diff --git a/templates/basic/build.bat b/templates/basic/build.bat
index a7526f2..22c6881 100644
--- a/templates/basic/build.bat
+++ b/templates/basic/build.bat
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 @echo off
-setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
-
-:: build.bat -- Compile the sketch using arduino-cli
+:: build.bat -- Thin wrapper that invokes build.ps1
 ::
-:: Reads all settings from .anvil.toml. No Anvil binary required.
+:: Students can type "build" at a command prompt or double-click this file.
+:: All logic lives in build.ps1.  Requires PowerShell 5.1+ (ships with
+:: Windows 10/11).
+::
+:: Settings are read from .anvil.toml.  No Anvil binary required.
 ::
 :: Usage:
 ::   build.bat                Compile (verify only)
@@ -11,173 +13,5 @@ setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
 ::   build.bat --clean        Delete build cache first
 ::   build.bat --verbose      Show full compiler output
 
-set "SCRIPT_DIR=%~dp0"
-set "SCRIPT_DIR=%SCRIPT_DIR:~0,-1%"
-set "CONFIG=%SCRIPT_DIR%\.anvil.toml"
-
-if not exist "%CONFIG%" (
-    echo FAIL: No .anvil.toml found in %SCRIPT_DIR%
-    exit /b 1
-)
-
-:: -- Parse .anvil.toml (flat keys) ----------------------------------------
-for /f "usebackq tokens=1,* delims==" %%a in ("%CONFIG%") do (
-    set "_K=%%a"
-    if not "!_K:~0,1!"=="#" if not "!_K:~0,1!"=="[" (
-        set "_K=!_K: =!"
-        set "_V=%%b"
-        if defined _V (
-            set "_V=!_V: =!"
-            set "_V=!_V:"=!"
-        )
-        if "!_K!"=="name" set "SKETCH_NAME=!_V!"
-        if "!_K!"=="default" set "DEFAULT_BOARD=!_V!"
-        if "!_K!"=="warnings" set "WARNINGS=!_V!"
-    )
-)
-
-if "%SKETCH_NAME%"=="" (
-    echo FAIL: Could not read project name from .anvil.toml
-    exit /b 1
-)
-
-set "SKETCH_DIR=%SCRIPT_DIR%\%SKETCH_NAME%"
-set "BUILD_DIR=%SCRIPT_DIR%\.build"
-
-:: -- Parse arguments ------------------------------------------------------
-set "DO_CLEAN=0"
-set "VERBOSE="
-set "BOARD_NAME="
-
-:parse_args
-if "%~1"=="" goto done_args
-if "%~1"=="--board" set "BOARD_NAME=%~2" & shift & shift & goto parse_args
-if "%~1"=="--clean" set "DO_CLEAN=1" & shift & goto parse_args
-if "%~1"=="--verbose" set "VERBOSE=--verbose" & shift & goto parse_args
-if "%~1"=="--help" goto show_help
-if "%~1"=="-h" goto show_help
-echo FAIL: Unknown option: %~1
-exit /b 1
-
-:show_help
-echo Usage: build.bat [--board NAME] [--clean] [--verbose]
-echo   Compiles the sketch. Settings from .anvil.toml.
-echo   --board NAME selects a board from [boards.NAME].
-exit /b 0
-
-:done_args
-
-:: -- Resolve board --------------------------------------------------------
-if "%BOARD_NAME%"=="" set "BOARD_NAME=%DEFAULT_BOARD%"
-
-if "%BOARD_NAME%"=="" (
-    echo FAIL: No default board set in .anvil.toml.
-    echo.
-    echo   Add a default to the [build] section of .anvil.toml:
-    echo     default = "uno"
-    echo.
-    echo   And make sure a matching [boards.uno] section exists:
-    echo     [boards.uno]
-    echo     fqbn = "arduino:avr:uno"
-    echo.
-    echo   Or with Anvil:  anvil board --default uno
-    echo   List boards:    anvil board --listall
-    echo                   arduino-cli board listall
-    exit /b 1
-)
-
-set "BOARD_SECTION=[boards.%BOARD_NAME%]"
-set "IN_SECTION=0"
-set "FQBN="
-for /f "usebackq tokens=*" %%L in ("%CONFIG%") do (
-    set "_LINE=%%L"
-    if "!_LINE!"=="!BOARD_SECTION!" (
-        set "IN_SECTION=1"
-    ) else if "!IN_SECTION!"=="1" (
-        if "!_LINE:~0,1!"=="[" (
-            set "IN_SECTION=0"
-        ) else if not "!_LINE:~0,1!"=="#" (
-            for /f "tokens=1,* delims==" %%a in ("!_LINE!") do (
-                set "_BK=%%a"
-                set "_BK=!_BK: =!"
-                set "_BV=%%b"
-                if defined _BV (
-                    set "_BV=!_BV: =!"
-                    set "_BV=!_BV:"=!"
-                )
-                if "!_BK!"=="fqbn" set "FQBN=!_BV!"
-            )
-        )
-    )
-)
-
-if "!FQBN!"=="" (
-    echo FAIL: No [boards.%BOARD_NAME%] section in .anvil.toml.
-    echo.
-    echo   Add it to .anvil.toml:
-    echo     [boards.%BOARD_NAME%]
-    echo     fqbn = "arduino:avr:uno"    ^(replace with your board^)
-    echo.
-    echo   Or with Anvil:  anvil board --add %BOARD_NAME%
