diff --git a/src/cli.rs b/src/cli.rs
index 797e70e..27bd367 100644
--- a/src/cli.rs
+++ b/src/cli.rs
@@ -178,6 +178,7 @@ pub fn install() -> Command {
                 .help("install packages into a different root")
                 .short('r')
                 .long("root")
+                .default_value("/")
                 .value_hint(ValueHint::DirPath)
                 .num_args(1),
         ])
diff --git a/src/hpk.rs b/src/hpk.rs
index 741d4c4..43c9257 100644
--- a/src/hpk.rs
+++ b/src/hpk.rs
@@ -1,16 +1,18 @@
 #![warn(clippy::all, clippy::pedantic)]
 #![allow(clippy::missing_errors_doc)]
+
 mod cli;
 use {
     clap::ArgMatches,
     cli::cli,
-    hpk::{CreationError, Creator, Dependency, Message, Specs, Version},
+    hpk::{CreationError, Creator, Dependency, InstallMessage, Installer, Message, Specs, Version},
     indicatif::{ProgressBar, ProgressStyle},
     ron::ser::{to_writer_pretty, PrettyConfig},
     std::{
         env,
         error::Error,
         ffi::OsStr,
+        fmt,
         fs::File,
         io::{self, BufWriter, ErrorKind},
         path::PathBuf,
@@ -108,6 +110,43 @@ fn create(matches: &ArgMatches) -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
     }
 }
 
+fn install_local<P: AsRef<OsStr> + fmt::Display>(
+    archive: P,
+    root: P,
+) -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
+    let (sender, receiver) = mpsc::channel();
+    let pb = ProgressBar::new(0);
+    pb.set_style(ProgressStyle::with_template(TEMPLATE).unwrap());
+    pb.println(format!("Installing package {}", archive,));
+    let installer = Installer::new_for_file(root, archive)?;
+    let handle = thread::spawn(move || {
+        for msg in receiver.iter() {
+            match msg {
+                InstallMessage::ArchiveLen(len) => pb.set_length(len.try_into().unwrap()),
+                InstallMessage::LinkCreated(link) => {
+                    pb.inc(1);
+                }
+                InstallMessage::DirectoryCreated(dir) => {
+                    pb.inc(1);
+                }
+                InstallMessage::FileInstalled(file) => {
+                    pb.inc(1);
+                }
+                _ => {}
+            }
+        }
+    });
+    let mut hooks = vec![];
+    installer.install(&mut hooks, sender)?;
+    match handle.join() {
+        Ok(package) => {
+            println!("hooks: {package:?}");
+            Ok(())
+        }
+        Err(_) => Err(io::Error::new(ErrorKind::Other, "Unknown thread error").into()),
+    }
+}
+
 fn init(matches: &ArgMatches) -> Result<PathBuf, Box<dyn Error>> {
     let specsfile = PathBuf::from("package.specs");
     let cfg = PrettyConfig::new().struct_names(true);
diff --git a/src/hpk.rs.bak b/src/hpk.rs.bak
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..17dc354
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hpk.rs.bak
@@ -0,0 +1,231 @@
+#![warn(clippy::all, clippy::pedantic)]
+
+use hpk::{tar::Archive, Database};
+use zstd::Decoder;
+
+mod cli;
+use {
+    clap::ArgMatches,
+    cli::cli,
+    hpk::{CreationError, Creator, Dependency, InstallMessage, Installer, Message, Specs, Version},
+    indicatif::{ProgressBar, ProgressStyle},
+    ron::ser::{to_writer_pretty, PrettyConfig},
+    std::{
+        env,
+        error::Error,
+        ffi::OsStr,
+        fmt,
+        fs::File,
+        io::{self, BufWriter, ErrorKind},
+        path::{Path, PathBuf},
+        sync::mpsc,
+        thread,
+    },
+};
+
+static TEMPLATE: &str = "[ {prefix} ] {wide_bar}{pos:>5.cyan}/{len:5.green}{msg:>30}";
+
+fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
+    let matches = cli().get_matches();
+    match matches.subcommand() {
+        Some(("create", matches)) => create(matches)?,
+        Some(("init", matches)) => {
+            let specsfile = init(matches)?;
+            println!("Created specsfile {}", specsfile.display());
+            if matches.get_flag("edit") {
+                cli::edit(specsfile.to_str().unwrap())?;
+            }
+        }
+        Some(("search", matches)) => search(matches)?,
+        Some(("install", matches)) => install(matches)?,
+        Some(("remove", matches)) => remove(matches)?,
+        Some(("upgrade", _)) => upgrade()?,
+        _ => {}
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+fn create(matches: &ArgMatches) -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
+    let dir = PathBuf::from(matches.get_one::<String>("directory").unwrap().to_string());
+    let outdir = if let Some(d) = matches.get_one::<String>("output") {
+        PathBuf::from(&d.to_string())
+    } else {
+        env::current_dir()?
