diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 146b125..e302457 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
 VERSION = $(shell git describe --tags)
 BUILDTIME = $(shell date +%Y.%m.%d)
 
-run: clean build
-	make -C testautogen/ all
-	make -C testSort/
+run: build
 
-test:
-	./autogenpb --dry-run --proto test.proto --lobase gitTag --upbase GitTag --sort "ByPath,Refname"
+test: build
+	@# make -C testautogen/ all
+	cd testautogen; pwd; ../autogenpb --proto test.proto
 
 vet:
 	@GO111MODULE=off go vet
@@ -22,7 +21,6 @@ install:
 
 goimports:
 	goimports -w *.go
-	make -C testSort/ goimports
 
 redomod:
 	rm -f go.*
@@ -35,6 +33,6 @@ reset:
 	reset
 
 clean:
+	-rm -f go.*
 	-rm -f autogenpb
-	make -C testautogen/ clean
-	make -C testSort/ clean
+	@#make -C testautogen/ clean
diff --git a/addMutex.go b/addMutex.go
index fa56a82..efa8501 100644
--- a/addMutex.go
+++ b/addMutex.go
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package main
 
-// eh, screw it, just add the damned mutex to the pb.go file
+// will this help things?
+// this is a hack for testing for now
+// cram a mutex in the pb.go file
 
 import (
 	"errors"
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index a0575eb..cbff6a6 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
+//go:build go1.20
 // +build go1.20
+
 package main
 
 import (
@@ -7,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/alexflint/go-arg"
 	"go.wit.com/lib/gui/shell"
+	"go.wit.com/lib/protobuf/forgepb"
 	"go.wit.com/log"
 	"golang.org/x/text/cases"
 	"golang.org/x/text/language"
@@ -17,6 +20,7 @@ var VERSION string
 var BUILDTIME string
 
 var sortmap map[string]string
+var forge *forgepb.Forge // forgepb figures out how to run protoc correctly if it's needed
 
 func main() {
 	pp := arg.MustParse(&argv)
@@ -48,7 +52,6 @@ func main() {
 	if !shell.Exists("go.sum") {
 		shell.Run([]string{"go", "mod", "init"})
 		shell.Run([]string{"go", "mod", "tidy"})
-		shell.Run([]string{"go", "mod", "edit", "-go=1.20"})
 	}
 
 	cmd := []string{"go", "list", "-f", "'{{.Name}}'"}
@@ -86,6 +89,16 @@ func main() {
 		os.Exit(0)
 	}
 
+	sortmap["protoc"] = protobase + ".pb.go"
+	if !shell.Exists(sortmap["protoc"]) {
+		if err := protocBuild(sortmap); err != nil {
+			log.Info("protoc build error:", err)
+			os.Exit(-1)
+		}
+		os.Exit(0)
+	}
+	os.Exit(0)
+
 	// add mutex
 	if err := addMutex(sortmap); err == nil {
 		log.Info("adding mutex to existing protoc-gen-go file worked")
diff --git a/protoc.go b/protoc.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f3b545d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/protoc.go
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+package main
+
+// auto run protoc with the correct args
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"os"
+
+	"go.wit.com/lib/gui/shell"
+	"go.wit.com/lib/protobuf/forgepb"
+	"go.wit.com/log"
+)
+
+// test.pb.go: test.proto
+// 	cd ~/go/src && protoc --go_out=. --proto_path=go.wit.com/apps/autogenpb/testautogen \
+// 		--go_opt=Mtest.proto=go.wit.com/apps/autogenpb/testautogen \
+// 		test.proto
+
+// forgeConfig.pb.go: forgeConfig.proto
+// 	cd ~/go/src && protoc --go_out=. --proto_path=go.wit.com/apps/autogenpb/testautogen \
+// 		--go_opt=MforgeConfig.proto=go.wit.com/apps/autogenpb/testautogen \
+// 		forgeConfig.proto
+
+func protocBuild(names map[string]string) error {
+	// have to figure out how to run protoc so initialize forge
+	forge = forgepb.Init()
+	// forge.ConfigPrintTable()
+	os.Setenv("REPO_WORK_PATH", forge.GetGoSrc())
+
+	log.Info("")
+	if shell.Exists(names["protoc"]) {
+		log.Info("protoc file already created", names["protoc"])
+		return nil
+	}
+	log.Info("make protoc file:", names["protoc"])
+	log.Info("go src", forge.GetGoSrc())
+	return errors.New("make protoc here")
+}
+	/*
+		data, err := os.ReadFile(fullname)
+		if err != nil {
+			// log.Info("open config file :", err)
+			return err
+		}
+
+		w, _ := os.OpenFile(names["protobase"]+".pb.go", os.O_WRONLY|os.O_CREATE, 0600)
+
+		var found bool
+
+		lines := strings.Split(string(data), "\n")
+		for _, line := range lines {
+			// log.Info("line:", line)
+			start := "type " + names["Bases"] + " struct {"
+			if strings.HasSuffix(line, start) {
+				found = true
+				log.Info("FOUND line:", line)
+				fmt.Fprintln(w, line)
+				fmt.Fprintln(w, "\tsync.RWMutex // auto-added by go.wit.com/apps/autogenpb")
+				fmt.Fprintln(w, "")
+			} else {
+				fmt.Fprintln(w, line)
+			}
+		}
+		// os.Exit(-1)
+		if found {
+			return nil
+		}
+	*/
diff --git a/sort.go b/sort.go
index e6ec300..4409eba 100644
--- a/sort.go
+++ b/sort.go
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 func makeSortfile() {
-	f, _ := os.OpenFile(sortmap["protobase"] + ".sort.pb.go", os.O_WRONLY|os.O_CREATE, 0600)
+	f, _ := os.OpenFile(sortmap["protobase"]+".sort.pb.go", os.O_WRONLY|os.O_CREATE, 0600)
 
