diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 92920e3..1c69217 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,18 +1,25 @@
-# dotfiles plus scripts to copy them and also install stuff
+# dotfiles, plus scripts for box setup
 
-### script run
-- fulfill prerequisites below
-- git clone this repo
-- from the repo's root directory, run `./box_setup <OS name>`
+### instructions
+- fulfill prerequisites (see below)
+- script run options:
+    - if repo present on system, run from the repo's root:
+        - ```
+            ./box_setup.sh <OS-name>
+            ```
+    - if repo not present, run:
+        - ```
+            curl -LO https://git.drinkingtea.net/david/box-setup/src/branch/master/box_setup.sh
+            sh box_setup.sh <OS-name>
+            ```
+        - then delete the script file afterwards (repo should have been copied to dev dir)
 
 ### prerequisites
-- package manager is configured (i.e. source repos, mirrors, etc. configured)
 - zsh is installed (scripts are written for zsh)
-- sudo access is configured for current user (as of 2025-01-27, not needed on macos)
 - system-specific items below are fulfilled
 
-##### prereqs, os specific, linux-placeholder
-- (currently none)
+##### prereqs, os specific, linux distros
+- sudo access is configured for current user
 
 ##### prereqs, os specific, macos
 - install the package manager, [homebrew](https://brew.sh/)
@@ -28,7 +35,6 @@
         - `show files on desktop`: enabled
 
 ### todo items
-- add logic to the main run script to handle cloning of this repo
 - config for window manager for linux (first, decide which wm to use)
 - config for terminal emulator (currently ghostty)
 - config for mpd, mpc, ncmpcpp
@@ -36,8 +42,6 @@
 - config for gimp, `src_files/.config/GIMP` (dir)
     - set things in gtkrc only? still need to nest that within a sub dir?
     - or configure in gimp, copy resulting dir to `src_files/.config/GIMP`, call it a day
-- maybe build in flags/logic for skipping certain installs/builds (and maybe configs?)
-    on a given system (i.e. don't install on a company box, on a server, etc.)
 - decide on and implement approach for languages and versioning
     - asdf, or language-specific version managers?
     - docker? or alternatives like podman? any license concerns?
diff --git a/box_setup b/box_setup.sh
similarity index 51%
rename from box_setup
rename to box_setup.sh
index b6f7c55..f1015a4 100755
--- a/box_setup
+++ b/box_setup.sh
@@ -1,9 +1,29 @@
 #!/bin/zsh
 
-[[ -z $1 ]] &&
-    echo "OS must be passed as an arg (options: arch, artix, debian, macos)" &&
-    echo "example: ./box_setup arch" &&
+[[ -z $1 ]] && {
+    echo "OS must be passed as an arg, run \`./box_setup.sh --help\` for more info"
     exit 1
+}
+
+[[ $1 = "--help" ]] && {
+    echo "usage: ./box_setup.sh <OS-name> [system-type]\n"
+    echo "OS-name options: arch, artix, debian, macos"
+    echo "system-type options: personal, studio-music, work-placeholder\n"
+    echo "examples:\n./box_setup.sh arch studio-music\n./box_setup.sh macos\n"
+    exit 0
+}
+
+
+# TODO: test this git stuff, see if it works
+local temp_placement_git_dir="no"
+[[ ! -d ".git" && "$(basename $(pwd))" != "box-setup" ]] && {
+    temp_placement_git_dir="yes"
+    git clone "https://git.drinkingtea.net/david/box-setup.git" || {
+        echo "failed to clone box-setup git repo"
+        exit 1
+    }
+    pushd box-setup > /dev/null
+}
 
 # set env vars for installs
 local install_cmd=''
@@ -33,10 +53,15 @@ export BOX_SETUP_UPDATE_PKGS_CMD="$update_pkgs_cmd"
 
 # make dirs and copy configs/dotfiles
 source ./src_files/.config/zsh/.zshenv
-./make_dirs
-./copy_configs
+./make_dirs.sh
+./copy_configs.sh $2
 
 # install programs
 source $ZDOTDIR/.zshenv
 source $ZDOTDIR/.zshrc
-./install_programs
+./install_programs.sh $2
+
+[[ $temp_placement_git_dir == "yes" ]] && {
+    popd > /dev/null
+    mv "box-setup" "$DIR_GIT/me/"
+}
diff --git a/copy_configs b/copy_configs.sh
similarity index 83%
rename from copy_configs
rename to copy_configs.sh
index c997961..438391d 100755
--- a/copy_configs
+++ b/copy_configs.sh
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ link_dir() {
     ln -s $src_dir $link_dir
 }
 
-echo "---- copying dotfiles -------------------------"
+echo "---- copying dotfiles ------------------------------------------------"
 
 copy_file src_files/.config/zsh/.zshenv $HOME # duplicate, copy anyway, ensures $ZDOTDIR
 
@@ -43,8 +43,12 @@ copy_dir src_files/.config $XDG_CONFIG_HOME
 copy_dir src_files/.local/bin $DIR_BIN
 copy_dir src_files/.local/scripts $DIR_SCRIPTS
 
