64 uses the modern Universal C Runtime (ucrtbase.dll), which supports the newest APIs, 
 the standard MSYS2 uses the legacy msvcrt.dll and does not support IO Ring.  
 To install:  
 pacman -S mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-gcc  
-pacman -S mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-clang
-pacman -Syu
+pacman -S mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-clang  
+pacman -S mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-cmake  
+pacman -Syu  
 And add to path:  
 C:\msys64\ucrt64\bin  
 
-gcc -O3 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -o file_hasher  
-clang -O3 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -o file_hasher  
+### Using a build system  
+| Command | Description|
+| :--- | :--- |
+| ./build.bat | Build Release with best available compiler |
+| ./build.bat Debug | Build Debug |
+| ./build.bat clean | Clean and build Release |
+| ./build.bat Debug clean | Clean and build Debug |
+
+### Release  
+gcc -O3 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -o filehasher  
+clang -O3 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -o filehasher  
 clang-cl /O2 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c  
 
 ### Debug  
-gcc -g -O0 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -o file_hasher  
-clang -g -O0 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -o file_hasher  
+gcc -g -O0 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -o filehasher  
+clang -g -O0 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -o filehasher  
 clang-cl /Zi /Od file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c  
 
 ## Linux  
+**Requirements**: GCC, CMake and Ninja
+
+### Using a build system  
+| Command | Description|
+| :--- | :--- |
+| ./build.sh | Build Release with best available compiler |
+| ./build.sh Debug | Build Debug |
+| ./build.sh clean | Clean and build Release |
+| ./build.sh Debug clean | Clean and build Debug |
+
 ### Release  
-gcc -O3 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -pthread -luring -o file_hasher  
-clang -O3 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -pthread -luring -o file_hasher  
+gcc -O3 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -pthread -luring -o filehasher  
+clang -O3 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -pthread -luring -o filehasher  
 
 ### Debug  
-gcc -g -O0 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -pthread -luring -o file_hasher  
-clang -g -O0 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -pthread -luring -o file_hasher  
+gcc -g -O0 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -pthread -luring -o filehasher  
+clang -g -O0 file_hasher.c xxhash.c xxh_x86dispatch.c -pthread -luring -o filehasher  
 
 # Notes about the IO Ring implementations  
 ## IO Ring  
diff --git a/arena.c b/arena.c
index 61767d5..beb646b 100644
--- a/arena.c
+++ b/arena.c
@@ -83,8 +83,7 @@ u64 arena_pos_from_ptr(mem_arena *arena, void *ptr) {
 
 void *arena_ptr_from_pos(mem_arena *arena, u64 global_pos) {
   ASSERT(arena);
-  ASSERT(global_pos >= 0);
-  if (!arena || global_pos < 0) {
+  if (!arena) {
     return NULL;
   }
 
@@ -488,7 +487,6 @@ void *arena_free(mem_arena **arena_ptr, u8 **ptr, u64 size) { // mk free
      Find owning block
      ------------------------------------------------------------ */
 
-  mem_arena *selected = arena;
   mem_arena *owner = arena_block_from_ptr(arena, *ptr);
   ASSERT(owner);
   if (!owner) {
@@ -500,7 +498,7 @@ void *arena_free(mem_arena **arena_ptr, u8 **ptr, u64 size) { // mk free
      ------------------------------------------------------------ */
 
   u64 global_offset = arena_pos_from_ptr(arena, *ptr);
-  if (global_offset == -1) {
+  if (global_offset == UINT64_MAX) {
     return NULL;
   }
 
@@ -607,9 +605,6 @@ void *arena_swapback_pop(mem_arena **arena_ptr, u64 index) { // mk swapback
     fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: Swapback pop failed, index out of range");
     return NULL;
   }
-  u8 *owner_base = (u8 *)owner + ALIGN_UP_POW2(sizeof(mem_arena), owner->align);
-  u8 *arena_base = (u8 *)arena + ALIGN_UP_POW2(sizeof(mem_arena), arena->align);
-
   u8 *dst = arena_ptr_from_index(arena, index);
   u8 *src = arena_ptr_from_index(arena, count);
 
diff --git a/base.h b/base.h
index e209c28..3acc537 100644
--- a/base.h
+++ b/base.h
@@ -104,7 +104,9 @@ typedef double f64;
 #define ASSERT(x) assert(x)
 #endif
 
