diff --git a/SConstruct b/SConstruct
index c37a309..f5c8652 100644
--- a/SConstruct
+++ b/SConstruct
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@ env = SConscript('external/scons-plus-plus/SConscript', exports = ['config'])
 env.Append(CPPPATH = [Dir('private'), Dir('public')])
 
 # add the default recipe repository
-env.RecipeRepo('mewin-stable', 'https://git.mewin.de/mewin/spp_recipes.git', 'stable')
-# env.RecipeRepo('mewin-testing', 'https://git.mewin.de/mewin/spp_recipes.git', 'testing')
+env.RecipeRepo('mewin', 'https://git.mewin.de/mewin/spp_recipes.git', 'stable')
+# env.RecipeRepo('mewin', 'https://git.mewin.de/mewin/spp_recipes.git', 'testing')
 
 # app
 env = env.Module('private/@MODULE_FOLDER_NAME@/SModule')
diff --git a/external/scons-plus-plus/SConscript b/external/scons-plus-plus/SConscript
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7efb974
--- /dev/null
+++ b/external/scons-plus-plus/SConscript
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+"""
+SCons++ Bootstrapper
+"""
+
+
+import os
+from pathlib import Path
+import shutil
+import subprocess
+import sys
+from SCons.Environment import Environment
+
+
+Import('config')
+
+
+_SPP_FOLDER_NAME = 'scons-plus-plus'
+_SPP_DEFAULT_REPOSITORY = 'https://git.mewin.de/mewin/scons-plus-plus.git'
+_SPP_DEFAULT_BRANCH = 'master'
+
+
+spp_root: Path
+spp_repository: str
+spp_branch: str
+
+def _main() -> Environment:
+    global spp_root, spp_repository, spp_branch
+
+    spp_root = config.get('SPP_ROOT')
+    if spp_root is None:
+        spp_root = _get_default_spp_root()
+    elif not isinstance(spp_root, Path):
+        spp_root = Path(str(spp_root))
+    spp_root = spp_root.absolute()
+
+    spp_repository = config.get('SPP_REPOSITORY', _SPP_DEFAULT_REPOSITORY)
+    spp_branch = config.get('SPP_BRANCH', _SPP_DEFAULT_BRANCH)
+
+    print(f'Using SCons++ root at: {spp_root}')
+
+    if not spp_root.exists():
+        print('SCons++ does not yet exist, downloading it.')
+        _install_spp()
+    
+    spp_script = spp_root / 'SConscript'
+    if not spp_script.exists():
+        _printerr(f'SCons++ main script not found at {spp_script}!')
+        sys.exit(1)
+    return SConscript(spp_script, exports=['config'])
+
+def _get_default_spp_root() -> Path:
+    if os.name == 'posix':
+        # follow XDG specification -> first try $XDG_DATA_HOME, then $HOME/.local/share
+        data_home = os.environ.get('XDG_DATA_HOME')
+        if data_home is not None:
+            return Path(data_home, _SPP_FOLDER_NAME)
+        home = os.environ.get('HOME')
+        if home is not None:
+            return Path(home, '.local', 'share', _SPP_FOLDER_NAME)
+    elif os.name == 'nt':
+        # just use LocalAppData, which should always be set on Windows
+        return Path(os.environ['LocalAppData'], _SPP_FOLDER_NAME)
+    print(f'Could not detect SCons++ root directory, falling back to ./{_SPP_FOLDER_NAME}.')
+    return Path(_SPP_FOLDER_NAME)
+
+def _install_spp() -> None:
+    git_exe = shutil.which('git')
+    if git_exe is None:
+        _printerr('No git executable found, cannot install SCons++.')
+        sys.exit(1)
+    _exec_checked((git_exe, 'clone', '-b', spp_branch, '--progress', spp_repository, spp_root))
+
+def _exec_checked(args: Sequence[str], **kwargs) -> None:
+    subprocess.run(args, stdout=sys.stdout, stderr=sys.stderr, check=True, **kwargs)
+
+def _printerr(*args) -> None:
+    print(*args, file=sys.stderr)
+
+env = _main()
+Return('env')
diff --git a/tools/init_project.py b/tools/init_project.py
index 8807fc2..307d2b9 100644
--- a/tools/init_project.py
+++ b/tools/init_project.py
@@ -28,36 +28,6 @@ def verify_tools() -> None:
     if not success:
         raise RuntimeError('one or more required tools could not be found')
 
-def download_spp() -> None:
-    _logger.debug('Checking if Scons++ is checked out...')
-    output = exec_get_output(['git', 'submodule', 'status', 'external/scons-plus-plus'])
-    if output[0] in ('+', ' '):
-        return
-    assert output[0] == '-'
-    _logger.info('SCons++ not checkout out yet, doing it now.')
-    exec_checked(['git', 'submodule', 'init'])
-    exec_checked(['git', 'submodule', 'update', 'external/scons-plus-plus'])
-
-def update_spp() -> None:
-    _logger.debug('Updating SCons++ submodule...')
-    os.chdir(_root / 'external/scons-plus-plus')
-    try:
-        exec_checked(['git', 'fetch', 'origin', 'master'])
-        exec_checked(['git', 'checkout', 'master'])
-        exec_checked(['git', 'pull'])
-    finally:
-        os.chdir(_root)
-    output = exec_get_output(['git', 'status', '--porcelain'])
-    if output.strip() == '':
-        return
-    _logger.info('Changes in SCons++ detected, creating commit.')
-    exec_checked(['git', 'commit', '-m', 'Updated Scons++', 'external/scons-plus-plus'])
-
-def verify_unchanged() -> None:
-    output = exec_get_output(['git', 'status', '--porcelain'])
-    if output != '':
-        raise RuntimeError('There are uncommitted changes. Commit, stash or revert them before running this script.')
-
 def setup_project() -> None:
     project_name = ''
     while project_name == '':
@@ -111,9 +81,6 @@ def script_main():
     global _root
     _root = get_root()
     verify_tools()
-    download_spp()
-    update_spp()
-    verify_unchanged()
     setup_project()
     setup_git_remote()