diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index d08e815..c0826aa 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
-project('layeredfs', 'c', 'cpp', version: '3.9',
+project('layeredfs', 'c', 'cpp', version: '3.10',
     default_options: [
         'cpp_std=c++20',
         'buildtype=release',
         'strip=true',
         'werror=true',
-    ]
+    ],
+    meson_version: '>=1.2.0',
 )
 
 add_project_link_arguments('-static', language: 'cpp')
@@ -204,3 +205,21 @@ test('unit tests', executable('tests_bin',
     ),
     workdir: meson.current_source_dir(),
 )
+
+test('commandline parsing test', executable('test_commandline',
+        sources: 'src/test_commandline.cpp',
+        link_with: [layeredfs_lib, texbin_lib, avs_standalone_lib],
+        dependencies: [layeredfs_cfg_dep, gtest_main_dep, gmock_dep],
+        build_by_default: false,
+    ),
+    workdir: meson.current_source_dir(),
+    args: [
+        '--layered-disable',
+        '--layered-verbose',
+        '--layered-devmode',
+        '--layered-allowlist=allowed,these folders',
+        '--layered-blocklist=blocked,these folders',
+        '--layered-logfile=some logfile.log',
+        '--layered-data-mods-folder=./some modfolder',
+    ]
+)
diff --git a/src/config.cpp b/src/config.cpp
index 364edfc..11941a7 100644
--- a/src/config.cpp
+++ b/src/config.cpp
@@ -67,39 +67,55 @@ void load_config(void) {
     config.logfile = NULL;
 #endif
 
-    int i;
+    int argc;
+    auto argv = CommandLineToArgvW(GetCommandLineW(), &argc);
+    if (!argv) {
+        log_warning("Couldn't fetch commandline args!");
+        return;
+    }
+
+    char* arg;
 
     // so close to just pulling in a third party argparsing lib...
-    for (i = 0; i < __argc; i++) {
-        if (strcmp(__argv[i], VERBOSE_FLAG) == 0) {
+    for (int i = 0; i < argc; i++) {
+        if (!wstr_narrow(argv[i], &arg))
+            continue;
+
+        if (strcmp(arg, VERBOSE_FLAG) == 0) {
             config.verbose_logs = true;
+            free(arg);
         }
-        else if (strcmp(__argv[i], DEVMODE_FLAG) == 0) {
+        else if (strcmp(arg, DEVMODE_FLAG) == 0) {
             config.developer_mode = true;
+            free(arg);
         }
-        else if (strcmp(__argv[i], DISABLE_FLAG) == 0) {
+        else if (strcmp(arg, DISABLE_FLAG) == 0) {
             config.disable = true;
+            free(arg);
         }
-        else if (strncmp(__argv[i], ALLOWLIST_FLAG, strlen(ALLOWLIST_FLAG)) == 0) {
-            allowlist = parse_list(ALLOWLIST_FLAG, __argv[i], config.allowlist);
+        else if (strncmp(arg, ALLOWLIST_FLAG, strlen(ALLOWLIST_FLAG)) == 0) {
+            allowlist = parse_list(ALLOWLIST_FLAG, arg, config.allowlist);
         }
-        else if (strncmp(__argv[i], BLOCKLIST_FLAG, strlen(BLOCKLIST_FLAG)) == 0) {
-            blocklist = parse_list(BLOCKLIST_FLAG, __argv[i], config.blocklist);
+        else if (strncmp(arg, BLOCKLIST_FLAG, strlen(BLOCKLIST_FLAG)) == 0) {
+            blocklist = parse_list(BLOCKLIST_FLAG, arg, config.blocklist);
         }
-        else if (strncmp(__argv[i], LOGFILE_FLAG, strlen(LOGFILE_FLAG)) == 0) {
-            const char *path = &__argv[i][strlen(LOGFILE_FLAG)];
+        else if (strncmp(arg, LOGFILE_FLAG, strlen(LOGFILE_FLAG)) == 0) {
+            const char *path = &arg[strlen(LOGFILE_FLAG)];
             // correct format: --layered-logfile=whatever.log
             if(path[0] == '=' && path[1]) {
                 config.logfile = &path[1];
             }
         }
-        else if (strncmp(__argv[i], MOD_FOLDER_FLAG, strlen(MOD_FOLDER_FLAG)) == 0) {
-            std::string_view path = &__argv[i][strlen(MOD_FOLDER_FLAG)];
+        else if (strncmp(arg, MOD_FOLDER_FLAG, strlen(MOD_FOLDER_FLAG)) == 0) {
+            std::string_view path = &arg[strlen(MOD_FOLDER_FLAG)];
             // correct format: --layered-data-mods-folder=./my_mods
             if(path.starts_with("=./")) {
                 config.mod_folder = path.substr(1);
             }
         }
+        else {
+            free(arg);
+        }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/test_commandline.cpp b/src/test_commandline.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b873618
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test_commandline.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+#include <sstream>
+#include <gtest/gtest.h>
+#include <gmock/gmock.h>
+
+#include "config.hpp"
+#include "avs_standalone.hpp"
+
+using ::testing::ElementsAre;
+
+TEST(Cmdline, ConfigParsingWorks) {
+   load_config();
+
+   EXPECT_EQ(config.verbose_logs, 1);
+   EXPECT_EQ(config.developer_mode, 1);
+   EXPECT_EQ(config.disable, 1);
+   EXPECT_STREQ(config.logfile, "some logfile.log");
+   EXPECT_THAT(config.allowlist, ElementsAre("allowed", "these folders"));
+   EXPECT_THAT(config.blocklist, ElementsAre("blocked", "these folders"));
+   EXPECT_EQ(config.mod_folder, "./some modfolder");
+}
diff --git a/src/utils.cpp b/src/utils.cpp
index cf5f229..5441435 100644
--- a/src/utils.cpp
+++ b/src/utils.cpp
@@ -99,6 +99,33 @@ wchar_t *str_widen(const char *src)
     return result;
 }
 
+bool wstr_narrow(const wchar_t *src, char **dest)
+{
+    int nbytes;
+
+    nbytes = WideCharToMultiByte(CP_ACP, 0, src, -1, NULL, 0, NULL, NULL);
+
+    if (nbytes <= 0) {
+        goto size_fail;
+    }
+
+    *dest = (char*)malloc(nbytes);
+
+    if (WideCharToMultiByte(CP_ACP, 0, src, -1, *dest, nbytes, NULL, NULL) !=
+        nbytes) {
+        goto conv_fail;
+    }
+
+    return true;
+
+conv_fail:
+    free(*dest);
+    *dest = NULL;
+
+size_fail:
+    return false;
+}
+
 bool file_exists(const char* name) {
     // file_exists is only used by the modfile machinery, so use the easy
     // method, not avs_fs_open or avs_fs_lstat
diff --git a/src/utils.hpp b/src/utils.hpp
index 91cfe41..67dded0 100644
--- a/src/utils.hpp
+++ b/src/utils.hpp
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ bool string_replace_first(std::string &str, const char* from, const char* to);
 // Like string.find(), but case insensitive
 std::size_t string_find_icase(const std::string & strHaystack, const std::string & strNeedle, std::size_t off = 0);
 wchar_t *str_widen(const char *src);
+bool wstr_narrow(const wchar_t *src, char **dest);
 void str_toupper_inline(std::string &str);
 bool file_exists(const char* name);
 bool folder_exists(const char* name);
diff --git a/xp_dlls/shell32.dll b/xp_dlls/shell32.dll
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..277aff1
Binary files /dev/null and b/xp_dlls/shell32.dll differ