diff --git a/tools/build/BUILD-GUIDELINES.md b/tools/build/BUILD-GUIDELINES.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3ee54a6bf3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/build/BUILD-GUIDELINES.md
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# Build scripts - quick guideline
+
+As the result of our recent changes, use the following guidance when working in the PowerToys repo:
+
+1. Use `build-essentials.ps1` before any development in general
+   - Purpose: restore NuGet packages for the full solution and build a small set of essential native projects (runner, settings). This is a fast way to ensure native artifacts required for local development are available.
+
+2. Use `build.ps1` from any folder
+   - Purpose: lightweight local builder. It auto-discovers the target platform (x64/arm64/x86) and builds projects it finds in the current directory.
+   - Notes: you can pass additional MSBuild arguments (e.g. `./tools/build/build.ps1 '/p:CIBuild=true'`) — the script will forward them to MSBuild.
+   - Use `-RestoreOnly` to only restore packages for local projects.
+
+3. Use `build-installer.ps1` to create a local installer (use with caution)
+   - Purpose: runs the full pipeline that restores, builds the full solution, signs packages, and builds the installer (MSI/bootstrapper).
+   - Caution: this script performs cleaning (git clean) and installer packaging steps that may remove untracked files under `installer/`.
+
+Additional notes
+- Shared helpers live in `build-common.ps1` and are used by the other scripts (`RunMSBuild`, `RestoreThenBuild`, `BuildProjectsInDirectory`, platform auto-detection).
+- If you want a different default platform selection, set the `-Platform` parameter explicitly when invoking the scripts.
+
+If you want, I can add this guidance to the repository README instead or add a short one-liner comment to the top of `build-common.ps1` so tools can discover it automatically.
diff --git a/tools/build/build-common.ps1 b/tools/build/build-common.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ec3586f2f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/build/build-common.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,166 @@
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+Shared build helper functions for PowerToys build scripts.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+This file provides reusable helper functions used by the build scripts:
+- Get-BuildPaths: returns ScriptDir, OriginalCwd, RepoRoot (repo root detection)
+- RunMSBuild: wrapper around msbuild.exe (accepts optional Platform/Configuration)
+- RestoreThenBuild: performs restore and optionally builds the solution/project
+- BuildProjectsInDirectory: discovers and builds local .sln/.csproj/.vcxproj files
+
+USAGE
+Dot-source this file from a script to load helpers:
+. "$PSScriptRoot\build-common.ps1"
+
+.NOTES
+Do not execute this file directly; dot-source it from `build.ps1` or `build-installer.ps1` so helpers are available in your script scope.
+#>
+
+function RunMSBuild {
+    param (
+        [string]$Solution,
+        [string]$ExtraArgs,
+        [string]$Platform,
+        [string]$Configuration
+    )
+
+    # Prefer the solution's folder for logs; fall back to current directory
+    $logRoot = Split-Path -Path $Solution
+    if (-not $logRoot) { $logRoot = '.' }
+
+    $cfg = $null
+    if ($Configuration) { $cfg = $Configuration.ToLower() } else { $cfg = 'unknown' }
+    $plat = $null
+    if ($Platform) { $plat = $Platform.ToLower() } else { $plat = 'unknown' }
+
+    $allLog = Join-Path $logRoot ("build.{0}.{1}.all.log" -f $cfg, $plat)
+    $warningLog = Join-Path $logRoot ("build.{0}.{1}.warnings.log" -f $cfg, $plat)
+    $errorsLog = Join-Path $logRoot ("build.{0}.{1}.errors.log" -f $cfg, $plat)
+    $binLog = Join-Path $logRoot ("build.{0}.{1}.trace.binlog" -f $cfg, $plat)
+
+    $base = @(
+        $Solution
+        "/p:Platform=$Platform"
+        "/p:Configuration=$Configuration"
+        "/verbosity:normal"
+        '/clp:Summary;PerformanceSummary;ErrorsOnly;WarningsOnly'
+        "/fileLoggerParameters:LogFile=$allLog;Verbosity=detailed"
+        "/fileLoggerParameters1:LogFile=$warningLog;WarningsOnly"
+        "/fileLoggerParameters2:LogFile=$errorsLog;ErrorsOnly"
+        "/bl:$binLog"
+        '/nologo'
+    )
+
+    $cmd = $base + ($ExtraArgs -split ' ')
+    Write-Host (("[MSBUILD] {0}" -f ($cmd -join ' ')))
+
+    Push-Location $script:RepoRoot
+    try {
+        & msbuild.exe @cmd
