diff --git a/examples/black b/examples/black
index 83ec278..2403d7e 100755
--- a/examples/black
+++ b/examples/black
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
-# AUTOGENERATED by viv (v23.8b2-6-gdafa099-dev)
+# AUTOGENERATED by viv (v23.8b2-9-g044a229-dev)
 # see `python3 <(curl -fsSL viv.dayl.in/viv.py) --help`
 
 
@@ -9,6 +9,46 @@ def _viv_use(*pkgs, track_exe=False, name=""):
     from datetime import datetime  # noqa
     from subprocess import run  # noqa
 
+    if not {*map(type, pkgs)} == {str}:
+        raise ValueError(f"spec: {pkgs} is invalid")
+
+    meta = dict.fromkeys(("created", "accessed"), (t := str(datetime.today())))
+    runner = str(Path(__file__).absolute().resolve())
+    envvar = lambda x: os.getenv(f"VIV_{x}")  # noqa
+    nopkgs = lambda p: not p.endswith(("dist-packages", "site-packages"))  # noqa
+    F, V, no_st = map(envvar, ("FORCE", "VERBOSE", "NO_SETUPTOOLS"))
+    base = Path(xdg) if (xdg := os.getenv("XDG_CACHE_HOME")) else Path.home() / ".cache"
+    (cache := (base) / "viv/venvs").mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    exe = str(Path(sys.executable).resolve()) if track_exe else "N/A"
+    _id = hashlib.sha256((str(spec := [*pkgs]) + exe).encode()).hexdigest()
+    if (env := cache / (name if name else _id[:8])) not in cache.glob("*/") or F:
+        sys.stderr.write(f"generating new vivenv -> {env.name}\n")
+        venv.create(env, prompt=f"viv-{name}", symlinks=True, clear=True)
+        kw = dict(zip(("stdout", "stderr"), ((None,) * 2 if V else (-1, 2))))
+        cmd = ["pip", "--python", str(env / "bin" / "python"), "install", *spec]
+        if (not no_st) and (not [x for x in spec if x.startswith("setuptools")]):
+            cmd.append("setuptools")
+        p = run(cmd, **kw)
+        if (rc := p.returncode) != 0:
+            if env.is_dir():
+                shutil.rmtree(env)
+            sys.stderr.write(f"pip had non zero exit ({rc})\n{p.stdout.decode()}\n")
+            sys.exit(rc)
+        meta.update(dict(id=_id, spec=spec, exe=exe, name=name, files=[runner]))
+    else:
+        meta = json.loads((env / "vivmeta.json").read_text())
+        meta.update(dict(accessed=t, files=sorted({*meta["files"], runner})))
+    (env / "vivmeta.json").write_text(json.dumps(meta))
+    site.addsitedir(sitepkgs := str(*(env / "lib").glob("py*/si*")))
+    sys.path = [sitepkgs, *filter(nopkgs, sys.path)]
+
+    return env
+
+    import hashlib, json, os, site, shutil, sys, venv  # noqa
+    from pathlib import Path  # noqa
+    from datetime import datetime  # noqa
+    from subprocess import run  # noqa
+
     if not {*map(type, pkgs)} == {str}:
         raise ValueError(f"spec: {pkgs} is invalid")
 
diff --git a/src/viv/viv.py b/src/viv/viv.py
index f10f0b8..5cbeae0 100755
--- a/src/viv/viv.py
+++ b/src/viv/viv.py
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ from typing import (
     Union,
 )
 
-__version__ = "23.8b2-9-g044a229-dev"
+__version__ = "23.8b2-10-g0cc9faa-dev"
 
 
 class Spinner:
@@ -346,6 +346,47 @@ class Template:
     from datetime import datetime  # noqa
     from subprocess import run  # noqa
 
+    if not {*map(type, pkgs)} == {str}:
+        raise ValueError(f"spec: {pkgs} is invalid")
+
+    meta = dict.fromkeys(("created", "accessed"), (t := str(datetime.today())))
+    runner = str(Path(__file__).absolute().resolve())
+    envvar = lambda x: os.getenv(f"VIV_{x}")  # noqa
+    nopkgs = lambda p: not p.endswith(("dist-packages", "site-packages"))  # noqa
+    F, V, no_st = map(envvar, ("FORCE", "VERBOSE", "NO_SETUPTOOLS"))
+    base = Path(xdg) if (xdg := os.getenv("XDG_CACHE_HOME")) else Path.home() / ".cache"
+    (cache := (base) / "viv/venvs").mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    exe = str(Path(sys.executable).resolve()) if track_exe else "N/A"
+    _id = hashlib.sha256((str(spec := [*pkgs]) + exe).encode()).hexdigest()
+    if (env := cache / (name if name else _id[:8])) not in cache.glob("*/") or F:
+        sys.stderr.write(f"generating new vivenv -> {env.name}\n")
+        venv.create(env, prompt=f"viv-{name}", symlinks=True, clear=True)
+        kw = dict(zip(("stdout", "stderr"), ((None,) * 2 if V else (-1, 2))))
+        cmd = ["pip", "--python", str(env / "bin" / "python"), "install", *spec]
+        if (not no_st) and (not [x for x in spec if x.startswith("setuptools")]):
+            cmd.append("setuptools")
+        p = run(cmd, **kw)
+        if (rc := p.returncode) != 0:
+            if env.is_dir():
+                shutil.rmtree(env)
+            sys.stderr.write(f"pip had non zero exit ({rc})\n{p.stdout.decode()}\n")
+            sys.exit(rc)
+        meta.update(dict(id=_id, spec=spec, exe=exe, name=name, files=[runner]))
+    else:
+        meta = json.loads((env / "vivmeta.json").read_text())
+        meta.update(dict(accessed=t, files=sorted({*meta["files"], runner})))
+    (env / "vivmeta.json").write_text(json.dumps(meta))
+    site.addsitedir(sitepkgs := str(*(env / "lib").glob("py*/si*")))
+    sys.path = [sitepkgs, *filter(nopkgs, sys.path)]
+
+    return env
+
+
+    import hashlib, json, os, site, shutil, sys, venv  # noqa
+    from pathlib import Path  # noqa
+    from datetime import datetime  # noqa
+    from subprocess import run  # noqa
+
     if not {*map(type, pkgs)} == {str}:
         raise ValueError(f"spec: {pkgs} is invalid")