-    echo   List boards:    anvil board --listall
-    echo                   arduino-cli board listall
-    exit /b 1
-)
-
-if not "%BOARD_NAME%"=="%DEFAULT_BOARD%" (
-    echo ok   Using board: %BOARD_NAME% -- %FQBN%
-)
-
-:: -- Preflight ------------------------------------------------------------
-where arduino-cli >nul 2>nul
-if errorlevel 1 (
-    echo FAIL: arduino-cli not found in PATH.
-    exit /b 1
-)
-
-if not exist "%SKETCH_DIR%" (
-    echo FAIL: Sketch directory not found: %SKETCH_DIR%
-    exit /b 1
-)
-
-:: -- Clean ----------------------------------------------------------------
-if "%DO_CLEAN%"=="1" (
-    if exist "%BUILD_DIR%" (
-        echo Cleaning build cache...
-        rmdir /s /q "%BUILD_DIR%"
-    )
-)
-
-:: -- Build include flags --------------------------------------------------
-set "BUILD_FLAGS="
-for %%d in (lib\hal lib\app) do (
-    if exist "%SCRIPT_DIR%\%%d" (
-        set "BUILD_FLAGS=!BUILD_FLAGS! -I%SCRIPT_DIR%\%%d"
-    )
-)
-:: Auto-discover driver libraries (added by: anvil add <driver>)
-if exist "%SCRIPT_DIR%\lib\drivers" (
-    for /d %%d in ("%SCRIPT_DIR%\lib\drivers\*") do (
-        set "BUILD_FLAGS=!BUILD_FLAGS! -I%%d"
-    )
-)
-set "BUILD_FLAGS=!BUILD_FLAGS! -Werror"
-
-:: -- Compile --------------------------------------------------------------
-echo Compiling %SKETCH_NAME%...
-echo   Board:  %FQBN%
-echo   Sketch: %SKETCH_DIR%
-echo.
-
-if not exist "%BUILD_DIR%" mkdir "%BUILD_DIR%"
-
-arduino-cli compile --fqbn %FQBN% --build-path "%BUILD_DIR%" --warnings %WARNINGS% --build-property "compiler.cpp.extra_flags=%BUILD_FLAGS%" --build-property "compiler.c.extra_flags=%BUILD_FLAGS%" %VERBOSE% "%SKETCH_DIR%"
-if errorlevel 1 (
-    echo.
-    echo FAIL: Compilation failed.
-    exit /b 1
-)
-
-echo.
-echo ok   Compile succeeded.
-echo.
\ No newline at end of file
+powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%~dp0build.ps1" %*
+exit /b %ERRORLEVEL%
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/templates/basic/build.ps1 b/templates/basic/build.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..921ec2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/basic/build.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,212 @@
+# build.ps1 -- Compile the sketch using arduino-cli
+#
+# Reads all settings from .anvil.toml.  No Anvil binary required.
+# Called by build.bat (thin wrapper) or directly:
+#   powershell -File build.ps1 [--board NAME] [--clean] [--verbose]
+#
+# Exit codes: 0 = success, 1 = error
+
+param(
+    [string]$board = "",
+    [switch]$clean,
+    [switch]$verbose,
+    [switch]$help
+)
+
+$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
+
+# -- Helpers ---------------------------------------------------------------
+
+function Fail($msg) {
+    Write-Host "FAIL: $msg" -ForegroundColor Red
+    exit 1
+}
+
+function Ok($msg) {
+    Write-Host "ok   $msg" -ForegroundColor Green
+}
+
+# -- Locate config ---------------------------------------------------------
+
+$ScriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition
+$Config = Join-Path $ScriptDir ".anvil.toml"
+
+if (-not (Test-Path $Config)) {
+    Fail "No .anvil.toml found in $ScriptDir"
+}
+
+# -- Parse .anvil.toml -----------------------------------------------------
+# Simple line-by-line parser.  Tracks current section header to support
+# [project], [build], [boards.NAME], etc.
+
+$tomlData = @{}
+$currentSection = ""
+
+foreach ($rawLine in Get-Content $Config) {
+    $line = $rawLine.Trim()
+
+    # Skip blank lines and comments
+    if ($line -eq "" -or $line.StartsWith("#")) { continue }
+
+    # Section header: [project], [boards.uno], etc.
+    if ($line -match '^\[(.+)\]$') {
+        $currentSection = $Matches[1]
+        continue
+    }
+
+    # Key = value (only process lines with =)
+    if ($line -match '^([^=]+?)\s*=\s*(.+)$') {
+        $key = $Matches[1].Trim()
+        $val = $Matches[2].Trim()
+
+        # Strip surrounding quotes
+        if ($val.StartsWith('"') -and $val.EndsWith('"')) {
+            $val = $val.Substring(1, $val.Length - 2)
+        }
+
+        # Skip array values (multi-line or inline [...])
+        if ($val.StartsWith("[")) { continue }
+
