diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index ca4f779..f09a331 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -153,6 +153,11 @@ COPY /angie/ /etc/angie/
 RUN find /etc/angie/ -name .gitkeep -delete ; \
     find /etc/angie/ ! -type l -exec chmod go-w {} +
 
+## preseed builtin modules list
+RUN x='angie-builtin-modules.sh' ; \
+    "$x" ; \
+    chmod a-x $(which "$x")
+
 ## misc tools
 RUN apt-install.sh \
       brotli \
@@ -195,4 +200,4 @@ ENV DUMB_INIT_SETSID=0 \
 STOPSIGNAL SIGQUIT
 
 ENTRYPOINT [ "image-entry.sh" ]
-CMD [ "angie", "-g", "daemon off;" ]
+CMD [ "angie" ]
diff --git a/angie/.none.conf b/angie/.none.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c337864
--- /dev/null
+++ b/angie/.none.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+daemon off;
+master_process off;
+events {}
diff --git a/angie/angie.conf b/angie/angie.conf
index ba02fb9..7122434 100644
--- a/angie/angie.conf
+++ b/angie/angie.conf
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
+daemon off;
 pid run/angie.pid;
 lock_file lock.d/angie.lock;
 
 ## almost useless
-include mod.d/core-*.conf;
+include mod.d/core-*.load;
 
 # mod-http.conf.in
 # mod-mail.conf.in
@@ -11,10 +12,10 @@ include run/mod-*.conf;
 
 events {
     include conf.d/core_ev-*.conf;
-    include snip.d/core_ev-*.conf;
+    include snip.d/core_ev-*.load;
 }
 include conf.d/core-*.conf;
-include snip.d/core-*.conf;
+include snip.d/core-*.load;
 
