diff --git a/.github/workflows/apbx.yaml b/.github/workflows/apbx.yaml
index 7d2b46b8ad..fdb91bb36b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/apbx.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/apbx.yaml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ env:
   SXSC_REPO: "https://github.com/Atlas-OS/sxsc"
 
 jobs:
-  package-build:
+  build:
     runs-on: windows-latest
 
     steps:
@@ -105,44 +105,23 @@ jobs:
         working-directory: src\playbook\Executables\AtlasModules\Packages
         if: env.runSxsc == 'true'
 
-  build:
-    needs: package-build
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout code
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-        with:
-          ref: ${{ github.ref }}
-
       - name: Validate YAML files
         run: 'yamllint -d "{extends: relaxed, rules: {empty-lines: disable, line-length: disable, new-line-at-end-of-file: disable, trailing-spaces: disable}}" src/playbook/.'
 
-      - name: Configure playbook
-        id: config-playbook
-        if: ${{ !startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/heads/na-') }}
-        run: |
-          cd src/playbook
-          echo "Making playbook display as unverified (remove ProductCode) so that it is not marked as malicious..."
-          sed -i '/<ProductCode>/d' playbook.conf
-          echo "Change description of playbook..."
-          sed -i 's|<Description>.*<\/Description>|<Description>Experimental testing version of the Atlas Playbook, built with GitHub Actions from commit ${{ github.sha }}. Be aware of these builds being potentially unstable and buggy!</Description>|g' playbook.conf
-          cd Configuration
-          echo "Enabling AME Wizard Live Log..."
-          sed -i '7s/ #//' custom.yml
-      
       - name: Create playbook (ZIP/APBX password is malte)
-        if: ${{ steps.config-playbook.outcome != 'skipped' }}
+        id: create-pb
+        if: ${{ !startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/heads/na-') }}
         run: |
-          cd src/playbook
           echo "Making a renamed password protected (malte) ZIP of playbook files..."
-          zip -r -P malte "Atlas Playbook ${GITHUB_SHA::8}.apbx" . -x "local-build.cmd"
-          echo "Move the .abpx playbook into the 'Release ZIP' to be released as an artifact with the additional files..."
-          mv "Atlas Playbook ${GITHUB_SHA::8}.apbx" "../release-zip"
+          $pbName = "Atlas Playbook $($env:GITHUB_SHA.Substring(0,8)).apbx"
+          & ..\local-build.ps1 -ReplaceOldPlaybook -AddLiveLog -Removals Verification, WinverRequirement -FileName $pbName
+          echo "Move the .abpx playbook into 'Release ZIP' to be released as an artifact with the additional files..."
+          Move-Item $pbName "../release-zip"
+        working-directory: src\playbook
 
       - name: Upload artifact
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
-        if: ${{ steps.config-playbook.outcome != 'skipped' }}
+        if: ${{ steps.create-pb.outcome != 'skipped' }}
         with:
           name: Atlas Playbook
           path: |
diff --git a/.vscode/extensions.json b/.vscode/extensions.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7d0c6b6bed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.vscode/extensions.json
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{
+	"recommendations": [
+		"ms-vscode.powershell",
+		"ionutvmi.reg",
+		"redhat.vscode-xml",
+		"redhat.vscode-yaml"