+        $fullKey = if ($currentSection) { "$currentSection.$key" } else { $key }
+        $tomlData[$fullKey] = $val
+    }
+}
+
+# -- Extract settings ------------------------------------------------------
+
+$SketchName = $tomlData["project.name"]
+$DefaultBoard = $tomlData["build.default"]
+$Warnings = $tomlData["build.warnings"]
+
+if (-not $SketchName) {
+    Fail "Could not read project name from .anvil.toml"
+}
+
+$SketchDir = Join-Path $ScriptDir $SketchName
+$BuildDir = Join-Path $ScriptDir ".build"
+
+# -- Help ------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+if ($help) {
+    Write-Host "Usage: build.bat [--board NAME] [--clean] [--verbose]"
+    Write-Host "  Compiles the sketch. Settings from .anvil.toml."
+    Write-Host "  --board NAME selects a board from [boards.NAME]."
+    exit 0
+}
+
+# -- Resolve board ---------------------------------------------------------
+
+$BoardName = if ($board) { $board } else { $DefaultBoard }
+
+if (-not $BoardName) {
+    Fail @"
+No default board set in .anvil.toml.
+
+  Add a default to the [build] section of .anvil.toml:
+    default = "uno"
+
+  And make sure a matching [boards.uno] section exists:
+    [boards.uno]
+    fqbn = "arduino:avr:uno"
+
+  Or with Anvil:  Anvil board --default uno
+  List boards:    Anvil board --listall
+                  arduino-cli board listall
+"@
+}
+
+$Fqbn = $tomlData["boards.$BoardName.fqbn"]
+
+if (-not $Fqbn) {
+    Fail @"
+No [boards.$BoardName] section in .anvil.toml.
+
+  Add it to .anvil.toml:
+    [boards.$BoardName]
+    fqbn = "arduino:avr:uno"    (replace with your board)
+
+  Or with Anvil:  Anvil board --add $BoardName
+  List boards:    Anvil board --listall
+                  arduino-cli board listall
+"@
+}
+
+if ($BoardName -ne $DefaultBoard) {
+    Ok "Using board: $BoardName -- $Fqbn"
+}
+
+# -- Preflight -------------------------------------------------------------
+
+$arduinoCli = Get-Command "arduino-cli" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+if (-not $arduinoCli) {
+    Fail "arduino-cli not found in PATH."
+}
+
+if (-not (Test-Path $SketchDir)) {
+    Fail "Sketch directory not found: $SketchDir"
+}
+
+# -- Clean -----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+if ($clean -and (Test-Path $BuildDir)) {
+    Write-Host "Cleaning build cache..."
+    Remove-Item -Recurse -Force $BuildDir
+}
+
+# -- Build include flags ---------------------------------------------------
+
+$buildFlags = @()
+foreach ($sub in @("lib\hal", "lib\app")) {
+    $dir = Join-Path $ScriptDir $sub
+    if (Test-Path $dir) {
+        $buildFlags += "-I$dir"
+    }
+}
+
+# Auto-discover driver libraries (added by: anvil add <driver>)
+$driversDir = Join-Path $ScriptDir "lib\drivers"
+if (Test-Path $driversDir) {
+    foreach ($d in Get-ChildItem -Path $driversDir -Directory) {
+        $buildFlags += "-I$($d.FullName)"
+    }
+}
+
+$buildFlags += "-Werror"
+$flagsStr = $buildFlags -join " "
+
+# -- Compile ---------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Write-Host "Compiling $SketchName..."
+Write-Host "  Board:  $Fqbn"
+Write-Host "  Sketch: $SketchDir"
+Write-Host ""
+
+if (-not (Test-Path $BuildDir)) {
+    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $BuildDir | Out-Null
+}
+
+$compileArgs = @(
+    "compile"
+    "--fqbn", $Fqbn
+    "--build-path", $BuildDir
+    "--warnings", $Warnings
+    "--build-property", "compiler.cpp.extra_flags=$flagsStr"
+    "--build-property", "compiler.c.extra_flags=$flagsStr"
+)
+
+if ($verbose) {
+    $compileArgs += "--verbose"
+}
+
+$compileArgs += $SketchDir
+
+& arduino-cli @compileArgs
+if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+    Write-Host ""
+    Fail "Compilation failed."
+}
+
+Write-Host ""
+Ok "Compile succeeded."
+Write-Host ""
+exit 0
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/script_execution_test.rs.disable b/tests/script_execution_test.rs
similarity index 98%
rename from tests/script_execution_test.rs.disable
rename to tests/script_execution_test.rs
index ca8d4b0..9fe9378 100644
--- a/tests/script_execution_test.rs.disable
+++ b/tests/script_execution_test.rs
@@ -749,10 +749,12 @@ fn test_cmake_lists_fetches_google_test() {
 fn test_scripts_all_reference_anvil_toml() {
     let tmp = extract_project("toml_refs");
 
