diff --git a/build.cmd b/build.cmd
index 33d3430..7e2f539 100644
--- a/build.cmd
+++ b/build.cmd
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ copy /Y interfaces\Crafter.Build-External.cppm share\crafter-build\
 copy /Y interfaces\Crafter.Build-Clang.cppm share\crafter-build\
 copy /Y interfaces\Crafter.Build-Test.cppm share\crafter-build\
 copy /Y interfaces\Crafter.Build-Progress.cppm share\crafter-build\
+copy /Y interfaces\Crafter.Build-Asset.cppm share\crafter-build\
 copy /Y interfaces\Crafter.Build-Api.h share\crafter-build\
 
 if not exist .\build\glslang\NUL git clone https://github.com/KhronosGroup/glslang.git .\build\glslang
@@ -55,6 +56,9 @@ clang++ %common_options% -fmodule-output interfaces\Crafter.Build-External.cppm
 clang++ %common_options% -fmodule-output interfaces\Crafter.Build-Clang.cppm -o .\build\Crafter.Build-Clang.o
 clang++ %common_options% -fmodule-output interfaces\Crafter.Build-Test.cppm -o .\build\Crafter.Build-Test.o
 clang++ %common_options% -fmodule-output interfaces\Crafter.Build-Progress.cppm -o .\build\Crafter.Build-Progress.o
+REM Asset partition: bootstrap compiles it WITHOUT CRAFTER_BUILD_HAS_ASSET so
+REM CompressAsset takes the stub branch (no Crafter.Asset PCM exists yet).
+clang++ %common_options% -fmodule-output interfaces\Crafter.Build-Asset.cppm -o .\build\Crafter.Build-Asset.o
 clang++ %common_options% -fmodule-output interfaces\Crafter.Build.cppm -o .\build\Crafter.Build.o
 
 clang++ %common_options% .\implementations\Crafter.Build-Shader.cpp -o .\build\Crafter.Build-Shader_impl.o
@@ -65,6 +69,7 @@ clang++ %common_options% .\implementations\Crafter.Build-External.cpp -o .\build
 clang++ %common_options% .\implementations\Crafter.Build-Clang.cpp -o .\build\Crafter.Build-Clang_impl.o
 clang++ %common_options% .\implementations\Crafter.Build-Test.cpp -o .\build\Crafter.Build-Test_impl.o
 clang++ %common_options% .\implementations\Crafter.Build-Progress.cpp -o .\build\Crafter.Build-Progress_impl.o
+clang++ %common_options% .\implementations\Crafter.Build-Asset.cpp -o .\build\Crafter.Build-Asset_impl.o
 clang++ %common_options% .\implementations\main.cpp -o .\build\main.o
 
 REM Step 1: link all impl .o files into crafter-build.dll, generating crafter-build.lib import lib
@@ -79,6 +84,7 @@ clang++ %useLibcLinker% -shared -std=c++26 -O3 -march=%CRAFTER_BUILD_MARCH% -mtu
     .\build\Crafter.Build-Clang.o ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build-Test.o ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build-Progress.o ^
+    .\build\Crafter.Build-Asset.o ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build.o ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build-Shader_impl.o ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build-Platform_impl.o ^
@@ -88,6 +94,7 @@ clang++ %useLibcLinker% -shared -std=c++26 -O3 -march=%CRAFTER_BUILD_MARCH% -mtu
     .\build\Crafter.Build-Clang_impl.o ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build-Test_impl.o ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build-Progress_impl.o ^
+    .\build\Crafter.Build-Asset_impl.o ^
     -o .\bin\crafter-build.dll
 
 REM Step 2: link the launcher exe against crafter-build.lib
@@ -106,6 +113,7 @@ llvm-lib.exe /OUT:.\lib\crafter-build-static.lib ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build-Clang.o ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build-Test.o ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build-Progress.o ^
+    .\build\Crafter.Build-Asset.o ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build.o ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build-Shader_impl.o ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build-Platform_impl.o ^
@@ -114,6 +122,7 @@ llvm-lib.exe /OUT:.\lib\crafter-build-static.lib ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build-External_impl.o ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build-Clang_impl.o ^
     .\build\Crafter.Build-Test_impl.o ^
-    .\build\Crafter.Build-Progress_impl.o
+    .\build\Crafter.Build-Progress_impl.o ^
+    .\build\Crafter.Build-Asset_impl.o
 