+	]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.vscode/launch.json b/.vscode/launch.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..10ff03de6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.vscode/launch.json
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+{
+    "version": "0.2.0",
+    "configurations": [
+        {
+            "type": "PowerShell",
+            "request": "launch",
+            "name": "Build Playbook (Test)",
+            "script": "& '${workspaceFolder}/src/local-build.ps1' -AddLiveLog -ReplaceOldPlaybook -Removals WinverRequirement, Verification",
+            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/src/playbook",
+            "args": []
+        },
+        {
+            "type": "PowerShell",
+            "request": "launch",
+            "name": "Build Playbook (Test w/o deps)",
+            "script": "& '${workspaceFolder}/src/local-build.ps1' -AddLiveLog -ReplaceOldPlaybook -Removals Dependencies, WinverRequirement, Verification",
+            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/src/playbook",
+            "args": []
+        },
+        {
+            "type": "PowerShell",
+            "request": "launch",
+            "name": "Build Playbook (Release)",
+            "script": "& '${workspaceFolder}/src/local-build.ps1'",
+            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/src/playbook",
+            "args": []
+        }
+    ]
+}
diff --git a/src/local-build.ps1 b/src/local-build.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a778c0d006
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/local-build.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+param (
+	[switch]$AddLiveLog,
+	[switch]$ReplaceOldPlaybook,
+	[switch]$DontOpenPbLocation,
+	[ValidateSet('Dependencies', 'Requirements', 'WinverRequirement', 'Verification', IgnoreCase = $true)]
+	[array]$Removals,
+	[string]$FileName = "Atlas Test"
+)
+
+$removals | % { Set-Variable -Name "remove$_" -Value $true }
+
+# check 7z
+if (Get-Command '7z' -EA 0) {
+	$7zPath = '7z'
+} elseif (Get-Command '7zz' -EA 0) {
+	$7zPath = '7zz'
+} elseif (!$IsLinux -and !$IsMacOS -and (Test-Path "$([Environment]::GetFolderPath('ProgramFiles'))\7-Zip\7z.exe")) {
+	$7zPath = "$([Environment]::GetFolderPath('ProgramFiles'))\7-Zip\7z.exe"
+} else {
+	throw "This script requires 7-Zip to be installed to continue."
+}
+
+# check if playbook dir
+if (!(Test-Path playbook.conf -PathType Leaf)) {
+	if (Test-Path playbook -PathType Container) {
+		$currentDir = $PWD
+		Set-Location playbook
+		if (!(Test-Path playbook.conf -PathType Leaf)) { throw "playbook.conf file not found in playbook directory." }
+	} else {
+		throw "playbook.conf file not found in the current directory."
+	}
+}
+
+# check if old files are in use
+$apbxFileName = "$fileName.apbx"
+function GetNewName {
+	$num = 1
+	while (Test-Path -Path "$fileName ($num).apbx") {
+		$num++
+		$script:apbxFileName = "$fileName ($num).abpx"
+	}
+}
+if ($replaceOldPlaybook -and (Test-Path -Path $apbxFileName)) {
+	try {
+		$stream = [System.IO.File]::Open("$PWD\$apbxFileName", 'Open', 'Read', 'Write')
+		$stream.Close()
+		Remove-Item -Path $apbxFileName -Force -EA 0
+	} catch {
+		Write-Warning "Couldn't replace '$apbxFileName', it's in use."
+		GetNewName
+	}
+} elseif (Test-Path -Path $apbxFileName) {
+	GetNewName
+}
+$apbxPath = "$PWD\$fileName.apbx"
+
+# make temp directories
+$rootTemp = New-Item (Join-Path -Path $([System.IO.Path]::GetTempPath()) -ChildPath $([System.Guid]::NewGuid())) -ItemType Directory -Force