 # ctx-http.conf.in
 # ctx-mail.conf.in
diff --git a/angie/conf.dist/http-buffers.conf b/angie/conf.dist/http-buffers.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4603ec6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/angie/conf.dist/http-buffers.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+subrequest_output_buffer_size     16k;
+client_body_buffer_size           16k;
+client_header_buffer_size          4k;
+large_client_header_buffers    8  16k;
+
+## lowering from 16k to 4k to improve time-to-first-byte
+ssl_buffer_size  4k;
diff --git a/angie/ctx-http.conf b/angie/ctx-http.conf
index cc64391..aea7f06 100644
--- a/angie/ctx-http.conf
+++ b/angie/ctx-http.conf
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 http {
     include conf.d/http-*.conf;
-    include snip.d/http-*.conf;
+    include snip.d/http-*.load;
     include site.d/http-*.conf;
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/angie/ctx-mail.conf b/angie/ctx-mail.conf
index 0780fca..49903a7 100644
--- a/angie/ctx-mail.conf
+++ b/angie/ctx-mail.conf
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 mail {
     include conf.d/mail-*.conf;
-    include snip.d/mail-*.conf;
+    include snip.d/mail-*.load;
     include site.d/mail-*.conf;
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/angie/ctx-stream.conf b/angie/ctx-stream.conf
index 1bf0cf5..324b691 100644
--- a/angie/ctx-stream.conf
+++ b/angie/ctx-stream.conf
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 stream {
     include conf.d/stream-*.conf;
-    include snip.d/stream-*.conf;
+    include snip.d/stream-*.load;
     include site.d/stream-*.conf;
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/angie/mod-http.conf b/angie/mod-http.conf
index 4164f42..d18a01d 100644
--- a/angie/mod-http.conf
+++ b/angie/mod-http.conf
@@ -1 +1 @@
-include mod.d/http-*.conf;
\ No newline at end of file
+include mod.d/http-*.load;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/angie/mod-mail.conf b/angie/mod-mail.conf
index 752474e..015317b 100644
--- a/angie/mod-mail.conf
+++ b/angie/mod-mail.conf
@@ -1 +1 @@
-include mod.d/mail-*.conf;
\ No newline at end of file
+include mod.d/mail-*.load;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/angie/mod-stream.conf b/angie/mod-stream.conf
index bafd341..2eba682 100644
--- a/angie/mod-stream.conf
+++ b/angie/mod-stream.conf
@@ -1 +1 @@
-include mod.d/stream-*.conf;
\ No newline at end of file
+include mod.d/stream-*.load;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/angie/mod.dist/http-brotli-filter.conf b/angie/mod.dist/http-brotli-filter.conf
deleted file mode 100644
index 2acbe61..0000000
--- a/angie/mod.dist/http-brotli-filter.conf
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-load_module modules.d/ngx_http_brotli_filter_module.so;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/angie/mod.dist/http-brotli.conf b/angie/mod.dist/http-brotli.conf
index c365782..2acbe61 100644
--- a/angie/mod.dist/http-brotli.conf
+++ b/angie/mod.dist/http-brotli.conf
@@ -1,2 +1 @@
-load_module modules.d/ngx_http_brotli_filter_module.so;
-load_module modules.d/ngx_http_brotli_static_module.so;
\ No newline at end of file
+load_module modules.d/ngx_http_brotli_filter_module.so;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/angie/mod.dist/http-zstd-filter.conf b/angie/mod.dist/http-zstd-filter.conf
deleted file mode 100644
index cb586bc..0000000
--- a/angie/mod.dist/http-zstd-filter.conf
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-load_module modules.d/ngx_http_zstd_filter_module.so;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/angie/mod.dist/http-zstd.conf b/angie/mod.dist/http-zstd.conf
index 591f74b..cb586bc 100644
--- a/angie/mod.dist/http-zstd.conf
+++ b/angie/mod.dist/http-zstd.conf
@@ -1,2 +1 @@
-load_module modules.d/ngx_http_zstd_filter_module.so;
-load_module modules.d/ngx_http_zstd_static_module.so;
\ No newline at end of file
+load_module modules.d/ngx_http_zstd_filter_module.so;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/angie/snip.dist/http-brotli-static.conf b/angie/snip.dist/http-brotli-static.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b7c7d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/angie/snip.dist/http-brotli-static.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+## no extra configuration is present at this time
+## ref: https://github.com/google/ngx_brotli/
diff --git a/angie/snip.dist/http-brotli.conf b/angie/snip.dist/http-brotli.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff5bfde
--- /dev/null
+++ b/angie/snip.dist/http-brotli.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+## default is 6
+brotli_comp_level  5;
+## default is 512k
+brotli_window 64k;
+
+brotli_min_length  1024;
+brotli_buffers     32  16k;
+
+brotli_types
+    application/atom+xml
+    application/javascript
+    application/json
+    application/vnd.api+json
+    application/rss+xml
+    application/x-javascript
+    application/xhtml+xml
+    application/xml
+    image/svg+xml
+    image/x-icon
+    text/css
+    text/javascript
+    text/plain
+    text/xml
+;
diff --git a/angie/snip.dist/http-gunzip.conf b/angie/snip.dist/http-gunzip.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..19dd7da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/angie/snip.dist/http-gunzip.conf
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+gunzip_buffers  16  16k;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/angie/snip.dist/http-gzip-static.conf b/angie/snip.dist/http-gzip-static.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5f33c12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/angie/snip.dist/http-gzip-static.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+## no extra configuration is present at this time
+## ref: https://angie.software/en/configuration/modules/http_gzip_static/
diff --git a/angie/snip.dist/http-gzip.conf b/angie/snip.dist/http-gzip.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2e3f830
--- /dev/null
+++ b/angie/snip.dist/http-gzip.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+## default is 1
+gzip_comp_level  2;
+
+gzip_min_length  1024;
+gzip_buffers     32  16k;
+
+gzip_vary     on;
+gzip_proxied  any;
+
+gzip_types
+    application/atom+xml
+    application/javascript
+    application/json
+    application/vnd.api+json
+    application/rss+xml
+    application/x-javascript
+    application/xhtml+xml
+    application/xml
+    image/svg+xml
+    image/x-icon
+    text/css
+    text/javascript
+    text/plain
+    text/xml
+;
diff --git a/angie/snip.dist/http-zstd-static.conf b/angie/snip.dist/http-zstd-static.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..730b785
--- /dev/null
+++ b/angie/snip.dist/http-zstd-static.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+## no extra configuration is present at this time
+## ref: https://github.com/tokers/zstd-nginx-module/
diff --git a/angie/snip.dist/http-zstd.conf b/angie/snip.dist/http-zstd.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9720f81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/angie/snip.dist/http-zstd.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+## default is 1
+zstd_comp_level  2;
+
+zstd_min_length  1024;
+zstd_buffers     32  16k;
+
+zstd_types
+    application/atom+xml
+    application/javascript
+    application/json
+    application/vnd.api+json
+    application/rss+xml
+    application/x-javascript
+    application/xhtml+xml
+    application/xml
+    image/svg+xml
+    image/x-icon
+    text/css
+    text/javascript
+    text/plain
+    text/xml
+;
diff --git a/image-entry.d/00-common.envsh b/image-entry.d/00-common.envsh
index 5843bcf..64ba8e9 100644
--- a/image-entry.d/00-common.envsh
+++ b/image-entry.d/00-common.envsh
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
+volume_root='/run/angie'
+tmp_dir="${volume_root}/tmp"
+merged_root="${volume_root}/merged"
+target_root="${volume_root}"
+
 have_envvar() {
 	[ -n "$1" ] || return 1
 	grep -Ezq "^$1=" /proc/self/environ || return
@@ -45,18 +50,28 @@ IEP_VERBOSE=$(gobool_to_int "${IEP_VERBOSE:-${IEP_TRACE}}" "${IEP_TRACE}")
 export IEP_VERBOSE
 if [ "${IEP_VERBOSE}" = 1 ] ; then
 	log() { log_always "$@" ; }
-	log_file() { sed -E '/^./s,^,  ,' < "$1" >&2 ; }
 else
 	log() { : ;}
-	log_file() { :; }
 fi
 