 copy /Y "%LIBCXX_DIR%\lib\c++.dll" ".\bin\c++.dll"
diff --git a/build.sh b/build.sh
index ef2c886..4a51e38 100755
--- a/build.sh
+++ b/build.sh
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ cp interfaces/Crafter.Build-External.cppm share/crafter-build/
 cp interfaces/Crafter.Build-Clang.cppm share/crafter-build/
 cp interfaces/Crafter.Build-Test.cppm share/crafter-build/
 cp interfaces/Crafter.Build-Progress.cppm share/crafter-build/
+cp interfaces/Crafter.Build-Asset.cppm share/crafter-build/
 cp interfaces/Crafter.Build-Api.h share/crafter-build/
 
 git clone https://github.com/KhronosGroup/glslang.git ./build/glslang
@@ -52,6 +53,11 @@ clang++ $common_options -fmodule-output interfaces/Crafter.Build-External.cppm -
 clang++ $common_options -fmodule-output interfaces/Crafter.Build-Clang.cppm -o ./build/Crafter.Build-Clang.o
 clang++ $common_options -fmodule-output interfaces/Crafter.Build-Test.cppm -o ./build/Crafter.Build-Test.o
 clang++ $common_options -fmodule-output interfaces/Crafter.Build-Progress.cppm -o ./build/Crafter.Build-Progress.o
+# Asset partition: bootstrap compiles it WITHOUT CRAFTER_BUILD_HAS_ASSET so
+# CompressAsset takes the stub branch and the impl unit doesn't try to
+# `import Crafter.Asset` (no Crafter.Asset PCM exists at this stage — the
+# self-host pass that follows wires in the real dep).
+clang++ $common_options -fmodule-output interfaces/Crafter.Build-Asset.cppm -o ./build/Crafter.Build-Asset.o
 clang++ $common_options -fmodule-output interfaces/Crafter.Build.cppm -o ./build/Crafter.Build.o
 
 clang++ $common_options ./implementations/Crafter.Build-Shader.cpp -o ./build/Crafter.Build-Shader_impl.o
@@ -62,6 +68,7 @@ clang++ $common_options ./implementations/Crafter.Build-External.cpp -o ./build/
 clang++ $common_options ./implementations/Crafter.Build-Clang.cpp -o ./build/Crafter.Build-Clang_impl.o
 clang++ $common_options ./implementations/Crafter.Build-Test.cpp -o ./build/Crafter.Build-Test_impl.o
 clang++ $common_options ./implementations/Crafter.Build-Progress.cpp -o ./build/Crafter.Build-Progress_impl.o
+clang++ $common_options ./implementations/Crafter.Build-Asset.cpp -o ./build/Crafter.Build-Asset_impl.o
 clang++ $common_options ./implementations/main.cpp -o ./build/main.o
 
 ar rcs ./lib/libcrafter-build.a \
@@ -73,6 +80,7 @@ ar rcs ./lib/libcrafter-build.a \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-Clang.o \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-Test.o \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-Progress.o \
+    ./build/Crafter.Build-Asset.o \
     ./build/Crafter.Build.o \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-Shader_impl.o \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-Platform_impl.o \
@@ -81,7 +89,8 @@ ar rcs ./lib/libcrafter-build.a \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-External_impl.o \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-Clang_impl.o \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-Test_impl.o \
-    ./build/Crafter.Build-Progress_impl.o
+    ./build/Crafter.Build-Progress_impl.o \
+    ./build/Crafter.Build-Asset_impl.o
 
