diff --git a/src/usr/local/bin/autodoc b/src/usr/local/bin/autodoc
index 6699d98..3be9df9 100755
--- a/src/usr/local/bin/autodoc
+++ b/src/usr/local/bin/autodoc
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-echo -n "Loading '${0}': "
-
 #
 # hard globals
 #
@@ -21,13 +19,27 @@ for plugin in "${g_lib}/plugins/"*".sh"; do
   source "${plugin}"
 done
 
-echo "program parsed."
-
 #
 # MAIN
 #
-echo "Building everything in '${g_watchroot}'."
-do_build_all
 
-echo "Watching '${g_watchroot}'."
-do_build_watch
+# show debug info
+if [ ${g_verbose} -eq 1 ]; then
+  logline_append "Variables:"
+  logline_append "build:${g_build}"
+  logline_append "watch:${g_watch}"
+  logline_append "root:${g_root}"
+  logline_flush
+fi
+
+if [ ${g_build} -eq 1 ]; then
+  echo "Building everything in '${g_root}'."
+  do_build_all
+fi
+
+if [ ${g_watch} -eq 1 ]; then
+  echo "Watching '${g_root}'."
+  do_build_watch
+fi
+
+echo "Done."
diff --git a/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/globals b/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/globals
index 5bea44e..595aba1 100644
--- a/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/globals
+++ b/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/globals
@@ -9,7 +9,59 @@ declare -A g_build_systems_glob
 # map of annotation patterns for build systems
 declare -A g_build_systems_annotations
 
-# $WATCHROOT (default: ".")
-g_watchroot="$(readlink -f "${1:-.}")"
+# simple help page
+do_show_help() {
+  echo "Usage: ${0} [-h?bwv] [-r ROOT] [ROOT]"
+  echo
+  echo "Options:"
+  echo "    -h, -?      Show this help and exit"
+  echo "    -b          Build ROOT directory on startup"
+  echo "    -w          Keep watching ROOT directory for changes"
+  echo "    -v          Verbose output"
+  echo "    -r ROOT     Set ROOT directory"
+  echo
+  echo "ROOT directory can be set via '-r' argument or positionally."
+  echo "If ROOT directory is undefined, it defaults to the current working directory."
+  exit 0
+}
 
-echo -n "globals ... "
\ No newline at end of file
+# reset in case getopts has been used previously in the shell
+OPTIND=1
+
+# initialize variables
+g_build=0
+g_watch=0
+g_root=""
+
+while getopts "h?bwvr:" opt; do
+  case "$opt" in
+  h|\?) 
+    do_show_help
+    ;;
+  b)  
+    g_build=1
+    ;;
+  w)  
+    g_watch=1
+    ;;
+  v)  
+    g_verbose=1
+    ;;
+  r)  
+    g_root="${OPTARG}"
+    ;;
+  esac
+done
+
+# default to help
+[ ${g_build} -eq 0 ] && [ ${g_watch} -eq 0 ] && [ ${g_verbose} -eq 0 ] && do_show_help
+
+# shift off getopts parsed options
+shift $((OPTIND-1))
+[ "${1:-}" = "--" ] && shift
+
+# if g_root undefined by getopt, 
+[ -z "${g_root:-}" ] && g_root="$1"
+
+# get actual $ROOT directory (default: ".")
+g_root="$(readlink -f "${g_root:-.}")"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/logging b/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/logging
index 8d2a632..802d576 100644
--- a/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/logging
+++ b/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/logging
@@ -10,5 +10,3 @@ logline_flush() {
   echo "${g_logline}"
   g_logline=""
 }
-
-echo -n "logging ... "
diff --git a/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/main b/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/main
index d2ffd23..d9b874b 100644
--- a/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/main
+++ b/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/main
@@ -33,13 +33,13 @@ do_compile() { # $DIR $OBJECT $DONE
     && local done="1"
   done
 
-  # never leave $g_watchroot
-  if [ "${dir}" != "${g_watchroot}" ]; then
+  # never leave $g_root
+  if [ "${dir}" != "${g_root}" ]; then
     # search parent dir for more build instructions
     do_compile "$(dirname "${dir}")" "${object}" "${done}"
 
   elif [ "${done}" == "0" ]; then
-    # hit $g_watchroot
+    # hit $g_root
     logline_append "Not a source file."
   fi
 }
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ do_build_all() { #
     for glob in ${g_build_systems_glob[${build_system}]}; do
 
       # match each glob recursively
-      find "${g_watchroot}" -iname "${glob}" | \
+      find "${g_root}" -iname "${glob}" | \
       while read file; do
         if [ -r "${file}" ]; then
           # force call into build system
@@ -138,11 +138,9 @@ do_build_watch() { #
   inotifywait -mrq \
     -e create -e delete -e moved_to -e close_write \
     --format '%e %w%f' \
-    "${g_watchroot}" | \
+    "${g_root}" | \
   \
   while read NOTIFICATION; do
     do_handle_inotify ${NOTIFICATION}
   done
 }
-
-echo -n "main ... "
diff --git a/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/plugins/make.sh b/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/plugins/make.sh
index e4ecab1..d836faa 100644
--- a/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/plugins/make.sh
+++ b/src/usr/local/lib/autodoc/plugins/make.sh
@@ -54,6 +54,4 @@ do_run_make() { # $DIR $MAKEFILE
   logline_append "$(echo "${makelog}" | head -n 10 | sed 's/$/;/g' | tr '\n' ' ' | sed 's/ *$//')"
 
   logline_append "Done."
-}
-
-echo -n "GNU Make plugin ... "
+}
\ No newline at end of file