+log_file() { sed -E '/^./s,^,  ,' < "$1" >&2 ; }
+
 if [ "${IEP_VERBOSE}" = 0 ] ; then
 	ln_s() { ln -s "$@" || return; }
+	cp_a() { cp -a "$@" || return; }
 else
 	ln_s() { ln -sv "$@" || return; }
+	cp_a() { cp -av "$@" || return; }
 fi
 
+ln_cp() {
+	if [ -h "$1" ] ; then
+		ln_s "$(readlink -e "$1")" "$2"
+	else
+		cp_a "$1" "$2"
+	fi
+}
+
 have_cmd() { command -v "$1" >/dev/null 2>&1 || return ; }
 
 strip_suffix() { printf '%s' "${1%"$2"}" | tr -s '/' ; }
@@ -64,7 +79,7 @@ strip_suffix() { printf '%s' "${1%"$2"}" | tr -s '/' ; }
 untemplate_path() {
 	case "$1" in
 	## inplace
-	/run/angie/* | /etc/angie/run/* )
+	"${volume_root}"/* | /etc/angie/run/* )
 		strip_suffix "$1" "$2"
 	;;
 	/etc/angie/conf.d/* | /etc/angie/mod.d/* | /etc/angie/modules.d/* | /etc/angie/njs.d/* | /etc/angie/site.d/* | /etc/angie/snip.d/* )
@@ -75,7 +90,7 @@ untemplate_path() {
 	;;
 	## set appropriate location
 	/etc/angie/* )
-		strip_suffix "/run/angie${1#/etc/angie}" "$2"
+		strip_suffix "${volume_root}${1#/etc/angie}" "$2"
 	;;
 	/tmp/* )
 		log_always "untemplate_path() shouldn't work with /tmp/: $1"
@@ -84,7 +99,7 @@ untemplate_path() {
 	## last resort - STRONGLY AVOID
 	/* )
 		log_always "untemplate_path() does uncommon/last-resort mapping for: $1"
-		strip_suffix "/run/angie/tmp$1" "$2"
+		strip_suffix "${tmp_dir}$1" "$2"
 	;;
 	## misbehavior!
 	* )
@@ -111,6 +126,11 @@ untemplate_file_envsubst() {
 	__dest="$2"
 	[ -n "${__dest}" ] || __dest=$(untemplate_path "$1" "${NGX_ENVSUBST_SUFFIX}") || return
 
+	if [ -e "${__dest}" ] ; then
+		log "untemplate_file_envsubst: destination file already exists"
+		return
+	fi
+
 	[ -d "${__dest%/*}" ] || install_userdir "${__dest%/*}" || return
 
 	log "Running envsubst: $1 -> ${__dest}"
@@ -129,6 +149,11 @@ untemplate_file_jinja() {
 	__dest="$2"
 	[ -n "${__dest}" ] || __dest=$(untemplate_path "$1" "${NGX_JINJA_SUFFIX}") || return
 
