diff --git a/appveyor.yml b/.appveyor.yml
similarity index 60%
rename from appveyor.yml
rename to .appveyor.yml
index 961e8fc12..47ab67ad3 100644
--- a/appveyor.yml
+++ b/.appveyor.yml
@@ -1,33 +1,40 @@
-cache:
-- "%LOCALAPPDATA%\\Programs\\stack"
-- "c:\\project\\.stack-work"
-- "c:\\sr"  #  -> appveyor.yml
-# https://www.appveyor.com/docs/build-cache/#cleaning-up-cache
-# method 1: browse ui, open inspector, $.ajax({url: 'https://ci.appveyor.com/api/projects/simonmichael/hledger/buildcache',type: 'DELETE'})
-# method 2: curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $APPVEYOR_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X DELETE https://ci.appveyor.com/api/projects/simonmichael/hledger/buildcache
+# https://www.appveyor.com/docs/appveyor-yml
+# https://www.appveyor.com/docs/build-configuration
+# https://www.appveyor.com/docs/branches
+# https://www.appveyor.com/docs/how-to/filtering-commits:
+# [skip ci] or [ci skip] anywhere in commit message, or [skip appveyor] only 
 
-build: off
+#build: off
 
-# https://www.appveyor.com/docs/how-to/filtering-commits
-# Add [skip ci] or [ci skip] anywhere to commit message and build won’t 
-# be triggered by AppVeyor for that commit. Or explicitly skip AppVeyor only 
-# with [skip appveyor] and still allow any other CI to build the commit 
-# (eg. Travis CI).
-
-#uncomment once to cache latest stack
-before_test:
-- curl -ostack.zip -L --insecure http://www.stackage.org/stack/windows-i386
-- 7z x stack.zip stack.exe
-
-clone_folder: "c:\\project"
+# shorter file paths have been a known workaround in the past
+clone_folder: "c:\\pr"
 environment:
   global:
     STACK_ROOT: "c:\\sr"
 # set in UI, can we set here ?
 #    APPVEYOR_SAVE_CACHE_ON_ERROR: "true"
 
+#version: '1.9.99.{build}'
+
+# to clean cache: https://www.appveyor.com/docs/build-cache/#cleaning-up-cache
+# method 1: browse ui, open inspector, $.ajax({url: 'https://ci.appveyor.com/api/projects/simonmichael/hledger/buildcache',type: 'DELETE'})
+# method 2: curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $APPVEYOR_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X DELETE https://ci.appveyor.com/api/projects/simonmichael/hledger/buildcache
+cache:
+- "%LOCALAPPDATA%\\Programs\\stack"
+- "c:\\sr"
+- "c:\\pr\\.stack-work"
+#- "c:\\pr\\hledger-lib\\.stack-work"
+#- "c:\\pr\\hledger\\.stack-work"
+#- "c:\\pr\\hledger-web\\.stack-work"
+#- "c:\\pr\\hledger-api\\.stack-work"
+
+#before_test:
+install:
+- curl -ostack.zip -L --insecure http://www.stackage.org/stack/windows-i386
+- 7z x stack.zip stack.exe
+
 test_script:
-- stack --local-bin-path . --install-ghc build --test --copy-bins hledger hledger-web hledger-api
+- stack build --test --copy-bins --local-bin-path=. hledger #hledger-web hledger-api
 # -j1      a temporary workaround for https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/issues/424, https://github.com/commercialhaskell/stack/issues/2617, should be unnecessary with ghc 8.2.1+
 # --bench  benchmark doesn't run on windows yet
 #- hledger-install/hledger-install.sh
@@ -35,17 +42,18 @@ test_script:
 
 artifacts:
 - path: hledger.exe
-- path: hledger-web.exe
-- path: hledger-api.exe
+#- path: hledger-web.exe
+#- path: hledger-api.exe
 
-#deployment stuff for later
+
+
+# deployment stuff for later
+# https://silky.github.io/posts/2016-01-05-build-windows-haskell-app-with-stack-and-appveyor.html
 #
 #- cmd: for /f %%i in ('.\\hledger --version') do set HLEDGER_VERSION=%%i
 #- cmd: for /f %%i in ('.\\hledger-web --version') do set HLEDGER_WEB_VERSION=%%i
 #- cmd: for /f %%i in ('.\\hledger-api --version') do set HLEDGER_API_VERSION=%%i
 #
-#skip_tags: true
-#
 #deploy:
 #  - provider: GitHub
 #    tag: 'hledger-$(HLEDGER_VERSION)'
@@ -55,5 +63,3 @@ artifacts:
 #    artifact: hledger.exe
 #    on:
 #      branch: master
-
-# cf https://silky.github.io/posts/2016-01-05-build-windows-haskell-app-with-stack-and-appveyor.html