+        if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+            Write-Error (("Build failed: {0}  {1}" -f $Solution, $ExtraArgs))
+            exit $LASTEXITCODE
+        }
+    } finally {
+        Pop-Location
+    }
+}
+
+function RestoreThenBuild {
+    param (
+        [string]$Solution,
+        [string]$ExtraArgs,
+        [string]$Platform,
+        [string]$Configuration,
+        [bool]$RestoreOnly=$false
+    )
+
+    $restoreArgs = '/t:restore /p:RestorePackagesConfig=true'
+    if ($ExtraArgs) { $restoreArgs = "$restoreArgs $ExtraArgs" }
+    RunMSBuild $Solution $restoreArgs $Platform $Configuration
+
+    if (-not $RestoreOnly) {
+        $buildArgs = '/m'
+        if ($ExtraArgs) { $buildArgs = "$buildArgs $ExtraArgs" }
+        RunMSBuild $Solution $buildArgs $Platform $Configuration
+    }
+}
+
+function BuildProjectsInDirectory {
+    param(
+        [string]$DirectoryPath,
+        [string]$ExtraArgs,
+        [string]$Platform,
+        [string]$Configuration,
+        [switch]$RestoreOnly
+    )
+
+    if (-not (Test-Path $DirectoryPath)) {
+        return $false
+    }
+
+    $files = @()
+    try {
+        $files = Get-ChildItem -Path (Join-Path $DirectoryPath '*') -Include *.sln,*.csproj,*.vcxproj -File -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+    } catch {
+        $files = @()
+    }
+
+    if (-not $files -or $files.Count -eq 0) {
+        return $false
+    }
+
+    $names = ($files | ForEach-Object { $_.Name }) -join ', '
+    Write-Host ("[LOCAL BUILD] Found {0} project(s) in {1}: {2}" -f $files.Count, $DirectoryPath, $names)
+
+    $preferredOrder = @('.sln', '.csproj', '.vcxproj')
+    $files = $files | Sort-Object @{Expression = { [array]::IndexOf($preferredOrder, $_.Extension.ToLower()) }}
+
+    foreach ($f in $files) {
+        Write-Host ("[LOCAL BUILD] Building {0}" -f $f.FullName)
+        if ($f.Extension -eq '.sln') {
+            RestoreThenBuild $f.FullName $ExtraArgs $Platform $Configuration $RestoreOnly
+        } else {
+            $buildArgs = '/m'
+            if ($ExtraArgs) { $buildArgs = "$buildArgs $ExtraArgs" }
+            RunMSBuild $f.FullName $buildArgs $Platform $Configuration
+        }
+    }
+
+    return $true
+}
+
+function Get-DefaultPlatform {
+    <#
+    Returns a default target platform string based on the host machine (x64, arm64, x86).
+    #>
+    try {
+        $envArch = $env:PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE
+        if ($envArch) { $envArch = $envArch.ToLower() }
+        if ($envArch -eq 'amd64' -or $envArch -eq 'x86_64') { return 'x64' }
+        if ($envArch -match 'arm64') { return 'arm64' }
+        if ($envArch -eq 'x86') { return 'x86' }
+
+        if ($env:PROCESSOR_ARCHITEW6432) {
+            $envArch2 = $env:PROCESSOR_ARCHITEW6432.ToLower()
+            if ($envArch2 -eq 'amd64') { return 'x64' }
+            if ($envArch2 -match 'arm64') { return 'arm64' }
+        }
+
+        try {
+            $osArch = [System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation]::OSArchitecture
+            switch ($osArch.ToString().ToLower()) {
+                'x64' { return 'x64' }
+                'arm64' { return 'arm64' }
+                'x86' { return 'x86' }
+            }
+        } catch {
+            # ignore - RuntimeInformation may not be available
+        }
+    } catch {
+        # ignore any errors and fall back
+    }
+
+    return 'x64'
+}
diff --git a/tools/build/build-essentials.cmd b/tools/build/build-essentials.cmd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..db51faaa9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/build/build-essentials.cmd
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+@echo off
+REM Wrapper to run build-essentials.ps1 from cmd.exe
+set SCRIPT_DIR=%~dp0
+powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%SCRIPT_DIR%build-essentials.ps1" %*
+exit /b %ERRORLEVEL%
diff --git a/tools/build/build-essentials.ps1 b/tools/build/build-essentials.ps1
index 81a3c6733b..21b378d0e3 100644
--- a/tools/build/build-essentials.ps1
+++ b/tools/build/build-essentials.ps1
@@ -1,16 +1,71 @@
-cd $PSScriptRoot
-cd ..\..
-$cwd = Get-Location
-$SolutionDir = $cwd,"" -join "\"
-cd $SolutionDir
-$BuildArgs = "/p:Configuration=Release /p:Platform=x64 /p:BuildProjectReferences=false /p:SolutionDir=$SolutionDir"
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+Build essential native PowerToys projects (runner and settings), restoring NuGet packages first.
 
