diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 61b53853..1792aa58 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 17)
 set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON)
 add_compile_options(-Wall -Wextra -Werror -Wpedantic -Wuninitialized)
 
-
 # Project information.
 project(nsb
     VERSION 0.1.0
@@ -72,15 +71,53 @@ message(STATUS "▸ Source: ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}")
 message(STATUS "▸ Protobuf: ${Protobuf_INCLUDE_DIRS}")
 message(STATUS "▸ YAML: ${YAML_CPP_INCLUDE_DIR}")
 
-# Set up library.
+message(STATUS "Protoc Executable: ${Protobuf_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE}")
+
+# Generate C++ protobuf files directly via protoc.
+add_custom_command(
+    OUTPUT ${CPP_PROTO_DIR}/nsb.pb.h ${CPP_PROTO_DIR}/nsb.pb.cc
+    COMMAND ${Protobuf_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE}
+        --cpp_out=${CPP_PROTO_DIR}
+        --proto_path=${PROTO_DIR}
+        ${PROTO_DIR}/nsb.proto
+    DEPENDS ${PROTO_DIR}/nsb.proto
+    COMMENT "Running cpp protocol buffer compiler on nsb.proto"
+)
+
+# Generate Python protobuf files directly via protoc.
+add_custom_command(
+    OUTPUT ${PYTHON_DIR}/proto/nsb_pb2.py
+    COMMAND ${Protobuf_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE}
+        --python_out=${PYTHON_DIR}/proto
+        --proto_path=${PROTO_DIR}
+        ${PROTO_DIR}/nsb.proto
+    DEPENDS ${PROTO_DIR}/nsb.proto
+    COMMENT "Running python protocol buffer compiler on nsb.proto"
+)
+
+# Custom target that depends on all generated proto files.
+add_custom_target(nsb_proto_gen ALL
+    DEPENDS
+        ${CPP_PROTO_DIR}/nsb.pb.h
+        ${CPP_PROTO_DIR}/nsb.pb.cc
+        ${PYTHON_DIR}/proto/nsb_pb2.py
+)
+
+# Set up library (include generated nsb.pb.cc as an explicit source).
 add_library(nsb SHARED
     ${CPP_SRC_DIR}/nsb.cc
     ${CPP_SRC_DIR}/nsb_client.cc
+    ${CPP_PROTO_DIR}/nsb.pb.cc
 )
+
+# Ensure proto files are generated before compiling nsb.
+add_dependencies(nsb nsb_proto_gen)
+
 # Link libraries.
 target_link_libraries(nsb PUBLIC
     ${link_targets}
 )
+
 # Include directories.
 target_include_directories(nsb PUBLIC
     ${CPP_INCLUDE_DIR}
@@ -89,23 +126,6 @@ target_include_directories(nsb PUBLIC
     ${YAML_CPP_INCLUDE_DIR}
 )
 
-message(STATUS "Protoc Executable: ${Protobuf_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE}")
-# Generate C++ protobuf files.
-protobuf_generate(
-    TARGET nsb
-    LANGUAGE cpp
-    IMPORT_DIRS ${PROTO_DIR}
-    PROTOC_OUT_DIR ${CPP_DIR}/proto
-    PROTOS ${PROTO_DIR}/nsb.proto
-)
-# Generate Python protobuf file.
-protobuf_generate(
-    TARGET nsb
-    LANGUAGE python
-    IMPORT_DIRS ${PROTO_DIR}
-    PROTOC_OUT_DIR ${PYTHON_DIR}/proto
-    PROTOS ${PROTO_DIR}/nsb.proto
-)
 # Cleaning up.
 set_target_properties(nsb PROPERTIES ADDITIONAL_CLEAN_FILES
     "${CPP_DIR}/proto/*;${PYTHON_DIR}/proto/*;${PYTHON_DIR}/__pycache__/*"
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 97e351c2..0c7338dc 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ your code. Once this is complete, we recommend taking these steps in order:
 1. **Start the Redis server.** Specify or take note of the port number that the
 server is running on and make sure your configuration file points to the address
 and port.
-```redis-server -p 5050```
+```redis-server --port 5050```
 
 2. **Start the NSB Daemon.** If you followed the build instructions in above, 
 then you can start the NSB Daemon executable from either the _build_ directory
diff --git a/arch_nsb_install.sh b/arch_nsb_install.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..53f9fc13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/arch_nsb_install.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e # Exit immediately on error
+
+# If running as root, make sudo a no-op (added for testing on docker)
+if [ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ]; then
+  sudo() { "$@"; }
+  export -f sudo
+fi
+
+echo "=== NSB Installation Script (Arch Linux) ==="
+
+# ── 1. System Packages ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "[1/7] Installing system packages..."