+if (!(Test-Path -Path "$rootTemp")) { throw "Failed to create temporary directory!" }
+$playbookTemp = New-Item "$rootTemp\playbook" -Type Directory
+
+try {
+	# remove entries in playbook config that make it awkward for testing
+	$patterns = @()
+	# 0.6.5 has a bug where it will crash without the 'Requirements' field, but all of the requirements are removed
+	# "<Requirements>" and # "</Requirements>"
+	if ($removeRequirements) {$patterns += "<Requirement>"}
+	if ($removeWinverRequirement) {$patterns += "<string>", "</SupportedBuilds>", "<SupportedBuilds>"}
+	if ($removeVerification) {$patterns += "<ProductCode>"}
+
+	$tempPbConfPath = "$playbookTemp\playbook.conf"
+	if ($patterns.Count -gt 0) {
+		Get-Content "playbook.conf" | Where-Object { $_ -notmatch ($patterns -join '|') } | Set-Content $tempPbConfPath
+	}
+
+	$customYmlPath = "Configuration\custom.yml"
+	$tempCustomYmlPath = "$playbookTemp\$customYmlPath"
+	if ($AddLiveLog) {
+		if (Test-Path $customYmlPath -PathType Leaf) {
+			New-Item (Split-Path $tempCustomYmlPath -Parent) -ItemType Directory -Force | Out-Null
+			Copy-Item -Path $customYmlPath -Destination $tempCustomYmlPath -Force
+			$customYml = Get-Content -Path $tempCustomYmlPath
+
+			$actionsIndex = $customYml.IndexOf('actions:')
+			$newCustomYml = $customYml[0..$actionsIndex] + `
+				"  - !powerShell: {command: 'gc -Wait Logs\TIOutput.txt -EA 0 | Write-Output; pause', baseDir: true, wait: false}" + `
+				$customYml[($actionsIndex + 1)..($customYml.Count)]
+
+			Set-Content -Path $tempCustomYmlPath -Value $newCustomYml
+		} else {
+			Write-Error "Can't find "$customYmlPath", not adding live log."
+		}
+	}
+
+	$startYmlPath = "Configuration\atlas\start.yml"
+	$tempStartYmlPath = "$playbookTemp\$startYmlPath"
+	if ($removeDependencies) {
+		if (Test-Path $startYmlPath -PathType Leaf) {
+			New-Item (Split-Path $tempStartYmlPath -Parent) -ItemType Directory -Force | Out-Null
+			Copy-Item -Path $startYmlPath -Destination $tempStartYmlPath -Force
+			$startYml = Get-Content -Path $tempStartYmlPath
+
+			$noLocalBuildStart = $startYml.IndexOf('  ################ NO LOCAL BUILD ################')
+			$noLocalBuildEnd = $startYml.IndexOf('  ################ END NO LOCAL BUILD ################')
+			$newStartYml = $startYml[0..($noLocalBuildStart - 1)] + `
+				$startYml[($noLocalBuildEnd + 1)..($startYml.Count)]
+
+			Set-Content -Path $tempStartYmlPath -Value $newStartYml
+		} else {
+			Write-Error "Can't find "$startYmlPath", not removing dependencies."
+		}
+	}
+
+	# exclude files
+	$excludeFiles = @(
+		"local-build.cmd",
+		"*.apbx"
+	)
+	if (Test-Path $tempCustomYmlPath) { $excludeFiles += "custom.yml" }
+	if (Test-Path $tempStartYmlPath) { $excludeFiles += "start.yml" }
+	if (Test-Path $tempPbConfPath) { $excludeFiles += "playbook.conf" }
+	$files = "$rootTemp\7zFiles.txt"
+	(Get-ChildItem -File -Exclude $excludeFiles -Recurse).FullName | Resolve-Path -Relative | ForEach-Object {$_.Substring(2)} | Out-File $files -Encoding utf8
+
+	& $7zPath a -spf -y -mx1 -tzip "$apbxPath" `@"$files" | Out-Null
+	# add edited files
+	if (Test-Path "$playbookTemp\*.*") {
+		Push-Location "$playbookTemp"
+		& $7zPath u "$apbxPath" * | Out-Null
+		Pop-Location
+	}
+
+	Write-Host "Built successfully! Path: `"$apbxPath`"" -ForegroundColor Green
+	if (!$IsLinux -and !$IsMacOS -and !$DontOpenPbLocation) {
+		explorer /select,"$apbxPath"
+	}
+} finally {
+	Remove-Item $rootTemp -Force -EA 0 -Recurse | Out-Null
