diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index fefd7458..93db2091 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -110,7 +110,6 @@ set(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS OFF)
 add_subdirectory(src)
 
 # Tools
-option(YAZE_BUILD_TOOLS "Build development utility tools" OFF)
 if(YAZE_BUILD_TOOLS)
   message(STATUS "Building development tools")
   add_subdirectory(tools)
diff --git a/CMakeUserPresets.json.example b/CMakeUserPresets.json.example
index 69ff0b2f..74edf500 100644
--- a/CMakeUserPresets.json.example
+++ b/CMakeUserPresets.json.example
@@ -4,17 +4,32 @@
     {
       "name": "dev-local",
       "inherits": "dev",
-      "binaryDir": "$env{YAZE_BUILD_ROOT}/build"
+      "binaryDir": "$env{YAZE_BUILD_ROOT}/build",
+      "environment": {
+        "CPM_SOURCE_CACHE": "$env{HOME}/.cpm-cache",
+        "VCPKG_DOWNLOADS": "$env{HOME}/.cache/vcpkg/downloads",
+        "VCPKG_BINARY_SOURCES": "clear;files,$env{HOME}/.cache/vcpkg/bincache,readwrite"
+      }
     },
     {
       "name": "wasm-debug-local",
       "inherits": "wasm-debug",
-      "binaryDir": "$env{YAZE_BUILD_ROOT}/build-wasm"
+      "binaryDir": "$env{YAZE_BUILD_ROOT}/build-wasm",
+      "environment": {
+        "CPM_SOURCE_CACHE": "$env{HOME}/.cpm-cache",
+        "VCPKG_DOWNLOADS": "$env{HOME}/.cache/vcpkg/downloads",
+        "VCPKG_BINARY_SOURCES": "clear;files,$env{HOME}/.cache/vcpkg/bincache,readwrite"
+      }
     },
     {
       "name": "wasm-release-local",
       "inherits": "wasm-release",
-      "binaryDir": "$env{YAZE_BUILD_ROOT}/build-wasm"
+      "binaryDir": "$env{YAZE_BUILD_ROOT}/build-wasm",
+      "environment": {
+        "CPM_SOURCE_CACHE": "$env{HOME}/.cpm-cache",
+        "VCPKG_DOWNLOADS": "$env{HOME}/.cache/vcpkg/downloads",
+        "VCPKG_BINARY_SOURCES": "clear;files,$env{HOME}/.cache/vcpkg/bincache,readwrite"
+      }
     }
   ],
   "buildPresets": [
diff --git a/cmake/dependencies/testing.cmake b/cmake/dependencies/testing.cmake
index fd62734f..f2719ea8 100644
--- a/cmake/dependencies/testing.cmake
+++ b/cmake/dependencies/testing.cmake
@@ -14,9 +14,24 @@ set(_YAZE_USE_SYSTEM_GTEST ${YAZE_USE_SYSTEM_DEPS})
 
 # Detect Homebrew installation automatically (helps offline builds)
 if(APPLE AND NOT _YAZE_USE_SYSTEM_GTEST)
-  set(_YAZE_GTEST_PREFIX_CANDIDATES
-    /opt/homebrew/opt/googletest
-    /usr/local/opt/googletest)
+  set(_YAZE_GTEST_PREFIX_CANDIDATES)
+  set(_YAZE_HOST_ARCH "${CMAKE_SYSTEM_PROCESSOR}")
+  if(NOT _YAZE_HOST_ARCH)
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND uname -m
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE _YAZE_HOST_ARCH
+      OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+      ERROR_QUIET)
+  endif()
+
+  if(_YAZE_HOST_ARCH STREQUAL "arm64")
+    list(APPEND _YAZE_GTEST_PREFIX_CANDIDATES
+      /opt/homebrew/opt/googletest)
+  else()
+    list(APPEND _YAZE_GTEST_PREFIX_CANDIDATES
+      /usr/local/opt/googletest
+      /opt/homebrew/opt/googletest)
+  endif()
 