+    };
+    let mut specs = if let Some(s) = matches.get_one::<String>("specs") {
+        let path = PathBuf::from(s.to_string());
+        let fd = File::open(path)?;
+        ron::de::from_reader(fd)?
+    } else {
+        Specs::default()
+    };
+    if let Some(n) = matches.get_one::<String>("name") {
+        specs.name = n.to_string();
+    }
+    if let Some(v) = matches.get_one::<String>("package-version") {
+        specs.version = v.to_string().parse::<Version>()?;
+    }
+    if let Some(r) = matches.get_one::<u8>("release") {
+        specs.release = *r;
+    }
+    if let Some(deps) = matches.get_many::<String>("dependencies") {
+        for d in deps {
+            let d = Dependency {
+                name: d.to_string(),
+                version: (None, None),
+            };
+            specs.dependencies.push(d);
+        }
+    }
+    let creator = Creator::new(&dir, specs.clone())?;
+    let (sender, receiver) = mpsc::channel();
+    let len = creator.len();
+    let pb = ProgressBar::new(len as u64);
+    pb.set_style(ProgressStyle::with_template(TEMPLATE).unwrap());
+    pb.set_prefix("Adding files");
+    pb.println(format!(
+        "Creating package {}-{}_{}.tar.zst",
+        &specs.name, &specs.version, &specs.release
+    ));
+    let handle = thread::spawn(move || {
+        for msg in receiver.iter() {
+            match msg {
+                Message::MemberAdded(s) => {
+                    pb.set_message(s.split('/').last().unwrap().to_string());
+                    pb.inc(1);
+                }
+                Message::Success(_s) => {
+                    pb.inc(1);
+                    pb.finish_and_clear();
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        Ok::<(), CreationError>(())
+    });
+    creator.create(&outdir, sender)?;
+    match handle.join() {
+        Ok(_) => {
+            println!("Package created successfully");
+            Ok(())
+        }
+        Err(e) => Err(io::Error::new(ErrorKind::Other, format!("{e:?}")).into()),
+    }
+}
+
+fn install_local<P: AsRef<OsStr> + fmt::Display>(
+    archive: P,
+    root: P,
+) -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
+    let (sender, receiver) = mpsc::channel::<InstallMessage>();
+    let pb = ProgressBar::new(0);
+    pb.set_style(ProgressStyle::with_template(TEMPLATE).unwrap());
+    pb.println(format!("Installing package {}", archive,));
+    let fd = File::open(Path::new(&archive))?;
+    let decoder = Decoder::new(fd)?;
+    let ar = Archive::read(decoder)?;
+    let Some(node) = ar.get("package.ron") else {
+        return Err(io::Error::new(ErrorKind::Other, "not a valid package").into());
+    };
+    let mut package = vec![];
+    node.write(&mut package)?;
+    let package = ron::de::from_bytes(&package)?;
+    let db = Database::from_file(Some(PathBuf::from(&root)))?;
+    let mut queue = vec![];
+    package.dependencies.iter().for_each(|dep| {
+        if let Some(p) = db.packages.get(&dep.name) {
+            if !dep.satisfied(p) {
+            }
+        }
+    });
+    let installer = Installer::new_for_file(root, archive)?;
+    let handle = thread::spawn(move || {
+        for msg in receiver.iter() {
+            match msg {
+                InstallMessage::ArchiveLen(len) => pb.set_length(len.try_into().unwrap()),
+                InstallMessage::LinkCreated(link) => {
+                    pb.inc(1);
+                }
+                InstallMessage::DirectoryCreated(dir) => {
+                    pb.inc(1);
+                }
+                InstallMessage::FileInstalled(file) => {
+                    pb.inc(1);
+                }
+                _ => {}
+            }