+	if ($currentDir) { Set-Location $currentDir }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/playbook/Configuration/custom.yml b/src/playbook/Configuration/custom.yml
index ccd3b6d213..a5c944ce11 100644
--- a/src/playbook/Configuration/custom.yml
+++ b/src/playbook/Configuration/custom.yml
@@ -2,10 +2,6 @@
 title: Root Playbook File
 description: Runs all of the playbook files
 actions:
-    # AME Wizard Live Log for development playbooks
-    # Do not change the line position of this, otherwise things will break when using local-build
-  # - !run: {exe: 'cmd.exe', args: '/c start "AME Wizard Live Log" PowerShell -NoP -C "gc -Wait Logs\TIOutput.txt -EA SilentlyContinue | Write-Output; pause"', baseDir: true, wait: false}
-
     # Check various conditions to see if the user should run Atlas or not
   - !powerShell:
     command: '.\UPGRADECHECK.ps1'
diff --git a/src/playbook/local-build.cmd b/src/playbook/local-build.cmd
index b41c6b168f..1084ba308e 100644
--- a/src/playbook/local-build.cmd
+++ b/src/playbook/local-build.cmd
@@ -1,253 +1,3 @@
-<# : batch portion
-@echo off & PowerShell -NoP Get-Content """%~f0""" -Raw ^| iex & exit /b
-: end batch / begin PowerShell #>
-
-# Do not change anything here, this is simply for reference
-$defaultConfig = @{
-	# Name of resulting APBX
-	fileName = "Atlas Test"
-
-	# Should the script delete any playbook that already exists with the same name or not
-	# If not, it will make something like "Atlas Test (1).apbx"
-	replaceOldPlaybook = $true
-
-	# Add AME Wizard Live Log window
-	liveLog = $true
-
-	# Choose to get Atlas dependencies or not to speed up installation
-	removeDependencies = $true
-
-	# Choose not to modify certain aspects from playbook.conf
-	removeRequirements = $false
-	removeWinverRequirement = $true
-
-	# Not recommended to disable as it will show malicious
-	removeProductCode = $true
-}
-
-$configPath = "$([Environment]::GetFolderPath('ApplicationData'))\local-build\config.json"
-
-# ------------- #
-# config system #
-# ------------- #
-
-$shortcut = "$([Environment]::GetFolderPath('LocalApplicationData'))\Microsoft\WindowsApps\ame-lb-conf.lnk"
-
-function New-ConfigPathShortcut {
-	$WshShell = New-Object -comObject WScript.Shell
-	$Shortcut = $WshShell.CreateShortcut($shortcut)
-	$Shortcut.TargetPath = $configPath
-	$Shortcut.Save()
-}
-
-function CreateConfig($conf) {
-	New-Item -Type Directory -Force -Path $(Split-Path $configPath) -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Out-Null
-	$conf | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 100 | Out-File $configPath
-}
-
-function Write-BulletPoint($message) {
-	$message | Foreach-Object {
-		Write-Host " - " -ForegroundColor Green -NoNewline
-		Write-Host $_
-	}
-	Write-Host ""
-}
-
-
-if (Get-Command '7z.exe' -EA SilentlyContinue) {
-	$7zPath = '7z.exe'
-} elseif (Test-Path "$([Environment]::GetFolderPath('ProgramFiles'))\7-Zip\7z.exe") {
-	$7zPath = "$([Environment]::GetFolderPath('ProgramFiles'))\7-Zip\7z.exe"
-}
-if (!$7zPath) {
-	Write-Host "This script requires 7-Zip to be installed to continue."
-	Pause
-	exit 1
-}
-
-if (!(Test-Path $configPath)) {
-	Remove-Item -Force -Path $shortcut -EA SilentlyContinue
-
-	Write-Host "It seems like this is your first time using AME Local Build.`n" -ForegroundColor Cyan
-
-	Write-BulletPoint "Adding config to %PATH% would allow you to type 'ame-lb-conf' into Run or any other shell and open the config."
-	Write-BulletPoint "The configuration is in JSON, and explanations of those arguments are contained in the script."