-#define NDEBUG // Comment to enable asserts
+#ifndef NDEBUG
+#define NDEBUG 1 // 0 to enable asserts
+#endif
 
 /* ------------------------------------------------------------
    Some helper functions
@@ -130,9 +132,9 @@ static b32 plat_mem_commit(void *ptr, u64 size) {
   return ret != NULL;
 }
 
-static b32 plat_mem_decommit(void *ptr, u64 size) {
-  return VirtualFree(ptr, size, MEM_DECOMMIT);
-}
+// static b32 plat_mem_decommit(void *ptr, u64 size) { // Comment to prevent warning: unused function
+//   return VirtualFree(ptr, size, MEM_DECOMMIT);
+// }
 
 static b32 plat_mem_release(void *ptr, u64 size) {
   return VirtualFree(ptr, size, MEM_RELEASE);
@@ -152,21 +154,21 @@ static void plat_sem_wait(plat_sem *s) {
   WaitForSingleObject(s->handle, INFINITE);
 }
 
-static b32 plat_sem_trywait(HANDLE sem) {
-  DWORD r = WaitForSingleObject(sem, 0);
-  return r == WAIT_OBJECT_0;
-}
+// static b32 plat_sem_trywait(HANDLE sem) { // Comment to prevent warning: unused function
+//   DWORD r = WaitForSingleObject(sem, 0);
+//   return r == WAIT_OBJECT_0;
+// }
 
 static void plat_sem_post(plat_sem *s, u32 count) {
   ReleaseSemaphore(s->handle, count, NULL);
 }
 
-static void plat_sem_destroy(plat_sem *s) {
-  if (s->handle) {
-    CloseHandle(s->handle);
-    s->handle = NULL;
-  }
-}
+// static void plat_sem_destroy(plat_sem *s) { // Comment to prevent warning: unused function
+//   if (s->handle) {
+//     CloseHandle(s->handle);
+//     s->handle = NULL;
+//   }
+// }
 
 // Sleep
 static void sleep_ms(int ms) { Sleep(ms); }
@@ -197,13 +199,13 @@ static b32 plat_mem_commit(void *ptr, u64 size) {
   return ret == 0;
 }
 
-static b32 plat_mem_decommit(void *ptr, u64 size) {
-  i32 ret = mprotect(ptr, size, PROT_NONE);
-  if (ret != 0)
-    return false;
-  ret = madvise(ptr, size, MADV_DONTNEED);
-  return ret == 0;
-}
+// static b32 plat_mem_decommit(void *ptr, u64 size) { // Comment to prevent warning: unused function
+//   i32 ret = mprotect(ptr, size, PROT_NONE);
+//   if (ret != 0)
+//     return false;
+//   ret = madvise(ptr, size, MADV_DONTNEED);
+//   return ret == 0;
+// }
 
 static b32 plat_mem_release(void *ptr, u64 size) {
   i32 ret = munmap(ptr, size);
@@ -226,7 +228,7 @@ static void plat_sem_wait(plat_sem *s) {
   }
 }
 
-static b32 plat_sem_trywait(sem_t *sem) { return sem_trywait(sem) == 0; }
+// static b32 plat_sem_trywait(sem_t *sem) { return sem_trywait(sem) == 0; } // Comment to prevent warning: unused function
 
 static void plat_sem_post(plat_sem *s, u32 count) {
   for (u32 i = 0; i < count; i++) {
@@ -234,7 +236,7 @@ static void plat_sem_post(plat_sem *s, u32 count) {
   }
 }
 
-static void plat_sem_destroy(plat_sem *s) { sem_destroy(&s->sem); }
+// static void plat_sem_destroy(plat_sem *s) { sem_destroy(&s->sem); } // Comment to prevent warning: unused function
 