 clang++ -std=c++26 -stdlib=libc++ -O3 -march=$MARCH -mtune=$MTUNE -fuse-ld=lld \
     -Wl,--export-dynamic \
@@ -94,6 +103,7 @@ clang++ -std=c++26 -stdlib=libc++ -O3 -march=$MARCH -mtune=$MTUNE -fuse-ld=lld \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-Clang.o \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-Test.o \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-Progress.o \
+    ./build/Crafter.Build-Asset.o \
     ./build/Crafter.Build.o \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-Shader_impl.o \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-Platform_impl.o \
@@ -103,6 +113,7 @@ clang++ -std=c++26 -stdlib=libc++ -O3 -march=$MARCH -mtune=$MTUNE -fuse-ld=lld \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-Clang_impl.o \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-Test_impl.o \
     ./build/Crafter.Build-Progress_impl.o \
+    ./build/Crafter.Build-Asset_impl.o \
     ./build/main.o \
     -lSPIRV -lGenericCodeGen -lglslang -lOSDependent -lMachineIndependent -lglslang-default-resource-limits \
     -ldl \
diff --git a/implementations/Crafter.Build-Asset.cpp b/implementations/Crafter.Build-Asset.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7bd227a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/implementations/Crafter.Build-Asset.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+/*
+Crafter® Build
+Copyright (C) 2026 Catcrafts®
+Catcrafts.net
+
+This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+License version 3.0 as published by the Free Software Foundation;
+
+This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
+Lesser General Public License for more details.
+
+You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
+Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301 USA
+*/
+
+module Crafter.Build:Asset_impl;
+import :Asset;
+import std;
+#ifdef CRAFTER_BUILD_HAS_ASSET
+import Crafter.Asset;
+import Crafter.Math;
+#endif
+namespace fs = std::filesystem;
+
+namespace Crafter {
+    std::string CompressAsset(const fs::path& input, const fs::path& output) {
+        std::string ext = input.extension().string();
+#ifdef CRAFTER_BUILD_HAS_ASSET
+        try {
+            if (ext == ".png") {
+                auto tex = TextureAsset<Vector<std::uint8_t, 4, 4>>::LoadPNG<std::uint8_t>(input);
+                tex.SaveCompressed(output);
+            } else if (ext == ".obj") {
+                auto mesh = MeshAsset<VertexNormalTangentUVPacked>::LoadOBJ(input);
+                mesh.SaveCompressed(output);
+            } else {
+                return std::format("{}: unsupported asset extension '{}'", input.string(), ext);
+            }
+        } catch (const std::exception& e) {
+            return std::format("{}: {}", input.string(), e.what());
+        }
+        return {};
+#else
+        return std::format(
+            "{}: crafter-build was bootstrapped without Crafter.Asset linkage; "
+            "rebuild via `./bin/crafter-build` so the self-host pass picks up the "
+            "Crafter.Asset dep declared in project.cpp",
+            input.string());
+#endif
+    }
+}
diff --git a/implementations/Crafter.Build-Clang.cpp b/implementations/Crafter.Build-Clang.cpp
index 992af08..fc7e636 100644
--- a/implementations/Crafter.Build-Clang.cpp
+++ b/implementations/Crafter.Build-Clang.cpp
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import :Clang;
 import :Platform;
 import :Test;
 import :Progress;
+import :Asset;
 namespace fs = std::filesystem;
 using namespace Crafter;
 
@@ -291,6 +292,38 @@ BuildResult Crafter::Build(Configuration& config, std::unordered_map<fs::path, s
         });
     }
 
+    // Asset compilation: each .png/.obj listed in cfg.assets is run through
+    // Crafter.Asset's library (linked into crafter-build directly — see
+    // :Asset_impl) to produce the SaveCompressed .ctex/.cmesh in outputDir.
+    // Skipped if the output is newer than the source. Parallel with shaders
+    // and module compiles; cancellation participates in the same flag.
+    auto assetOutput = [](const fs::path& asset) -> std::optional<fs::path> {
+        std::string ext = asset.extension().string();
+        if (ext == ".png") return fs::path(asset.filename()).replace_extension(".ctex");
+        if (ext == ".obj") return fs::path(asset.filename()).replace_extension(".cmesh");
+        return std::nullopt;
+    };
+    for (const fs::path& asset : config.assets) {
+        std::optional<fs::path> outName = assetOutput(asset);
+        if (!outName) {
+            buildCancelled.store(true);
+            buildError = std::format("{}: unsupported asset extension (expected .png or .obj)", asset.string());
+            break;
+        }
+        fs::path out = outputDir / *outName;
+        if (fs::exists(out) && fs::exists(asset) && fs::last_write_time(asset) <= fs::last_write_time(out)) continue;
+        threads.emplace_back([&asset, out = std::move(out), &buildError, &buildCancelled]() {
+            Progress::Task task(std::format("Compressing asset {}", asset.filename().string()));
+            if (buildCancelled.load(std::memory_order_relaxed)) return;
+            std::string result = CompressAsset(asset, out);
+            if (result.empty()) return;
+            bool expected = false;
+            if (buildCancelled.compare_exchange_strong(expected, true)) {
+                buildError = std::move(result);
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
     threads.emplace_back([&config, &outputDir, &buildCancelled, &buildError]() {
         Progress::Task task(std::format("Copying files for {}", config.name));
         if (buildCancelled.load(std::memory_order_relaxed)) return;
@@ -432,16 +465,20 @@ BuildResult Crafter::Build(Configuration& config, std::unordered_map<fs::path, s
     depThreads.reserve(config.dependencies.size());
     std::atomic<bool> repack(false);
 
