diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index fa7f040..3b5822b 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@
     "prod-start": "echo \"building frontend\" && npm run prod-build-client && echo \"${DATABASE_URL}\" && echo \"running migrations\" && npm run prod-migrate && echo \"starting server\" && npm run withenv ./src/server/index.ts",
     "withenv": "tsx ./scripts/run-with-env.ts",
     "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1",
-    "build-p8client": "bun build src/client/pico8-client/veryRawRenderCart.js --outdir src/client/pico8-client/build"
+    "build-p8client": "bun build src/client/pico8-client/veryRawRenderCart.js --outdir src/client/pico8-client/build",
+    "add-pico": "npm run withenv ./scripts/do-release.ts"
   },
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/scripts/do-release.ts b/scripts/do-release.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2991b46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/do-release.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import { insertRelease } from "../src/server/dbal/dbal";
+import { ManifestType } from "../src/server/types";
+import { getCarts } from "../src/server/util/carts";
+import fs from "fs/promises";
+import path from "path";
+
+const doRelease = async (dir: string) => {
+	const manifest = JSON.parse(await fs.readFile(path.join(dir, "picobook.json"), "utf8"));
+	
+	if (!ManifestType.Check(manifest)) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	const carts = await getCarts(dir, manifest.carts);
+
+	await insertRelease({
+		manifest,
+		carts,
+	});
+}
+
+if (process.argv[2]) {
+	// console.log(process.argv[3]);
+	await doRelease(process.argv[3]);
+} else {
+	console.log("must pass in a path to a repo");
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/client/GamePage.tsx b/src/client/GamePage.tsx
index 43d3225..f543db7 100644
--- a/src/client/GamePage.tsx
+++ b/src/client/GamePage.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { Link, useParams, useSearchParams } from "react-router-dom"
-import { Pico8Console } from "./pico8-client/Pico8Console";
-import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
+import { Pico8Console, Pico8ConsoleImperatives } from "./pico8-client/Pico8Console";
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { DbRelease } from "../server/dbal/dbal";
 import { css } from "@emotion/css";
 import { useWebsocket } from "./hooks/useWebsocket";
@@ -14,10 +14,24 @@ export const GamePage = () => {
 	const {author, slug} = useParams();
 	const [searchParams, setSearchParams] = useSearchParams();
 	const room = searchParams.get('room');
+	const picoRef = useRef<Pico8ConsoleImperatives>(null);
 	const socket = useWebsocket({
 		url: `/api/ws/room?room=${room}`,
 		// url: "wss://echo.websocket.org",
 		onMessage({message}) {
+			const msg = message as any;
+			if (msg.type === "gpio") {
+				if (picoRef.current) {
+					const handle = picoRef.current.getPicoConsoleHandle();
+					if (handle) {
+						console.log("updating pico gpio");
+						(handle.gpio as any).dontSend = true;
+						handle.gpio.length = 0;
+						handle.gpio.push(...msg.gpio);
+						(handle.gpio as any).dontSend = false;
+					}
+				}
+			}
 			console.log('message', message);
 		}
 	})
@@ -81,7 +95,13 @@ export const GamePage = () => {
 						border: 2px solid limegreen;
 					}
 				`}>
-					<Pico8Console carts={info.release.carts} />
+					<Pico8Console ref={picoRef} carts={info.release.carts} onGpioChange={(gpio: number[]) => {
+						console.log("sending gpio");
+						socket.sendMessage({
+							type: "gpio",
+							gpio,
+						});
+					}} />
 				</div>
 				<div className={css`
 					display: flex;
@@ -96,11 +116,6 @@ export const GamePage = () => {
 					</select>
 				</div>
 			</div>
-			<div>
-				<button onClick={() => {
-					room && socket.sendMessage({room, type: "hello", name: "world"});
-				}}>Websocket</button>
-			</div>
 			{/* <div>
 				<p>This is a paragraph about this game. It is a cool game. And a cool website to play it on. It automagically connects from GitHub.</p>
 			</div> */}
diff --git a/src/client/pico8-client/Pico8Console.tsx b/src/client/pico8-client/Pico8Console.tsx
index 04309e0..fcdbbce 100644
--- a/src/client/pico8-client/Pico8Console.tsx
+++ b/src/client/pico8-client/Pico8Console.tsx
@@ -2,12 +2,19 @@ import { css } from "@emotion/css";
 import { PicoCart, PicoPlayerHandle, makePicoConsole } from "./renderCart";
 import { ForwardedRef, forwardRef, useCallback, useEffect, useImperativeHandle, useRef, useState } from "react";
 
-type Pico8ConsoleImperatives = {
+export type Pico8ConsoleImperatives = {
 	getPicoConsoleHandle(): PicoPlayerHandle | null;
 }
 