   foreach(_prefix IN LISTS _YAZE_GTEST_PREFIX_CANDIDATES)
     if(EXISTS "${_prefix}")
@@ -37,9 +52,13 @@ if(APPLE AND NOT _YAZE_USE_SYSTEM_GTEST)
         RESULT_VARIABLE HOMEBREW_GTEST_RESULT
         ERROR_QUIET)
       if(HOMEBREW_GTEST_RESULT EQUAL 0 AND EXISTS "${HOMEBREW_GTEST_PREFIX}")
+        if(_YAZE_HOST_ARCH STREQUAL "arm64" AND NOT HOMEBREW_GTEST_PREFIX MATCHES "^/opt/homebrew")
+          message(STATUS "Skipping Homebrew googletest prefix on arm64: ${HOMEBREW_GTEST_PREFIX}")
+        else()
         list(APPEND CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH "${HOMEBREW_GTEST_PREFIX}")
         message(STATUS "Added Homebrew googletest prefix: ${HOMEBREW_GTEST_PREFIX}")
         set(_YAZE_USE_SYSTEM_GTEST ON)
+        endif()
       endif()
     endif()
   endif()
diff --git a/cmake/llvm-brew.toolchain.cmake b/cmake/llvm-brew.toolchain.cmake
index e488265f..4717e1a8 100644
--- a/cmake/llvm-brew.toolchain.cmake
+++ b/cmake/llvm-brew.toolchain.cmake
@@ -7,16 +7,39 @@
 # 1. Set the target system (macOS)
 set(CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME Darwin)
 
+# Ensure a non-empty system version for third-party CMake logic.
+if(NOT CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION)
+  execute_process(
+    COMMAND sw_vers -productVersion
+    OUTPUT_VARIABLE _yaze_macos_version
+    OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+    ERROR_QUIET
+  )
+  if(_yaze_macos_version)
+    set(CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION "${_yaze_macos_version}")
+  else()
+    set(CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION "0")
+  endif()
+endif()
+
 # 2. Find the Homebrew LLVM installation path
 # We use execute_process to make this portable across machine architectures.
-execute_process(
-  COMMAND brew --prefix llvm@18
-  OUTPUT_VARIABLE HOMEBREW_LLVM_PREFIX
-  OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
-)
+set(_yaze_llvm_candidates llvm@21 llvm@20 llvm@19 llvm@18 llvm)
+foreach(_yaze_llvm_candidate IN LISTS _yaze_llvm_candidates)
+  execute_process(
+    COMMAND brew --prefix ${_yaze_llvm_candidate}
+    OUTPUT_VARIABLE _yaze_llvm_prefix
+    OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+    RESULT_VARIABLE _yaze_llvm_result
+  )
+  if(_yaze_llvm_result EQUAL 0 AND EXISTS "${_yaze_llvm_prefix}")
+    set(HOMEBREW_LLVM_PREFIX "${_yaze_llvm_prefix}")
+    break()
+  endif()
+endforeach()
 
 if(NOT EXISTS "${HOMEBREW_LLVM_PREFIX}")
-  message(FATAL_ERROR "Homebrew LLVM not found. Please run 'brew install llvm'. Path: ${HOMEBREW_LLVM_PREFIX}")
+  message(FATAL_ERROR "Homebrew LLVM not found. Please run 'brew install llvm'.")
 endif()
 
 # Cache this variable so it's available in the main CMakeLists.txt
@@ -52,18 +75,29 @@ execute_process(
 set(CMAKE_SYSROOT "${CMAKE_OSX_SYSROOT}")
 message(STATUS "Using macOS SDK at: ${CMAKE_SYSROOT}")
 
