diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index c1e8158..36f3b43 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -45,3 +45,4 @@ jobs:
           generate_release_notes: true
           files: |
             build/noiseprotocol.lua
+            build/noiseprotocol-core.lua
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index f422802..5dbca7c 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -53,17 +53,20 @@ build: build/amalg.cache
 	@if command -v amalg.lua >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
 		LUA_PATH="./src/?.lua;./src/?/init.lua;$(LUA_PATH)" amalg.lua -o build/noiseprotocol.lua -C ./build/amalg.cache || exit 1;\
 		echo "Built build/noiseprotocol.lua"; \
+		LUA_PATH="./src/?.lua;./src/?/init.lua;$(LUA_PATH)" amalg.lua -o build/noiseprotocol-core.lua -C ./build/amalg.cache -i "vendor%." || exit 1;\
+		echo "Built build/noiseprotocol-core.lua (no vendor dependencies)"; \
 		VERSION=$$(git describe --exact-match --tags 2>/dev/null || echo "dev"); \
 		if [ "$$VERSION" != "dev" ]; then \
 			echo "Injecting version $$VERSION..."; \
 			sed -i.bak 's/VERSION = "dev"/VERSION = "'$$VERSION'"/' build/noiseprotocol.lua && rm build/noiseprotocol.lua.bak; \
+			sed -i.bak 's/VERSION = "dev"/VERSION = "'$$VERSION'"/' build/noiseprotocol-core.lua && rm build/noiseprotocol-core.lua.bak; \
 		fi; \
 		echo "Testing version function..."; \
 		LUA_VERSION=$$(lua -e 'local n = require("build.noiseprotocol"); print(n.version())' 2>/dev/null || echo "test failed"); \
 		if [ "$$LUA_VERSION" = "$$VERSION" ]; then \
-			echo "✅ Version correctly set to: $$VERSION"; \
+			echo "Version correctly set to: $$VERSION"; \
 		else \
-			echo "❌ Version test failed. Expected: $$VERSION, Got: $$LUA_VERSION"; \
+			echo "Version test failed. Expected: $$VERSION, Got: $$LUA_VERSION"; \
 		fi; \
 	else \
 		echo "Error: amalg not found."; \
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ea64524..2143057 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -17,6 +17,18 @@ runs on Lua 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, and LuaJIT.
 
 ## Installation
 
+### Option 1: Single-file Distribution (Recommended)
+
+Download a pre-built single-file module from the
+[Releases](https://github.com/finitelabs/lua-noiseprotocol/releases) page:
+
+- **`noiseprotocol.lua`** - Complete bundle with all dependencies included (zero
+  external dependencies)
+- **`noiseprotocol-core.lua`** - Core library only, requires `vendor.bitn` to be
+  installed separately
+
+### Option 2: From Source
+
 Clone this repository:
 
 ```bash
@@ -24,7 +36,8 @@ git clone https://github.com/finitelabs/lua-noiseprotocol.git
 cd lua-noiseprotocol
 ```
 
-Add the `src` directory to your Lua path, or copy the files to your project.
+Add the `src` and `vendor` directories to your Lua path, or copy the files to
+your project.
 
 ## Usage
 
diff --git a/vendor/json.lua b/tests/vendor/json.lua
similarity index 100%
rename from vendor/json.lua
rename to tests/vendor/json.lua