-$ProjectsToBuild = 
-  ".\src\runner\runner.vcxproj",
-  ".\src\modules\shortcut_guide\shortcut_guide.vcxproj",
-  ".\src\modules\fancyzones\lib\FancyZonesLib.vcxproj",
-  ".\src\modules\fancyzones\dll\FancyZonesModule.vcxproj"
+.DESCRIPTION
+Lightweight script to build a small set of essential C++ projects used by PowerToys' runner and native modules. This script first restores NuGet packages for the full solution (`PowerToys.sln`) and then builds the runner and settings projects. Intended for fast local builds during development.
 
-$ProjectsToBuild | % {
-  Invoke-Expression "msbuild $_ $BuildArgs"
+.PARAMETER Platform
+Target platform for the build (for example: 'x64', 'arm64'). If omitted the script will attempt to auto-detect the host platform.
+
+.PARAMETER Configuration
+Build configuration (for example: 'Debug' or 'Release'). Default is 'Debug'.
+
+.EXAMPLE
+.\tools\build\build-essentials.ps1
+Restores packages for the solution and builds the default set of native projects using the auto-detected platform and Debug configuration.
+
+.EXAMPLE
+.\tools\build\build-essentials.ps1 -Platform arm64 -Configuration Release
+Restores packages and builds the essentials in Release mode for ARM64, even if your machine is running on x64.
+
+.NOTES
+- This script dot-sources `build-common.ps1` and uses the shared helper `RunMSBuild`.
+- It will call `RestoreThenBuild 'PowerToys.sln'` before building the essential projects to ensure NuGet packages are restored.
+- The script attempts to locate the repository root automatically and can be run from any folder inside the repo.
+#>
+
+param (
+    [string]$Platform = '',
+    [string]$Configuration = 'Debug'
+)
+
+# Find repository root starting from the script location
+$ScriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition
+$repoRoot = $ScriptDir
+while ($repoRoot -and -not (Test-Path (Join-Path $repoRoot "PowerToys.sln"))) {
+    $parent = Split-Path -Parent $repoRoot
+    if ($parent -eq $repoRoot) {
+        Write-Error "Could not find PowerToys repository root."
+        exit 1
+    }
+    $repoRoot = $parent
+}
+
+# Export script-scope variables used by build-common helpers
+Set-Variable -Name RepoRoot -Value $repoRoot -Scope Script -Force
+
+# Load shared helpers
+. "$PSScriptRoot\build-common.ps1"
+
+# If platform not provided, auto-detect from host
+if (-not $Platform -or $Platform -eq '') {
+    try {
+        $Platform = Get-DefaultPlatform
+        Write-Host ("[AUTO-PLATFORM] Detected platform: {0}" -f $Platform)
+    } catch {
+        Write-Warning "Failed to auto-detect platform; defaulting to 'x64'"
+        $Platform = 'x64'
+    }
+}
+
+# Ensure solution packages are restored
+RestoreThenBuild 'PowerToys.sln' '' $Platform $Configuration $true
+
+# Build both runner and settings
+$ProjectsToBuild = @(".\src\runner\runner.vcxproj", ".\src\settings-ui\Settings.UI\PowerToys.Settings.csproj")
+$ExtraArgs = "/p:SolutionDir=$repoRoot\"
+foreach ($proj in $ProjectsToBuild) {
+    Write-Host ("[BUILD-ESSENTIALS] Building {0}" -f $proj)
+    RunMSBuild $proj $ExtraArgs $Platform $Configuration
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tools/build/build-installer.ps1 b/tools/build/build-installer.ps1
index a1a1f8d5f1..24bcc3a218 100644
--- a/tools/build/build-installer.ps1
+++ b/tools/build/build-installer.ps1
@@ -52,12 +52,26 @@ Runs the pipeline for x64 Release with 'vnext' suffix.
 #>
 
 param (
-    [string]$Platform = 'x64',
+    [string]$Platform = '',
     [string]$Configuration = 'Release',
     [string]$PerUser = 'true',
     [string]$InstallerSuffix = 'wix5'
 )
 