+    // -I propagation that's valid for both C and C++ compiles. Module-only
+    // bits (-fprebuilt-module-path) stay on `command` only.
+    std::string includeFlags;
     {
         std::unordered_set<Configuration*> seen;
         std::function<void(Configuration*)> addFlags = [&](Configuration* dep) {
             if (!seen.insert(dep).second) return;
             for (const auto& entry : fs::recursive_directory_iterator(dep->path)) {
                 if (entry.is_directory() && entry.path().filename() == "include") {
-                    command += " -I" + entry.path().string();
+                    includeFlags += " -I" + entry.path().string();
                 }
             }
-            command += std::format(" -I{} -fprebuilt-module-path={}", dep->path.string(), dep->PcmDir().string());
+            includeFlags += std::format(" -I{}", dep->path.string());
+            command += std::format(" -fprebuilt-module-path={}", dep->PcmDir().string());
             for (Configuration* sub : dep->dependencies) {
                 addFlags(sub);
             }
@@ -450,6 +487,7 @@ BuildResult Crafter::Build(Configuration& config, std::unordered_map<fs::path, s
             addFlags(dep);
         }
     }
+    command += includeFlags;
 
     for(Configuration* dep : config.dependencies) {
         depThreads.emplace_back([&, dep](){
@@ -507,17 +545,25 @@ BuildResult Crafter::Build(Configuration& config, std::unordered_map<fs::path, s
         });
     }
 
+    // Defines belong on both C and C++ compiles so vendored C dependencies
+    // can see configuration-level macros consistently with module sources.
+    std::string defineFlags;
     for(const Define& define : config.defines) {
         if(define.value.empty()) {
-            command += std::format(" -D {}", define.name);
+            defineFlags += std::format(" -D {}", define.name);
         } else {
-            command += std::format(" -D {}={}", define.name, define.value);
+            defineFlags += std::format(" -D {}={}", define.name, define.value);
         }
     }
+    command += defineFlags;
 
+    // Track caller-provided compileFlags separately so the .c compile can
+    // pick them up too (vendored C deps usually need -I from this set).
+    std::string userFlags;
     for(const std::string& flag : config.compileFlags) {
-        command += " " + flag;
+        userFlags += " " + flag;
     }
+    command += userFlags;
 
     std::string cmakeBuildType;
 
@@ -534,11 +580,11 @@ BuildResult Crafter::Build(Configuration& config, std::unordered_map<fs::path, s
         const std::string objPath = (buildDir / cFile.filename()).string() + "_source.o";
         const std::string srcPath = cFile.string() + ".c";
         if (!fs::exists(objPath) || (fs::exists(srcPath) && fs::last_write_time(srcPath) > fs::last_write_time(objPath))) {
-            threads.emplace_back([&cFile, &buildDir, &buildError, &buildCancelled, &config]() {
+            threads.emplace_back([&cFile, &buildDir, &buildError, &buildCancelled, &config, &includeFlags, &defineFlags, &userFlags]() {
                 Progress::Task task(std::format("Compiling {}.c", cFile.filename().string()));
                 if (buildCancelled.load(std::memory_order_relaxed)) return;
 
-                std::string result = RunCommand(std::format("clang {}.c --target={} -march={} -mtune={} -O3 -c -o {}_source.o", cFile.string(), config.target, config.march, config.mtune, (buildDir / cFile.filename()).string()));
+                std::string result = RunCommand(std::format("clang {}.c --target={} -march={} -mtune={} -O3 -c{}{}{} -o {}_source.o", cFile.string(), config.target, config.march, config.mtune, includeFlags, defineFlags, userFlags, (buildDir / cFile.filename()).string()));
                 if (result.empty()) return;
 