+	if [ -e "${__dest}" ] ; then
+		log "untemplate_file_jinja: destination file already exists"
+		return
+	fi
+
 	[ -d "${__dest%/*}" ] || install_userdir "${__dest%/*}" || return
 
 	log "Running jinja.py: $1 -> ${__dest}"
@@ -152,10 +177,11 @@ untemplate_dir_envsubst() {
 		export ENVSUBST_ARGS
 	fi
 
-	while read -r _orig_file ; do
-		[ -n "${_orig_file}" ] || continue
-		untemplate_file_envsubst "${_orig_file}"
+	while read -r __orig_file ; do
+		[ -n "${__orig_file}" ] || continue
+		untemplate_file_envsubst "${__orig_file}"
 	done < "${__template_list}"
+	unset __orig_file
 
 	if [ -z "${__have_args}" ] ; then
 		rm -f "${ENVSUBST_ARGS}" ; unset ENVSUBST_ARGS
@@ -173,10 +199,11 @@ untemplate_dir_jinja() {
 	find "$@" -follow -type f -name "*${NGX_JINJA_SUFFIX}" \
 	| sort -uV > "${__template_list}"
 
-	while read -r _orig_file ; do
-		[ -n "${_orig_file}" ] || continue
-		untemplate_file_jinja "${_orig_file}"
+	while read -r __orig_file ; do
+		[ -n "${__orig_file}" ] || continue
+		untemplate_file_jinja "${__orig_file}"
 	done < "${__template_list}"
+	unset __orig_file
 
 	rm -f "${__template_list}" ; unset __template_list
 }
@@ -227,12 +254,11 @@ remap_path() {
 	esac
 }
 