-[[ "$BOX_SETUP_OS" = "macos" ]] &&
-    # link_dir "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/REAPER" "$HOME/Library/Application Support/REAPER" && # TODO: get reaper config set up
+[[ "$BOX_SETUP_OS" = "macos" ]] && {
     copy_dir src_files/executable_wrappers_macos $DIR_BIN
     link_dir "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/GIMP" "$HOME/Library/Application Support/GIMP"
+}
+
+# [[ $1 = "studio-music" ]] &&
+#     [[ "$BOX_SETUP_OS" = "macos" ]] &&
+#     link_dir "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/REAPER" "$HOME/Library/Application Support/REAPER" && # TODO: get reaper config set up
 
diff --git a/install_programs b/install_programs
deleted file mode 100755
index 60bff91..0000000
--- a/install_programs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/zsh
-
-local single_script_filter=""
-
-while [[ $# > 0 ]]; do
-    single_script_filter="$1" # if using param, export BOX_SETUP_OS first if needed
-    shift
-done
-
-echo "---- installing programs ----------------------"
-
-local scripts=$(find ./installs_and_builds -maxdepth 1 -mindepth 1 -type f | sort)
-for script in ${=scripts}; do
-    if [[ -x $script ]]; then
-        if echo "$script" | grep -qv "$single_script_filter"; then
-            continue # $single_script_filter set, ignore others
-        fi
-        echo "executing: $script"
-        ./$script
-    fi
-done
-
diff --git a/install_programs.sh b/install_programs.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..9da83d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/install_programs.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+#!/bin/zsh
+
+install_scripts_from_dir() {
+    for script in $1; do
+        if [[ -x $script ]]; then
+            echo "executing: $script"
+            ./$script
+        fi
+    done
+}
+
+echo "---- installing programs, base ---------------------------------------"
+local scripts=$(find ./installs_and_builds -maxdepth 1 -mindepth 1 -type f | sort)
+install_scripts_from_dir(${=scripts})
+
+[[ $1 = "personal" ]] && {
+    echo "---- installing programs, personal -----------------------------------"
+    scripts=$(find ./installs_and_builds/personal -maxdepth 1 -mindepth 1 -type f | sort)
+    install_scripts_from_dir(${=scripts})
+}
+
+[[ $1 = "studio-music" ]] && {
+    echo "---- installing programs, studio-music -------------------------------"
+    scripts=$(find ./installs_and_builds/studio_music -maxdepth 1 -mindepth 1 -type f | sort)
+    install_scripts_from_dir(${=scripts})
+}
+
+[[ $1 = "work-placeholder" ]] && {
+    echo "---- installing programs, work-placeholder ---------------------------"
+    scripts=$(find ./installs_and_builds/work_placeholder -maxdepth 1 -mindepth 1 -type f | sort)
+    install_scripts_from_dir(${=scripts})
+}
+
diff --git a/installs_and_builds/personal/placeholder-TODO b/installs_and_builds/personal/placeholder-TODO
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/installs_and_builds/studio_music/placeholder-TODO b/installs_and_builds/studio_music/placeholder-TODO
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/make_dirs b/make_dirs.sh
similarity index 100%
rename from make_dirs
rename to make_dirs.sh
diff --git a/src_files/.config/git/config b/src_files/.config/git/config
index 88702b3..6b115bd 100644
--- a/src_files/.config/git/config
+++ b/src_files/.config/git/config
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@
 	defaultBranch = master
 [user]
 	name = david
-	email = david@silverwolf.studio
+	email = placeholder
diff --git a/src_files/.config/zsh/.zshenv b/src_files/.config/zsh/.zshenv
index 644967d..ac464ed 100644
--- a/src_files/.config/zsh/.zshenv
+++ b/src_files/.config/zsh/.zshenv
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ export DIR_HOME_BOX="$HOME/dbox"
 export DIR_MUSIC="$DIR_HOME_BOX/media/music"
 export DIR_DEV="$HOME/dev"
 export DIR_GIT_PROJECTS="$DIR_DEV/git"
-export DIR_SCRATCH_NOTES="$DIR_HOME_BOX/life/scratchpad/notes"
-export DIR_SCRATCH_DRAWINGS="$DIR_HOME_BOX/life/scratchpad/drawings"
+export DIR_SCRATCH_NOTES="$DIR_HOME_BOX/scratchpad/notes"
+export DIR_SCRATCH_DRAWINGS="$DIR_HOME_BOX/scratchpad/drawings"
 
 # util dirs; do not change without checking impact on xdg base dirs
 export DIR_LOCAL="$HOME/.local"
diff --git a/src_files/.config/zsh/.zshrc b/src_files/.config/zsh/.zshrc
index cb6ca6f..bcf6873 100644
--- a/src_files/.config/zsh/.zshrc
+++ b/src_files/.config/zsh/.zshrc
@@ -16,9 +16,8 @@ alias nv='nvim'
 alias n='nvim'
 alias tms='tmux-session-init'
 
-# executable name overrides
+# executable overrides
 alias ls='ls -F'
-alias yt-dlp='yt-dlp --write-info-json'
 
 # misc commands
 alias cal='khal calendar'
diff --git a/src_files/.config/zsh/zsh-general-dev b/src_files/.config/zsh/zsh-general-dev
index 7d7ec29..2989880 100644
--- a/src_files/.config/zsh/zsh-general-dev
+++ b/src_files/.config/zsh/zsh-general-dev
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ alias gfo='git fetch origin'
 alias git-push-to-temp='git branch -D temp; git checkout -b temp; git push origin temp -uf; git checkout -'
 alias gpdev='git-push-to-temp'
 alias gpo='git pull origin'
-git config --global user.email "$EMAIL_PERSONAL_DEV"
+git config --global user.email "$EMAIL_PERSONAL_DEV" # TODO: maybe fit this into system-type filters?
 
 # code/test/linter run and build commands
 alias bel='bundle exec standardrb'