diff --git a/bin/punk-getzig.cmd b/bin/punk-getzig.cmd
index b7280d4d..42554918 100644
--- a/bin/punk-getzig.cmd
+++ b/bin/punk-getzig.cmd
@@ -1278,26 +1278,28 @@ fi
 #printf "start of bash or zsh code"
 
 #<shell-payload>
-#mkdir -p ./zig
+#punk-getzig (bash side) - per-version zig fetch. UNIMPLEMENTED beyond messaging:
+#the windows (powershell) side is the maintained implementation today; this stub
+#keeps the same argument convention so the eventual implementation is a fill-in.
+#Version may be supplied as $1; default matches the powershell side's suite pin.
 
-#tarball="zig-x86_64-windows-0.15.2.zip"
-#tarball="zig-x86_64-freebsd-0.15.2.tar.xz"
-tarball="zig-x86_64-linux-0.16.0.tar.xz"
+releaseversion="${1:-0.16.0}"
+tarball="zig-x86_64-linux-${releaseversion}.tar.xz"
+targetdir="./tools/zig-x86_64-linux-${releaseversion}"
 
 automation_name="punkshell+julian@precisium.com.au_target_by_latency"
 uristring="https://ziglang.org"
 
-#releases
-full_uristring="${uristring}/download/0.15.2/${tarball}?source=${automation_name}"
-#pre-releases
-#full_uristring="${uristring}/builds/${tarball}?source=${automation_name}"
+#releases (/download/<version>/). dev builds (X.Y.Z-dev.N+hash) live under /builds/
+#and are not handled - host such zips on the punkbin mirror if one must be pinned.
+full_uristring="${uristring}/download/${releaseversion}/${tarball}?source=${automation_name}"
 
-echo "Unimplemented: Download from ${full_uristring} and extract manually"
-#wget $full_uristring -O ./zig/zig-linux-x86_64-0.10.1.tar.xz
-#tar -xf ./zig/zig-linux-x86_64-0.10.1.tar.xz -C ./zig --strip-components=1
-#rm ./zig/zig-linux-x86_64-0.10.1.tar.xz
-#echo "Zig installed."
-#./zig/zig version
+echo "Unimplemented: Download from ${full_uristring}"
+echo "  and extract to ${targetdir} (the tarball's own root folder name) manually."
+#wget "$full_uristring" -O "./tools/${tarball}"
+#minisign verification as per the powershell side (zig minisign pubkey), then:
+#tar -xf "./tools/${tarball}" -C ./tools
+#"${targetdir}/zig" version
 
 #</shell-payload>
 
@@ -1607,19 +1609,28 @@ if (-not(Test-Path -Path $toolsfolder -PathType Container)) {
     #create folder - (can include missing intermediaries)
     New-Item -Path $toolsfolder -ItemType Directory
 }
-$zigfolder = Join-Path $toolsfolder -ChildPath "zig"
-$zigexe = Join-Path $zigfolder -ChildPath "zig.exe"
-#$releasearchive = "zig-x86_64-windows-0.15.1.zip" ;#zip on windows, tarball on every other platform
-#$releasearchive = "zig-x86_64-windows-0.16.0-dev.254+6dd0270a1.zip"
-#$releasearchive = "zig-x86_64-windows-0.16.0-dev.2193+fc517bd01.zip"
-$releasearchive = "zig-x86_64-windows-0.16.0.zip"
-#single-source the pinned version from the archive name (used for ziglang.org release URLs)
-if ($releasearchive -match 'zig-x86_64-windows-(.+)\.zip$') {
-    $releaseversion = $Matches[1]
+#per-version fetch (G-096): the zig version may be supplied as the first argument;
+#default is the suite_tcl90 pin. Each version installs into its OWN versioned dir
+#tools/zig-x86_64-windows-<version> (the zip's native root folder name) so multiple
+#pinned toolchains coexist - recipes resolve the exact dir they were written for.
+#Note: ziglang.org release urls (/download/<version>/) serve tagged releases; dev
+#builds (X.Y.Z-dev.N+hash) live under /builds/ and are NOT handled here - host dev
+#zips on the punkbin mirror (flat tools/ path) if one must be pinned. Also NOT
+#handled: releases before 0.14.1, which used the old zig-<os>-<arch> archive naming.
+$releaseversion_default = "0.16.0"
+if ($args.Count -ge 1 -and "$($args[0])" -ne "") {
+    $releaseversion = "$($args[0])"
 } else {
-    Write-Error "cannot derive zig version from releasearchive name '$releasearchive'"
+    $releaseversion = $releaseversion_default
+}
+if (-not ($releaseversion -match '^[0-9][0-9A-Za-z.+-]*$')) {
+    Write-Error "zig version argument '$releaseversion' does not look like a version (e.g 0.16.0)"
     exit 1
 }
+$releasearchive = "zig-x86_64-windows-${releaseversion}.zip"
+$zigfolder = Join-Path $toolsfolder -ChildPath "zig-x86_64-windows-${releaseversion}"
+$zigexe = Join-Path $zigfolder -ChildPath "zig.exe"
+Write-Host "requested zig version: $releaseversion -> $zigfolder"
 Write-Output "powershell version: $($PSVersionTable.PSVersion)"
 
