diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index e0c0f6f4e..2a38a6d0d 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1328,6 +1328,7 @@ version = "0.7.4-rc.1"
 dependencies = [
  "cxx",
  "cxx-build",
+ "pkg-config",
  "thiserror",
 ]
 
diff --git a/pineappl_applgrid/build.rs b/pineappl_applgrid/build.rs
index c30b2f9a5..9eb5facd3 100644
--- a/pineappl_applgrid/build.rs
+++ b/pineappl_applgrid/build.rs
@@ -6,6 +6,14 @@ use std::env;
 use std::path::Path;
 use std::process::Command;
 
+fn conditional_std<'a>(build: &'a mut Build, std: Option<&str>) -> &'a mut Build {
+    if let Some(std) = std {
+        build.std(std)
+    } else {
+        build
+    }
+}
+
 fn main() {
     let version = String::from_utf8(
         Command::new("applgrid-config")
@@ -16,7 +24,14 @@ fn main() {
     )
     .unwrap();
 
-    if version.trim() != "1.6.27" {
+    let tested_versions = [
+        "1.6.27", "1.6.28", "1.6.29", "1.6.30", "1.6.31", "1.6.32", "1.6.35",
+    ];
+
+    if !tested_versions
+        .iter()
+        .any(|&tested| tested == version.trim())
+    {
         println!(
             "cargo:warning=found APPLgrid version {}, which has not been tested",
             version.trim()
@@ -34,22 +49,44 @@ fn main() {
 
     println!("cargo:rustc-link-search={}", lib_path.trim());
 
-    let include_path = String::from_utf8(
+    let appl_igrid_dir = env::var("APPL_IGRID_DIR").unwrap_or_else(|_| {
+        Path::new(
+            &String::from_utf8(
+                Command::new("applgrid-config")
+                    .arg("--incdir")
+                    .output()
+                    .expect("did not find `applgrid-config`, please install APPLgrid")
+                    .stdout,
+            )
+            .unwrap(),
+        )
+        .join("appl_grid")
+        .to_str()
+        .unwrap()
+        .to_owned()
+    });
+
+    let cxx_flags: Vec<_> = String::from_utf8(
         Command::new("applgrid-config")
-            .arg("--incdir")
+            .arg("--cxxflags")
             .output()
             .expect("did not find `applgrid-config`, please install APPLgrid")
             .stdout,
     )
-    .unwrap();
+    .unwrap()
+    .split_ascii_whitespace()
+    .map(ToOwned::to_owned)
+    .collect();
 
-    let appl_igrid_dir = env::var("APPL_IGRID_DIR").unwrap_or_else(|_| {
-        Path::new(&include_path)
-            .join("appl_grid")
-            .to_str()
-            .unwrap()
-            .to_owned()
-    });
+    let include_dirs: Vec<_> = cxx_flags
+        .iter()
+        .filter_map(|token| token.strip_prefix("-I"))
+        .collect();
+
+    let std = cxx_flags
+        .iter()
+        .filter_map(|token| token.strip_prefix("-std="))
+        .last();
 
     let libs = String::from_utf8(
         Command::new("applgrid-config")
@@ -82,16 +119,19 @@ fn main() {
         }
     }
 
-    Build::new()
-        .cpp(true)
-        .file("src/check_appl_igrid.cpp")
-        .include(include_path.trim())
-        .include(&appl_igrid_dir)
-        .try_compile("appl_igrid")
-        .expect(
-            "could not find file `appl_igrid.h`, please set the environment variable \
+    conditional_std(
+        Build::new()
+            .cpp(true)
+            .file("src/check_appl_igrid.cpp")
+            .includes(&include_dirs)
+            .include(&appl_igrid_dir),
+        std,
+    )
+    .try_compile("appl_igrid")
+    .expect(
+        "could not find file `appl_igrid.h`, please set the environment variable \
                 `APPL_IGRID_DIR` to the directory containing it",
-        );
+    );
 
     println!("cargo:rerun-if-env-changed=APPL_IGRID_DIR");
 
@@ -105,12 +145,15 @@ fn main() {
         println!("cargo:rustc-link-lib={link_modifier}{lib}");
     }
 