-merged_root='/run/angie/merged'
 combine_remap_path() {
 	[ -n "$1" ] || return
 
 	case "$1" in
-	"${merged_root}"/* ) echo "${2:-/run/angie}${1#"${merged_root}"}" ;;
+	"${merged_root}"/* ) echo "${2:-${target_root}}${1#"${merged_root}"}" ;;
 	## misbehavior!
 	* )
 		log_always "combine_remap_path() doesn't know how to handle this path: $1"
@@ -240,3 +266,21 @@ combine_remap_path() {
 	;;
 	esac
 }
+
+is_builtin_module() {
+	[ -n "${1:-}" ] || return 1
+	[ -n "${2:-}" ] || return 1
+
+	[ -f "/etc/angie/builtin.$1" ] || return 1
+	[ -s "/etc/angie/builtin.$1" ] || return 1
+
+	grep -Fxq -e "$2" "/etc/angie/builtin.$1" || return 1
+}
+
+sort_dedup_list() {
+	[ -n "$1" ] || return 0
+
+	printf '%s' "$1" \
+	| tr -s '[:space:]' '\n' | sort -uV | paste -sd ' ' \
+	| sed -zE 's/^\s+//;s/\s+$//'
+}
diff --git a/image-entry.d/10-core-modules.envsh b/image-entry.d/10-core-modules.envsh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..ad083fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/image-entry.d/10-core-modules.envsh
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+unset core_modules core_snippets
+core_modules=
+core_snippets="${NGX_CORE_SNIPPETS:-}"
+
+## filter out builtin core modules
+unset i
+for i in ${NGX_CORE_MODULES:-} ; do
+	[ -n "$i" ] || continue
+
+	if is_builtin_module core "$i" ; then
+		log "$i is builtin module, moving to snippets"
+		core_snippets="${core_snippets}${core_snippets:+ }$i"
+		continue
+	fi
+
+	## naive deduplication
+	case " ${core_modules} " in
+	*" $i "* )
+		log "$i is already specified"
+		continue
+	;;
+	esac
+
+	core_modules="${core_modules}${core_modules:+ }$i"
+done
+unset i
+
+## sort and remove duplicates
+core_snippets=$(sort_dedup_list "${core_snippets}")
+
+set -a
+NGX_CORE_MODULES="${core_modules}"
+NGX_CORE_SNIPPETS="${core_snippets}"
+set +a
+
+unset core_modules core_snippets
diff --git a/image-entry.d/10-core-user.envsh b/image-entry.d/11-core-user.envsh
similarity index 100%
rename from image-entry.d/10-core-user.envsh
rename to image-entry.d/11-core-user.envsh
diff --git a/image-entry.d/11-core-env.envsh b/image-entry.d/12-core-env.envsh
similarity index 100%
rename from image-entry.d/11-core-env.envsh
rename to image-entry.d/12-core-env.envsh
diff --git a/image-entry.d/12-core-worker-defaults.envsh b/image-entry.d/13-core-worker-defaults.envsh
similarity index 100%
rename from image-entry.d/12-core-worker-defaults.envsh
rename to image-entry.d/13-core-worker-defaults.envsh
diff --git a/image-entry.d/21-http-modules.envsh b/image-entry.d/21-http-modules.envsh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..6854fb0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/image-entry.d/21-http-modules.envsh
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+if [ "${NGX_HTTP}" = 1 ] ; then
+	unset http_modules http_snippets
+	http_modules=
+	http_snippets="${NGX_HTTP_SNIPPETS:-}"
+
+	## filter out builtin http modules
+	unset i
+	for i in ${NGX_HTTP_MODULES:-} ; do
+		[ -n "$i" ] || continue
+
+		if is_builtin_module http "$i" ; then
+			log "$i is builtin module, moving to snippets"
+			http_snippets="${http_snippets}${http_snippets:+ }$i"
+			continue
+		fi
+
+		## naive deduplication
+		case " ${http_modules} " in
+		*" $i "* )
+			log "$i is already specified"
+			continue
+		;;
+		esac
+
+		http_modules="${http_modules}${http_modules:+ }$i"
+	done
+	unset i
+
+	http_snippets=$(sort_dedup_list "${http_snippets}")
+
+	set -a
+	NGX_HTTP_MODULES="${http_modules}"
+	NGX_HTTP_SNIPPETS="${http_snippets}"
+	set +a
+
+	unset http_modules http_snippets
+fi
diff --git a/image-entry.d/21-http-max-ranges.envsh b/image-entry.d/22-http-max-ranges.envsh
similarity index 100%
rename from image-entry.d/21-http-max-ranges.envsh
rename to image-entry.d/22-http-max-ranges.envsh
diff --git a/image-entry.d/31-mail-modules.envsh b/image-entry.d/31-mail-modules.envsh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..ca554e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/image-entry.d/31-mail-modules.envsh
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+if [ "${NGX_MAIL}" = 1 ] ; then
+	unset mail_modules mail_snippets
+	mail_modules=
+	mail_snippets="${NGX_MAIL_SNIPPETS:-}"
+
+	## filter out builtin mail modules
+	unset i
+	for i in ${NGX_MAIL_MODULES:-} ; do
+		[ -n "$i" ] || continue
+
+		if is_builtin_module mail "$i" ; then
+			log "$i is builtin module, moving to snippets"
+			mail_snippets="${mail_snippets}${mail_snippets:+ }$i"
+			continue
+		fi
+
+		## naive deduplication
+		case " ${mail_modules} " in
+		*" $i "* )
+			log "$i is already specified"
+			continue
+		;;
+		esac
+
+		mail_modules="${mail_modules}${mail_modules:+ }$i"
+	done
+	unset i
+
+	mail_snippets=$(sort_dedup_list "${mail_snippets}")
+
+	set -a
+	NGX_MAIL_MODULES="${mail_modules}"
+	NGX_MAIL_SNIPPETS="${mail_snippets}"
+	set +a
+
+	unset mail_modules mail_snippets
+fi
diff --git a/image-entry.d/41-stream-modules.envsh b/image-entry.d/41-stream-modules.envsh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..bebd540
--- /dev/null
+++ b/image-entry.d/41-stream-modules.envsh
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+if [ "${NGX_STREAM}" = 1 ] ; then
+	unset stream_modules stream_snippets
+	stream_modules=
+	stream_snippets="${NGX_STREAM_SNIPPETS:-}"
+
+	## filter out builtin stream modules
+	unset i
+	for i in ${NGX_STREAM_MODULES:-} ; do
+		[ -n "$i" ] || continue
+
+		if is_builtin_module stream "$i" ; then
+			log "$i is builtin module, moving to snippets"
+			stream_snippets="${stream_snippets}${stream_snippets:+ }$i"
+			continue
+		fi
+
+		## naive deduplication
+		case " ${stream_modules} " in
+		*" $i "* )
+			log "$i is already specified"
+			continue
+		;;
+		esac
+
+		stream_modules="${stream_modules}${stream_modules:+ }$i"
+	done
+	unset i
+
+	stream_snippets=$(sort_dedup_list "${stream_snippets}")
+
+	set -a
+	NGX_STREAM_MODULES="${stream_modules}"
+	NGX_STREAM_SNIPPETS="${stream_snippets}"
+	set +a
+
+	unset stream_modules stream_snippets
+fi
diff --git a/image-entry.d/50-flush-run-volume.sh b/image-entry.d/50-flush-run-volume.sh
index be6f192..b4cf016 100755
--- a/image-entry.d/50-flush-run-volume.sh
+++ b/image-entry.d/50-flush-run-volume.sh
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@ set -f
 