-export const Pico8Console = forwardRef((props: { carts: PicoCart[] }, forwardedRef: ForwardedRef<Pico8ConsoleImperatives>) => {
-	const {carts} = props;
+export type Pico8ConsoleProps = {
+	carts: PicoCart[],
+	onGpioChange?(gpio: number[]): void,
+}
+
+const noop = () => {};
+
+export const Pico8Console = forwardRef((props: Pico8ConsoleProps, forwardedRef: ForwardedRef<Pico8ConsoleImperatives>) => {
+	const {carts, onGpioChange = noop} = props;
 	const [playing, setPlaying] = useState(false);
 	const ref = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
 	const [handle, setHandle] = useState<PicoPlayerHandle | null>(null);
@@ -26,6 +33,7 @@ export const Pico8Console = forwardRef((props: { carts: PicoCart[] }, forwardedR
 			picoConsole.canvas.focus();
 		}
 		setHandle(picoConsole);
+		picoConsole.gpio.subscribe(onGpioChange);
 		picoConsole.canvas.addEventListener('keydown',(event) => {
 			if (["ArrowUp", "ArrowDown", "ArrowLeft", "ArrowRight"].includes(event.key)) {
 				event.preventDefault();
diff --git a/src/client/pico8-client/renderCart.ts b/src/client/pico8-client/renderCart.ts
index 36cfe78..f9f8df5 100644
--- a/src/client/pico8-client/renderCart.ts
+++ b/src/client/pico8-client/renderCart.ts
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ export type PicoPlayerHandle = {
 		rightClick: boolean;
 	}) => void;
 	setGamepadCount: (count: number) => void;
-	readonly gpio: number[]; // read + write (should be 256-tuple)
+	gpio: number[] & {subscribe: (f: (gpio: number[]) => void) => void}; // read + write (should be 256-tuple)
 
 	// state
 	readonly state: {
@@ -97,7 +97,8 @@ export const makePicoConsole = async (props: {
 	handle.pico8_state = {};
 	handle.pico8_buttons = [0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0];
 	handle.pico8_mouse = [0,0,0];
-	handle.pico8_gpio = [
+	let gpioChanged = (gpio: number[]) => {};
+	const gpioInner = [
 		0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,
 		0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,
 		0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,
@@ -115,6 +116,27 @@ export const makePicoConsole = async (props: {
 		0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,
 		0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,
 	];
+	handle.pico8_gpio = new Proxy(gpioInner, {
+		get(target, prop) {
+			return target[prop as any];
+		},
+		set(target, prop, newValue) {
+			const t = target as any;
+			if (t.setting) {
+				return false;
+			}
+			const prev = [...target];
+			target[prop as any] = newValue;
+			const next = [...target];
+			if (!t.dontSend && prev.some((p, i) => p !== next[i])) {
+				gpioChanged(target);
+			}
+			return true;
+		}
+	});
+	(handle as any).pico8_gpio.subscribe = (f: (gpio: number[]) => void) => {
+		gpioChanged = f;
+	}
 	handle.pico8_gamepads = {count: 0};
 	return {
 		raw: handle,
@@ -130,7 +152,7 @@ export const makePicoConsole = async (props: {
 			shutdownRequested: !!handle.pico8_state.shutdown_requested!,
 			soundVolume: handle.pico8_state.sound_volume!,
 		},
-		gpio: handle.pico8_gpio,
+		gpio: handle.pico8_gpio as PicoPlayerHandle["gpio"],
 		setMouse({x, y, leftClick, rightClick}) {
 			handle.pico8_mouse = [x, y, bitfield(leftClick, rightClick)];
 		},
diff --git a/src/server/api/room.ts b/src/server/api/room.ts
index 416955d..2e94a3d 100644
--- a/src/server/api/room.ts
+++ b/src/server/api/room.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { Type } from "@sinclair/typebox";
 import { FirRouteOptions, FirWebsocketHandler, FirWebsocketInput } from "../util/routewrap.js";
 import { WebSocket } from "@fastify/websocket";
+import { FastifyRequest } from "fastify";
 
 const method = "GET";
 const url = "/api/ws/room";
@@ -14,9 +15,13 @@ type Room = {
 
 let rooms: Room[] = [];
 
+const getRoomName = (req: FastifyRequest) => {
+	return (req.query as any).room;
+}
+
 const websocket = {
 	onOpen({socket, req}) {
-		const {room: roomName} = req.query as any;
+		const roomName = getRoomName(req);
 		let room = rooms.find(r => r.name === roomName);
 		if (!room) {
 			console.log("creating room", roomName);
@@ -33,7 +38,7 @@ const websocket = {
 		console.log('rooms', rooms);
 	},
 	onClose({socket, req}) {
-		const {room: roomName} = req.query as any;
+		const roomName = getRoomName(req);
 		const room = rooms.find(r => r.name === roomName);
 		if (room) {
 			room.sockets = room.sockets.filter(sock => sock !== socket);
@@ -43,8 +48,8 @@ const websocket = {
 		}
 		console.log('rooms', rooms);
 	},
-	onMessage({socket, payload}) {
-		const {room: roomName} = payload as any;
+	onMessage({socket, payload, req}) {
+		const roomName = getRoomName(req);
 		let room = rooms.find(r => r.name === roomName);
 		if (!room) {
 			console.log("creating room", roomName);
@@ -58,9 +63,11 @@ const websocket = {
 			console.log("adding socket to room", roomName);
 			room.sockets.push(socket);
 		}
-		console.log("replying to everyone in room", roomName);
+		console.log("replying to everyone else in room", roomName);
 		room.sockets.forEach(sock => {
-			sock.send(JSON.stringify(payload));
+			if (sock !== socket) {
+				sock.send(JSON.stringify(payload));
+			}
 		});
 		console.log('rooms', rooms);
 	},