 	header(f, sortmap)
 	syncLock(f, sortmap)
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ func makeSortfile() {
 	iterSortAll(f, sortmap)
 
 	if argv.Append != "" {
-			sortmap["append"] = string(argv.Append)
-			iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce unique key argv.Append
+		sortmap["append"] = string(argv.Append)
+		iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce unique key argv.Append
 	}
 
 	for _, s := range argv.Sort {
diff --git a/testSort/Makefile b/testSort/Makefile
deleted file mode 100644
index 88a8320..0000000
--- a/testSort/Makefile
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,34 +0,0 @@
-VERSION = $(shell git describe --tags)
-BUILDTIME = $(shell date +%Y.%m.%d)
-
-run: clean build
-	./testSort
-
-vet:
-	@GO111MODULE=off go vet
-	@echo this go library package builds okay
-
-build:
-	GO111MODULE=off go build \
-		-ldflags "-X main.VERSION=${VERSION} -X main.BUILDTIME=${BUILDTIME} -X gui.GUIVERSION=${VERSION}"
-
-install:
-	GO111MODULE=off go install \
-		-ldflags "-X main.VERSION=${VERSION} -X main.BUILDTIME=${BUILDTIME} -X gui.GUIVERSION=${VERSION}"
-
-goimports:
-	goimports -w *.go
-	# // to globally reset paths:
-	# // gofmt -w -r "go.wit.com/gui -> go.wit.com/gui/gui" .
-
-redomod:
-	rm -f go.*
-	GO111MODULE= go mod init
-	GO111MODULE= go mod tidy
-
-reset:
-	# clear your terminal
-	reset
-
-clean:
-	-rm -f *.pb.go testSort
diff --git a/testSort/main.go b/testSort/main.go
deleted file mode 100644
index f20361f..0000000
--- a/testSort/main.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,37 +0,0 @@
-package main
-
-import (
-	"log"
-
-	// "go.wit.com/apps/autogenpb/testautogen"
-)
-
-func main() {
-	log.Println("empty because go mod tidy failed")
-	log.Println("why does go mod tidy fail when this is here?")
-	// go: go.wit.com/apps/autogenpb/testSort imports
-	// go.wit.com/apps/autogenpb/testautogen: cannot find module providing package go.wit.com/apps/autogenpb/testautogen: unrecognized import path "go.wit.com/apps/autogenpb/testautogen": parse https://go.wit.com/apps/autogenpb/testautogen?go-get=1: no go-import meta tags ()
-
-	/*
-	all := new(testautogen.GitTags)
-	// newt := new(testautogen.GitTag)
-
-	new1 := testautogen.GitTag{
-		Refname:    "master",
-		Objectname: "blah",
-	}
-	all.Append(&new1)
-
-	new2 := testautogen.GitTag{
-		Refname:    "devel",
-		Objectname: "j23jljalse",
-	}
-	all.Append(&new2)
-
-	loop := all.SortByPath()
-	for loop.Scan() {
-		t := loop.Next()
-		log.Println("hello testSort t.Refname =", t.Refname, t.Objectname)
-	}
-	*/
-}