 // Sleep
 static void sleep_ms(int ms) { usleep(ms * 1000); }
diff --git a/binaries/file_hasher_v1.0.exe b/binaries/file_hasher_v1.0.exe
deleted file mode 100644
index 97b90a0..0000000
Binary files a/binaries/file_hasher_v1.0.exe and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/binaries/file_hasher_v1.1.exe b/binaries/file_hasher_v1.1.exe
deleted file mode 100644
index 33c2f77..0000000
Binary files a/binaries/file_hasher_v1.1.exe and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/binaries/file_hasher_v2.0.exe b/binaries/file_hasher_v2.0.exe
deleted file mode 100644
index f00eaf7..0000000
Binary files a/binaries/file_hasher_v2.0.exe and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/binaries/file_hasher_v2.1.exe b/binaries/file_hasher_v2.1.exe
deleted file mode 100644
index e4c2ad2..0000000
Binary files a/binaries/file_hasher_v2.1.exe and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/binaries/file_hasher_v3.0.exe b/binaries/file_hasher_v3.0.exe
deleted file mode 100644
index 661ffa2..0000000
Binary files a/binaries/file_hasher_v3.0.exe and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/binaries/file_hasher_v3.1.exe b/binaries/file_hasher_v3.1.exe
deleted file mode 100644
index 205bafa..0000000
Binary files a/binaries/file_hasher_v3.1.exe and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/binaries/file_hasher_v3.2.exe b/binaries/file_hasher_v3.2.exe
deleted file mode 100644
index 8364396..0000000
Binary files a/binaries/file_hasher_v3.2.exe and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/binaries/file_hasher_v3.3.exe b/binaries/file_hasher_v3.3.exe
deleted file mode 100644
index 1712169..0000000
Binary files a/binaries/file_hasher_v3.3.exe and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/binaries/file_hasher_v3.4.exe b/binaries/file_hasher_v3.4.exe
deleted file mode 100644
index 3ad25de..0000000
Binary files a/binaries/file_hasher_v3.4.exe and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/binaries/file_hasher_v3.5.exe b/binaries/file_hasher_v3.5.exe
deleted file mode 100644
index 4915feb..0000000
Binary files a/binaries/file_hasher_v3.5.exe and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/binaries/file_hasher_v4.0.exe b/binaries/file_hasher_v4.0.exe
deleted file mode 100644
index 75e93c8..0000000
Binary files a/binaries/file_hasher_v4.0.exe and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/build.bat b/build.bat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fddea92
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build.bat
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+@echo off
+setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
+
+:: ============================================================================
+:: build.bat - Build script with compiler preference: clang-cl > gcc > clang
+:: Usage: build [Release|Debug] [clean]
+:: ============================================================================
+
+set BUILD_TYPE=Release
+set CLEAN_BUILD=0
+
+:: Parse arguments
+:parse_args
+if "%~1"=="" goto :main
+
+if /i "%~1"=="Release" (
+    set BUILD_TYPE=Release
+    shift
+    goto :parse_args
+)
+if /i "%~1"=="Debug" (
+    set BUILD_TYPE=Debug
+    shift
+    goto :parse_args
+)
+if /i "%~1"=="clean" (
+    set CLEAN_BUILD=1
+    shift
+    goto :parse_args
+)
+
+:: Unknown argument fallback (the *)
+echo Unknown argument: %~1
+echo Usage: .\%~nx0 [Release^|Debug] [clean]
+exit /b 1
+
+:main
+set BUILD_DIR=build\windows\%BUILD_TYPE%
+echo === Building filehasher (%BUILD_TYPE%) ===
+
+:: Clean if requested
+if %CLEAN_BUILD%==1 (
+    echo Cleaning...
+    if exist "%BUILD_DIR%" rmdir /s /q "%BUILD_DIR%" 2>nul
+)
+
+:: Create build dir
+if not exist "%BUILD_DIR%" mkdir "%BUILD_DIR%"
+pushd "%BUILD_DIR%"
+
+:: Find compiler in preferred order
+set CC=
+where clang-cl >nul 2>&1
+if !ERRORLEVEL! equ 0 (
+    echo Compiler: clang-cl ^(preferred^)
+    set "CC=-DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=clang-cl"
+    goto :find_generator
+)
+
+where gcc >nul 2>&1
+if !ERRORLEVEL! equ 0 (
+    echo Compiler: gcc ^(fallback^)
+    set "CC=-DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=gcc"
+    goto :find_generator
+)
+
+where clang >nul 2>&1
+if !ERRORLEVEL! equ 0 (
+    echo Compiler: clang ^(last resort^)
+    set "CC=-DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=clang"
+    goto :find_generator
+)
+
+echo ERROR: No suitable compiler found! (clang-cl, gcc, or clang required)
+popd
+exit /b 1
+
+:find_generator
+:: Find Ninja for build system
+set GEN=
+where ninja >nul 2>&1
+if !ERRORLEVEL! equ 0 (
+    echo Generator: Ninja
+    set "GEN=-G Ninja"
+) else (
+    echo Generator: Default
+)
+
+:: Configure
+echo.
+echo Configuring CMake...
+set CMD=cmake ../../.. %GEN% %CC% -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=%BUILD_TYPE% -DCMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS=ON
+echo !CMD!
+!CMD!