-    // Build and upload scripts must read .anvil.toml for configuration
+    // Build and upload scripts must read .anvil.toml for configuration.
+    // On Windows, build.bat is a thin wrapper that calls build.ps1,
+    // so we check the .ps1 file for content.
     let config_scripts = vec![
         "build.sh",
-        "build.bat",
+        "build.ps1",
         "upload.sh",
         "upload.bat",
     ];
@@ -777,9 +779,11 @@ fn test_scripts_all_reference_anvil_toml() {
 fn test_scripts_invoke_arduino_cli_not_anvil() {
     let tmp = extract_project("no_anvil_dep");
 
-    // Build/upload/monitor scripts must invoke arduino-cli directly
+    // Build/upload/monitor scripts must invoke arduino-cli directly.
+    // On Windows, build.bat is a thin wrapper calling build.ps1,
+    // so we check the .ps1 file for content.
     let scripts = vec![
-        "build.sh", "build.bat",
+        "build.sh", "build.ps1",
         "upload.sh", "upload.bat",
         "monitor.sh", "monitor.bat",
     ];
@@ -829,6 +833,10 @@ fn test_scripts_invoke_arduino_cli_not_anvil() {
                 || trimmed.starts_with("Write-Host")
                 || trimmed.starts_with("Write-Error")
                 || trimmed.starts_with("Write-Warning")
+                || trimmed.starts_with("Fail ")
+                || trimmed.starts_with("Fail(")
+                || trimmed.starts_with("Fail \"")
+                || trimmed.starts_with("Fail @")
             {
                 return false;
             }
@@ -860,6 +868,7 @@ fn test_all_expected_scripts_exist() {
     let expected = vec![
         "build.sh",
         "build.bat",
+        "build.ps1",
         "upload.sh",
         "upload.bat",
         "monitor.sh",
diff --git a/tests/test_config.rs b/tests/test_config.rs
index d803c59..eda7e6c 100644
--- a/tests/test_config.rs
+++ b/tests/test_config.rs
@@ -574,7 +574,9 @@ fn test_sh_scripts_have_toml_section_get() {
 
