diff --git a/blue.asm b/blue.asm
index 74b822a..b33359b 100644
--- a/blue.asm
+++ b/blue.asm
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 format elf64 executable 3
 
-include "elf.inc"
-
 segment readable writeable
 
 include "defs.inc"
+include "elf_template.inc"
 
 segment readable executable
 
+include "elf.inc"
 include "linux.inc"
 include "code_buffer.inc"
 
diff --git a/elf.inc b/elf.inc
index 3a3c0ab..751ef63 100644
--- a/elf.inc
+++ b/elf.inc
@@ -1,113 +1,4 @@
 
-segment readable writeable
-	
-;
-; adapted from https://kevinboone.me/elfdemo.html
-;
-
-elf_binary:
-	.base_address = 0x400000
-
-elf_binary_headers:
-elf_header:
-	db	0x7f, 0x45, 0x4c, 0x46	; magic number
-	db	0x02			; 64 bit
-	db	0x01			; little endian
-	db	0x01			; elf version
-	db	0x00			; target abi	
-	dq	0x00			; target abi version + 7 bytes undefined
-	dw	0x02			; executable binary
-	dw	0x3e			; amd64 architecture
-	dd	0x01			; elf version
-	.start_address:
-	dq	-0x01			; start address
-	dq	0x40			; offset to program header
-	.section_header_offset:
-	dq	-0x01			; offset to section header
-	dd	0x00			; architecture flags
-	dw	0x40			; size of header
-	dw	0x38			; size of program header
-	dw	0x01			; number of program headers
-	dw	0x40			; size of section header
-	dw	0x03			; number of section headers
-	dw	0x02			; index of strtab section header
-
-	.length = $ - elf_header
-	assert .length = 0x40
-
-program_header:
-	dd	0x01			; entry type: loadable segment
-	dd	0x05			; segment flags: RX
-	dq	0x00			; offset within file
-	dq	elf_binary.base_address	; load position in virtual memory
-	dq	elf_binary.base_address	; load position in physical memory
-	.sizes:
-	.size_in_file:
-	dq	-0x01			; size of the loaded section (file)
-	.size_in_memory:
-	dq	-0x01			; size of the loaded section (memory)
-	dq	0x200000		; alignment boundary for sections
-
-	.length = $ - program_header
-	assert .length = 0x38
-
-shstrtab:
-	db	".shstrtab"
-	db	0x00
-	db	".text"
-	db	0x00
-
-	.length = $ - shstrtab
-	assert .length = 0x10
-
-elf_binary_section_headers:
-section_header_0:
-	dq 	0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00	; 64 bytes of 0s 
-	dq 	0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00
-
-	.length = $ - section_header_0
-	assert .length = 0x40
-
-program_code_section_header:
-	dd	0x0a			; offset to name in shstrtab
-	dd 	0x01			; type: program data
-	dq 	0x06			; flags - executable | in memory
-	.address:
-	dq 	-0x01			; addr in virtual memory of section
-	.offset:
-	dq 	-0x01			; offset in the file of this section
-	.size:
-	dq 	-0x01			; size of this section in the file
-	dq 	0x00			; sh_link - not used
-	dq 	0x01			; alignment code (default??)
-	dq 	0x00			; sh_entsize - not used
-
-	.length = $ - program_code_section_header
-	assert .length = 0x40
-
-shstrtab_section_header:
-	dd 	0x00			; offset to name in shstrtab
-	dd 	0x03			; type: string table
-	dq 	0x00			; flags - none
-	dq 	0x00			; addr in virtual memory of section - not used
-	.offset:
-	dq 	-0x01			; offset in the file of this section
-	.size:
-	dq 	-0x01			; size of this section in the file
-	dq 	0x00			; sh_link - not used
-	dq 	0x01			; alignment code (default??)
-	dq 	0x00			; sh_entsize - not used
-
-	.length = $ - shstrtab_section_header
-	assert .length = 0x40
-	
-elf_binary_wrapper_length = $ - elf_binary
-elf_binary_headers_length = elf_header.length + program_header.length
-elf_binary_section_headers_length = $ - elf_binary_section_headers
-elf_binary_section_headers_offset = elf_binary_section_headers - elf_binary 
-
-segment readable executable
-
 ;
 ; expects
 ; 	- program code entry offset in eax
diff --git a/elf_template.inc b/elf_template.inc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7f4b424
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elf_template.inc
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+	
+;
+; adapted from https://kevinboone.me/elfdemo.html
+;
+
+elf_binary:
+	.base_address = 0x400000
+