+if !ERRORLEVEL! neq 0 (echo ERROR: Configuration failed & popd & exit /b 1)
+
+:: Build
+echo.
+echo Building...
+cmake --build . --config %BUILD_TYPE%
+if !ERRORLEVEL! neq 0 (echo ERROR: Build failed & popd & exit /b 1)
+
+:: Check if compile_commands.json exists in the current build directory
+if exist "compile_commands.json" (
+    echo.
+    echo   clangd: compile_commands.json generated
+    
+    :: Copy from current build dir up two levels to the project root
+    copy /Y "compile_commands.json" "..\..\..\compile_commands.json" >nul 2>&1
+    if !ERRORLEVEL! equ 0 (
+        echo   clangd: Copied to project root
+    ) else (
+        echo   clangd: Could not copy to project root
+    )
+)
+
+popd
+echo.
+echo === Build Complete ===
+echo Executable: %BUILD_DIR%\filehasher.exe
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/build.sh b/build.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9734457
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,255 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# ============================================================================
+# build.sh - Build script for filehasher (Linux)
+# Usage: ./build.sh [Release|Debug] [clean]
+#
+# Compiler preference: gcc > clang
+# Build system: Ninja (fallback to Make)
+# ============================================================================
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Colors
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+readonly RED='\033[0;31m'
+readonly GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+readonly YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+readonly CYAN='\033[0;36m'
+readonly NC='\033[0m'
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Default values
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+BUILD_TYPE="Release"
+CLEAN_BUILD=0
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Parse arguments
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
+    case "$1" in
+        Release|release)
+            BUILD_TYPE="Release"
+            shift
+            ;;
+        Debug|debug)
+            BUILD_TYPE="Debug"
+            shift
+            ;;
+        clean|-clean|--clean)
+            CLEAN_BUILD=1
+            shift
+            ;;
+        *)
+            echo -e "${RED}Unknown argument: $1${NC}"
+            echo "Usage: $0 [Release|Debug] [clean]"
+            exit 1
+            ;;
+    esac
+done
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Setup
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+readonly BUILD_DIR="build/linux/${BUILD_TYPE}"
+readonly SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+
+echo -e "${GREEN}=== Building filehasher (${BUILD_TYPE}) ===${NC}"
+echo "Project: ${SCRIPT_DIR}"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Clean if requested
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+if [[ $CLEAN_BUILD -eq 1 ]]; then
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}Cleaning build directory...${NC}"
+    rm -rf "${BUILD_DIR}"
+    echo
+fi
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Create build directory
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+mkdir -p "${BUILD_DIR}"
+cd "${BUILD_DIR}"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Find compiler (prefer gcc, fallback to clang)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo -e "${YELLOW}Detecting compiler...${NC}"
+
+CC_BINARY=""
+CC_NAME=""
+
+if command -v gcc &> /dev/null; then
+    CC_BINARY="gcc"
+    CC_VERSION=$(gcc --version | head -n1)
+    CC_NAME="GCC (${CC_VERSION})"
+    echo -e "  ${GREEN}[OK]${NC} Found GCC (preferred): ${CC_VERSION}"
+elif command -v clang &> /dev/null; then
+    CC_BINARY="clang"
+    CC_VERSION=$(clang --version | head -n1)
+    CC_NAME="Clang (${CC_VERSION})"
+    echo -e "  ${YELLOW}[OK]${NC} Found Clang (fallback): ${CC_VERSION}"
+else
+    echo -e "${RED}[FAIL] No suitable compiler found!${NC}"
+    echo "Please install gcc or clang:"
+    echo "  Ubuntu/Debian:  sudo apt install build-essential"
+    echo "  Fedora/RHEL:    sudo dnf install gcc"
+    echo "  Arch:           sudo pacman -S gcc"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Check dependencies
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo -e "${YELLOW}Checking dependencies...${NC}"
+
+# Check for liburing
+HAVE_LIBURING=0
+if ldconfig -p | grep -q liburing 2>/dev/null; then
+    HAVE_LIBURING=1
+    echo -e "  ${GREEN}[OK]${NC} Found liburing"
+elif pkg-config --exists liburing 2>/dev/null; then
+    HAVE_LIBURING=1
+    echo -e "  ${GREEN}[OK]${NC} Found liburing (pkg-config)"
+elif [[ -f /usr/lib/liburing.so ]] || [[ -f /usr/lib64/liburing.so ]] || [[ -f /usr/local/lib/liburing.so ]]; then
+    HAVE_LIBURING=1
+    echo -e "  ${GREEN}[OK]${NC} Found liburing (manual detection)"
+else
+    echo -e "${RED}[FAIL] liburing not found!${NC}"
+    echo "Please install liburing-dev:"
