diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7d52c80..40660d7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -4,14 +4,26 @@ This repository accompanies the "Generating meshes for MPAS-Atmosphere" mini-tut
 
 ### Prerequisites
 
-Before generating meshes with the workflow provided by this repository, you'll first need to install [JIGSAW]([url](https://github.com/dengwirda/jigsaw)). The JIGSAW `README.md` file provides installation guidance, though the following should generally be sufficient:
+This repository includes a `build.sh` script that clones, builds, and installs everything you need (both JIGSAW and the `mkgrid` program). The module commands in the script are tailored for NCAR's Derecho system, so adjust them to match your environment if you are building elsewhere.
+
+Running
 ```
-git clone https://github.com/dengwirda/jigsaw.git
-cd jigsaw && mkdir build && cd build
-cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=<WHERE_TO_INSTALL_JIGSAW>
-make -j 4 install
+./build.sh
+```
+will:
+
+1. Clone the sources into a `src/` directory:
+   - `src/jigsaw` &larr; [JIGSAW](https://github.com/dengwirda/jigsaw)
+   - `src/mkgrid` &larr; [mpas_jigsaw_tutorial](https://github.com/mgduda/mpas_jigsaw_tutorial) (provides `mkgrid.c`)
+2. Configure and build JIGSAW with CMake, installing it into a top-level `build/` directory (executables in `build/bin`, libraries in `build/lib`).
+3. Compile the `mkgrid` program — which derives MPAS's required mesh geometry and connectivity information from the generating points and their triangulation — into `build/bin/mkgrid`.
+
+`mkgrid` requires an MPI implementation (OpenMPI and MPICH are common options) plus the [PnetCDF library](https://parallel-netcdf.github.io/). On Derecho the `cc` compiler wrapper is used so that the MPI (cray-mpich) include/link flags PnetCDF depends on are added automatically; elsewhere you may need to compile with `mpicc` and point at your PnetCDF installation.
+
+After the script finishes, both `jigsaw` and `mkgrid` will be available in `build/bin`. Add this directory to your `PATH` so the workflow steps below can find them:
+```
+export PATH="$PWD/build/bin:$PATH"
 ```
-(Be sure to set the installation directory by replacing `WHERE_TO_INSTALL_JIGSAW` in the `cmake` command above.)
 
 Additionally, you'll also need a Python environment with at least the `numpy` and `netCDF4` packages. If you don't already have a suitable environemnt, setting up a Python virtual environment may be an easiest:
 ```
@@ -21,13 +33,7 @@ pip install --upgrade pip
 pip install numpy netCDF4
 ```
 
-Finally, in order to compile the `mkgrid` program, which derives MPAS's required mesh geometry and connectivity information from generating points and their triangulation, you will need an MPI implementation (OpenMPI and MPICH are common options) plus the [PnetCDF library]([url](https://parallel-netcdf.github.io/)). After ensuring that the `mpicc` command is in your `PATH`, and the `PNETCDF` environment variable points to the installation path of the PnetCDF library, you can simply run
-```
-make
-```
-to build the `mkgrid` program from `mkgrid.c`.
-
-### Generating your first variable-resolution mesh with JIGSAW
+### Generating your first variable-resolution mesh with JIGSAW + MKGRID
 
 Generating a variable-resolution mesh with a 12-km circular refinement region centered at 38 N, 95 W, relaxing to 60-km grid spacing over a distance of 1600 km is accomplished with the following steps.
 
diff --git a/build.sh b/build.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3a2b6a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+
+ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+SRC="$ROOT/src"
+BUILD="$ROOT/build"
+
+mkdir -p "$SRC"
+[ -d "$SRC/jigsaw" ] || git clone https://github.com/dengwirda/jigsaw.git "$SRC/jigsaw"
+[ -d "$SRC/mkgrid" ] || git clone https://github.com/mgduda/mpas_jigsaw_tutorial.git "$SRC/mkgrid"
+
+module load cmake
+
+mkdir -p "$SRC/jigsaw/build"
+cd "$SRC/jigsaw/build"
+cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="$BUILD"
+make -j 4 install
+
+module --force purge
+module load ncarenv/24.12
+module load craype/2.7.31
+module load gcc/12.4.0
+module load ncarcompilers/1.0.0
+module load cray-mpich/8.1.29
+module load parallel-netcdf/1.14.0
+module load netcdf/4.9.2
+
+mkdir -p "$BUILD/bin"
+
+cc "$SRC/mkgrid/mkgrid.c" -o "$BUILD/bin/mkgrid" \
+  -I"$NCAR_INC_PARALLEL_NETCDF" \
+  -L"$NCAR_LDFLAGS_PARALLEL_NETCDF" \
+  -lpnetcdf -lm
+
+echo "Done. Executables installed in: $BUILD/bin"
\ No newline at end of file