+# Ensure helpers are available
+. "$PSScriptRoot\build-common.ps1"
+
+# Auto-detect platform when not provided
+if (-not $Platform -or $Platform -eq '') {
+    try {
+        $Platform = Get-DefaultPlatform
+        Write-Host ("[AUTO-PLATFORM] Detected platform: {0}" -f $Platform)
+    } catch {
+        Write-Warning "Failed to auto-detect platform; defaulting to x64"
+        $Platform = 'x64'
+    }
+}
+
 # Find the PowerToys repository root automatically
 $scriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition
 $repoRoot = $scriptDir
@@ -80,50 +94,7 @@ if (-not $repoRoot -or -not (Test-Path (Join-Path $repoRoot "PowerToys.sln"))) {
 }
 
 Write-Host "PowerToys repository root detected: $repoRoot"
-
-function RunMSBuild {
-    param (
-        [string]$Solution, 
-        [string]$ExtraArgs  
-    )
-
-    $base = @(
-        $Solution
-        "/p:Platform=$Platform"
-        "/p:Configuration=$Configuration"
-        "/p:CIBuild=true"
-        '/verbosity:normal'
-        '/clp:Summary;PerformanceSummary;ErrorsOnly;WarningsOnly'
-        '/nologo'
-    )
-
-    $cmd = $base + ($ExtraArgs -split ' ')
-    Write-Host ("[MSBUILD] {0} {1}" -f $Solution, ($cmd -join ' '))
-    
-    # Run MSBuild from the repository root directory
-    Push-Location $repoRoot
-    try {
-        & msbuild.exe @cmd
-        if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
-            Write-Error ("Build failed: {0}  {1}" -f $Solution, $ExtraArgs)
-            exit $LASTEXITCODE
-        }
-    } finally {
-        Pop-Location
-    }
-}
-
-function RestoreThenBuild {
-    param ([string]$Solution)
-
-    # 1) restore
-    RunMSBuild $Solution '/t:restore /p:RestorePackagesConfig=true'
-    # 2) build  -------------------------------------------------
-    RunMSBuild $Solution '/m'
-}
-
 # WiX v5 projects use WixToolset.Sdk via NuGet/MSBuild; a separate WiX 3 installation is not required here.
-
 Write-Host ("[PIPELINE] Start | Platform={0} Configuration={1} PerUser={2}" -f $Platform, $Configuration, $PerUser)
 Write-Host ''
 
@@ -134,7 +105,9 @@ if (Test-Path $cmdpalOutputPath) {
     Remove-Item $cmdpalOutputPath -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction Ignore
 }
 
-RestoreThenBuild 'PowerToys.sln'
+$commonArgs = '/p:CIBuild=true'
+# No local projects found (or continuing) - build full solution and tools
+RestoreThenBuild 'PowerToys.sln' $commonArgs $Platform $Configuration
 
 $msixSearchRoot = Join-Path $repoRoot "$Platform\$Configuration"
 $msixFiles = Get-ChildItem -Path $msixSearchRoot -Recurse -Filter *.msix |
@@ -148,8 +121,8 @@ else {
     Write-Warning "[SIGN] No .msix files found in $msixSearchRoot"
 }
 
-RestoreThenBuild 'tools\BugReportTool\BugReportTool.sln'
-RestoreThenBuild 'tools\StylesReportTool\StylesReportTool.sln'
+RestoreThenBuild 'tools\BugReportTool\BugReportTool.sln' $commonArgs $Platform $Configuration
+RestoreThenBuild 'tools\StylesReportTool\StylesReportTool.sln' $commonArgs $Platform $Configuration
 
 Write-Host '[CLEAN] installer (keep *.exe)'
 Push-Location $repoRoot
@@ -159,10 +132,10 @@ try {
     Pop-Location
 }
 
-RunMSBuild 'installer\PowerToysSetup.sln' '/t:restore /p:RestorePackagesConfig=true'
+RunMSBuild 'installer\PowerToysSetup.sln' "$commonArgs /t:restore /p:RestorePackagesConfig=true" $Platform $Configuration
 
-RunMSBuild 'installer\PowerToysSetup.sln' "/m /t:PowerToysInstallerVNext /p:PerUser=$PerUser /p:InstallerSuffix=$InstallerSuffix"
+RunMSBuild 'installer\PowerToysSetup.sln' "$commonArgs /m /t:PowerToysInstallerVNext /p:PerUser=$PerUser /p:InstallerSuffix=$InstallerSuffix" $Platform $Configuration
 
-RunMSBuild 'installer\PowerToysSetup.sln' "/m /t:PowerToysBootstrapperVNext /p:PerUser=$PerUser /p:InstallerSuffix=$InstallerSuffix"
+RunMSBuild 'installer\PowerToysSetup.sln' "$commonArgs /m /t:PowerToysBootstrapperVNext /p:PerUser=$PerUser /p:InstallerSuffix=$InstallerSuffix" $Platform $Configuration
 