 if (Get-Command $zigexe -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
@@ -1633,6 +1644,9 @@ if (Get-Command $zigexe -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
         Write-Host "Consider deleting $zigexe and re-downloading"
     } else {
         Write-Host "$zigexe version is: $stdout"
+        if ("$stdout".Trim() -ne $releaseversion) {
+            Write-Host "WARNING: reported version does not match the versioned folder name (requested $releaseversion) - consider deleting $zigfolder and re-running"
+        }
     }
     exit
 }
@@ -1722,43 +1736,14 @@ function extractZip {
     }
 
 
-    $zigfolder = Join-Path $toolsfolder -ChildPath "zig"
-    $zigexe = Join-Path $zigfolder -ChildPath "zig.exe"
-
-    $retries = 10
-    $exe_missing = $true #missing until tested as a found leaf
-    $sleep_time = 2
-    while (($retries -gt 0) -and $exe_missing) { 
-        $retries -= 1
-        #We *intermittently* get permission errors when trying to rename the resulting folder (possibly also if we try to delete the zip file immediately)
-        #There seems to be some sort of lock held after ExtractToDirectory (possibly AV related)
-        #https://stackoverflow.com/questions/74582293/file-lock-issues-on-zip-file-after-io-compression-zipfileextracttodirectory
-
-        #In some cases just the GC was enough.. but in other cases even sleep 3 seconds + GC didn't work
-        #sleep of 5 seems more reliable - but the size of the required delay may depend on what is running on the system,
-        # and the size of the extracted folder etc.
-        #Rather than use a large sleep to cover all cases -  we use a limited retry loop with a somewhat shorter sleep e.g 2
-        Write-Host "waiting $sleep_time seconds and also running GC to allow locks to clear. Max remaining retries: $retries"
-        start-sleep -Seconds $sleep_time
-
-        [GC]::Collect()
-        [GC]::WaitForPendingFinalizers()
-        # -------------------------------------
-        #Remove-Item -Path "$outfile"
-        #write-host "zip_rootname: $zip_rootname"
-        write-host "Attempting to move $zip_extraction_folder to ${zigfolder}"
-        Rename-Item -Path $(Join-Path -Path $toolsfolder -ChildPath $zip_rootname) -NewName $zigfolder -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
-        if (-not $?) {
-            write-host "Renaming extracted folder into place at $zigfolder failed"
-            write-host " - error message: $($error[0].Exception.Message)"
-        }
-        if (Test-Path -Path $zigexe -PathType leaf) {
-            $exe_missing = $false
-        }
-    }
-
+    #G-096 per-version install: the zip's own root folder (zig-x86_64-windows-<ver>)
+    #IS the versioned install dir - no rename-into-place step is needed any more.
+    #(The old rename to tools/zig intermittently hit post-ExtractToDirectory lock
+    #errors - see https://stackoverflow.com/questions/74582293 - which the retry/GC
+    #loop existed to ride out; with the rename gone that whole dance goes too.)
+    $zigexe = Join-Path $zip_extraction_folder -ChildPath "zig.exe"
     if (Test-Path -Path $zigexe -PathType leaf) {
