diff --git a/WINDOWS.md b/WINDOWS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ad8bbed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/WINDOWS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# Windows support
+
+Barnard can be built for Windows with a native CGO toolchain. Audio support uses native OpenAL Soft, libopus, libopusfile/libogg, and RNNoise; `ffmpeg.exe` must also be on `PATH` for recording and file playback.
+
+The easiest supported setup is MSYS2 MinGW-w64. Install the matching architecture's Go toolchain and development packages for OpenAL Soft, opus, opusfile, libogg, RNNoise, FFmpeg, and pkg-config. Build from its MinGW shell:
+
+```
+go build -o barnard.exe .
+```
+
+For cross-compilation from Linux, use the matching MinGW compiler and its pkg-config environment, for example:
+
+```
+GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 CGO_ENABLED=1 \
+CC=x86_64-w64-mingw32-gcc \
+PKG_CONFIG=x86_64-w64-mingw32-pkg-config \
+go build -o barnard.exe .
+```
+
+The dependency include and library paths must point to Windows builds, not host Linux libraries.
+
+The legacy `--fifo` command control is unavailable on Windows because it uses POSIX filesystem FIFOs. Windows defaults to no notification command; an explicitly configured notification command is run by `cmd.exe /C`.
diff --git a/config/notification_unix.go b/config/notification_unix.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..58a121c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/notification_unix.go
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+//go:build aix || darwin || dragonfly || freebsd || linux || netbsd || openbsd || solaris
+
+package config
+
+func defaultNotifyCommand() string {
+	return "/usr/share/barnard/barnard-sound.sh \"%event\" \"%who\" \"%what\""
+}
diff --git a/config/notification_windows.go b/config/notification_windows.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fe62cb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/notification_windows.go
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+//go:build windows
+
+package config
+
+// Windows installations do not ship the POSIX notification helper. Users can
+// configure a cmd.exe-compatible command explicitly if they want notifications.
+func defaultNotifyCommand() string {
+	return ""
+}
diff --git a/config/user_config.go b/config/user_config.go
index 4e8f0d8..b46aa92 100644
--- a/config/user_config.go
+++ b/config/user_config.go
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ func (c *Config) LoadConfig() {
 		jc.Username = &username
 	}
 	if c.config.NotifyCommand == nil {
-		ncmd := string("/usr/share/barnard/barnard-sound.sh \"%event\" \"%who\" \"%what\"")
+		ncmd := defaultNotifyCommand()
 		jc.NotifyCommand = &ncmd
 	}
 	if c.config.NoiseSuppressionEnabled == nil {
diff --git a/fifo_unix.go b/fifo_unix.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c186e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fifo_unix.go
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+//go:build aix || darwin || dragonfly || freebsd || linux || netbsd || openbsd || solaris
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"bufio"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+	"syscall"
+)
+
+func setup_fifo(fn string) (chan string, error) {
+	commands := make(chan string)
+	if fn == "" {
+		return commands, nil
+	}
+	if info, err := os.Lstat(fn); err == nil {
+		if info.Mode()&os.ModeNamedPipe == 0 {
+			return commands, fmt.Errorf("FIFO path %q already exists and is not a FIFO", fn)
+		}
+		if err := os.Remove(fn); err != nil {
+			return commands, err
+		}
+	} else if !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		return commands, err
+	}
+	if err := syscall.Mkfifo(fn, 0600); err != nil {
+		return commands, err
+	}
+	file, err := os.OpenFile(fn, os.O_RDWR, os.ModeNamedPipe)
+	if err != nil {
+		return commands, err
+	}
+	go readFIFO(file, commands)
+	return commands, nil
+}
+
+// readFIFO forwards complete commands and terminates on EOF or any read
+// failure. Retrying an unrecoverable FIFO error used to spin a CPU forever.
+func readFIFO(fh io.ReadCloser, out chan<- string) {
+	defer fh.Close()
+	defer close(out)
+	reader := bufio.NewReader(fh)
+	for {
+		line, err := reader.ReadBytes('\n')
+		if len(line) != 0 {
+			out <- strings.TrimSpace(string(line))
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/fifo_windows.go b/fifo_windows.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0c7568f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fifo_windows.go
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+//go:build windows
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// Windows named pipes require the Win32 API rather than POSIX filesystem
+// FIFOs. Disable the legacy FIFO option until it is replaced with a named-pipe
+// listener; ordinary UI and command-line operation remain available.
+func setup_fifo(fn string) (chan string, error) {
+	commands := make(chan string)
+	if strings.TrimSpace(fn) == "" {
+		return commands, nil
+	}
+	return commands, fmt.Errorf("FIFO control is not supported on Windows")
+}
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 4d28f67..a9cbe96 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -3,18 +3,14 @@ package main
 import _ "net/http/pprof"
 import (
 	"al.essio.dev/pkg/shellescape"
-	"bufio"
 	"crypto/tls"
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
-	"io"
 	"log"
 	"net"
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
-	"os/exec"
 	"strings"
-	"syscall"
 
