diff --git a/bin/pkg-build b/bin/pkg-build
index 725cfb6c..2ad321a2 100755
--- a/bin/pkg-build
+++ b/bin/pkg-build
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx bash -eo pipefail
+#!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx bash
 # shellcheck shell=bash
 
+set -eo pipefail
+
 PKGX_DIR=${PKGX_DIR:-"$HOME/.pkgx"}
 
 if pwd | grep -q ' '; then
@@ -32,7 +34,7 @@ if test -n "$PKGX_DOCKER"; then
   exec "$d"/bin/pkg-docker build "$PKGS"
 fi
 
-if ! available.ts "$PKGS"; then
+if ! available.ts $PKGS; then
   echo "warning: not supported on current platform" >&2
   exit 0
 fi
diff --git a/bin/pkg-clean b/bin/pkg-clean
index 59ada6ff..4931132c 100755
--- a/bin/pkg-clean
+++ b/bin/pkg-clean
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx bash -eo pipefail
+#!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx bash
 # shellcheck shell=bash
 
+set -eo pipefail
+
 d="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")"/.. && pwd)"
 PATH="$d/libexec:$PATH"
 
diff --git a/bin/pkg-docker b/bin/pkg-docker
index 72ce01ac..4f5dae1f 100755
--- a/bin/pkg-docker
+++ b/bin/pkg-docker
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ if test "$arg0" = docker; then
   exit 1
 elif shift; then
   # ensure this brewkit is used
-  CMD="pkgx +deno.land ""$d/bin/pkg-$arg0"
+  CMD="$d/bin/pkg-$arg0"
   ADDARGS="--volume ""$d"":""$d"
 else
   # we were invoked as `pkg -L` by itself
diff --git a/bin/pkg-edit b/bin/pkg-edit
index c92cb46f..3a6e271a 100755
--- a/bin/pkg-edit
+++ b/bin/pkg-edit
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx bash -eo pipefail
+#!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx bash
 # shellcheck shell=bash
 
-set -e
+set -eo pipefail
 
 d="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")"/.. && pwd)"
 PATH="$d/libexec:$PATH"
diff --git a/bin/pkg-fetch b/bin/pkg-fetch
index 2c17b792..4b7d7047 100755
--- a/bin/pkg-fetch
+++ b/bin/pkg-fetch
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx bash -eo pipefail
+#!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx bash
 # shellcheck shell=bash
 
+set -eo pipefail
+
 d="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")"/.. && pwd)"
 PATH="$d/libexec:$PATH"
 
diff --git a/bin/pkg-fixup b/bin/pkg-fixup
index 90da6eed..d3bbc46b 100755
--- a/bin/pkg-fixup
+++ b/bin/pkg-fixup
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx bash -eo pipefail
+#!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx bash
 # shellcheck shell=bash
 
+set -eo pipefail
+
 d="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")"/.. && pwd)"
 PATH="$d/libexec:$PATH"
 
diff --git a/bin/pkg-test b/bin/pkg-test
index 402e7593..180a5945 100755
--- a/bin/pkg-test
+++ b/bin/pkg-test
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx bash -eo pipefail
+#!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx bash
 # shellcheck shell=bash
 
+set -eo pipefail
+
 d="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")"/.. && pwd)"
 PATH="$d/libexec:$PATH"
 
diff --git a/libexec/find.ts b/libexec/find.ts
index 4e4c659e..4f4c7f4b 100755
--- a/libexec/find.ts
+++ b/libexec/find.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx deno run --allow-read --allow-env
 
-import { hooks } from "pkgx"
+import { hooks, utils } from "pkgx"
 const { find } = hooks.usePantry()
 
 for (const arg of Deno.args) {
-  const rv = await find(arg)
+
+  const {project, constraint} = utils.pkg.parse(arg)
+
+  const rv = await find(project)
 
   if (rv.length > 1) {
     console.error("multiple matches: " + rv.map(({project}) => project).join(' '))
@@ -18,6 +21,7 @@ for (const arg of Deno.args) {
   if (Deno.env.get("_PATHS")) {
     console.info(rv[0].path.string)
   } else {
-    console.info(rv[0].project)
+    const pkg = {project: rv[0].project, constraint}
+    console.info(utils.pkg.str(pkg))
   }
 }
diff --git a/libexec/stage-test.ts b/libexec/stage-test.ts
index 6f041fa4..df7c5634 100755
--- a/libexec/stage-test.ts
+++ b/libexec/stage-test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import { parseFlags } from "cliffy/flags/mod.ts"
 import { hooks, utils, Path } from "pkgx"
 import undent from "outdent"
+import host from "libpkgx/utils/host.ts";
 