-        Write-Host "Zig installed in ${zigfolder}"
+        Write-Host "Zig installed in ${zip_extraction_folder}"
         return $true
     } else {
         Write-Host "Failed to install as $zigexe"
diff --git a/goals/G-096-zig-buildsuite-piperepl.md b/goals/G-096-zig-buildsuite-piperepl.md
index a1ba43ee..1434095a 100644
--- a/goals/G-096-zig-buildsuite-piperepl.md
+++ b/goals/G-096-zig-buildsuite-piperepl.md
@@ -345,3 +345,30 @@ Remaining for acceptance:
   tcl_interactive is LINKED before the startup script runs (stock links at repl
   entry), so scripts that WRITE ::tcl_interactive can influence prompting where
   stock ignores the write until repl entry; readers see identical values.
+
+### 2026-07-20 increment: punk-getzig per-version fetch into versioned dirs - all four paths verified
+
+- The scriptset (src/scriptapps/bin/punk-getzig.ps1/.bash) takes the zig version as
+  the first argument (default = the suite pin, 0.16.0) and installs into
+  tools/zig-x86_64-windows-<version> - the zip's OWN root folder name, so the old
+  rename-into-place step (and its post-ExtractToDirectory lock retry/GC dance) is
+  gone entirely. Installed-check reports a mismatch warning if the exe's reported
+  version differs from its versioned folder. Documented limitations: dev builds
+  (/builds/ url space) and pre-0.14.1 releases (old zig-<os>-<arch> archive naming)
+  are not handled - punkbin's flat tools/ mirror path serves those if one must be
+  pinned. The bash side remains an honest stub with the same argument convention.
+- Rewrapped via punk::mix::commandset::scriptwrap::multishell (punk905_beta src
+  script) -> bin/punk-getzig.cmd regenerated + .ps1 twin byte-synced; no spacer
+  issues (template label-analysis warnings are the known pre-existing noise).
+- VERIFIED all four paths through the polyglot wrapper:
+  (1) explicit present version: 'punk-getzig.cmd 0.16.0' -> versioned dir found,
+      reported version matches, early exit;
+  (2) no-arg default: resolves 0.16.0 identically;
+  (3) existing-zip path: 'punk-getzig.cmd 0.15.2' with the zip+minisig present but
+      no dir -> signature verified -> extracted to zig-x86_64-windows-0.15.2 ->
+      ZIG VERSION: 0.15.2;
+  (4) FULL NETWORK path: 0.15.2 zip/minisig/dir removed (backed up first) ->
+      mirror-latency selection picked the local punkbin dev mirror -> zip +
+      minisig downloaded -> signature verified -> versioned extract ->
+      ZIG VERSION: 0.15.2.
+- Remaining for this goal: the final clean-checkout re-verification only.
diff --git a/src/scriptapps/bin/punk-getzig.bash b/src/scriptapps/bin/punk-getzig.bash
index f0c8d761..fa554847 100644
--- a/src/scriptapps/bin/punk-getzig.bash
+++ b/src/scriptapps/bin/punk-getzig.bash
@@ -1,20 +1,22 @@
-#mkdir -p ./zig
+#punk-getzig (bash side) - per-version zig fetch. UNIMPLEMENTED beyond messaging:
+#the windows (powershell) side is the maintained implementation today; this stub
+#keeps the same argument convention so the eventual implementation is a fill-in.
+#Version may be supplied as $1; default matches the powershell side's suite pin.
 