+    echo "  Ubuntu/Debian:  sudo apt install liburing-dev"
+    echo "  Fedora/RHEL:    sudo dnf install liburing-devel"
+    echo "  Arch:           sudo pacman -S liburing"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Check for pthreads
+# Check if pthreads is available (either in ldconfig or merged into libc)
+if ldconfig -p | grep -q libpthread 2>/dev/null || ldd --version | grep -qP '2\.(3[4-9]|[4-9][0-9])'; then
+    echo -e "  ${GREEN}[OK]${NC} Found pthreads (merged or standalone)"
+else
+    echo -e "  ${YELLOW}[NOTE]${NC} pthreads not found, attempting link"
+fi
+echo
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Find build system (prefer ninja)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo -e "${YELLOW}Selecting build system...${NC}"
+
+GENERATOR=""
+GENERATOR_NAME=""
+
+if command -v ninja &> /dev/null; then
+    GENERATOR="Ninja"
+    GENERATOR_NAME="Ninja"
+    echo -e "  ${GREEN}[OK]${NC} Using Ninja"
+elif command -v make &> /dev/null; then
+    GENERATOR="Unix Makefiles"
+    GENERATOR_NAME="Make"
+    echo -e "  ${YELLOW}[OK]${NC} Ninja not found, using Make"
+else
+    echo -e "${RED}[FAIL] No build system found!${NC}"
+    echo "Please install ninja or make:"
+    echo "  Ubuntu/Debian:  sudo apt install ninja-build"
+    echo "  Fedora/RHEL:    sudo dnf install ninja-build"
+    echo "  Arch:           sudo pacman -S ninja"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Configure
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo -e "${YELLOW}Configuring CMake...${NC}"
+echo -e "  Build type: ${BUILD_TYPE}"
+echo -e "  Compiler:   ${CC_NAME}"
+echo -e "  Generator:  ${GENERATOR_NAME}"
+
+cmake "${SCRIPT_DIR}" \
+    -G "${GENERATOR}" \
+    -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE="${BUILD_TYPE}" \
+    -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER="${CC_BINARY}" \
+    -DCMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS=ON
+
+if [[ $? -ne 0 ]]; then
+    echo -e "${RED}CMake configuration failed!${NC}"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo -e "${GREEN}Configuration successful!${NC}"
+echo
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Build
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo -e "${YELLOW}Building...${NC}"
+
+# Get number of CPU cores
+if command -v nproc &> /dev/null; then
+    CORES=$(nproc)
+else
+    CORES=4
+fi
+
+cmake --build . --config "${BUILD_TYPE}" --parallel "${CORES}"
+
+if [[ $? -ne 0 ]]; then
+    echo -e "${RED}Build failed!${NC}"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo -e "${GREEN}Build successful!${NC}"
+echo
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Verify output
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+cd "${SCRIPT_DIR}"
+
+if [[ -f "${BUILD_DIR}/filehasher" ]]; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}Executable: ${BUILD_DIR}/filehasher${NC}"
+
+    if command -v file &> /dev/null; then
+        echo -e "  Type: $(file -b ${BUILD_DIR}/filehasher)"
+    fi
+
+    if command -v du &> /dev/null; then
+        echo -e "  Size: $(du -h ${BUILD_DIR}/filehasher | cut -f1)"
+    fi
+elif [[ -f "${BUILD_DIR}/filehasher.exe" ]]; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}Executable: ${BUILD_DIR}/filehasher.exe${NC}"
+else
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}Note: Could not locate executable${NC}"
+    echo "Checking build directory:"
+    find "${BUILD_DIR}" -type f -executable 2>/dev/null || echo "  No executables found"
+fi
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Summary
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo
+echo -e "${CYAN}=== Build Complete ===${NC}"
+echo
+echo -e "${YELLOW}Build Information:${NC}"
+echo -e "  Configuration: ${BUILD_TYPE}"
+echo -e "  Compiler:      ${CC_NAME}"
+echo -e "  Generator:     ${GENERATOR_NAME}"
+echo -e "  Output:        ${BUILD_DIR}/"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Copy compile_commands.json for clangd
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+if [[ -f "${BUILD_DIR}/compile_commands.json" ]]; then
+    echo -e "  clangd:        compile_commands.json generated"
+    
+    # Always copy the latest version
+    cp "${BUILD_DIR}/compile_commands.json" "${SCRIPT_DIR}/compile_commands.json"
+    echo -e "  clangd:        Copied to project root"
+fi
+
+echo
+echo -e "${GREEN}Ready to run: ./${BUILD_DIR}/filehasher${NC}"
diff --git a/binaries/changelog.txt b/changelog.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from binaries/changelog.txt
rename to changelog.txt
diff --git a/file_hasher.c b/file_hasher.c
index 67bf97d..abb4f6d 100644
--- a/file_hasher.c
+++ b/file_hasher.c
@@ -77,14 +77,14 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
   // Detect hardware
   // -------------------------------
   // --- Windows: detect PHYSICAL cores (not logical threads) ---
-  uint32_t cpu_cores = platform_physical_cores();
+  uint8_t cpu_cores = platform_physical_cores();
 