 const { usePantry, useCellar, useConfig, useShellEnv } = hooks
 const { pkg: pkgutils, panic } = utils
@@ -31,10 +32,20 @@ const deps = await (() => {
   return Promise.all(pp)
 })()
 const dstdir = new Path(flags.dstdir)
-const yml = await pantry.project(pkg).yaml()
+const project = pantry.project(pkg)
+const yml = await project.yaml()
 const installations = [...deps]
 if (deps.find(x => x.pkg.project == self.pkg.project) === undefined) installations.push(self)
 
+/// try to find `pkgx` since we deliberately withold it from the PATH for tests
+/// since it needs to be an explicit dependency
+const pkgx = (PATH => {
+  for (const path of PATH.split(":")) {
+    const f = Path.abs(path)?.join("pkgx").isExecutableFile()
+    if (f) return f.string
+  }
+})(Deno.env.get("PATH") ?? '') ?? 'pkgx'
+
 Deno.env.set("HOME", dstdir.string)  //lol side-effects beware!
 const env = await useShellEnv().map({ installations })
 
@@ -43,44 +54,20 @@ if (!yml.test) throw "no `test` node in package.yml"
 env['PATH'] ??= []
 env['PATH'].push("/usr/bin:/bin")
 
-if (!deps.find(({pkg}) => pkg.project == 'llvm.org' || pkg.project == 'gnu.org/gcc')) {
-  /// add our helper cc toolchain unless the package has picked its own toolchain
-  env['PATH'].unshift(new Path(new URL(import.meta.url).pathname).parent().parent().join("share/toolchain/bin").string)
-
-  //COPY PASTA from stage.ts
-  const d = dstdir.join('dev.pkgx.bin').mkdir()
-  const symlink = (names: string[], {to}: {to: string}) => {
-    for (const name of names) {
-      const path = d.join(name)
-      if (path.exists()) continue
-      const target = useConfig().prefix.join('llvm.org/v*/bin', to)
-      path.ln('s', { target })
-    }
-  }
-
-  symlink(["ar"], {to: "llvm-ar"})
-  symlink(["as"], {to: "llvm-as"})
-  symlink(["cc", "gcc", "clang"], {to: "clang"})
-  symlink(["c++", "g++", "clang++"], {to: "clang++"})
-  symlink(["cpp"], {to: "clang-cpp"})
-  symlink(["ld"], {to: "lld"})
-  symlink(["lld"], {to: "lld"})
-  symlink(["ld64.lld"], {to: "ld64.lld"})
-  symlink(["lld-link"], {to: "lld-link"})
-  symlink(["objcopy"], {to: "llvm-objcopy"})
-  symlink(["readelf"], {to: "llvm-readelf"})
-  symlink(["strip"], {to: "llvm-strip"})
-  symlink(["nm"], {to: "llvm-nm"})
-  symlink(["ranlib"], {to: "llvm-ranlib"})
-  symlink(["strings"], {to: "llvm-strings"})
-}
-
 let text = undent`
-  #!/usr/bin/env bash
-
-  set -e
-  set -o pipefail
-  set -x
+  #!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx bash
+
+  set -exo pipefail
+
+  command_not_found_handler() {
+    echo "::warning::\\\`$1\\\` is not an explicit dependency!"
+    case $1 in
+    cc|c++|ld)
+      ${pkgx} +llvm.org -- "$@";;
+    *)
+      ${pkgx} -- "$@";;
+    esac
+  }
 