+sudo pacman -Syu --noconfirm \
+  base-devel \
+  cmake \
+  pkgconf \
+  sqlite \
+  yaml-cpp \
+  hiredis \
+  python \
+  python-pip \
+  redis \
+  git \
+  wget
+
+pip install protobuf --break-system-packages
+
+# ── 2. Abseil ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "[2/7] Building & installing Abseil..."
+cd ~
+if [ ! -d "abseil-cpp" ]; then
+  git clone --depth 1 --branch 20240116.0 https://github.com/abseil/abseil-cpp.git
+fi
+cd abseil-cpp
+mkdir -p build
+cd build
+cmake .. \
+  -DCMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE=ON \
+  -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=17 \
+  -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
+  -DABSL_ENABLE_INSTALL=ON \
+  -DBUILD_TESTING=OFF
+cmake --build . -j2
+sudo cmake --install .
+sudo ldconfig
+
+echo "Sanity check - Abseil:"
+ls /usr/local/lib/libabsl_log* /usr/local/lib/libabsl_base* 2>/dev/null
+
+# ── 3. Protobuf ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "[3/7] Building & installing Protobuf v27.5..."
+cd ~
+if [ ! -f "protobuf-27.5.tar.gz" ]; then
+  wget https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/releases/download/v27.5/protobuf-27.5.tar.gz
+fi
+if [ ! -d "protobuf-27.5" ]; then
+  tar -xvf protobuf-27.5.tar.gz
+fi
+cd protobuf-27.5
+mkdir -p build
+cd build
+cmake .. \
+  -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
+  -DCMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE=ON \
+  -Dprotobuf_BUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON \
+  -Dprotobuf_BUILD_TESTS=OFF \
+  -Dprotobuf_ABSL_PROVIDER=package \
+  -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=17 \
+  -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr/local
+cmake --build . -j2
+sudo cmake --install .
+sudo ldconfig
+
+echo "Sanity check - Protobuf:"
+which protoc
+protoc --version
+ls /usr/local/lib/libprotobuf.so*
+
+# ── 4. Clone NSB ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "[4/7] Cloning NSB..."
+cd ~
+if [ ! -d "nsb" ]; then
+  git clone https://github.com/nsb-ucsc/nsb.git nsb
+fi
+cd nsb
+
+# ── 5. Build NSB ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "[5/7] Building NSB..."
+rm -rf build
+mkdir build
+cd build
+cmake -DProtobuf_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE=/usr/local/bin/protoc ..
+cmake --build . -j2
+
+# ── 6. Install NSB ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "[6/7] Installing NSB..."
+sudo cmake --install .
+sudo ldconfig
+
+# ── 7. PYTHONPATH ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Detect shell rc file
+case "$SHELL" in
+*/zsh) RC_FILE="$HOME/.zshrc" ;;
+*/bash) RC_FILE="$HOME/.bashrc" ;;
+*) RC_FILE="$HOME/.profile" ;; # universal fallback
+esac
+
+echo "[7/7] Setting PYTHONPATH..."
+touch "$RC_FILE"
+PROTO_PATH="$HOME/nsb/python"
+if ! grep -q "nsb/python" "$RC_FILE"; then
+  echo "export PYTHONPATH=$PROTO_PATH:\$PYTHONPATH" >>"$RC_FILE"
+fi
+export PYTHONPATH=$PROTO_PATH:$PYTHONPATH
+
+# ── 8. Redis ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "Starting Redis on port 5050..."
+redis-server --port 5050 --daemonize yes
+redis-cli -p 5050 ping
+
+# ── Final Test ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "Testing Python proto import..."
+python3 - <<'EOF'
+import proto.nsb_pb2 as nsb_pb2
+print("NSB Python proto loaded from:", nsb_pb2.__file__)
+EOF
+
+echo ""
+echo "=== Installation complete! ==="
+echo "To run the daemon: cd ~/nsb/build && ./nsb_daemon ../config.yaml"
+echo "Remember to run: source $RC_FILE"
diff --git a/linux-setup-guide.md b/linux-setup-guide.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..52b1b696
--- /dev/null
+++ b/linux-setup-guide.md
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# Linux Installation
+
+## Prerequisites
+Make sure you have a supported Linux distribution (using apt or pacman).
+
+## Steps
+
+1. **Download the install script** for your distribution:
+   - Arch Linux: `arch_nsb_install.sh`
+   - Ubuntu: `ubuntu_nsb_install.sh`
+
+2. **Open a terminal** and navigate to the directory the script downloaded to:
+   ```bash
+   cd ~/Downloads/
+   ```
+
+3. **Make the script executable:**
+   ```bash
+   chmod +x <distro>_nsb_install.sh
+   ```
+
+4. **Run the script:**
+   ```bash
+   ./<distro>_nsb_install.sh
+   ```
+
+5. **Follow any on-screen instructions** that appear during installation.