+        }
+    });
+    installer.install(sender)?;
+    match handle.join() {
+        Ok(hooks) => {
+            println!("hooks: {hooks:?}");
+            Ok(())
+        }
+        Err(_) => Err(io::Error::new(ErrorKind::Other, "Unknown thread error").into()),
+    }
+}
+
+fn init(matches: &ArgMatches) -> Result<PathBuf, Box<dyn Error>> {
+    let specsfile = PathBuf::from("package.specs");
+    let cfg = PrettyConfig::new().struct_names(true);
+    let buf = File::create(&specsfile)?;
+    let writer = BufWriter::new(buf);
+    let specs = create_specs(matches)?;
+    to_writer_pretty(writer, &specs, cfg)?;
+    Ok(specsfile)
+}
+
+fn search(_matches: &ArgMatches) -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
+    unimplemented!();
+}
+
+fn install(_matches: &ArgMatches) -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
+    unimplemented!();
+}
+
+fn remove(_matches: &ArgMatches) -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
+    unimplemented!();
+}
+
+fn upgrade() -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
+    unimplemented!();
+}
+
+#[allow(clippy::cast_possible_truncation)]
+pub fn create_specs(matches: &ArgMatches) -> Result<Specs, Box<dyn Error>> {
+    let mut specs = Specs::default();
+    let mut name: Option<String> = None;
+    let mut version: Option<Version> = None;
+    let cwd = env::current_dir()?;
+    if let Some(dir) = cwd.file_name().and_then(OsStr::to_str) {
+        if let Some((n, v)) = dir.split_once('-') {
+            name = Some(n.to_string());
+            if let Ok(v) = v.parse() {
+                version = Some(v);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    if let Some(name) = matches.get_one::<String>("name") {
+        specs.name = name.to_string();
+    } else if let Some(n) = name {
+        specs.name = n;
+    }
+    if let Some(version) = matches.get_one::<String>("package-version") {
+        specs.version = version.parse()?;
+    } else if let Some(v) = version {
+        specs.version = v;
+    }
+    if let Some(release) = matches.get_one::<usize>("release") {
+        specs.release = *release as u8;
+    }
+    if let Some(deps) = matches.get_many::<String>("dependencies") {
+        let deps = deps
+            .map(|d| Dependency {
+                name: d.to_string(),
+                version: (None, None),
+            })
+            .collect::<Vec<Dependency>>();
+        specs.dependencies = deps;
+    }
+    Ok(specs)
+}
diff --git a/src/installer/mod.rs b/src/installer/mod.rs
index 8aad365..c0c2dec 100644
--- a/src/installer/mod.rs
+++ b/src/installer/mod.rs
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ use {
         ffi::OsStr,
         fmt::Write as _,
         fs::{self, DirBuilder, File},
-        io::{self, BufWriter, Write},
+        io::{self, BufReader, BufWriter, Write},
         os::{
             self,
             unix::{fs::DirBuilderExt, prelude::OpenOptionsExt},
@@ -55,24 +55,32 @@ pub enum InstallMessage {
 pub struct Installer<T: io::Read> {
     /// The filesystem root under which to install this package.
     /// Normally this is "/".
-    path: PathBuf,
-    package: Package,
+    root: PathBuf,
     reader: T,
 }
 
+impl Installer<Decoder<'_, BufReader<File>>> {
+    /// creates a new installer from an archive path
+    pub fn new_for_file<P: AsRef<OsStr>>(root: P, archive: P) -> Result<Self, io::Error> {
+        let root = Path::new(&root).to_path_buf();
+        let fd = File::open(Path::new(&archive))?;
+        let decoder = Decoder::new(fd)?;
+        Ok(Self::new(root, decoder))
+    }
+}
+
 impl<T: io::Read> Installer<T> {
-    /// Creates a new installer from an open archive.