   // Logical threads = CPU cores * 2
-  uint32_t cpu_threads = cpu_cores * 2;
+  uint8_t cpu_threads = cpu_cores * 2;
 
 #if MULTI_THREADING
-  uint32_t num_scan_threads = cpu_threads;
-  uint32_t num_hash_threads = cpu_threads;
+  uint8_t num_scan_threads = cpu_threads;
+  uint8_t num_hash_threads = cpu_threads;
 
   printf("%d cores %d threads CPU detected with %s instruction set\n"
          "Starting thread pool: %d scanning and %d hashing threads\n",
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
   Thread *hash_threads =
       arena_push(&gp_arena, sizeof(Thread) * num_hash_threads, true);
 
-  for (size_t i = 0; i < num_hash_threads; ++i) {
+  for (uint8_t i = 0; i < num_hash_threads; ++i) {
     workers[i].arena = arena_create(&params);
     workers[i].file_queue = &file_queue;
 
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
         0)
 #endif
     {
-      fprintf(stderr, "Failed to create hash thread %zu\n", i);
+      fprintf(stderr, "Failed to create hash thread %d\n", i);
       exit(1);
     }
   }
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
   Thread *scan_threads =
       arena_push(&gp_arena, sizeof(Thread) * num_scan_threads, true);
 