-# 5. **[THE CRITICAL FIX]** Explicitly define the C++ standard library include directory.
-# This forces CMake to add Homebrew's libc++ headers to the search path *before*
-# any other system paths, resolving the header conflict for the main project
-  # and all dependencies.
-set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES "${HOMEBREW_LLVM_PREFIX}/include/c++/v1")
+# 5. Ensure Homebrew libc++ + Clang resource headers are searched before SDK headers.
+execute_process(
+  COMMAND "${HOMEBREW_LLVM_PREFIX}/bin/clang++" -print-resource-dir
+  OUTPUT_VARIABLE HOMEBREW_LLVM_RESOURCE_DIR
+  OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+)
+set(HOMEBREW_LLVM_RESOURCE_INCLUDE "${HOMEBREW_LLVM_RESOURCE_DIR}/include")
+
+if(EXISTS "${HOMEBREW_LLVM_PREFIX}/include/c++/v1")
+  set(CMAKE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES_BEFORE ON)
+  include_directories(BEFORE SYSTEM "${HOMEBREW_LLVM_PREFIX}/include/c++/v1")
+endif()
+if(EXISTS "${HOMEBREW_LLVM_RESOURCE_INCLUDE}")
+  include_directories(BEFORE SYSTEM "${HOMEBREW_LLVM_RESOURCE_INCLUDE}")
+endif()
 
 # 5.5 Ensure Homebrew libc++ is linked to avoid mixing ABI with system libc++.
 set(_yaze_llvm_lib_dir "${HOMEBREW_LLVM_PREFIX}/lib")
+set(_yaze_llvm_libcxx_dir "${HOMEBREW_LLVM_PREFIX}/lib/c++")
 set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_INIT "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_INIT} -stdlib=libc++")
-set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT "${CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT} -L${_yaze_llvm_lib_dir} -Wl,-rpath,${_yaze_llvm_lib_dir}")
-set(CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT "${CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT} -L${_yaze_llvm_lib_dir} -Wl,-rpath,${_yaze_llvm_lib_dir}")
-set(CMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT "${CMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT} -L${_yaze_llvm_lib_dir} -Wl,-rpath,${_yaze_llvm_lib_dir}")
+set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT "${CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT} -L${_yaze_llvm_lib_dir} -Wl,-rpath,${_yaze_llvm_lib_dir} -L${_yaze_llvm_libcxx_dir} -Wl,-rpath,${_yaze_llvm_libcxx_dir}")
+set(CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT "${CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT} -L${_yaze_llvm_lib_dir} -Wl,-rpath,${_yaze_llvm_lib_dir} -L${_yaze_llvm_libcxx_dir} -Wl,-rpath,${_yaze_llvm_libcxx_dir}")
+set(CMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT "${CMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT} -L${_yaze_llvm_lib_dir} -Wl,-rpath,${_yaze_llvm_lib_dir} -L${_yaze_llvm_libcxx_dir} -Wl,-rpath,${_yaze_llvm_libcxx_dir}")
 
 # 6. Set the default installation path for macOS frameworks
 set(CMAKE_FIND_FRAMEWORK FIRST)
diff --git a/cmake/options.cmake b/cmake/options.cmake
index 829e7159..06b0fdcc 100644
--- a/cmake/options.cmake
+++ b/cmake/options.cmake
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ option(YAZE_BUILD_Z3ED "Build z3ed CLI executable" ON)
 option(YAZE_BUILD_EMU "Build emulator components" ON)
 option(YAZE_BUILD_LIB "Build static library" ON)
 option(YAZE_BUILD_TESTS "Build test suite" ON)
+option(YAZE_BUILD_TOOLS "Build development utility tools" ${YAZE_BUILD_TESTS})
 