                 bool expected = false;
@@ -632,6 +678,16 @@ BuildResult Crafter::Build(Configuration& config, std::unordered_map<fs::path, s
                     if (!fs::exists(src)) continue;
                     copyTree(src, outputDir / additionalFile.filename());
                 }
+                for (const fs::path& asset : dep->assets) {
+                    std::string ext = asset.extension().string();
+                    fs::path srcName = asset.filename();
+                    if (ext == ".png") srcName.replace_extension(".ctex");
+                    else if (ext == ".obj") srcName.replace_extension(".cmesh");
+                    else continue;
+                    fs::path src = depBinDir / srcName;
+                    if (!fs::exists(src)) continue;
+                    copyTree(src, outputDir / srcName);
+                }
                 for (Configuration* sub : dep->dependencies) forwardDepArtifacts(sub);
             };
             for (Configuration* dep : config.dependencies) forwardDepArtifacts(dep);
diff --git a/implementations/Crafter.Build-Platform.cpp b/implementations/Crafter.Build-Platform.cpp
index 363432b..16bdc81 100644
--- a/implementations/Crafter.Build-Platform.cpp
+++ b/implementations/Crafter.Build-Platform.cpp
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ fs::path Crafter::GetCacheDir() {
 }
 
 namespace {
-    constexpr std::array<std::string_view, 9> kCrafterBuildModules = {
+    constexpr std::array<std::string_view, 10> kCrafterBuildModules = {
         "Crafter.Build-Shader",
         "Crafter.Build-Platform",
         "Crafter.Build-Interface",
@@ -236,6 +236,7 @@ namespace {
         "Crafter.Build-Clang",
         "Crafter.Build-Test",
         "Crafter.Build-Progress",
+        "Crafter.Build-Asset",
         "Crafter.Build",
     };
 }
@@ -737,7 +738,7 @@ std::string Crafter::GetBaseCommand(const Configuration& config) {
 }
 
 namespace {
-    constexpr std::array<std::string_view, 9> kCrafterBuildModules = {
+    constexpr std::array<std::string_view, 10> kCrafterBuildModules = {
         "Crafter.Build-Shader",
         "Crafter.Build-Platform",
         "Crafter.Build-Interface",
@@ -746,6 +747,7 @@ namespace {
         "Crafter.Build-Clang",
         "Crafter.Build-Test",
         "Crafter.Build-Progress",
+        "Crafter.Build-Asset",
         "Crafter.Build",
     };
 
diff --git a/interfaces/Crafter.Build-Asset.cppm b/interfaces/Crafter.Build-Asset.cppm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8bb4cbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/interfaces/Crafter.Build-Asset.cppm
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+/*
+Crafter® Build
+Copyright (C) 2026 Catcrafts®
+Catcrafts.net
+
+This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+License version 3.0 as published by the Free Software Foundation;
+
+This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
+Lesser General Public License for more details.
+
+You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
+Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301 USA
+*/
+
+module;
+#include "Crafter.Build-Api.h"
+export module Crafter.Build:Asset;
+import std;
+namespace fs = std::filesystem;
+
+namespace Crafter {
+    // Compress a build-time asset (.png/.obj) into its on-disk
+    // SaveCompressed counterpart (.ctex/.cmesh) using Crafter.Asset's
+    // library API in-process. Returns "" on success, an error message
+    // otherwise (matches Shader::Compile's contract).
+    //
+    // Real implementation lives in the impl unit and only compiles when
+    // CRAFTER_BUILD_HAS_ASSET is defined (i.e. when the build links
+    // Crafter.Asset). The bootstrap build.sh produces a stub variant
+    // that errors out at runtime if cfg.assets is non-empty — full
+    // support requires a self-host rebuild via crafter-build itself,
+    // which resolves the Crafter.Asset dep through project.cpp.
+    export CRAFTER_API std::string CompressAsset(const fs::path& input, const fs::path& output);
+}
diff --git a/interfaces/Crafter.Build-Clang.cppm b/interfaces/Crafter.Build-Clang.cppm
index 0e89ce1..64d9403 100644
--- a/interfaces/Crafter.Build-Clang.cppm
+++ b/interfaces/Crafter.Build-Clang.cppm
@@ -125,6 +125,15 @@ export namespace Crafter {
         std::vector<fs::path> buildFiles;
         std::vector<Define> defines;
         std::vector<Shader> shaders;
+        // Source assets (.png, .obj) compressed via Crafter.Asset's
+        // SaveCompressed → .ctex/.cmesh in this configuration's bin dir.
+        // Requires Crafter.Asset in cfg.dependencies (transitively): the
+        // build engine locates it by name and uses its library API to do
+        // the conversion (an auxiliary host-target executable, generated
+        // once per build host, links Crafter.Asset and is invoked per
+        // asset). Forwarded to a consuming executable's bin dir alongside
+        // .spv shaders and cfg.files entries.
+        std::vector<fs::path> assets;
         std::vector<ExternalDependency> externalDependencies;
         std::vector<std::string> compileFlags;
         std::vector<std::string> linkFlags;
diff --git a/interfaces/Crafter.Build.cppm b/interfaces/Crafter.Build.cppm
index faf3f72..20de855 100644
--- a/interfaces/Crafter.Build.cppm
+++ b/interfaces/Crafter.Build.cppm
@@ -24,4 +24,5 @@ export import :Implementation;
 export import :Shader;
 export import :External;
 export import :Test;
-export import :Progress;
\ No newline at end of file
+export import :Progress;
+export import :Asset;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/project.cpp b/project.cpp
index 328679a..00deb51 100644
--- a/project.cpp
+++ b/project.cpp
@@ -4,6 +4,30 @@ namespace fs = std::filesystem;
 using namespace Crafter;
 