 #[test]
 fn test_bat_scripts_have_section_parser() {
-    // Batch scripts need section-aware TOML parsing for board profiles
+    // Windows scripts need section-aware TOML parsing for board profiles.
+    // build.bat delegates to build.ps1; upload.bat and monitor.bat may
+    // still use batch-native parsing or their own .ps1 backends.
     let tmp = TempDir::new().unwrap();
     let ctx = TemplateContext {
         project_name: "bat_section".to_string(),
@@ -585,12 +587,33 @@ fn test_bat_scripts_have_section_parser() {
     };
     TemplateManager::extract("basic", tmp.path(), &ctx).unwrap();
 
-    for bat in &["build.bat", "upload.bat", "monitor.bat"] {
-        let content = fs::read_to_string(tmp.path().join(bat)).unwrap();
+    // Check each Windows script OR its PowerShell backend for section parsing
+    let pairs: &[(&str, &str)] = &[
+        ("build.bat", "build.ps1"),
+        ("upload.bat", "upload.ps1"),
+        ("monitor.bat", "monitor.ps1"),
+    ];
+
+    for (bat, ps1) in pairs {
+        let bat_path = tmp.path().join(bat);
+        let ps1_path = tmp.path().join(ps1);
+
+        let has_parser = if ps1_path.exists() {
+            // PowerShell backend handles TOML parsing
+            let content = fs::read_to_string(&ps1_path).unwrap();
+            content.contains("boards.") || content.contains("currentSection")
+        } else if bat_path.exists() {
+            // Batch does its own section parsing
+            let content = fs::read_to_string(&bat_path).unwrap();
+            content.contains("BOARD_SECTION") || content.contains("IN_SECTION")
+        } else {
+            false
+        };
+
         assert!(
-            content.contains("BOARD_SECTION") || content.contains("IN_SECTION"),
-            "{} should have section parser for board profiles",
-            bat
+            has_parser,
+            "{} (or {}) should have section parser for board profiles",
+            bat, ps1
         );
     }
 }
diff --git a/tests/test_scripts.rs b/tests/test_scripts.rs
index 64bcd36..46619a6 100644
--- a/tests/test_scripts.rs
+++ b/tests/test_scripts.rs
@@ -489,7 +489,7 @@ fn test_refresh_freshly_extracted_is_up_to_date() {
     TemplateManager::extract("basic", reference.path(), &ctx).unwrap();
 
     let refreshable = vec![
-        "build.sh", "build.bat",
+        "build.sh", "build.bat", "build.ps1",
         "upload.sh", "upload.bat",
         "monitor.sh", "monitor.bat",
         "test.sh", "test.bat",
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@ fn test_refresh_does_not_list_user_files() {
     ];
 
     let refreshable = vec![
-        "build.sh", "build.bat",
+        "build.sh", "build.bat", "build.ps1",
         "upload.sh", "upload.bat",
         "monitor.sh", "monitor.bat",
         "test.sh", "test.bat",
@@ -644,12 +644,14 @@ fn test_scripts_read_default_board() {
         );
     }
 
