diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/Builder.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/Builder.zig
index bd2e6beaf..ffacd3adf 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/Builder.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/Builder.zig
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ const gtk = @import("gtk");
 const gobject = @import("gobject");
 
 resource_name: [:0]const u8,
+builder: ?*gtk.Builder,
 
 pub fn init(comptime name: []const u8, comptime kind: enum { blp, ui }) Builder {
     comptime {
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ pub fn init(comptime name: []const u8, comptime kind: enum { blp, ui }) Builder
 
     return .{
         .resource_name = "/com/mitchellh/ghostty/ui/" ++ name ++ ".ui",
+        .builder = null,
     };
 }
 
@@ -54,8 +56,17 @@ pub fn setWidgetClassTemplate(self: *const Builder, class: *gtk.WidgetClass) voi
     class.setTemplateFromResource(self.resource_name);
 }
 
-pub fn getObject(self: *const Builder, name: [:0]const u8) ?gobject.Object {
-    const builder = gtk.Builder.newFromResource(self.resource_name);
-    defer builder.unref();
+pub fn getObject(self: *Builder, name: [:0]const u8) ?*gobject.Object {
+    const builder = builder: {
+        if (self.builder) |builder| break :builder builder;
+        const builder = gtk.Builder.newFromResource(self.resource_name);
+        self.builder = builder;
+        break :builder builder;
+    };
+
     return builder.getObject(name);
 }
+
+pub fn deinit(self: *const Builder) void {
+    if (self.builder) |builder| builder.unref();
+}
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/builder_check.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/builder_check.zig
index 153dfb0eb..f042c89a9 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/builder_check.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/builder_check.zig
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
     };
     defer alloc.free(filename);
 
-    const data = try std.fs.cwd().readFileAlloc(alloc, filename, std.math.maxInt(u16));
+    const data = try std.fs.cwd().readFileAllocOptions(alloc, filename, std.math.maxInt(u16), null, 1, 0);
     defer alloc.free(data);
 
     if ((comptime !build_options.adwaita) and std.mem.indexOf(u8, data, "lib=\"Adw\"") != null) {
diff --git a/src/build/SharedDeps.zig b/src/build/SharedDeps.zig
index f00b79f01..0a1d6f904 100644
--- a/src/build/SharedDeps.zig
+++ b/src/build/SharedDeps.zig
@@ -436,6 +436,7 @@ pub fn add(
                 });
                 const gobject_imports = .{
                     .{ "gobject", "gobject2" },
+                    .{ "gio", "gio2" },
                     .{ "glib", "glib2" },
                     .{ "gtk", "gtk4" },
                     .{ "gdk", "gdk4" },
@@ -520,9 +521,8 @@ pub fn add(
                             .target = b.host,
                         });
                         gtk_builder_check.root_module.addOptions("build_options", self.options);
-                        gtk_builder_check.linkSystemLibrary2("gtk4", dynamic_link_opts);
-                        if (self.config.adwaita) gtk_builder_check.linkSystemLibrary2("libadwaita-1", dynamic_link_opts);
-                        gtk_builder_check.linkLibC();
+                        gtk_builder_check.root_module.addImport("gtk", gobject.module("gtk4"));
+                        if (self.config.adwaita) gtk_builder_check.root_module.addImport("adw", gobject.module("adw1"));
 
                         for (gresource.dependencies) |pathname| {
                             const extension = std.fs.path.extension(pathname);