-#tarball="zig-x86_64-windows-0.15.2.zip"
-#tarball="zig-x86_64-freebsd-0.15.2.tar.xz"
-tarball="zig-x86_64-linux-0.16.0.tar.xz"
+releaseversion="${1:-0.16.0}"
+tarball="zig-x86_64-linux-${releaseversion}.tar.xz"
+targetdir="./tools/zig-x86_64-linux-${releaseversion}"
 
 automation_name="punkshell+julian@precisium.com.au_target_by_latency"
 uristring="https://ziglang.org"
 
-#releases
-full_uristring="${uristring}/download/0.15.2/${tarball}?source=${automation_name}"
-#pre-releases
-#full_uristring="${uristring}/builds/${tarball}?source=${automation_name}"
+#releases (/download/<version>/). dev builds (X.Y.Z-dev.N+hash) live under /builds/
+#and are not handled - host such zips on the punkbin mirror if one must be pinned.
+full_uristring="${uristring}/download/${releaseversion}/${tarball}?source=${automation_name}"
 
-echo "Unimplemented: Download from ${full_uristring} and extract manually"
-#wget $full_uristring -O ./zig/zig-linux-x86_64-0.10.1.tar.xz
-#tar -xf ./zig/zig-linux-x86_64-0.10.1.tar.xz -C ./zig --strip-components=1
-#rm ./zig/zig-linux-x86_64-0.10.1.tar.xz
-#echo "Zig installed."
-#./zig/zig version
+echo "Unimplemented: Download from ${full_uristring}"
+echo "  and extract to ${targetdir} (the tarball's own root folder name) manually."
+#wget "$full_uristring" -O "./tools/${tarball}"
+#minisign verification as per the powershell side (zig minisign pubkey), then:
+#tar -xf "./tools/${tarball}" -C ./tools
+#"${targetdir}/zig" version
diff --git a/src/scriptapps/bin/punk-getzig.ps1 b/src/scriptapps/bin/punk-getzig.ps1
index c8251d23..454f863e 100644
--- a/src/scriptapps/bin/punk-getzig.ps1
+++ b/src/scriptapps/bin/punk-getzig.ps1
@@ -13,19 +13,28 @@ if (-not(Test-Path -Path $toolsfolder -PathType Container)) {
     #create folder - (can include missing intermediaries)
     New-Item -Path $toolsfolder -ItemType Directory
 }
-$zigfolder = Join-Path $toolsfolder -ChildPath "zig"
-$zigexe = Join-Path $zigfolder -ChildPath "zig.exe"
-#$releasearchive = "zig-x86_64-windows-0.15.1.zip" ;#zip on windows, tarball on every other platform
-#$releasearchive = "zig-x86_64-windows-0.16.0-dev.254+6dd0270a1.zip"
-#$releasearchive = "zig-x86_64-windows-0.16.0-dev.2193+fc517bd01.zip"
-$releasearchive = "zig-x86_64-windows-0.16.0.zip"
-#single-source the pinned version from the archive name (used for ziglang.org release URLs)
-if ($releasearchive -match 'zig-x86_64-windows-(.+)\.zip$') {
-    $releaseversion = $Matches[1]
+#per-version fetch (G-096): the zig version may be supplied as the first argument;
+#default is the suite_tcl90 pin. Each version installs into its OWN versioned dir
+#tools/zig-x86_64-windows-<version> (the zip's native root folder name) so multiple
+#pinned toolchains coexist - recipes resolve the exact dir they were written for.
+#Note: ziglang.org release urls (/download/<version>/) serve tagged releases; dev
+#builds (X.Y.Z-dev.N+hash) live under /builds/ and are NOT handled here - host dev
+#zips on the punkbin mirror (flat tools/ path) if one must be pinned. Also NOT
+#handled: releases before 0.14.1, which used the old zig-<os>-<arch> archive naming.
+$releaseversion_default = "0.16.0"
+if ($args.Count -ge 1 -and "$($args[0])" -ne "") {
+    $releaseversion = "$($args[0])"
 } else {
-    Write-Error "cannot derive zig version from releasearchive name '$releasearchive'"
+    $releaseversion = $releaseversion_default
+}
+if (-not ($releaseversion -match '^[0-9][0-9A-Za-z.+-]*$')) {
+    Write-Error "zig version argument '$releaseversion' does not look like a version (e.g 0.16.0)"
     exit 1
 }
+$releasearchive = "zig-x86_64-windows-${releaseversion}.zip"
+$zigfolder = Join-Path $toolsfolder -ChildPath "zig-x86_64-windows-${releaseversion}"
+$zigexe = Join-Path $zigfolder -ChildPath "zig.exe"
+Write-Host "requested zig version: $releaseversion -> $zigfolder"
 Write-Output "powershell version: $($PSVersionTable.PSVersion)"
 