 . /image-entry.d/00-common.envsh
 
-find /run/angie/ -mindepth 1 -exec rm -rf {} +
+find "${volume_root}/" -mindepth 1 -exec rm -rf {} +
 
-[ -d /run/angie/tmp ]  || install -d -m 03777 /run/angie/tmp
-[ -d /run/angie/lock ] || install_userdir /run/angie/lock
+[ -d "${tmp_dir}" ]          || install -d -m 03777 "${tmp_dir}"
+[ -d "${volume_root}/lock" ] || install_userdir "${volume_root}/lock"
 
 exit 0
diff --git a/image-entry.d/51-topmost-configs.sh b/image-entry.d/51-topmost-configs.sh
index f929ffa..cd71f89 100755
--- a/image-entry.d/51-topmost-configs.sh
+++ b/image-entry.d/51-topmost-configs.sh
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ set -f
 . /image-entry.d/00-common.envsh
 
 s=/etc/angie
-d=/run/angie
+d=${target_root}
 
 comps=''
 [ "${NGX_HTTP}" = 0 ]   || comps="${comps} http"
diff --git a/image-entry.d/54-combine-tree.sh b/image-entry.d/54-combine-tree.sh
index 25d8724..26829d1 100755
--- a/image-entry.d/54-combine-tree.sh
+++ b/image-entry.d/54-combine-tree.sh
@@ -3,6 +3,22 @@ set -f
 
 . /image-entry.d/00-common.envsh
 
+## sanity check
+t=$(mktemp) || exit 1
+
+for n in mod snip ; do
+	[ -d "${merged_root}/$n" ] || continue
+	find "${merged_root}/$n/" ! -type d
+done \
+| grep -E "^${merged_root}/(mod|snip)/.+\.load\$" \
+| sort -V > "$t"
+
+if [ -s "$t" ] ; then
+	log_always 'these files will be EXPLICITLY skipped:'
+	log_file "$t"
+fi
+rm -f "$t" ; unset t
+
 [ "${NGX_STRICT_LOAD}" = 0 ] || set -e
 
 load_error() {
@@ -16,15 +32,26 @@ load_error() {
 	fi
 }
 
-smart_ln() {
-	if [ -h "$1" ] ; then
-		ln_s "$(readlink -e "$1")" "$2"
-	else
-		cp "$1" "$2"
-	fi
-}
+dirs='cache lib log'
+for n in ${dirs} ; do
+	s="/angie/$n"
+	d="${target_root}/$n"
 
-dirs='conf modules njs site'
+	if [ -d "$s" ] ; then
+		ln_s "$s" "$d"
+	else
+		[ -d "$d" ] || install_userdir "$d"
+	fi
+done
+
+## provide same symlinks as upstream (both Angie and nginx) docker images do
+d="${target_root}/log"
+[ -e "$d/access.log" ] || ln_s /dev/stdout "$d/access.log"
+[ -e "$d/error.log" ]  || ln_s /dev/stderr "$d/error.log"
+
+## NB: if any error occurs above then configuration is merely empty and/or broken
+
+dirs='conf mod modules njs site snip'
 [ "${NGX_PROCESS_STATIC}" = 0 ] || dirs="${dirs} static"
 while read -r old_path ; do
 	[ -n "${old_path}" ] || continue
@@ -35,68 +62,91 @@ while read -r old_path ; do
 	new_dir="${new_path%/*}"
 	[ -d "${new_dir}" ] || mkdir -p "${new_dir}"
 
