diff --git a/common/alloc.c b/common/alloc.c
index 4a61a560..c0e0218b 100644
--- a/common/alloc.c
+++ b/common/alloc.c
@@ -1,9 +1,4 @@
 // 16 may 2019
-#include <errno.h>
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include <stdlib.h>
-#include <string.h>
-#include "ui.h"
 #include "uipriv.h"
 
 #define sharedbitsPrefix uipriv
diff --git a/common/errors.c b/common/errors.c
index c458037c..4913537a 100644
--- a/common/errors.c
+++ b/common/errors.c
@@ -1,7 +1,4 @@
 // 12 may 2019
-#include <stdarg.h>
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include "ui.h"
 #include "uipriv.h"
 #include "testhooks.h"
 
diff --git a/common/events.c b/common/events.c
index e51ff0c3..4aa5eff5 100644
--- a/common/events.c
+++ b/common/events.c
@@ -1,7 +1,4 @@
 // 15 may 2019
-#include <stdlib.h>
-#include <string.h>
-#include "ui.h"
 #include "uipriv.h"
 
 struct handler {
diff --git a/common/init.c b/common/init.c
index ee61c500..b0e593d8 100644
--- a/common/init.c
+++ b/common/init.c
@@ -1,8 +1,4 @@
 // 19 april 2019
-#include <stdarg.h>
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include <string.h>
-#include "ui.h"
 #include "uipriv.h"
 
 // TODO rename this file to main.c
diff --git a/common/uipriv.h b/common/uipriv.h
index 3af07782..72293660 100644
--- a/common/uipriv.h
+++ b/common/uipriv.h
@@ -1,6 +1,13 @@
 // 19 april 2019
-
+#include <errno.h>
 #include <stdarg.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include "ui.h"
+#ifdef uiprivOSHeader
+#include uiprivOSHeader
+#endif
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
@@ -31,6 +38,7 @@ extern bool uiprivSysCheckThread(void);
 
 // alloc.c
 #define sharedbitsPrefix uipriv
+// TODO determine if we need the ../ or not, and if not, figure out if we should use it everywhere (including ui.h) or not
 #include "../sharedbits/alloc_header.h"
 #include "../sharedbits/array_header.h"
 #define uiprivArrayStaticInit(T, grow, whatstr) { NULL, 0, 0, sizeof (T), grow, whatstr }
diff --git a/darwin/uipriv_darwin.h b/darwin/uipriv_darwin.h
index c5ee1138..d89e63a6 100644
--- a/darwin/uipriv_darwin.h
+++ b/darwin/uipriv_darwin.h
@@ -6,8 +6,7 @@
 #import <dlfcn.h>		// see future.m
 #import <pthread.h>
 #import <stdlib.h>
-#import "../ui.h"
-#import "../ui_darwin.h"
+#define uiprivOSHeader "../ui_darwin.h"
 #import "../common/uipriv.h"
 
 #if __has_feature(objc_arc)
diff --git a/test/events.c b/test/events.c
index 9f5ad998..b5703bc3 100644
--- a/test/events.c
+++ b/test/events.c
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 // 18 may 2019
-#include <stdlib.h>
-#include <string.h>
 #include "test.h"
 
 // TODO:
diff --git a/test/initmain.c b/test/initmain.c
index 69f99e7d..fa4c8d79 100644
--- a/test/initmain.c
+++ b/test/initmain.c
@@ -1,7 +1,4 @@
 // 10 april 2019
-#include <inttypes.h>
-#include <string.h>
-#include "lib/thread.h"
 #include "test.h"
 
 testingSet *beforeTests = NULL;
diff --git a/test/main.c b/test/main.c
index 063f00b0..13574c99 100644
--- a/test/main.c
+++ b/test/main.c
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 // 10 april 2019
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include <string.h>
 #include "test.h"
 
 void timeoutMain(void *data)
diff --git a/test/noinitwrongthread.c b/test/noinitwrongthread.c
index 72a768a1..ff7e6323 100644
--- a/test/noinitwrongthread.c
+++ b/test/noinitwrongthread.c
@@ -1,9 +1,4 @@
 // 28 may 2019
-#include <errno.h>
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include <stdlib.h>
-#include <string.h>
-#include "lib/thread.h"
 #include "test.h"
 
 struct errorCase {
diff --git a/test/test.h b/test/test.h
index 46187f29..67eca2bd 100644
--- a/test/test.h
+++ b/test/test.h
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
 // 28 april 2019
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <inttypes.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
 #include "../ui.h"
 #include "../common/testhooks.h"
 #include "lib/testing.h"
+#include "lib/thread.h"
 #include "lib/timer.h"
 
 #define diff(t, clause, fmt, got, want) testingTErrorf(t, "%s:\ngot  " fmt "\nwant " fmt, clause, got, want)
diff --git a/unix/uipriv_unix.h b/unix/uipriv_unix.h
index 0d77ddab..af9200f8 100644
--- a/unix/uipriv_unix.h
+++ b/unix/uipriv_unix.h
@@ -5,12 +5,11 @@
 #define GDK_VERSION_MIN_REQUIRED GDK_VERSION_3_10
 #define GDK_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED GDK_VERSION_3_10
 #include <gtk/gtk.h>
-#include <math.h>
 #include <dlfcn.h>		// see future.c
 #include <langinfo.h>
+#include <inttypes.h>
+#include <math.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
-#include <inttypes.h>
-#include "../ui.h"
-#include "../ui_unix.h"
+#define uiprivOSHeader "../ui_unix.h"
 #include "../common/uipriv.h"
diff --git a/windows/uipriv_windows.hpp b/windows/uipriv_windows.hpp
index 3d420065..ea0a7bd4 100644
--- a/windows/uipriv_windows.hpp
+++ b/windows/uipriv_windows.hpp
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 // 21 april 2016
 #include "winapi.hpp"
 #include "winhresult.hpp"
-#include "../ui.h"
-#include "../ui_windows.h"
+#define uiprivOSHeader "../ui_windows.h"
 #include "../common/uipriv.h"
 //TODO#include "compilerver.hpp"