diff --git a/README-scripts b/README-scripts
index 6fe8296..874124a 100644
--- a/README-scripts
+++ b/README-scripts
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+Requirements:
+  python-psycopg2
+  postgresql
+
 After initial checkout:
   (1) run setup.sh to setup the git-disk repo
   (2) edit psqldb-env.sh to suit your environment
@@ -30,7 +34,3 @@ and rerun update.sh.
 The creation of the tmpfs mounts is for both speed and to reduce SSD wear.
 The mounts are not strictly needed and the scripts can easily be hacked to avoid
 requiring them.
-
-
-
-
diff --git a/doit.pl b/doit.pl
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index 4c2f2ef..d347ce9
--- a/doit.pl
+++ b/doit.pl
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env perl
 use Data::Dumper;
 use Cwd;
 
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@
 }
 
 #
-# Read existing entires.  
+# Read existing entries.
 # If option A and `newId` is defined is used the commit will be  assumed done.
 # If option B is used and `cached` is defined the commit messages
 #   will be re-done, but the contents will not be re-done.
diff --git a/init-psqldb.sh b/init-psqldb.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index cff200e..321bd34
--- a/init-psqldb.sh
+++ b/init-psqldb.sh
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
-. ./psqldb-env.sh
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
 
-set -e
+# Create the psql database
 
-# create the psql database
+. ./psqldb-env.sh
 
-if findmnt psqldb
-then
-    pgctl stop
-    sudo umount psqldb
+if findmnt psqldb && [[ -e ${PGDIR} ]]; then
+	pgctl stop
+	sudo umount psqldb
 fi
 
 mkdir -p psqldb
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ max_wal_size = 512MB
 EOF
 pgctl start
 
-createdb $DBNAME
+createdb "$DBNAME"
 psql scowl -f comp/util-fun.sql
 psql scowl -f comp/comp-init.sql
-
diff --git a/init.sh b/init.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index 255a672..54e7d7f
--- a/init.sh
+++ b/init.sh
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
-# create the tmp git repo
-
-set -e
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
 
 mkdir -p git
 sudo mount -t tmpfs -o size=512M none git
 cd git
-ln -s ../git-disk/.git
-
+ln -s ../git-disk/.git .
diff --git a/psqldb-env.sh b/psqldb-env.sh
index f5a620e..f5ab2ab 100644
--- a/psqldb-env.sh
+++ b/psqldb-env.sh
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 # set this to the absolute path of the root directly you are running the
 # scripts from.
-ROOTDIR=/home/kevina/wordlist/diff/
+ROOTDIR="${HOME}/wordlist/diff/"
 
 export DBNAME=scowl
 
-export PGVER=11
-export PGBINDIR=/usr/lib/postgresql/11/bin
+export PGVER=18
+export PGBINDIR=/usr/lib/postgresql/18/bin
 
 export PATH="$PGBINDIR":"$PATH"
 
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ export PGDIR="$DBROOT"/scowl
 export PGHOST="$DBROOT"
 export PGPORT=${PGPORT:-5437}
 
-alias psql=`which psql`
+alias psql=$(command -v psql)
+
 pgctl () {
-    pg_ctl -D "$PGDIR" -l "$PGDIR"/log "$@"
+	pg_ctl -D "$PGDIR" -l "$PGDIR"/log "$@"
 }
diff --git a/push.sh b/push.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index f18ea6e..a9e57cb
--- a/push.sh
+++ b/push.sh
@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
-git push diff diff \
-  $( for f in `git tag -l | fgrep diff/`; do echo $f:`basename $f`; done )     
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+git push diff diff $( for f in $(git tag -l | grep -F diff/); do echo $f:$(basename $f); done )
diff --git a/setup.sh b/setup.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index 0e3c545..2d294ff
--- a/setup.sh
+++ b/setup.sh
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
-# setup the git-disk repo
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
 
-set -e
+# Setup the git-disk repo
 
+rm -rf git-disk
 git init git-disk
 cd git-disk
 git remote add src git@github.com:en-wl/wordlist.git
-#git remote add src /home/kevina/wordlist/v2-pub
+#git remote add src "${HOME}/wordlist/v2-pub"
 git remote add diff git@github.com:en-wl/wordlist-diff.git
 git fetch src v1
 git fetch src
diff --git a/update.sh b/update.sh
index 012cc21..753aa9f 100755
--- a/update.sh
+++ b/update.sh
@@ -1,15 +1,13 @@
-#!/bin/sh
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
 
-# this will update an already populated git-disk
-
-set -ex
+# This will update an already populated git-disk
 
 : ${SCOWL_BRANCH:=v2}
 export SCOWL_BRANCH
 : ${DIFF_BRANCH:=diff}
 export DIFF_BRANCH
 ROOTDIR="$PWD"
-
 cd git-disk
 
 git reset --hard
@@ -23,9 +21,11 @@ git reset --hard src/"$SCOWL_BRANCH"
 
 cd ..
 
-if ! mountpoint -q git; then sh init.sh; fi
+if ! mountpoint -q git; then
+	./init.sh
+fi
 
 cd git
-PATH="$ROOTDIR/bin:$PATH" perl ../doit.pl
+PATH="$ROOTDIR/bin:$PATH" ../doit.pl
 
-echo 'now do: cd git; sh ../push.sh'
+echo 'now do: cd git; ../push.sh'