-    pub fn new<P: AsRef<OsStr>>(path: P, package: Package, reader: T) -> Self {
-        let path = Path::new(&path).to_path_buf();
-        Self {
-            path,
-            package,
-            reader,
-        }
+    /// Creates a new installer from an open archive stream
+    pub fn new<P: AsRef<OsStr>>(root: P, reader: T) -> Self {
+        let root = Path::new(&root).to_path_buf();
+        Self { root, reader }
     }
 
-    pub fn install(mut self, sender: Sender<InstallMessage>) -> Result<Vec<Hooks>, InstallError> {
-        let mut hooks = self.init_hooks();
+    pub fn install(
+        self,
+        hooks: &mut Vec<Hooks>,
+        sender: Sender<InstallMessage>,
+    ) -> Result<Package, InstallError> {
         let reader = Decoder::new(self.reader)?;
         let mut archive = Archive::read(reader)?;
         sender.send(InstallMessage::ArchiveRead)?;
@@ -80,15 +88,28 @@ impl<T: io::Read> Installer<T> {
             Some(node) => node,
             None => return Err(InstallError::MissingManifest),
         };
-        let len = archive.nodes.len();
-        sender.send(InstallMessage::ArchiveLen(len))?;
-        let mut db_pkgdir = crate::get_dbdir(Some(self.path.clone()));
-        db_pkgdir.push(&self.package.name);
+        let mut buf = vec![];
+        pr_node.write(&mut buf)?;
+        let package: Package = ron::de::from_bytes(&buf)?;
+        if let Some(ref users) = package.users {
+            users
+                .iter()
+                .for_each(|u| hooks.push((u.clone(), Some(self.root.to_path_buf())).into()));
+        }
+        if let Some(ref groups) = package.groups {
+            groups
+                .iter()
+                .for_each(|g| hooks.push((g.clone(), Some(self.root.to_path_buf())).into()));
+        }
+        let mut db_pkgdir = crate::get_dbdir(Some(self.root.clone()));
+        db_pkgdir.push(&package.name);
         if !db_pkgdir.exists() {
             fs::create_dir_all(&db_pkgdir)?;
         }
         pop_appstream(&mut archive, &db_pkgdir)?;
-        pop_pinstall(&mut archive, &mut hooks, &self.package.name, &self.path)?;
+        pop_pinstall(&mut archive, hooks, &package.name, &self.root)?;
+        let len = archive.nodes.len();
+        sender.send(InstallMessage::ArchiveLen(len))?;
         let mut db_file = db_pkgdir;
         db_file.push("package.ron");
         if db_file.exists() {
@@ -97,15 +118,14 @@ impl<T: io::Read> Installer<T> {
         let fd = File::create(&db_file)?;
         let writer = BufWriter::new(fd);
         pr_node.write(writer)?;
-        let path = &self.path;
-        let package = &self.package;
+        let root = &self.root;
         let hooks = Mutex::new(hooks);
         let s = sender.clone();
         archive
             .nodes
             .par_iter()
             .try_for_each_with(s, |sender, node| {
-                let mut path = path.clone();
+                let mut path = root.clone();
                 let fpath = node.header.file_path()?;
                 if let Some(s) = node.header.prefix() {
                     if s.contains("/share/man/") {
@@ -158,22 +178,7 @@ impl<T: io::Read> Installer<T> {
                 sender.send(msg)?;
                 Ok::<(), InstallError>(())
             })?;
-        Ok(hooks.into_inner()?)
-    }
-
-    fn init_hooks(&mut self) -> Vec<Hooks> {
-        let mut hooks = Vec::<Hooks>::new();
-        if let Some(ref users) = self.package.users {
-            users
-                .iter()
-                .for_each(|u| hooks.push((u.clone(), Some(self.path.clone())).into()));
-        }
-        if let Some(ref groups) = self.package.groups {
-            groups
-                .iter()
-                .for_each(|g| hooks.push((g.clone(), Some(self.path.clone())).into()));
-        }
-        hooks
+        Ok(package)
     }
 }
 
@@ -256,6 +261,7 @@ fn pop_pinstall(
 mod error {
     use super::InstallMessage;
     use crate::{tar, Hooks};
+    use ron::error::SpannedError;
     use std::{
         error::Error,
         fmt, io,
@@ -270,6 +276,7 @@ mod error {
     pub enum InstallError {
         Fmt(fmt::Error),
         IO(io::Error),
+        RonError(SpannedError),
         SendError(SendError<InstallMessage>),
         Tar(tar::Error),
         ChecksumMismatch,
@@ -291,6 +298,7 @@ mod error {
                 Self::IO(e) => Some(e),
                 Self::Tar(e) => Some(e),
                 Self::SendError(e) => Some(e),
+                Self::RonError(e) => Some(e),
                 _ => None,
             }
         }
@@ -326,6 +334,12 @@ mod error {
         }
     }
 
+    impl From<SpannedError> for InstallError {
+        fn from(value: SpannedError) -> Self {
+            Self::RonError(value)
+        }
+    }
+
     impl From<FromUtf8Error> for InstallError {
         fn from(_value: FromUtf8Error) -> Self {
             Self::Utf8