diff --git a/app-el.js b/app-el.js
index ab86241d..4f6a84ab 100644
--- a/app-el.js
+++ b/app-el.js
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ server({
     conf: cnfDir,
     logs: logDir,
     cache: path.join(basDir,"data","cache"),
+    electron: true,
     debug
 });
 
diff --git a/app.js b/app.js
index b9705dcd..6985cadb 100644
--- a/app.js
+++ b/app.js
@@ -64,23 +64,25 @@ function addonce(array, v) {
 };
 
 function init(mod) {
+    const ENV = mod.env;
+
     startTime = time();
     lastmod = mod.util.lastmod;
     logger = mod.log;
-    debug = mod.env.debug || mod.meta.debug;
-    oversion = mod.env.over || mod.meta.over;
-    crossOrigin = mod.env.xorigin || mod.meta.xorigin || false;
-    serviceWorker = (mod.env.service || mod.meta.service) !== false;
+    debug = ENV.debug || mod.meta.debug;
+    oversion = ENV.over || mod.meta.over;
+    crossOrigin = ENV.xorigin || mod.meta.xorigin || false;
+    serviceWorker = (ENV.service || mod.meta.service) !== false;
     http = mod.http;
     util = mod.util;
     dir = mod.dir;
     log = mod.log;
 
-    if (mod.env.single) console.log({ cwd: process.cwd(), env: mod.env });
+    if (ENV.single) console.log({ cwd: process.cwd(), env: ENV });
     dversion = debug ? `_${version}` : version;
-    cacheDir = mod.env.cache || mod.util.datadir("cache");
-    if (mod.env.single) logger.log({ cacheDir });
-    forceUseCache = mod.env.cache ? true : false;
+    cacheDir = ENV.cache || mod.util.datadir("cache");
+    if (ENV.single) logger.log({ cacheDir });
+    forceUseCache = ENV.cache ? true : false;
 
     const approot = PATH.join("main","gapp");
     const refcache = {};
@@ -283,7 +285,14 @@ function init(mod) {
         if (dir.charAt(0) === '.') return;
         const stats = fs.lstatSync(`${mod.dir}/${modpath}`);
         if (!(stats.isDirectory() || stats.isSymbolicLink())) return;
-        loadModule(mod, modpath);
+        const isElectronMod = util.isfile(PATH.join(mod.dir,modpath,".electron"));
+        if (ENV.electron && !isElectronMod) return;
+        if (!ENV.electron && isElectronMod) return;
+        try {
+            loadModule(mod, modpath);
+        } catch (error) {
+            console.log({ module: dir, error });
+        }
     });
 
     // run loads injected by modules
diff --git a/bin/electron-pre.js b/bin/electron-pre.js
index e31e4462..b7369b44 100644
--- a/bin/electron-pre.js
+++ b/bin/electron-pre.js
@@ -2,18 +2,26 @@ const fs = require('fs-extra');
 const path = require('path');
 const server = require('@gridspace/app-server');
 
-// deref src and web for windows
+// deref src, web, mod for windows
 const srcTmp = path.join('tmp','src');
 fs.copySync("src", srcTmp, { dereference: true });
 
 const webTmp = path.join('tmp','web');
 fs.copySync("web", webTmp, { dereference: true });
 
-// const modTmp = path.join('tmp','mod');
-// fs.copySync("mod", modTmp, { dereference: true });
+const modTmp = path.join('tmp','mod');
+fs.copySync("mod", modTmp, { dereference: true, filter:(src,dst) => {
+    const ok =
+        src === 'mod' ||
+        src.indexOf('mod/standalone') === 0 ||
+        src.indexOf('mod/node_modules') === 0;
+    // console.log(ok, src);
+    return ok;
+} });
 
-// pre-build asset cache
+// create minified asset cache
 server({
+    electron: true,
     dryrun: true,
     single: true
 });
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index e218ecc3..5040c727 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -52,10 +52,10 @@
         "node-fetch": "^3.3.2"
     },
     "scripts": {
-        "start": "electron .",
-        "start-dev": "electron . --devel",
-        "start-dbg": "electron . --debugg",
-        "start-ddb": "electron . --devel --debugg",
+        "start": "npm run prebuild && electron .",
+        "start-dev": "npm run prebuild && electron . --devel",
+        "start-dbg": "npm run prebuild && electron . --debugg",
+        "start-ddb": "npm run prebuild && electron . --devel --debugg",
         "build": "npm run prebuild && electron-builder",
         "build-debug": "npm run prebuild && DEBUG=electron-builder electron-builder",
         "build-linux": "npm run build -- --linux --x64",
@@ -87,6 +87,13 @@
                     "**/*"
                 ]
             },
+            {
+                "from": "tmp/mod",
+                "to": "mod",
+                "filter": [
+                    "**/*"
+                ]
+            },
             "bin/*",
             "conf/**/*",
             "data/**/*",
@@ -119,6 +126,7 @@
             "entitlements": "bin/electron-entitlements.plist",
             "entitlementsInherit": "bin/electron-entitlements.plist",
             "target": [
+                "dmg",
                 "zip"
             ]
         },
diff --git a/src/main/kiri.js b/src/main/kiri.js
index 64a7cfe7..90a4d024 100644
--- a/src/main/kiri.js
+++ b/src/main/kiri.js
@@ -21,10 +21,17 @@ gapp.main("main.kiri", [], (root) => {
             modfns.push(fn);
         },
         load_exec(api) {
+            const saferun = (fn) => {
+                try {
+                    fn(api || kiri.api);
+                } catch (error) {
+                    console.log({ module_error: error });
+                }
+            };
             // complete module loading
-            modfns.forEach(modfn => { modfn(api || kiri.api)} );
+            modfns.forEach(modfn => saferun(modfn));
             // rewrite load() to be immediate post-finalize
-            kiri.load = (modfn) => { modfn(api || kiri.api) };
+            kiri.load = (modfn) => saferun(modfn);
         }
     };