+elf_binary_headers:
+elf_header:
+	db	0x7f, 0x45, 0x4c, 0x46	; magic number
+	db	0x02			; 64 bit
+	db	0x01			; little endian
+	db	0x01			; elf version
+	db	0x00			; target abi	
+	dq	0x00			; target abi version + 7 bytes undefined
+	dw	0x02			; executable binary
+	dw	0x3e			; amd64 architecture
+	dd	0x01			; elf version
+	.start_address:
+	dq	-0x01			; start address
+	dq	0x40			; offset to program header
+	.section_header_offset:
+	dq	-0x01			; offset to section header
+	dd	0x00			; architecture flags
+	dw	0x40			; size of header
+	dw	0x38			; size of program header
+	dw	0x01			; number of program headers
+	dw	0x40			; size of section header
+	dw	0x03			; number of section headers
+	dw	0x02			; index of strtab section header
+
+	.length = $ - elf_header
+	assert .length = 0x40
+
+program_header:
+	dd	0x01			; entry type: loadable segment
+	dd	0x05			; segment flags: RX
+	dq	0x00			; offset within file
+	dq	elf_binary.base_address	; load position in virtual memory
+	dq	elf_binary.base_address	; load position in physical memory
+	.sizes:
+	.size_in_file:
+	dq	-0x01			; size of the loaded section (file)
+	.size_in_memory:
+	dq	-0x01			; size of the loaded section (memory)
+	dq	0x200000		; alignment boundary for sections
+
+	.length = $ - program_header
+	assert .length = 0x38
+
+shstrtab:
+	db	".shstrtab"
+	db	0x00
+	db	".text"
+	db	0x00
+
+	.length = $ - shstrtab
+	assert .length = 0x10
+
+elf_binary_section_headers:
+section_header_0:
+	dq 	0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00	; 64 bytes of 0s 
+	dq 	0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00
+
+	.length = $ - section_header_0
+	assert .length = 0x40
+
+program_code_section_header:
+	dd	0x0a			; offset to name in shstrtab
+	dd 	0x01			; type: program data
+	dq 	0x06			; flags - executable | in memory
+	.address:
+	dq 	-0x01			; addr in virtual memory of section
+	.offset:
+	dq 	-0x01			; offset in the file of this section
+	.size:
+	dq 	-0x01			; size of this section in the file
+	dq 	0x00			; sh_link - not used
+	dq 	0x01			; alignment code (default??)
+	dq 	0x00			; sh_entsize - not used
+
+	.length = $ - program_code_section_header
+	assert .length = 0x40
+
+shstrtab_section_header:
+	dd 	0x00			; offset to name in shstrtab
+	dd 	0x03			; type: string table
+	dq 	0x00			; flags - none
+	dq 	0x00			; addr in virtual memory of section - not used
+	.offset:
+	dq 	-0x01			; offset in the file of this section
+	.size:
+	dq 	-0x01			; size of this section in the file
+	dq 	0x00			; sh_link - not used
+	dq 	0x01			; alignment code (default??)
+	dq 	0x00			; sh_entsize - not used
+
+	.length = $ - shstrtab_section_header
+	assert .length = 0x40
+	
+elf_binary_wrapper_length = $ - elf_binary
+elf_binary_headers_length = elf_header.length + program_header.length
+elf_binary_section_headers_length = $ - elf_binary_section_headers
+elf_binary_section_headers_offset = elf_binary_section_headers - elf_binary 
diff --git a/elf_test.asm b/elf_test.asm
index ec5a0f7..fc4e61b 100644
--- a/elf_test.asm
+++ b/elf_test.asm
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 format elf64 executable 3
 
-include "elf.inc"
+segment readable writeable
+
+include "elf_template.inc"
 
 segment readable executable
 
+include "elf.inc"
 include "linux.inc"
 
 program_code:
diff --git a/elf_test_hello_world.asm b/elf_test_hello_world.asm
index 2b125f8..1e853ff 100644
--- a/elf_test_hello_world.asm
+++ b/elf_test_hello_world.asm
@@ -1,16 +1,17 @@
 format elf64 executable 3
 
-include "linux.inc"
-include "elf.inc"
-
 segment readable writeable
 
+include "elf_template.inc"
+
 fstat_buffer:
 	rb	48
 	.file_size:
 	rq	1
 	rb	88
 
+segment readable executable
+
 program_code:
 	.entry_offset = $ - program_code
 	db	0x48, 0xc7, 0xc0	; mov rax, 1 - sys_write
@@ -32,7 +33,8 @@ program_code:
 
 	.length = $ - program_code
 
-segment readable executable
+include "elf.inc"
+include "linux.inc"
 
 expected_output_size = elf_binary_wrapper_length + program_code.length