 # Feature flags
 option(YAZE_ENABLE_GRPC "Enable gRPC agent support" ON)
@@ -149,4 +150,3 @@ message(STATUS "Sanitizers: ${YAZE_ENABLE_SANITIZERS}")
 message(STATUS "Coverage: ${YAZE_ENABLE_COVERAGE}")
 message(STATUS "OpenCV Visual Analysis: ${YAZE_ENABLE_OPENCV}")
 message(STATUS "=================================")
-
diff --git a/scripts/verify-build-environment.ps1 b/scripts/verify-build-environment.ps1
index f02f2123..e670cc2b 100644
--- a/scripts/verify-build-environment.ps1
+++ b/scripts/verify-build-environment.ps1
@@ -60,8 +60,6 @@ function Test-GitSubmodules {
         "src/lib/abseil-cpp",
         "ext/asar",
         "ext/imgui",
-        "ext/json",
-        "ext/httplib",
         "ext/imgui_test_engine",
         "ext/nativefiledialog-extended"
     )
diff --git a/scripts/verify-build-environment.sh b/scripts/verify-build-environment.sh
index d0e24476..9de0bbe6 100755
--- a/scripts/verify-build-environment.sh
+++ b/scripts/verify-build-environment.sh
@@ -94,8 +94,6 @@ function test_git_submodules() {
     "src/lib/abseil-cpp"
     "ext/asar"
     "ext/imgui"
-    "ext/json"
-    "ext/httplib"
     "ext/imgui_test_engine"
     "ext/nativefiledialog-extended"
     )
@@ -274,17 +272,27 @@ function sync_git_submodules() {
 
 function test_dependency_compatibility() {
     write_status "Testing dependency configuration..." "Step"
-    
-    # Check httplib configuration
-    if [[ -f "ext/httplib/CMakeLists.txt" ]]; then
-        write_status "httplib found in ext/" "Success"
-        SUCCESS+=("httplib header-only library available")
-    fi
-    
-    # Check json library
-    if [[ -d "ext/json/include" ]]; then
-        write_status "nlohmann/json found in ext/" "Success"
-        SUCCESS+=("nlohmann/json header-only library available")
+
+    local deps_found=0
+    local build_dirs=(
+        "build"
+        "build-wasm"
+        "build-test"
+        "build-grpc-test"
+        "build_agent"
+        "build_ci"
+    )
+
+    for dir in "${build_dirs[@]}"; do
+        if [[ -d "$dir/_deps/nlohmann_json-src" ]] || [[ -d "$dir/_deps/httplib-src" ]]; then
+            write_status "CPM dependencies present in $dir/_deps" "Success"
+            SUCCESS+=("CPM dependencies available in $dir")
+            deps_found=1
+        fi
+    done
+
+    if [[ $deps_found -eq 0 ]]; then
+        write_status "cpp-httplib and nlohmann/json are fetched by CPM during configure" "Info"
     fi
 }
 
diff --git a/src/app/app_core.cmake b/src/app/app_core.cmake
index aea2ccf8..804f1a27 100644
--- a/src/app/app_core.cmake
+++ b/src/app/app_core.cmake
@@ -109,8 +109,9 @@ if(APPLE)
     )
 
     if(YAZE_ENABLE_JSON)
-      target_include_directories(yaze_app_objcxx PUBLIC
-        ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/json/include)
+      if(TARGET nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json)
+        target_link_libraries(yaze_app_objcxx PUBLIC nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json)
+      endif()
       target_compile_definitions(yaze_app_objcxx PUBLIC YAZE_WITH_JSON)
     endif()
 
@@ -121,7 +122,7 @@ if(APPLE)
     if(NOT COCOA_LIBRARY)
         message(FATAL_ERROR "Cocoa not found")
     endif()
-    set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS "-framework ServiceManagement -framework Foundation -framework Cocoa")
+    set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS "${CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS} -framework ServiceManagement -framework Foundation -framework Cocoa")
 endif()
 
 # Create the application core library
@@ -139,13 +140,13 @@ target_include_directories(yaze_app_core_lib PUBLIC
   ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/app
   ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext
   ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/imgui
-  ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/json/include
   ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/incl
   ${SDL2_INCLUDE_DIR}
   ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}
 )
 
 if(YAZE_ENABLE_JSON)
+  target_link_libraries(yaze_app_core_lib PUBLIC nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json)
   target_compile_definitions(yaze_app_core_lib PUBLIC YAZE_WITH_JSON)
 endif()
 