 Write-Host '[PIPELINE] Completed'
diff --git a/tools/build/build.cmd b/tools/build/build.cmd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..45b59c42b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/build/build.cmd
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+@echo off
+REM Wrapper to run the PowerShell build script from cmd.exe
+set SCRIPT_DIR=%~dp0
+powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%SCRIPT_DIR%build.ps1" %*
+exit /b %ERRORLEVEL%
diff --git a/tools/build/build.ps1 b/tools/build/build.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e947541283
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/build/build.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+Light-weight wrapper to build local projects (solutions/projects) in the current working directory using helpers in build-common.ps1.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+This script is intended for quick local builds. It dot-sources `build-common.ps1` and calls `BuildProjectsInDirectory` against the current directory. Use `-RestoreOnly` to only restore packages for local projects. If `-Platform` is omitted the script attempts to auto-detect the host platform.
+
+.PARAMETER Platform
+Target platform (e.g., 'x64', 'arm64'). If omitted the script will try to detect the host platform automatically.
+
+.PARAMETER Configuration
+Build configuration (e.g., 'Debug', 'Release'). Default: 'Debug'.
+
+.PARAMETER RestoreOnly
+If specified, only perform package restore for local projects and skip the build steps for a solution file (i.e. .sln).
+
+.PARAMETER ExtraArgs
+Any remaining, positional arguments passed to the script are forwarded to MSBuild as additional arguments (e.g., '/p:CIBuild=true').
+
+.EXAMPLE
+.\tools\build\build.ps1
+Builds any .sln/.csproj/.vcxproj in the current working directory (auto-detects Platform).
+
+.EXAMPLE
+.\tools\build\build.ps1 -Platform x64 -Configuration Release
+Builds local projects for x64 Release.
+
+.EXAMPLE
+.\tools\build\build.ps1 '/p:CIBuild=true' '/p:SomeOther=Value'
+Pass additional MSBuild arguments; these are forwarded to the underlying msbuild calls.
+
+.EXAMPLE
+.\tools\build\build.ps1 -RestoreOnly '/p:CIBuild=true'
+Only restores packages for local projects; ExtraArgs still forwarded to msbuild's restore phase.
+
+.NOTES
+- This file expects `build-common.ps1` to be located in the same folder and dot-sources it to load helper functions.
+- ExtraArgs are captured using PowerShell's ValueFromRemainingArguments and joined before being passed to the helpers.
+#>
+
+param (
+    [string]$Platform = '',
+    [string]$Configuration = 'Debug',
+    [switch]$RestoreOnly,
+    [Parameter(ValueFromRemainingArguments=$true)]
+    [string[]]$ExtraArgs
+)
+
+. "$PSScriptRoot\build-common.ps1"
+
+# If user passed MSBuild-style args (e.g. './build.ps1 /p:CIBuild=true'),
+# those will bind to $Platform/$Configuration; detect those and move them to ExtraArgs.
+$positionalExtra = @()
+if ($Platform -and $Platform -match '^[\/-]') {
+    $positionalExtra += $Platform
+    $Platform = ''
+}
+if ($Configuration -and $Configuration -match '^[\/-]') {
+    $positionalExtra += $Configuration
+    $Configuration = 'Debug'
+}
+if ($positionalExtra.Count -gt 0) {
+    if (-not $ExtraArgs) { $ExtraArgs = @() }
+    $ExtraArgs = $positionalExtra + $ExtraArgs
+}
+
+# Auto-detect platform when not provided
+if (-not $Platform -or $Platform -eq '') {
+    try {
+        $Platform = Get-DefaultPlatform
+        Write-Host ("[AUTO-PLATFORM] Detected platform: {0}" -f $Platform)
+    } catch {
+        Write-Warning "Failed to auto-detect platform; defaulting to x64"
+        $Platform = 'x64'
+    }
+}
+
+$cwd = (Get-Location).ProviderPath
+$extraArgsString = $null
+if ($ExtraArgs -and $ExtraArgs.Count -gt 0) { $extraArgsString = ($ExtraArgs -join ' ') }
+
+if (BuildProjectsInDirectory -DirectoryPath $cwd -ExtraArgs $extraArgsString -Platform $Platform -Configuration $Configuration -RestoreOnly:$RestoreOnly) {
+    Write-Host "[BUILD] Local projects built; exiting."
+    exit 0
+} else {
+    Write-Host "[BUILD] No local projects found in $cwd"
+    exit 0
+}