-	Write-BulletPoint "You can change the config path by modifying the script."
-
-
-	Write-Host "`n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------`n" -ForegroundColor Magenta
-	choice /c:yn /n /m "Would you like to add a shortcut to %PATH% for the configuration file? [Y/N]"
-	if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 1) { New-ConfigPathShortcut }
-
-	choice /c:yn /n /m "Would you like to open the config file now? [Y/N]"
-	CreateConfig $defaultConfig
-	if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 1) {
-		Start-Process -FilePath "notepad.exe" -ArgumentList $configPath -Wait
-	}
-	Write-Host ""
-
-	3..1 | ForEach-Object {
-		Write-Host "`rCompleted, building playbook in $_... " -NoNewLine -ForegroundColor Yellow
-		Start-Sleep 1
-	}
-}
-
-# check if path shortcut matches config path
-if (Test-Path $shortcut) {
-	if ($configPath -ne $(New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell).CreateShortcut($shortcut).TargetPath) { New-ConfigPathShortcut }
-}
-
-try {
-	$configNotHashtable = Get-Content $configPath | ConvertFrom-Json
-	# convert JSON config to hashtable
-	$config = @{}; foreach ($property in $configNotHashtable.PSObject.Properties) { $config[$property.Name] = $property.Value }
-} catch {
-	Write-Host "Your configuration is corrupted." -ForegroundColor Yellow
-	choice /c:yn /n /m "Would you like to reset it? [Y/N]"
-	if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 1) {
-		CreateConfig $defaultConfig
-	} else {exit 1}
-}
-
-# update config
-$defaultConfig.Keys | ForEach-Object {
-	if ($config.Keys -notcontains $_) {
-		$config = $config + @{
-			$_ = $defaultConfig.$_
-		}
-		$updateConfig = $true
-	}
-}
-if ($updateConfig) {CreateConfig $config}
-
-foreach ($a in $config.Keys) {
-	New-Variable -Name $a -Value $config.$a
-}
-
-# ----------- #
-# main script #
-# ----------- #
-
-$apbxFileName = "$fileName.apbx"
-$apbxPath = "$PWD\$fileName.apbx"
-
-if (!(Test-Path -Path "playbook.conf")) {
-	Write-Host "playbook.conf file not found in the current directory." -ForegroundColor Red
-	Start-Sleep 2
-	exit 1
-}
-
-# check if old files are in use
-$num = 1
-if (($replaceOldPlaybook) -and (Test-Path -Path $apbxFileName)) {
-	try {
-		$stream = [System.IO.File]::Open($apbxFileName, 'Open', 'Read', 'Write')
-		$stream.Close()
-	} catch {
-		while(Test-Path -Path "$fileName ($num).apbx") {$num++}
-		$apbxFileName = "$PWD\$fileName ($num).apbx"
-	}
-	Remove-Item -Path $apbxFileName -Force -EA 0
-} else {
-	if (Test-Path -Path $apbxFileName) {
-		while(Test-Path -Path "$fileName ($num).apbx") {$num++}
-		$apbxFileName = "$PWD\$fileName ($num).apbx"
-	}
-}
-
-$zipFileName = Join-Path -Path $PWD -ChildPath $([System.IO.Path]::ChangeExtension($apbxFileName, "zip"))
-
-# remove old temp files
-Remove-Item -Path $zipFileName -Force -EA 0
-if (!($?) -and (Test-Path -Path "$zipFileName")) {
-	Write-Host "Failed to delete temporary '$zipFileName' file!" -ForegroundColor Red
-	Start-Sleep 2
-	exit 1
-}
-
-# make temp directories
-$rootTemp = Join-Path -Path $env:TEMP -ChildPath $([System.IO.Path]::GetRandomFileName())
-New-Item $rootTemp -ItemType Directory -Force | Out-Null