+
+6. **Reload your shell** after installation completes:
+   ```bash
+   source ~/.bashrc
+   ```
diff --git a/ubuntu_nsb_install.sh b/ubuntu_nsb_install.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ab48b5b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ubuntu_nsb_install.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e # Exit immediately on error
+
+# If running as root (e.g. Docker), make sudo a no-op
+if [ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ]; then
+  sudo() { "$@"; }
+  export -f sudo
+fi
+
+echo "=== NSB Installation Script (Ubuntu) ==="
+
+# ── 1. System Packages ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "[1/7] Installing system packages..."
+sudo apt update
+sudo apt install -y \
+  build-essential \
+  cmake \
+  pkg-config \
+  libsqlite3-dev \
+  libyaml-cpp-dev \
+  libhiredis-dev \
+  python3 \
+  python3-pip \
+  redis-server \
+  git \
+  wget
+
+pip install protobuf --break-system-packages
+
+# ── 2. Abseil ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "[2/7] Building & installing Abseil..."
+cd ~
+if [ ! -d "abseil-cpp" ]; then
+  git clone --depth 1 --branch 20240116.0 https://github.com/abseil/abseil-cpp.git
+fi
+cd abseil-cpp
+mkdir -p build
+cd build
+cmake .. \
+  -DCMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE=ON \
+  -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=17 \
+  -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
+  -DABSL_ENABLE_INSTALL=ON \
+  -DBUILD_TESTING=OFF
+cmake --build . -j2
+sudo cmake --install .
+sudo ldconfig
+
+echo "Sanity check - Abseil:"
+ls /usr/local/lib/libabsl_log* /usr/local/lib/libabsl_base* 2>/dev/null
+
+# ── 3. Protobuf ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "[3/7] Building & installing Protobuf v27.5..."
+cd ~
+if [ ! -f "protobuf-27.5.tar.gz" ]; then
+  wget https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/releases/download/v27.5/protobuf-27.5.tar.gz
+fi
+if [ ! -d "protobuf-27.5" ]; then
+  tar -xvf protobuf-27.5.tar.gz
+fi
+cd protobuf-27.5
+mkdir -p build
+cd build
+cmake .. \
+  -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
+  -DCMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE=ON \
+  -Dprotobuf_BUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON \
+  -Dprotobuf_BUILD_TESTS=OFF \
+  -Dprotobuf_ABSL_PROVIDER=package \
+  -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=17 \
+  -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr/local
+cmake --build . -j2
+sudo cmake --install .
+sudo ldconfig
+
+echo "Sanity check - Protobuf:"
+which protoc
+protoc --version
+ls /usr/local/lib/libprotobuf.so*
+
+# ── 4. Clone NSB ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "[4/7] Cloning NSB..."
+cd ~
+if [ ! -d "nsb" ]; then
+  git clone https://github.com/nsb-ucsc/nsb.git nsb
+fi
+cd nsb
+
+# ── 5. Build NSB ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "[5/7] Building NSB..."
+rm -rf build
+mkdir build
+cd build
+cmake -DProtobuf_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE=/usr/local/bin/protoc ..
+cmake --build . -j2
+
+# ── 6. Install NSB ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "[6/7] Installing NSB..."
+sudo cmake --install .
+sudo ldconfig
+
+# ── 7. PYTHONPATH ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Detect shell rc file
+case "$SHELL" in
+*/zsh) RC_FILE="$HOME/.zshrc" ;;
+*/bash) RC_FILE="$HOME/.bashrc" ;;
+*) RC_FILE="$HOME/.profile" ;;
+esac
+
+echo "[7/7] Setting PYTHONPATH..."
+touch "$RC_FILE"
+PROTO_PATH="$HOME/nsb/python"
+if ! grep -q "nsb/python" "$RC_FILE"; then
+  echo "export PYTHONPATH=$PROTO_PATH:\$PYTHONPATH" >>"$RC_FILE"
+fi
+export PYTHONPATH=$PROTO_PATH:$PYTHONPATH
+
+source $RC_FILE
+
+# ── 8. Redis ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "Starting Redis on port 5050..."
+redis-server --port 5050 --daemonize yes
+redis-cli -p 5050 ping
+
+# ── Final Test ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "Testing Python proto import..."
+python3 - <<'EOF'
+import proto.nsb_pb2 as nsb_pb2
+print("NSB Python proto loaded from:", nsb_pb2.__file__)
+EOF
+
+echo ""
+echo "=== Installation complete! ==="
+echo "To run the daemon: cd ~/nsb/build && ./nsb_daemon ../config.yaml"
+echo "Remember to run: source $RC_FILE"