-	smart_ln "${old_path}" "${new_path}"
+	ln_cp "${old_path}" "${new_path}"
 done <<-EOF
 $(
+	set +e
 	for n in ${dirs} ; do
 		[ -d "${merged_root}/$n" ] || continue
 		find "${merged_root}/$n/" ! -type d
-	done | sort -V
+	done \
+	| grep -Ev \
+	  -e "^${merged_root}/(mod|snip)/.+\.load\$" \
+	  -e "^${merged_root}/mod/[^/]+\.preseed\$" \
+	| sort -V
+	set -e
 )
 EOF
 
 if [ "${NGX_PROCESS_STATIC}" = 0 ] ; then
 	for d in /angie/static /etc/angie/static /etc/angie/static.dist ; do
 		[ -d "$d" ] || continue
-		ln_s "$d" /run/angie/static
+		ln_s "$d" "${target_root}/static"
 		break
 	done
 fi
 
-dirs='cache lib log'
-for n in ${dirs} ; do
-	s="/angie/$n"
-	d="/run/angie/$n"
-
-	if [ -d "$s" ] ; then
-		ln_s "$s" "$d"
-	else
-		[ -d "$d" ] || install_userdir "$d"
-	fi
-done
-
-## provide same symlinks as upstream (both Angie and nginx) docker images do
-d=/run/angie/log
-[ -e "$d/access.log" ] || ln_s /dev/stdout "$d/access.log"
-[ -e "$d/error.log" ]  || ln_s /dev/stderr "$d/error.log"
-
 ## Angie modules are loaded in [strict] order!
 combine_modules() {
 	[ -n "$1" ] || return 1
 	n="$1" ; shift
 
+	[ $# -ne 0 ] || return 0
+
+	old_dir="${merged_root}/mod"
+	new_dir="${target_root}/mod"
+
 	i=0
 	for m ; do
 		[ -n "$m" ] || continue
 
-		old_name="mod/$n-$m.conf"
-
-		old_path="${merged_root}/${old_name}"
+		old_name="$n-$m.conf"
+		old_path="${old_dir}/${old_name}"
 		if ! [ -f "${old_path}" ] ; then
-			log_always "file ${old_name} is not found"
+			log_always "file ${old_name} is not found in ${old_dir}/"
 			load_error
 			log "file ${old_name} is skipped"
 			continue
 		fi
 
-		new_path=$(printf "/run/angie/mod/$n-%02d-%s.conf" "$i" "$m")
-		new_dir="${new_path%/*}"
-		[ -d "${new_dir}" ] || mkdir -p "${new_dir}"
+		new_name=$(printf "%s-%02d-%s.load" "$n" "$i" "$m")
+		new_path="${new_dir}/${new_name}"
 
-		smart_ln "${old_path}" "${new_path}"
+		ln_cp "${old_path}" "${new_path}"
 
 		i=$((i+1))
-	done
+	done ; unset m
+}
+
+combine_snippets() {
+	[ -n "$1" ] || return 1
+	n="$1" ; shift
+
+	[ $# -ne 0 ] || return 0
+
+	old_dir="${merged_root}/snip"
+	new_dir="${target_root}/snip"
+
+	for s ; do
+		[ -n "$s" ] || continue
+
+		new_path="${new_dir}/$n-$s.load"
+		if [ -e "${new_path}" ] ; then
+			log "${new_path} already exists, skipping"
+			continue
+		fi
+
+		old_name="$n-$s.conf"
+		old_path="${old_dir}/${old_name}"
+		if ! [ -f "${old_path}" ] ; then
+			log_always "file ${old_name} is not found in ${old_dir}/"
+			load_error
+			log "file ${old_name} is skipped"
+			continue
+		fi
+
+		ln_cp "${old_path}" "${new_path}"
+	done ; unset s
 }
 
 combine_modules core   ${NGX_CORE_MODULES:-}
@@ -104,82 +154,15 @@ combine_modules http   ${NGX_HTTP_MODULES:-}
 combine_modules mail   ${NGX_MAIL_MODULES:-}
 combine_modules stream ${NGX_STREAM_MODULES:-}
 
-combine_snippets() {
-	[ -n "$1" ] || return 1
-	n="$1" ; shift
-
-	for s ; do
-		[ -n "$s" ] || continue
-
-		old_name="snip/$n-$s.conf"
-
-		old_path="${merged_root}/${old_name}"
-		if ! [ -f "${old_path}" ] ; then
-			log_always "file ${old_name} is not found"
-			load_error
-			log "file ${old_name} is skipped"
-			continue
-		fi
-
-		new_path="/run/angie/${old_name}"
-		new_dir="${new_path%/*}"
-		[ -d "${new_dir}" ] || mkdir -p "${new_dir}"
-
-		smart_ln "${old_path}" "${new_path}"
-	done
-}
-
 combine_snippets core    ${NGX_CORE_SNIPPETS:-}
 combine_snippets core_ev ${NGX_CORE_EVENTS_SNIPPETS:-}
 combine_snippets http    ${NGX_HTTP_SNIPPETS:-}
 combine_snippets mail    ${NGX_MAIL_SNIPPETS:-}
 combine_snippets stream  ${NGX_STREAM_SNIPPETS:-}
 
