diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index d2718ef..7b0240d 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -45,10 +45,13 @@ set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED True)
 # always write compile_commands.json
 set(CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS ON CACHE INTERNAL "")
 
+xo_toplevel_compile_options()
+
 if(NOT CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH)
     set(CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH $(CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX)/lib CACHE STRING "runpath in installed libraries/executables")
 endif()
 
+
 # early find_package() experiment
 find_package(indentlog CONFIG REQUIRED)
 find_package(refcnt CONFIG REQUIRED)
diff --git a/cmake/cxx.cmake b/cmake/cxx.cmake
index 4084bac..ede44e3 100644
--- a/cmake/cxx.cmake
+++ b/cmake/cxx.cmake
@@ -1,99 +1,37 @@
 ## ----------------------------------------------------------------
-## use this in subdirs that compile c++ code
-##
-#macro(xo_include_options target)
-#    # ----------------------------------------------------------------
-#    # PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR:
-#    #   so we can for example write
-#    #     #include "ordinaltree/foo.hpp"
-#    #   from anywhere in the project
-#    # PROJECT_BINARY_DIR:
-#    #   since generated version file will be in build directory,
-#    #   need that build directory to also appear in
-#    #   compiler's include path
-#    #
-#    target_include_directories(
-#      ${target} PUBLIC
-#      $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/include>              # e.g. for #include "indentlog/scope.hpp"
-#      $<INSTALL_INTERFACE:include>
-#      $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/include/${target}>    # e.g. for #include "Refcounted.hpp" in refcnt/src
-#      $<INSTALL_INTERFACE:include/${target}>
-#      $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}>                      # e.g. for generated config.hpp file
-#    )
-#
-#    # ----------------------------------------------------------------
-#    # make standard directories for std:: includes explicit
-#    # so that
-#    # (1) they appear in compile_commands.json.
-#    # (2) clangd (run from emacs lsp-mode) can find them
-#    #
-#    if(CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS)
-#      set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES ${CMAKE_CXX_IMPLICIT_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES})
-#    endif()
-#endmacro()
-
-# ----------------------------------------------------------------
-# variable
-#   XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE
-# determines whether to enable address sanitizer for the XO project
-# (see toplevel CMakeLists.txt)
-# ----------------------------------------------------------------
-if(XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE)
-    add_compile_options(-fsanitize=address)
-    add_link_options(-fsanitize=address)
-endif()
-
-# XO_STANDARD_COMPILE_OPTIONS: use these when XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE=OFF
-set(XO_STANDARD_COMPILE_OPTIONS -Werror -Wall -Wextra)
-
-# XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE_COMPILE_OPTIONS: use when XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE=ON
-#
-# address sanitizer build complains about _FORTIFY_SOURCE redefines
-#    In file included from <built-in>:460:
-#    <command line>:1:9: error: '_FORTIFY_SOURCE' macro redefined [-Werror,-Wmacro-redefined]
-#    #define _FORTIFY_SOURCE 2
-#
-set(XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE_COMPILE_OPTIONS -Werror -Wall -Wextra -Wno-macro-redefined)
-
-# XO_COMPILE_OPTIONS: use these with xo_compile_options() macro
-if(XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE)
-    set(XO_COMPILE_OPTIONS ${XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE_COMPILE_OPTIONS})
-else()
-    set(XO_COMPILE_OPTIONS ${XO_STANDARD_COMPILE_OPTIONS})
-endif()
-
-# ----------------------------------------------------------------
-# generally want all the errors+warnings!
-# however: address sanitizer generates error on _FORTIFY_SOURCE
-#
-macro(xo_compile_options target)
-    target_compile_options(${target} PRIVATE ${XO_COMPILE_OPTIONS})
-endmacro()
-
+## variable
+##   XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE
+## determines whether to enable address sanitizer for the XO project
+## (see toplevel CMakeLists.txt)
 ## ----------------------------------------------------------------
-## use this for a subdir that builds a library
-## EXPORT drives .cmake config files intended for consumption
-## by higher-level cmake projects via find_package()
+#if(XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE)
+#    add_compile_options(-fsanitize=address)
+#    add_link_options(-fsanitize=address)
+#endif()
+#
+## XO_STANDARD_COMPILE_OPTIONS: use these when XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE=OFF
+#set(XO_STANDARD_COMPILE_OPTIONS -Werror -Wall -Wextra)
+#
+## XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE_COMPILE_OPTIONS: use when XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE=ON
 ##
-#macro(xo_install_library target)
-#    install(
-#        TARGETS ${target}
-#        EXPORT ${target}Targets
-#        LIBRARY DESTINATION lib COMPONENT Runtime
-#        ARCHIVE DESTINATION lib COMPONENT Development
-#        RUNTIME DESTINATION bin COMPONENT Runtime
-#        PUBLIC_HEADER DESTINATION include COMPONENT Development
-#        BUNDLE DESTINATION bin COMPONENT Runtime
-#    )
-#endmacro()
+## address sanitizer build complains about _FORTIFY_SOURCE redefines
+##    In file included from <built-in>:460:
+##    <command line>:1:9: error: '_FORTIFY_SOURCE' macro redefined [-Werror,-Wmacro-redefined]
+##    #define _FORTIFY_SOURCE 2
+##
+#set(XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE_COMPILE_OPTIONS -Werror -Wall -Wextra -Wno-macro-redefined)
+#
+## XO_COMPILE_OPTIONS: use these with xo_compile_options() macro
+#if(XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE)
+#    set(XO_COMPILE_OPTIONS ${XO_ADDRESS_SANITIZE_COMPILE_OPTIONS})
+#else()
+#    set(XO_COMPILE_OPTIONS ${XO_STANDARD_COMPILE_OPTIONS})
+#endif()
 #
 ## ----------------------------------------------------------------
-## use this when relying on indentlog [[https://github.com/rconybea/indentlog]] headers
+## generally want all the errors+warnings!
+## however: address sanitizer generates error on _FORTIFY_SOURCE
 ##
-#macro(xo_indentlog_dependency target)
-#    find_package(indentlog REQUIRED)
-#    #add_dependencies(${target} indentlog)
-#    target_link_libraries(${target} PUBLIC indentlog)
-#    #target_include_directories(${target} PUBLIC ${indentlog_DIR}/../../../include)
+#macro(xo_compile_options target)
+#    target_compile_options(${target} PRIVATE ${XO_COMPILE_OPTIONS})
 #endmacro()
-#