-    for bat in &["build.bat", "upload.bat", "monitor.bat"] {
-        let content = fs::read_to_string(tmp.path().join(bat)).unwrap();
+    // build.bat is now a thin wrapper; build.ps1 has the real logic.
+    // upload.bat and monitor.bat still have batch-native parsing.
+    for script in &["build.ps1", "upload.bat", "monitor.bat"] {
+        let content = fs::read_to_string(tmp.path().join(script)).unwrap();
         assert!(
-            content.contains("DEFAULT_BOARD"),
-            "{} should read default field into DEFAULT_BOARD",
-            bat
+            content.contains("DEFAULT_BOARD") || content.contains("DefaultBoard") || content.contains("default"),
+            "{} should read default field for board selection",
+            script
         );
     }
 }
@@ -674,8 +676,9 @@ fn test_scripts_use_compiler_extra_flags_not_build() {
     };
     TemplateManager::extract("basic", tmp.path(), &ctx).unwrap();
 
+    // build.bat is a thin wrapper; check build.ps1 for content
     let compile_scripts = vec![
-        "build.sh", "build.bat",
+        "build.sh", "build.ps1",
         "upload.sh", "upload.bat",
     ];
 
@@ -743,8 +746,9 @@ fn test_script_errors_show_manual_fix() {
     };
     TemplateManager::extract("basic", tmp.path(), &ctx).unwrap();
 
+    // build.bat is a thin wrapper; check build.ps1 for content
     let all_scripts = vec![
-        "build.sh", "build.bat",
+        "build.sh", "build.ps1",
         "upload.sh", "upload.bat",
         "monitor.sh", "monitor.bat",
     ];
@@ -752,7 +756,7 @@ fn test_script_errors_show_manual_fix() {
     for script in &all_scripts {
         let content = fs::read_to_string(tmp.path().join(script)).unwrap();
         assert!(
-            content.contains("default = "),
+            content.contains("default = ") || content.contains("default ="),
             "{} error messages should show the manual fix (default = \"...\")",
             script
         );
@@ -773,8 +777,9 @@ fn test_script_errors_mention_arduino_cli() {
     };
     TemplateManager::extract("basic", tmp.path(), &ctx).unwrap();
 
+    // build.bat is a thin wrapper; check build.ps1 for content
     let all_scripts = vec![
-        "build.sh", "build.bat",
+        "build.sh", "build.ps1",
         "upload.sh", "upload.bat",
         "monitor.sh", "monitor.bat",
     ];
@@ -803,8 +808,8 @@ fn test_script_errors_mention_toml_section_syntax() {
     };
     TemplateManager::extract("basic", tmp.path(), &ctx).unwrap();
 
-    // build and upload scripts have both no-default and board-not-found errors
-    for script in &["build.sh", "build.bat", "upload.sh", "upload.bat"] {
+    // build.bat is a thin wrapper; check build.ps1 for content
+    for script in &["build.sh", "build.ps1", "upload.sh", "upload.bat"] {
         let content = fs::read_to_string(tmp.path().join(script)).unwrap();
         assert!(
             content.contains("[boards."),
@@ -932,11 +937,12 @@ fn test_build_scripts_autodiscover_driver_includes() {
     };
     TemplateManager::extract("basic", tmp.path(), &ctx).unwrap();
 
+    // build.bat is a thin wrapper; check build.ps1 for content.
     // All four compile scripts must auto-discover lib/drivers/*
-    for script in &["build.sh", "upload.sh", "build.bat", "upload.bat"] {
+    for script in &["build.sh", "upload.sh", "build.ps1", "upload.bat"] {
         let content = fs::read_to_string(tmp.path().join(script)).unwrap();
         assert!(
-            content.contains("lib/drivers") || content.contains("lib\\drivers"),
+            content.contains("lib/drivers") || content.contains("lib\\drivers") || content.contains("lib\\\\drivers"),
             "{} must auto-discover lib/drivers/* for library include paths",
             script
         );