 	barnlog "git.stormux.org/storm/barnard/log"
 
@@ -50,26 +46,16 @@ func do_list_devices() {
 
 const notificationQueueSize = 32
 
-func setup_notify_runner(notify_command string) chan []string {
-	t := make(chan []string, notificationQueueSize)
-	var do_nothing = false
-	var err error
-	if err != nil {
-	}
-	if notify_command == "" {
-		do_nothing = true
-	}
-	go func(events chan []string, cmd_template string, dummy bool) {
+func setup_notify_runner(notifyCommand string) chan []string {
+	events := make(chan []string, notificationQueueSize)
+	go func() {
 		for event := range events {
-			if !dummy {
-				cmd := "/bin/sh"
-				args := []string{"-c", expandNotification(cmd_template, event)}
-				x := exec.Command(cmd, args...)
-				x.Run()
+			if notifyCommand != "" {
+				runNotification(expandNotification(notifyCommand, event))
 			}
 		}
-	}(t, notify_command, do_nothing)
-	return t
+	}()
+	return events
 }
 
 // expandNotification replaces placeholders in one pass so text supplied for
@@ -82,50 +68,6 @@ func expandNotification(template string, event []string) string {
 	).Replace(template)
 }
 
-func setup_fifo(fn string) (chan string, error) {
-	t := make(chan string)
-	if fn == "" {
-		return t, nil
-	}
-	if info, err := os.Lstat(fn); err == nil {
-		if info.Mode()&os.ModeNamedPipe == 0 {
-			return t, fmt.Errorf("FIFO path %q already exists and is not a FIFO", fn)
-		}
-		if err := os.Remove(fn); err != nil {
-			return t, err
-		}
-	} else if !os.IsNotExist(err) {
-		return t, err
-	}
-	err := syscall.Mkfifo(fn, 0600)
-	if err != nil {
-		return t, err
-	}
-	file, err := os.OpenFile(fn, os.O_RDWR, os.ModeNamedPipe)
-	if err != nil {
-		return t, err
-	}
-	go readFIFO(file, t)
-	return t, nil
-}
-
-// readFIFO forwards complete commands and terminates on EOF or any read
-// failure. Retrying an unrecoverable FIFO error used to spin a CPU forever.
-func readFIFO(fh io.ReadCloser, out chan<- string) {
-	defer fh.Close()
-	defer close(out)
-	reader := bufio.NewReader(fh)
-	for {
-		line, err := reader.ReadBytes('\n')
-		if len(line) != 0 {
-			out <- strings.TrimSpace(string(line))
-		}
-		if err != nil {
-			return
-		}
-	}
-}
-
 func main() {
 	// Command line flags
 	server := flag.String("server", "localhost:64738", "the server to connect to")
diff --git a/notification_unix.go b/notification_unix.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..946395c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/notification_unix.go
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+//go:build aix || darwin || dragonfly || freebsd || linux || netbsd || openbsd || solaris
+
+package main
+
+import "os/exec"
+
+func runNotification(command string) {
+	_ = exec.Command("/bin/sh", "-c", command).Run()
+}
diff --git a/notification_windows.go b/notification_windows.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5c969e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/notification_windows.go
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+//go:build windows
+
+package main
+
+import "os/exec"
+
+func runNotification(command string) {
+	_ = exec.Command("cmd.exe", "/C", command).Run()
+}