-if (!(Test-Path -Path "$rootTemp")) {
-	Write-Host "Failed to create temporary directory!" -ForegroundColor Red
-	Start-Sleep 2
-	exit 1
-}
-$configDir = "$rootTemp\playbook\Configuration\atlas"
-New-Item $configDir -ItemType Directory -Force | Out-Null
-
-try {
-	$tempPlaybookConf = "$rootTemp\playbook\playbook.conf"
-	$ymlPath = "Configuration\custom.yml"
-	$tempStartYML = "$rootTemp\playbook\$ymlPath"
-
-	# remove entries in playbook config that make it awkward for testing
-	$patterns = @()
-	# 0.6.5 has a bug where it will crash without the 'Requirements' field, but all of the requirements are removed
-	# "<Requirements>" and # "</Requirements>"
-	if ($removeRequirements) {$patterns += "<Requirement>"}
-	if ($removeWinverRequirement) {$patterns += "<string>", "</SupportedBuilds>", "<SupportedBuilds>"}
-	if ($removeProductCode) {$patterns += "<ProductCode>"}
-
-	if ($patterns.Count -gt 0) {
-		$newContent = Get-Content "playbook.conf"| Where-Object { $_ -notmatch ($patterns -join '|') }
-		$newContent | Set-Content "$tempPlaybookConf" -Force	
-	}
-
-	if ($removeDependencies -or $liveLog) {
-		$startYML = "$PWD\$ymlPath"
-		if (Test-Path $startYML -PathType Leaf) {
-			Copy-Item -Path $startYML -Destination $tempStartYML -Force
-
-			$content = Get-Content -Path $tempStartYML
-
-			if ($liveLog) {
-				# uncomment the 8th line (6 in PowerShell because arrays are zero-based)
-				if ($content.Count -gt 6) {
-					$content[6] = $content[6] -replace ' #', ''
-				}
-			}
-
-			if ($removeDependencies) {
-				# has to be raw for removing dependencies
-				$content = $content -join "`n"
-
-				$startMarker = "  ################ NO LOCAL BUILD ################"
-				$endMarker = "  ################ END NO LOCAL BUILD ################"
-
-				$startIndex = $content.IndexOf($startMarker)
-				$endIndex = $content.IndexOf($endMarker)
-
-				if ($startIndex -ge 0 -and $endIndex -ge 0) {
-					$content = $content.Substring(0, $startIndex) + $content.Substring($endIndex + $endMarker.Length)
-				}
-			}
-
-			Set-Content -Path $tempStartYML -Value $content
-		}
-	}
-
-	$excludeFiles = @(
-		"local-build.cmd",
-		"*.apbx"
-	)
-	if (Test-Path $tempStartYML) { $excludeFiles += "custom.yml" }
-	if (Test-Path $tempPlaybookConf) { $excludeFiles += "playbook.conf" }
-
-	# make playbook, 7z is faster
-	if (Test-Path $apbxPath) { Remove-Item $apbxFileName -Force }
-
-	(Get-ChildItem -File -Exclude $excludeFiles -Recurse).FullName `
-	| Resolve-Path -Relative | ForEach-Object {$_.Substring(2)} | Out-File "$rootTemp\7zFiles.txt" -Encoding utf8
-
-	& $7zPath a -spf -y -mx1 -tzip "$apbxPath" `@"$rootTemp\7zFiles.txt" | Out-Null
-	# add edited files
-	Push-Location "$rootTemp\playbook"
-	& $7zPath u "$apbxPath" * | Out-Null
-	Pop-Location
-
-	Write-Host "Build successfully! Path: `"$apbxPath`"" -ForegroundColor Green
-	Start-Sleep 1
-} finally {
-	Remove-Item $rootTemp -Force -EA 0 -Recurse | Out-Null
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+@echo off
+echo Building Playbook...
+powershell -nop -ep bypass ^& "%cd%\..\local-build.ps1" -AddLiveLog -ReplaceOldPlaybook -Removals WinverRequirement, Verification -DontOpenPbLocation
\ No newline at end of file