-combine_module_snippets() {
-	[ -n "$1" ] || return 1
-	n="$1" ; shift
-
-	for s ; do
-		[ -n "$s" ] || continue
-
-		old_name="snip/$n-$s.conf"
-
-		old_path="${merged_root}/${old_name}"
-		if ! [ -f "${old_path}" ] ; then
-			log "file ${old_name} is not found, skipping"
-			continue
-		fi
-
-		new_path="/run/angie/${old_name}"
-		new_dir="${new_path%/*}"
-		[ -d "${new_dir}" ] || mkdir -p "${new_dir}"
-
-		smart_ln "${old_path}" "${new_path}"
-	done
-}
-
-combine_module_snippets core   ${NGX_CORE_MODULES:-}
-combine_module_snippets http   ${NGX_HTTP_MODULES:-}
-combine_module_snippets mail   ${NGX_MAIL_MODULES:-}
-combine_module_snippets stream ${NGX_STREAM_MODULES:-}
-
-## merge remaining snippets
-while read -r old_path ; do
-	[ -n "${old_path}" ] || continue
-
-	new_path=$(combine_remap_path "${old_path}")
-	[ -n "${new_path}" ] || exit 1
-
-	new_dir="${new_path%/*}"
-	[ -d "${new_dir}" ] || mkdir -p "${new_dir}"
-
-	smart_ln "${old_path}" "${new_path}"
-done <<-EOF
-$(
-	find "${merged_root}/snip/" ! -type d \
-	| grep -Ev -e "^${merged_root}/snip/(core|core_ev|http|mail|stream)-[^/]*\.conf\$" \
-	| sort -V
-)
-EOF
+combine_snippets core   ${NGX_CORE_MODULES:-}
+combine_snippets http   ${NGX_HTTP_MODULES:-}
+combine_snippets mail   ${NGX_MAIL_MODULES:-}
+combine_snippets stream ${NGX_STREAM_MODULES:-}
 
 exit 0
diff --git a/image-entry.d/90-angie-config-test.sh b/image-entry.d/90-angie-config-test.sh
index 07117b6..6ccc90d 100755
--- a/image-entry.d/90-angie-config-test.sh
+++ b/image-entry.d/90-angie-config-test.sh
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ r=$?
 log_always '========================='
 
 ## cleanup after test
-rm -f /run/angie/angie.pid
+rm -f "${volume_root}/angie.pid"
 
 if [ $r = 0 ] ; then
 	log_always 'ready to run Angie'
diff --git a/scripts/angie-builtin-modules.sh b/scripts/angie-builtin-modules.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..7857d87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/angie-builtin-modules.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+set -f
+
+conf_dir='/etc/angie'
+conf_file="${conf_dir}/.none.conf"
+pid_file='/run/angie/none.pid'
+
+angie -g "error_log /dev/stderr warn; pid ${pid_file};" -c "${conf_file}" -t
+r=$?
+rm -f "${pid_file}"
+[ $r -eq 0 ] || exit $r
+
+t=$(mktemp) || exit $?
+
+angie -c "${conf_file}" -m 2>&1 | tee "$t" >/dev/null
+
+sed -En '/^ngx_(http|mail|stream)/d;/^ngx_(.+)_module$/{s//\1/;s/_filter$//;s/_/-/g;p}' < "$t" \
+| sort -uV > "${conf_dir}/builtin.core"
+
+for m in http mail stream ; do
+	sed -En '/^ngx_'"${m}"'_(.+)_module$/{s//\1/;s/_filter$//;s/_/-/g;p}' < "$t" \
+	| sort -uV > "${conf_dir}/builtin.$m"
+done
+
+rm -f "$t" ; unset t
+
+for m in core http mail stream ; do
+	echo "${conf_dir}/builtin.$m"
+done \
+| xargs -r ls -ld