   export PKGX_DIR="${useConfig().prefix}"
   export HOME="${dstdir}"
diff --git a/libexec/stage.ts b/libexec/stage.ts
index c15541b4..4cc0b40c 100755
--- a/libexec/stage.ts
+++ b/libexec/stage.ts
@@ -61,36 +61,6 @@ const sup_PATH = [new Path(new URL(import.meta.url).pathname).parent().parent().
 if (!deps.find(({pkg}) => pkg.project == 'llvm.org' || pkg.project == 'gnu.org/gcc')) {
   /// add our helper cc toolchain unless the package has picked its own toolchain
   sup_PATH.push(new Path(new URL(import.meta.url).pathname).parent().parent().join("share/toolchain/bin"))
-
-  if (host().platform != "darwin") {
-    const symlink = (names: string[], {to}: {to: string}) => {
-      const d = blddir.join('dev.pkgx.bin').mkdir()
-      for (const name of names) {
-        const path = d.join(name)
-        if (path.exists()) continue
-        const target = prefix.join('llvm.org/v*/bin', to)
-        path.ln('s', { target })
-      }
-    }
-
-    symlink(["cc", "gcc", "clang"], {to: "clang"})
-    symlink(["c++", "g++", "clang++"], {to: "clang++"})
-    symlink(["cpp"], {to: "clang-cpp"})
-
-    symlink(["ld"], {to: "lld"})
-    symlink(["lld"], {to: "lld"})
-    symlink(["ld64.lld"], {to: "ld64.lld"})
-    symlink(["lld-link"], {to: "lld-link"})
-
-    symlink(["ar"], {to: "llvm-ar"})
-    symlink(["as"], {to: "llvm-as"})
-    symlink(["nm"], {to: "llvm-nm"})
-    symlink(["objcopy"], {to: "llvm-objcopy"})
-    symlink(["ranlib"], {to: "llvm-ranlib"})
-    symlink(["readelf"], {to: "llvm-readelf"})
-    symlink(["strings"], {to: "llvm-strings"})
-    symlink(["strip"], {to: "llvm-strip"})
-  }
 }
 
 /// calc env
@@ -112,7 +82,7 @@ if (host().platform == 'linux' && host().arch == 'x86-64') {
 }
 
 const text = undent`
-  #!/bin/bash
+  #!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx bash
 
   set -exo pipefail
 
diff --git a/scripts/publish-release.sh b/scripts/publish-release.sh
index 508050c8..4806fbf2 100755
--- a/scripts/publish-release.sh
+++ b/scripts/publish-release.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx +git +gh +jq +gum +npx +deno bash -eo pipefail
+#!/usr/bin/env -S pkgx +git +gh +jq +gum +npx +deno bash
+
+set -eo pipefail
 
 # the back and forth here is because draft releases cannot trigger
 # GitHub Actions 😒
diff --git a/share/toolchain/bin/make b/share/toolchain/bin/make
index f8642019..133d337e 100755
--- a/share/toolchain/bin/make
+++ b/share/toolchain/bin/make
@@ -3,5 +3,12 @@
 if [ $(uname) = Darwin ]; then
   exec /usr/bin/make "$@"
 else
-  exec pkgx +gnu.org/make make "$@"
+  if [ -x /usr/local/bin/pkgx ]; then
+    # removed from PATH deliberately
+    pkgx=/usr/local/bin/pkgx
+  else
+    # probs this is running in pkgx CI/CD
+    pkgx="${PKGX_DIR:-$HOME/.pkgx}/pkgx.sh/v*/bin/pkgx"
+  fi
+  exec "$pkgx" +gnu.org/make make "$@"
 fi
diff --git a/share/toolchain/shim b/share/toolchain/shim
index 4c0381c3..3e3014e7 100755
--- a/share/toolchain/shim
+++ b/share/toolchain/shim
@@ -3,8 +3,15 @@
 tool=$(basename $0)
 
 if [ $(uname) != Darwin ]; then
-  "${PKGX_DIR:-$HOME/.pkgx}/pkgx.sh/v*/bin/pkgx" --silent +llvm.org
-  exec "${SRCROOT:-$HOME}/dev.pkgx.bin/$tool" "$@"
+  if [ -x /usr/local/bin/pkgx ]; then
+    # removed from PATH deliberately
+    #TODO like, probs we should set PKGX or something before removing it from PATH
+    pkgx=/usr/local/bin/pkgx
+  else
+    # if not the above probs this is running in pkgx CI/CD
+    pkgx="${PKGX_DIR:-$HOME/.pkgx}/pkgx.sh/v*/bin/pkgx"
+  fi
+  "$pkgx" --silent +llvm.org "$@"
 fi
 
 case $tool in