diff --git a/argv.go b/argv.go
index 25e9a3c..4d8cc76 100644
--- a/argv.go
+++ b/argv.go
@@ -12,10 +12,6 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
-
-	"go.wit.com/lib/debugger"
-	"go.wit.com/lib/gui/logsettings"
-	"go.wit.com/log"
 )
 
 var argv args
@@ -36,39 +32,17 @@ type args struct {
 	Recursive   bool      `arg:"--recursive"                   help:"go-clone --recursive"`
 	Test        bool      `arg:"--test"                        help:"test build after everything else"`
 	WITCOM      bool      `arg:"--witcom"                      help:"add the GPL header"`
-	Bash        bool      `arg:"--bash"                        help:"generate bash completion"`
-	BashAuto    []string  `arg:"--auto-complete"               help:"does the actual autocompletion"`
 }
 
 type EmptyCmd struct {
 }
 
-func init() {
-	if debugger.ArgDebug() {
-		log.Info("cmd line --debugger == true")
-		go func() {
-			log.Sleep(2)
-			debugger.DebugWindow()
-		}()
-	}
-
-	if debugger.ArgLogger() {
-		log.Info("cmd line --loggger == true")
-		go func() {
-			log.Sleep(4)
-			logsettings.LogWindow()
-			logsettings.LogWindow()
-		}()
-	}
-}
-
 func (args) Version() string {
 	return ARGNAME + " " + VERSION + "    Built on " + BUILDTIME
 }
 
-func (args) doBashAuto() {
-	argv.doBashHelp()
-	switch argv.BashAuto[0] {
+func (a args) DoAutoComplete(argv []string) {
+	switch argv[0] {
 	case "list":
 		fmt.Println("--all --mine --favorites --private")
 	case "debian":
@@ -82,32 +56,10 @@ func (args) doBashAuto() {
 	case "repomap-clone":
 		fmt.Println("--repomap")
 	default:
-		if strings.HasSuffix(argv.BashAuto[0], ARGNAME) {
+		if strings.HasSuffix(argv[0], ARGNAME) {
 			// list the subcommands here
 			fmt.Println("--bash list build debian install repomap-clone upgrade")
 		}
 	}
 	os.Exit(0)
 }
-
-// prints help to STDERR // TODO: move everything below this to go-args
-func (args) doBashHelp() {
-	if argv.BashAuto[1] != "''" {
-		// if this is not blank, then the user has typed something
-		return
-	}
-	if argv.BashAuto[0] != ARGNAME {
-		// if this is not the name of the command, the user already started doing something
-		return
-	}
-	if argv.BashAuto[0] == ARGNAME {
-		// me.argpp.WriteHelp(os.Stderr)
-		// return
-	}
-	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "")
-	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "list:           show every package on mirrors.wit.com")
-	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "build:          go build every package that identifies as a binary")
-	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "install:        go install every package into ~/go/bin")
-	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "repomap-clone:  go-clone every package from a gowebd repomap")
-	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "")
-}
diff --git a/doGui.go b/doGui.go
index e6dd625..e1cb4cf 100644
--- a/doGui.go
+++ b/doGui.go
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
-	"go.wit.com/gui"
 	"go.wit.com/lib/gadgets"
 	"go.wit.com/lib/gui/shell"
 	"go.wit.com/lib/protobuf/virtpb"
@@ -100,10 +99,6 @@ func switchDrive(blk *Block) {
 }
 
 func doGui() {
-	me.myGui = gui.New()
-	me.myGui.InitEmbed(resources)
-	me.myGui.Default()
-
 	mainWindow := gadgets.NewGenericWindow("RiscV Imager", "Show Drives")
 	mainWindow.Custom = func() {
 		log.Warn("Main window close")
@@ -111,9 +106,6 @@ func doGui() {
 	}
 
 	drawWindow(mainWindow)
-
-	// sits here forever
-	debug()
 }
 
 func drawWindow(win *gadgets.GenericWindow) {
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index a61a9ee..0d3321c 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -13,8 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"unicode"
 
 	"go.wit.com/dev/alexflint/arg"
-	"go.wit.com/gui"
-	"go.wit.com/lib/fhelp"
+	"go.wit.com/lib/gui/prep"
 	"go.wit.com/log"
 )
 
@@ -30,26 +29,10 @@ var resources embed.FS
 
 func main() {
 	me = new(autoType)
-	gui.InitArg()
+	prep.Bash(ARGNAME, argv.DoAutoComplete) // todo: this line should be:  prep.Bash(argv)
+	me.myGui = prep.Gui()                   // prepares the GUI package for go-args
 	me.pp = arg.MustParse(&argv)
 
-	// check if the binary is being called to test
-	// if the plugin can actually loaded. This is a hack
-	// around needing a Test() plugin load function in GO
-	if gui.IsGoPluginTestHack() {
-		gui.CheckPlugin()
-		os.Exit(0)
-	}
-
-	if argv.Bash {
-		fhelp.DoBash(ARGNAME)
-		os.Exit(0)
-	}
-	if len(argv.BashAuto) != 0 {
-		argv.doBashAuto()
-		os.Exit(0)
-	}
-
 	me.pb = NewBlocks()
 
 	/*
@@ -60,7 +43,10 @@ func main() {
 	*/
 
 	go listenForBlockEvents()
-	doGui()
+
+	me.myGui.Start() // loads the GUI toolkit
+	doGui()          // start making our forge GUI
+	debug()          // sits here forever
 	okExit("everything compiled")
 }
 
diff --git a/structs.go b/structs.go
index bac17be..2373661 100644
--- a/structs.go
+++ b/structs.go
@@ -6,17 +6,18 @@ package main
 import (
 	"go.wit.com/dev/alexflint/arg"
 	"go.wit.com/gui"
+	"go.wit.com/lib/gui/prep"
 )
 
 var me *autoType
 
 // this app's variables
 type autoType struct {
-	pp           *arg.Parser // go-arg preprocessor
-	myGui        *gui.Node   // the gui toolkit handle
-	dd           *gui.Node   // the drives dropdown list
-	parted       *gui.Node   // the current drive to run parted on
-	currentDev   *Block      // the current dev entry to work on
-	pb           *Blocks     // the block dev protobuf
-	driveInfoBox *gui.Node   // displays the drive info
+	pp           *arg.Parser   // go-arg preprocessor
+	myGui        *prep.GuiPrep // the gui toolkit handle
+	dd           *gui.Node     // the drives dropdown list
+	parted       *gui.Node     // the current drive to run parted on
+	currentDev   *Block        // the current dev entry to work on
+	pb           *Blocks       // the block dev protobuf
+	driveInfoBox *gui.Node     // displays the drive info
 }