diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 60e06b5..dcebc86 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 target
+artifacts
 *.exe
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index cdfc0b3..f7337c8 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -105,3 +105,17 @@ Commands that exist upstream but aren't shipped here because they rely on POSIX-
 ## Contributing
 
 Bug reports and pull requests are welcome. See [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](./CONTRIBUTING.md) for details on the repo layout and how changes flow between this repo and the upstream uutils projects.
+
+### Local command layout
+
+After building locally, you can create a test layout with per-command entry
+points without running the installer:
+
+```powershell
+.\scripts\create-dev-links.ps1 -Force
+```
+
+The script creates `artifacts\dev-layout\bin\<utility>.exe` and
+`artifacts\dev-layout\cmd\<utility>.cmd` entries for the built `coreutils.exe`.
+It uses hard links first, because they work on NTFS without elevation. If hard
+links are not available, it copies the binary by default.
diff --git a/scripts/create-dev-links.ps1 b/scripts/create-dev-links.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5fe21f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/create-dev-links.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+Creates a local command-link layout for testing Coreutils for Windows.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+Creates bin\<utility>.exe and cmd\<utility>.cmd entries that point at a built
+coreutils.exe. Hard links are used first because they do not require elevation
+on NTFS. If hard links fail, the default fallback is to copy the binary.
+#>
+
+param(
+    [string]$Coreutils = (Join-Path $PSScriptRoot '..\target\debug\coreutils.exe'),
+    [string]$OutputDir = (Join-Path $PSScriptRoot '..\artifacts\dev-layout'),
+    [ValidateSet('Copy', 'Symlink', 'None')]
+    [string]$Fallback = 'Copy',
+    [switch]$Force
+)
+
+Set-StrictMode -Version 2.0
+$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
+
+function Resolve-FullPath([string]$Path) {
+    return [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath($Path)
+}
+
+function Remove-ExistingFile([string]$Path) {
+    if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
+        if (-not $Force) {
+            throw "Target already exists: $Path. Pass -Force to recreate it."
+        }
+        Remove-Item -LiteralPath $Path -Force
+    }
+}
+
+function New-CommandLink {
+    param(
+        [string]$LinkPath,
+        [string]$TargetPath
+    )
+
+    Remove-ExistingFile $LinkPath
+
+    try {
+        New-Item -ItemType HardLink -Path $LinkPath -Target $TargetPath | Out-Null
+        return 'HardLink'
+    }
+    catch {
+        if ($Fallback -eq 'None') {
+            throw
+        }
+    }
+
+    if ($Fallback -eq 'Symlink') {
+        New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path $LinkPath -Target $TargetPath | Out-Null
+        return 'Symlink'
+    }
+
+    Copy-Item -LiteralPath $TargetPath -Destination $LinkPath
+    return 'Copy'
+}
+
+$coreutilsPath = Resolve-FullPath $Coreutils
+if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $coreutilsPath)) {
+    throw "coreutils.exe not found: $coreutilsPath"
+}
+
+$outputPath = Resolve-FullPath $OutputDir
+$binDir = Join-Path $outputPath 'bin'
+$cmdDir = Join-Path $outputPath 'cmd'
+New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $binDir, $cmdDir | Out-Null
+
+$utilities = & $coreutilsPath --list
+if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+    throw "Failed to run '$coreutilsPath --list'."
+}
+
+$created = @{}
+$skipped = @()
+foreach ($utility in $utilities) {
+    $name = $utility.Trim()
+    if ($name.Length -eq 0) {
+        continue
+    }
+
+    # Keep the development layout aligned with the installer. The binary maps
+    # "[" to test, but the installer does not currently create [.exe/[.cmd.
+    if ($name -eq '[') {
+        $skipped += $name
+        continue
+    }
+
+    foreach ($entry in @(
+        @{ Dir = $binDir; Extension = '.exe' },
+        @{ Dir = $cmdDir; Extension = '.cmd' }
+    )) {
+        $linkPath = Join-Path $entry.Dir "$name$($entry.Extension)"
+        $kind = New-CommandLink -LinkPath $linkPath -TargetPath $coreutilsPath
+        $created[$kind] = 1 + ($created[$kind] ?? 0)
+    }
+}
+
+[PSCustomObject]@{
+    Coreutils = $coreutilsPath
+    OutputDir = $outputPath
+    BinDir = $binDir
+    CmdDir = $cmdDir
+    Created = $created
+    Skipped = $skipped
+}