-  for (size_t i = 0; i < num_scan_threads; i++) {
+  for (uint8_t i = 0; i < num_scan_threads; i++) {
     scanners[i].num_threads = num_scan_threads;
     scanners[i].path_arena = arena_create(&params);
     scanners[i].meta_arena = arena_create(&params);
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 
     if (thread_create(&scan_threads[i], (ThreadFunc)scan_worker,
                       &scanners[i]) != 0) {
-      fprintf(stderr, "Failed to create scan thread %zu\n", i);
+      fprintf(stderr, "Failed to create scan thread %d\n", i);
       exit(1);
     }
   }
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
   // Stop scan threads
   thread_wait_multiple(scan_threads, num_scan_threads);
 
-  for (size_t i = 0; i < num_scan_threads; ++i) {
+  for (uint8_t i = 0; i < num_scan_threads; ++i) {
     thread_close(&scan_threads[i]);
   }
 
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
   // Stop hashing threads
   thread_wait_multiple(hash_threads, num_hash_threads);
 
-  for (size_t i = 0; i < num_hash_threads; ++i) {
+  for (uint8_t i = 0; i < num_hash_threads; ++i) {
     thread_close(&hash_threads[i]);
   }
 
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 
   FILE *f = fopen(FILE_HASHES_TXT, "wb");
 
-  for (int i = 0; i < num_hash_threads; i++) {
+  for (uint8_t i = 0; i < num_hash_threads; i++) {
     mem_arena *arena = workers[i].arena;
     u8 *arena_base =
         (u8 *)arena + ALIGN_UP_POW2(sizeof(mem_arena), arena->align);
diff --git a/lf_mpmc.h b/lf_mpmc.h
index 2288f26..05bbd5f 100644
--- a/lf_mpmc.h
+++ b/lf_mpmc.h
@@ -306,21 +306,21 @@ static void mpmc_task_done(MPMCQueue *q, u8 consumer_count) {
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------- */
 /* MPMC Cleanup */
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------- */
-static void mpmc_finish(MPMCQueue *q) {
-  if (!q)
-    return;
-
-  if (q->slots) {
-    plat_mem_release(q->slots, 0);
-    q->slots = NULL;
-  }
-
-  plat_sem_destroy(&q->items_sem);
-
-  q->capacity = 0;
-  q->mask = 0;
-
-  atomic_store_explicit(&q->head, 0, memory_order_relaxed);
-  atomic_store_explicit(&q->tail, 0, memory_order_relaxed);
-  atomic_store_explicit(&q->committed, 0, memory_order_relaxed);
-}
+// static void mpmc_finish(MPMCQueue *q) { // Comment to prevent warning: unused function
+//   if (!q)
+//     return;
+//
+//   if (q->slots) {
+//     plat_mem_release(q->slots, 0);
+//     q->slots = NULL;
+//   }
+//
+//   plat_sem_destroy(&q->items_sem);
+//
+//   q->capacity = 0;
+//   q->mask = 0;
+//
+//   atomic_store_explicit(&q->head, 0, memory_order_relaxed);
+//   atomic_store_explicit(&q->tail, 0, memory_order_relaxed);
+//   atomic_store_explicit(&q->committed, 0, memory_order_relaxed);
+// }
diff --git a/platform.c b/platform.c
index 3813d71..0ea8108 100644
--- a/platform.c
+++ b/platform.c
@@ -247,13 +247,6 @@ typedef struct {
   void *arg;
 } ThreadWrapper;
 
-static void *thread_start_routine(void *arg) {
-  ThreadWrapper *wrapper = (ThreadWrapper *)arg;
-  void *result = wrapper->func(wrapper->arg);
-  free(wrapper);
-  return result;
-}
-
 // Thread creation function
 static int thread_create(Thread *thread, ThreadFunc func, void *arg) {
   int ret = pthread_create(&thread->handle, NULL, func, arg);
@@ -1200,9 +1193,9 @@ static int close_ioring(ThreadIoContext *thread_ctx) {
   (IORING_BUFFER_INFO) { .Address = (a), .Length = (uint32_t)(l) }
 