 extern "C" Configuration CrafterBuildProject(std::span<const std::string_view> args) {
+    std::vector<std::string> depArgs(args.begin(), args.end());
+
+    // Local-mode resolution for the Crafter.Math/Crafter.Asset deps that the
+    // self-host pass links in (so `cfg.assets` calls CompressAsset → Crafter.Asset
+    // in-process). `--local` points at sibling working trees instead of git;
+    // useful during cross-repo development so edits in ../Crafter.Asset are
+    // picked up without commit-and-pull.
+    bool useLocal = false;
+    for (std::string_view a : args) {
+        if (a == "--local") { useLocal = true; break; }
+    }
+    auto resolveDep = [&](std::string_view name, std::string_view gitUrl) -> Configuration* {
+        if (useLocal) {
+            return LocalProject({
+                .projectFile = fs::path("../") / name / "project.cpp",
+                .args = depArgs,
+            });
+        }
+        return GitProject({
+            .source = { .url = std::string(gitUrl) },
+            .args = depArgs,
+        });
+    };
+
     static auto crafterBuildLib = std::make_unique<Configuration>();
     crafterBuildLib->path = "./";
     crafterBuildLib->name = "crafter.build-lib";
@@ -15,8 +39,16 @@ extern "C" Configuration CrafterBuildProject(std::span<const std::string_view> a
     crafterBuildLib->type = (crafterBuildLib->target == "x86_64-w64-mingw32" || crafterBuildLib->target == "x86_64-pc-windows-msvc")
         ? ConfigurationType::LibraryDynamic
         : ConfigurationType::LibraryStatic;
+    // Self-host pass links Crafter.Asset (and its Crafter.Math dep) into the
+    // crafter-build binary so cfg.assets can call CompressAsset in-process.
+    // The bootstrap (build.sh) defines no such dep — its impl unit takes the
+    // stub branch and cfg.assets errors at runtime until a self-host rebuild.
+    Configuration* math  = resolveDep("Crafter.Math",  "https://forgejo.catcrafts.net/Catcrafts/Crafter.Math.git");
+    Configuration* asset = resolveDep("Crafter.Asset", "https://forgejo.catcrafts.net/Catcrafts/Crafter.Asset.git");
+    crafterBuildLib->dependencies = { math, asset };
+    crafterBuildLib->defines.push_back({"CRAFTER_BUILD_HAS_ASSET", ""});
     {
-        std::array<fs::path, 9> interfaces = {
+        std::array<fs::path, 10> interfaces = {
             "interfaces/Crafter.Build",
             "interfaces/Crafter.Build-Shader",
             "interfaces/Crafter.Build-Platform",
@@ -26,8 +58,9 @@ extern "C" Configuration CrafterBuildProject(std::span<const std::string_view> a
             "interfaces/Crafter.Build-Clang",
             "interfaces/Crafter.Build-Test",
             "interfaces/Crafter.Build-Progress",
+            "interfaces/Crafter.Build-Asset",
         };
-        std::array<fs::path, 8> implementations = {
+        std::array<fs::path, 9> implementations = {
             "implementations/Crafter.Build-Shader",
             "implementations/Crafter.Build-Platform",
             "implementations/Crafter.Build-Interface",
@@ -36,6 +69,7 @@ extern "C" Configuration CrafterBuildProject(std::span<const std::string_view> a
             "implementations/Crafter.Build-Clang",
             "implementations/Crafter.Build-Test",
             "implementations/Crafter.Build-Progress",
+            "implementations/Crafter.Build-Asset",
         };
         crafterBuildLib->GetInterfacesAndImplementations(interfaces, implementations);
     }