 if (Get-Command $zigexe -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
@@ -39,6 +48,9 @@ if (Get-Command $zigexe -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
         Write-Host "Consider deleting $zigexe and re-downloading"
     } else {
         Write-Host "$zigexe version is: $stdout"
+        if ("$stdout".Trim() -ne $releaseversion) {
+            Write-Host "WARNING: reported version does not match the versioned folder name (requested $releaseversion) - consider deleting $zigfolder and re-running"
+        }
     }
     exit
 }
@@ -128,43 +140,14 @@ function extractZip {
     }
 
 
-    $zigfolder = Join-Path $toolsfolder -ChildPath "zig"
-    $zigexe = Join-Path $zigfolder -ChildPath "zig.exe"
-
-    $retries = 10
-    $exe_missing = $true #missing until tested as a found leaf
-    $sleep_time = 2
-    while (($retries -gt 0) -and $exe_missing) { 
-        $retries -= 1
-        #We *intermittently* get permission errors when trying to rename the resulting folder (possibly also if we try to delete the zip file immediately)
-        #There seems to be some sort of lock held after ExtractToDirectory (possibly AV related)
-        #https://stackoverflow.com/questions/74582293/file-lock-issues-on-zip-file-after-io-compression-zipfileextracttodirectory
-
-        #In some cases just the GC was enough.. but in other cases even sleep 3 seconds + GC didn't work
-        #sleep of 5 seems more reliable - but the size of the required delay may depend on what is running on the system,
-        # and the size of the extracted folder etc.
-        #Rather than use a large sleep to cover all cases -  we use a limited retry loop with a somewhat shorter sleep e.g 2
-        Write-Host "waiting $sleep_time seconds and also running GC to allow locks to clear. Max remaining retries: $retries"
-        start-sleep -Seconds $sleep_time
-
-        [GC]::Collect()
-        [GC]::WaitForPendingFinalizers()
-        # -------------------------------------
-        #Remove-Item -Path "$outfile"
-        #write-host "zip_rootname: $zip_rootname"
-        write-host "Attempting to move $zip_extraction_folder to ${zigfolder}"
-        Rename-Item -Path $(Join-Path -Path $toolsfolder -ChildPath $zip_rootname) -NewName $zigfolder -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
-        if (-not $?) {
-            write-host "Renaming extracted folder into place at $zigfolder failed"
-            write-host " - error message: $($error[0].Exception.Message)"
-        }
-        if (Test-Path -Path $zigexe -PathType leaf) {
-            $exe_missing = $false
-        }
-    }
-
+    #G-096 per-version install: the zip's own root folder (zig-x86_64-windows-<ver>)
+    #IS the versioned install dir - no rename-into-place step is needed any more.
+    #(The old rename to tools/zig intermittently hit post-ExtractToDirectory lock
+    #errors - see https://stackoverflow.com/questions/74582293 - which the retry/GC
+    #loop existed to ride out; with the rename gone that whole dance goes too.)
+    $zigexe = Join-Path $zip_extraction_folder -ChildPath "zig.exe"
     if (Test-Path -Path $zigexe -PathType leaf) {
-        Write-Host "Zig installed in ${zigfolder}"
+        Write-Host "Zig installed in ${zip_extraction_folder}"
         return $true
     } else {
         Write-Host "Failed to install as $zigexe"