diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index b97f152..feb3125 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -8,4 +8,5 @@
 .TemporaryItems
 .Trashes
 mgsh
+bin/
 .mgshrc
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 73ce2d6..070b562 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -17,14 +17,36 @@ directory. Go port of the original Perl `mgsh` (`mgsh.perl`).
 ## Build
 
 ```sh
-./build.sh          # builds ./mgsh and bumps the patch version by 0.0.1
-go build -o mgsh .  # plain build, keeps the default version
+./build.sh                        # all platforms into ./bin, bumps the patch version
+PLATFORMS="linux/amd64" ./build.sh  # just one
+go build -o mgsh .                # plain build, keeps the default version
 ```
 
-`build.sh` reads `version.txt`, increments the patch component, injects it via
-`-ldflags -X main.VERSION`, and writes it back — so `version.txt` always holds
-the version of the binary just built. Dependencies are fetched via Go modules
-(`go.mod` / `go.sum`) on first build.
+`build.sh` cross-compiles for `darwin/arm64`, `darwin/amd64`, `linux/amd64` and
+`linux/arm64` into `./bin`:
+
+```
+bin/mgsh                 -> mgsh-darwin-arm64   (this machine)
+bin/mgsh-darwin-amd64
+bin/mgsh-darwin-arm64
+bin/mgsh-linux-amd64
+bin/mgsh-linux-arm64
+```
+
+`bin/mgsh` is a symlink to the build for the host, so there is one stable path
+to "the binary for this machine". `bin/` is git-ignored. Windows is deliberately
+absent: mgsh shells out to `stty` and `/bin/sh`, so it would compile there and
+then not work.
+
+Everything is built with `CGO_ENABLED=0`, which makes the cross builds need no
+toolchain per target and the binaries static; `os/user` resolves the current
+user without cgo on both darwin and linux.
+
+It reads `version.txt`, increments the patch component, injects it via
+`-ldflags -X main.VERSION` into **all** platforms of that run, and writes it
+back — so `version.txt` always holds the version of the binaries just built, and
+they all carry the same one. Dependencies are fetched via Go modules (`go.mod` /
+`go.sum`) on first build.
 
 Run the tests with `go test ./...`.
 
diff --git a/build.sh b/build.sh
index 419832b..d9088ed 100755
--- a/build.sh
+++ b/build.sh
@@ -1,12 +1,22 @@
 #!/bin/sh
-# Build mgsh, auto-incrementing the patch version by 0.0.1 on every build.
+# Build mgsh for the usual platforms into ./bin, auto-incrementing the patch
+# version by 0.0.1 on every build.
 #
 # version.txt holds the currently built version. Each run increments the patch
-# component, then builds with that version injected via -ldflags, and writes it
-# back. So version.txt always reflects the version of the binary just built.
+# component, then builds every platform with that one version injected via
+# -ldflags, and writes it back. So version.txt always reflects the version of
+# the binaries just built, and all of them carry the same one.
+#
+# Override the platform list to build just one:
+#   PLATFORMS="linux/amd64" ./build.sh
+#
+# Windows is deliberately absent: mgsh shells out to stty and /bin/sh, so it
+# would compile there and then not work.
 set -e
 cd "$(dirname "$0")"
 
+PLATFORMS=${PLATFORMS:-"darwin/arm64 darwin/amd64 linux/amd64 linux/arm64"}
+
 V=$(cat version.txt 2>/dev/null || echo 4.0.0)
 
 # split MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH and increment PATCH (no carry: 4.0.9 -> 4.0.10)
@@ -17,7 +27,34 @@ PATCH=${REST#*.}
 PATCH=$((PATCH + 1))
 NV="$MAJOR.$MINOR.$PATCH"
 
-go build -ldflags "-X main.VERSION=$NV" -o mgsh .
+# earlier versions built ./mgsh in the repo root; drop it so nothing keeps
+# running a stale binary from a path that is no longer written
+if [ -f mgsh ]; then
+	rm -f mgsh
+	echo "removed stale ./mgsh (the build now writes ./bin)"
+fi
+
+mkdir -p bin
+HOST="$(go env GOOS)/$(go env GOARCH)"
+
+for p in $PLATFORMS; do
+	os=${p%/*}
+	arch=${p#*/}
+	out="bin/mgsh-$os-$arch"
+
+	# CGO_ENABLED=0 throughout: it makes the cross builds work without a
+	# toolchain per target and the binaries static, and os/user still resolves
+	# the current user without cgo on both darwin and linux.
+	CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS="$os" GOARCH="$arch" \
+		go build -ldflags "-X main.VERSION=$NV" -o "$out" .
+
+	if [ "$p" = "$HOST" ]; then
+		ln -sf "mgsh-$os-$arch" bin/mgsh # the one for this machine
+		echo "  $out  ->  bin/mgsh"
+	else
+		echo "  $out"
+	fi
+done
 
 echo "$NV" > version.txt
 echo "built mgsh v$NV"
diff --git a/version.txt b/version.txt
index 93896ac..98c52f5 100644
--- a/version.txt
+++ b/version.txt
@@ -1 +1 @@
-4.0.50
+4.0.53