-    cxx_build::bridge("src/lib.rs")
-        .file("src/applgrid.cpp")
-        .include(include_path.trim())
-        .include(appl_igrid_dir)
-        .includes(lhapdf.include_paths)
-        .compile("appl-bridge");
+    conditional_std(
+        cxx_build::bridge("src/lib.rs")
+            .file("src/applgrid.cpp")
+            .includes(&include_dirs)
+            .include(appl_igrid_dir)
+            .includes(lhapdf.include_paths),
+        std,
+    )
+    .compile("appl-bridge");
 
     println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed=src/lib.rs");
     println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed=src/applgrid.cpp");
diff --git a/pineappl_applgrid/src/applgrid.cpp b/pineappl_applgrid/src/applgrid.cpp
index 1d31949c8..592a16d85 100644
--- a/pineappl_applgrid/src/applgrid.cpp
+++ b/pineappl_applgrid/src/applgrid.cpp
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ struct appl_igrid_m_reweight
     friend type access(appl_igrid_m_reweight);
 };
 
-template class access_private_member_variable<appl_igrid_m_reweight, &appl::igrid::m_reweight>;
+template struct access_private_member_variable<appl_igrid_m_reweight, &appl::igrid::m_reweight>;
 
 // we need access to `m_reweight`, but it is private
 bool igrid_m_reweight(appl::igrid const& igrid)
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ struct appl_grid_m_grids
     friend type access(appl_grid_m_grids);
 };
 
-template class access_private_member_variable<appl_grid_m_grids, &appl::grid::m_grids>;
+template struct access_private_member_variable<appl_grid_m_grids, &appl::grid::m_grids>;
 
 appl::igrid& grid_get_igrid(appl::grid& grid, std::size_t order, std::size_t bin)
 {
diff --git a/pineappl_fastnlo/Cargo.toml b/pineappl_fastnlo/Cargo.toml
index 6d3e2a2a4..de1694c44 100644
--- a/pineappl_fastnlo/Cargo.toml
+++ b/pineappl_fastnlo/Cargo.toml
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ thiserror = "1.0.30"
 
 [build-dependencies]
 cxx-build = { version = "1.0.65" }
+pkg-config = "0.3"
 
 [features]
 static = []
diff --git a/pineappl_fastnlo/build.rs b/pineappl_fastnlo/build.rs
index c384b86ee..040b9c8a0 100644
--- a/pineappl_fastnlo/build.rs
+++ b/pineappl_fastnlo/build.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #![allow(missing_docs)]
 
 use std::process::Command;
+use pkg_config::Config;
 
 fn main() {
     let fnlo_lib_path = String::from_utf8(
@@ -24,6 +25,17 @@ fn main() {
     .unwrap();
 
     let link_modifier = if cfg!(feature = "static") {
+        let zlib = Config::new().probe("zlib").unwrap();
+
+        // for some reason `libz.a` isn't found, although `libz.so` is
+        for link_path in zlib.link_paths {
+            println!("cargo:rustc-link-search={}", link_path.to_str().unwrap());
+        }
+
+        for lib in zlib.libs {
+            println!("cargo:rustc-link-lib=static={lib}");
+        }
+
         "static="
     } else {
         ""
@@ -31,9 +43,13 @@ fn main() {
 
     println!("cargo:rustc-link-lib={link_modifier}fastnlotoolkit");
 
+    let lhapdf = Config::new().atleast_version("6").probe("lhapdf").unwrap();
+
     cxx_build::bridge("src/lib.rs")
         .file("src/fastnlo.cpp")
         .include(fnlo_include_path.trim())
+        .includes(lhapdf.include_paths)
+        .std("c++11") // apparently not supported by MSVC, but fastNLO probably can't be compiled on Windows
         .compile("fnlo-bridge");
 
     println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed=src/lib.rs");
diff --git a/xtask/src/install_manpages.rs b/xtask/src/install_manpages.rs
index e75223faf..62c9aea1f 100644
--- a/xtask/src/install_manpages.rs
+++ b/xtask/src/install_manpages.rs
@@ -41,14 +41,13 @@ fn render_manpages(path: &Path, cmd: &clap::Command, version: &str) -> Result<()
 impl Subcommand for Opts {
     fn run(&self) -> Result<()> {
         let cmd = pineappl_cli::Opts::command();
-        let version: String = cmd
+        let version = cmd
             .get_version()
             // UNWRAP: the command must have a version
-            .unwrap()
-            .strip_prefix('v')
-            // UNWRAP: the version string must start with a 'v'
-            .unwrap()
-            .to_string();
+            .unwrap();
+
+        // TODO: why does the version string not start with a 'v' on GitHub?
+        let version = version.strip_prefix('v').unwrap_or(version).to_string();
         let mut cmd = cmd.version(version.clone());
 
         // this is needed so subcommands return the correct `bin_name`