 static int ioring_submit(ThreadIoContext *thread_ctx, uint32_t wait_count,
-                         uint32_t timeout_ms, uint32_t *submitted) {
-  HRESULT hr = SubmitIoRing(thread_ctx->ring, 0, timeout_ms, submitted);
-  // HRESULT hr = SubmitIoRing(ring, wait_count, timeout_ms, submitted);
+                         uint32_t *submitted) {
+  HRESULT hr = SubmitIoRing(thread_ctx->ring, 0, SUBMIT_TIMEOUT_MS, submitted);
+  // HRESULT hr = SubmitIoRing(ring, wait_count, SUBMIT_TIMEOUT_MS, submitted);
 
   // The wait_count in windows is not implemented yet, so we wait with a
   // completion event for a single completion
@@ -1214,7 +1207,6 @@ static int ioring_submit(ThreadIoContext *thread_ctx, uint32_t wait_count,
 }
 
 static void ioring_register_buffers(ThreadIoContext *thread_ctx,
-                                    uint32_t num_buffers,
                                     IORING_BUFFER_INFO *buf_info) {
 
   HRESULT hr = BuildIoRingRegisterBuffers(
@@ -1230,7 +1222,7 @@ static void ioring_register_buffers(ThreadIoContext *thread_ctx,
             error_msg, (unsigned int)hr);
   }
   // Submit registration
-  ioring_submit(thread_ctx, 0, 0, NULL);
+  ioring_submit(thread_ctx, 0, NULL);
 }
 
 #if USE_REGISTERED_FILES
@@ -1429,11 +1421,10 @@ static int close_ioring(ThreadIoContext *thread_ctx) {
   (IORING_BUFFER_INFO) { .iov_base = (a), .iov_len = (size_t)(l) }
 
 static void ioring_register_buffers(ThreadIoContext *thread_ctx,
-                                    uint32_t num_buffers,
                                     IORING_BUFFER_INFO *buf_info) {
 
   int ret = io_uring_register_buffers(&((IoUring *)thread_ctx->ring)->ring,
-                                      buf_info, num_buffers);
+                                      buf_info, NUM_BUFFERS_PER_THREAD);
 
   if (ret < 0) {
     if (ret == -ENOMEM) {
@@ -1540,7 +1531,7 @@ static int ioring_build_read(ThreadIoContext *thread_ctx,
 }
 
 static int ioring_submit(ThreadIoContext *thread_ctx, uint32_t wait_count,
-                         uint32_t timeout_ms, uint32_t *submitted) {
+                         uint32_t *submitted) {
   int ret;
 
   if (wait_count > 0) {
@@ -1745,7 +1736,7 @@ static ThreadIoContext *ioring_init_thread(void) {
   thread_ctx->free_count = NUM_BUFFERS_PER_THREAD;
 
   // Register buffers
-  ioring_register_buffers(thread_ctx, NUM_BUFFERS_PER_THREAD, buf_info);
+  ioring_register_buffers(thread_ctx, buf_info);
 
 #if USE_REGISTERED_FILES
   ioring_register_files(thread_ctx);
@@ -1799,7 +1790,7 @@ static void return_buffer(ThreadIoContext *ctx, IoBuffer *buf) {
 }
 
 // -------------------------- Process completions ---------------------------
-static void process_completions(ThreadIoContext *thread_ctx, FileQueue *fq) {
+static void process_completions(ThreadIoContext *thread_ctx) {
   IoRingCQE cqe;
 
   while (ioring_pop_completion(thread_ctx->ring, &cqe) == 1) {
@@ -2095,10 +2086,10 @@ static THREAD_RETURN hash_worker_ioring(void *arg) {
     wait_count = MIN(thread_ctx->num_submissions, NUM_BUFFERS_PER_THREAD - 6);
 
     submitted = 0;
-    ioring_submit(thread_ctx, wait_count, 0, &submitted);
+    ioring_submit(thread_ctx, wait_count, &submitted);
 
     // Process completions
-    process_completions(thread_ctx, &fq);
+    process_completions(thread_ctx);
 
 #if IORING_DEBUG_STATS
     printf(