diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 6dcf9d3..9465d14 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 VERSION = $(shell git describe --tags)
 BUILDTIME = $(shell date +%Y.%m.%d)
 
-run: build vet
+run: vet build
 
 vet:
 	@GO111MODULE=off go vet
-	@echo this go library package builds okay
+	@echo this go binary package should build okay
 
 build:
 	GO111MODULE=off go build \
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 00dd720..705b46e 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ func main() {
 	// you need a proto file
 	if argv.Proto == "" {
 		log.Info("you must provide --proto <filename>")
+		pp.WriteHelp(os.Stdout)
 		os.Exit(-1)
 	}
 
@@ -46,24 +47,28 @@ func main() {
 		os.Exit(-1)
 	}
 
-	// you need --upbase and --lobase
-	if argv.Proto == "" {
-		pp.WriteHelp(os.Stdout)
+	if err := findGlobalAutogenpb(argv.Proto); err != nil {
+		log.Info("autogenpb parse error:", err)
 		os.Exit(-1)
 	}
 
 	if !shell.Exists("go.sum") {
-		shell.Run([]string{"go", "mod", "init"})
-		shell.Run([]string{"go", "mod", "tidy"})
+		shell.RunQuiet([]string{"go", "mod", "init"})
+		shell.RunQuiet([]string{"go", "mod", "tidy"})
+		shell.RunQuiet([]string{"go", "mod", "edit", "-go=1.18"}) // TODO: make this a global
 	}
 
+	// TODO: switch to using forgepb
+	// switch to forgepb
+	os.Setenv("GO111MODULE", "off") // keeps go list working if go version is back versioned for compatability
 	cmd := []string{"go", "list", "-f", "'{{.Name}}'"}
-	result := shell.Run(cmd)
+	result := shell.RunQuiet(cmd)
+	os.Unsetenv("GO111MODULE")
 
 	packageName := strings.Join(result.Stdout, "\n")
 	packageName = strings.TrimSpace(packageName)
 	packageName = strings.Trim(packageName, "'")
-	log.Info("packageName == ", packageName)
+	// log.Info("packageName == ", packageName)
 
 	protobase := strings.TrimSuffix(argv.Proto, ".proto")
 
@@ -112,11 +117,11 @@ func main() {
 		// seems to work, but proto.Marshal() breaks with nil reference
 		if argv.Mutex {
 			if err := addMutex(sortmap); err == nil {
-				log.Info("adding mutex to existing protoc-gen-go file worked")
+				// log.Info("adding mutex to existing protoc-gen-go file worked")
 				sortmap["mutex"] = "true"
 				sortmap["lock"] = "all"
 			} else {
-				log.Info("adding mutex to existing protoc-gen-go file did not work")
+				log.Info("adding mutex to existing protoc-gen-go file did not work", err)
 				sortmap["mutex"] = "false"
 			}
 		}
@@ -130,7 +135,7 @@ func main() {
 	}
 
 	if argv.NoSort {
-		log.Info("not making sort.pb.go file (--no-sort == true)")
+		// log.Info("not making sort.pb.go file (--no-sort == true)")
 	} else {
 		if len(uniqueKeys) != 0 {
 		}
@@ -138,10 +143,8 @@ func main() {
 	}
 
 	if argv.NoMarshal {
-		log.Info("not making marshal.pb.go file (--no-marshal == true)")
+		// log.Info("not making marshal.pb.go file (--no-marshal == true)")
 	} else {
-		if len(marshalKeys) != 0 {
-		}
 		// make the foo.marshal.pb.go file
 		marshal(sortmap)
 	}
diff --git a/marshal.go b/marshal.go
index d7166fa..91ea414 100644
--- a/marshal.go
+++ b/marshal.go
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ func marshal(names map[string]string) {
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "")
 
 	for _, v := range marshalKeys {
-		log.Info("found marshal key in .proto", v)
+		// log.Info("found marshal key in .proto", v)
 		marshalThing(w, v)
 	}
 
diff --git a/parseProtoFile.go b/parseProtoFile.go
index 682234d..afc1e05 100644
--- a/parseProtoFile.go
+++ b/parseProtoFile.go
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import (
 //
 //	adds fields to []marshal and []unique
 func findAutogenpb(names map[string]string) error {
-	log.Info("starting findAutogenpb() on", names["protofile"])
+	// log.Info("starting findAutogenpb() on", names["protofile"])
 	// read in the .proto file
 	data, err := os.ReadFile(names["protofile"])
 	if err != nil {
@@ -30,15 +30,52 @@ func findAutogenpb(names map[string]string) error {
 		parts := strings.Fields(line)
 		if strings.Contains(line, "autogenpb:marshal") {
 			newm := parts[1]
-			log.Info("found marshal", newm)
+			// log.Info("found marshal", newm)
 			marshalKeys = append(marshalKeys, newm)
 		}
 		if strings.Contains(line, "autogenpb:unique") {
 			newu := parts[1]
 			newu = cases.Title(language.English, cases.NoLower).String(newu)
-			log.Info("found unique field", newu)
+			// log.Info("found unique field", newu)
 			uniqueKeys = append(uniqueKeys, newu)
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
 }
+
+func findGlobalAutogenpb(filename string) error {
+	// log.Info("starting findAutogenpb() on", filename)
+	// read in the .proto file
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(filename)
+	if err != nil {
+		// log.Info("open config file :", err)
+		return err
+	}
+
+	lines := strings.Split(string(data), "\n")
+	for _, line := range lines {
+		if strings.Contains(line, "autogenpb:ignoreproto") {
+			// ignore this protofile completely (don't make foo.pb.go)
+			os.Exit(0)
+		}
+		if strings.Contains(line, "autogenpb:no-marshal") {
+			// don't marshal anything (don't make foo.marshal.pb.go)
+			argv.NoMarshal = true
+		}
+		if strings.Contains(line, "autogenpb:no-sort") {
+			// don't sort anything (don't make foo.sort.pb.go)
+			argv.NoSort = true
+		}
+		if strings.Contains(line, "autogenpb:mutex") {
+			// try the mutex hack
+			argv.Mutex = true
+		}
+		if strings.Contains(line, "autogenpb:gover:") {
+			// todo: parse the output here
+			parts := strings.Split(line, "autogenpb:gover:")
+			log.Info("found gover:", parts[1])
+			argv.Mutex = true
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/sort.go b/sort.go
index 1b8cd0e..a816f9f 100644
--- a/sort.go
+++ b/sort.go
@@ -5,8 +5,6 @@ import (
 	"io"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
-
-	"go.wit.com/log"
 )
 
 func makeSortfile() {
@@ -30,7 +28,7 @@ func makeSortfile() {
 	}
 
 	for _, s := range uniqueKeys {
-		log.Info("found unique key in .proto", s)
+		// log.Info("found unique key in .proto", s)
 		sortmap["sortBy"] = s
 		sortmap["sortKey"] = s