@@ -174,8 +175,6 @@ endif()
 
 # gRPC Services (Optional)
 if(YAZE_WITH_GRPC)
-  target_include_directories(yaze_app_core_lib PRIVATE
-    ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/json/include)
   target_compile_definitions(yaze_app_core_lib PRIVATE YAZE_WITH_JSON)
   # Link to consolidated gRPC support library
   target_link_libraries(yaze_app_core_lib PUBLIC yaze_grpc_support)
diff --git a/src/app/editor/editor_library.cmake b/src/app/editor/editor_library.cmake
index 67c38143..f2148d7f 100644
--- a/src/app/editor/editor_library.cmake
+++ b/src/app/editor/editor_library.cmake
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ set(
   app/editor/layout_designer/widget_code_generator.cc
   app/editor/layout_designer/theme_properties.cc
   app/editor/layout_designer/yaze_widgets.cc
+  yaze.cc
 )
 
 # Agent UI Theme is always needed (used by dungeon editor, etc.)
@@ -193,9 +194,6 @@ endif()
 # Note: yaze_test_support linking is deferred to test.cmake to ensure proper ordering
 
 if(YAZE_ENABLE_JSON)
-  target_include_directories(yaze_editor PUBLIC
-    ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/json/include)
-
   if(TARGET nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json)
     target_link_libraries(yaze_editor PUBLIC nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json)
   endif()
diff --git a/src/app/net/net_library.cmake b/src/app/net/net_library.cmake
index 6cb20045..23ceca44 100644
--- a/src/app/net/net_library.cmake
+++ b/src/app/net/net_library.cmake
@@ -57,8 +57,6 @@ target_include_directories(yaze_net PUBLIC
   ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src
   ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext
   ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/imgui
-  ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/json/include
-  ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/httplib
   ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}
 )
 
@@ -69,6 +67,10 @@ target_link_libraries(yaze_net PUBLIC
   ${YAZE_SDL2_TARGETS}
 )
 
+if(NOT EMSCRIPTEN AND YAZE_HTTPLIB_TARGETS)
+  target_link_libraries(yaze_net PUBLIC ${YAZE_HTTPLIB_TARGETS})
+endif()
+
 # Add Emscripten-specific flags for WASM builds
 if(EMSCRIPTEN)
   # Enable Fetch API for HTTP requests
@@ -87,7 +89,6 @@ endif()
 if(YAZE_ENABLE_JSON)
   # Link nlohmann_json which provides the include directories automatically
   target_link_libraries(yaze_net PUBLIC nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json)
-  target_include_directories(yaze_net PUBLIC ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/httplib)
   target_compile_definitions(yaze_net PUBLIC YAZE_WITH_JSON)
   
   # Add threading support (cross-platform)
diff --git a/src/app/service/grpc_support.cmake b/src/app/service/grpc_support.cmake
index 17593d7b..edbfde33 100644
--- a/src/app/service/grpc_support.cmake
+++ b/src/app/service/grpc_support.cmake
@@ -58,8 +58,7 @@ target_link_libraries(yaze_grpc_support PUBLIC
 
 # Add JSON support
 if(YAZE_ENABLE_JSON)
-  target_include_directories(yaze_grpc_support PUBLIC
-    ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/json/include)
+  target_link_libraries(yaze_grpc_support PUBLIC nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json)
   target_compile_definitions(yaze_grpc_support PUBLIC YAZE_WITH_JSON)
 endif()
 
diff --git a/src/app/test/test.cmake b/src/app/test/test.cmake
index 5e093a3c..ca0a5a93 100644
--- a/src/app/test/test.cmake
+++ b/src/app/test/test.cmake
@@ -45,8 +45,6 @@ target_link_libraries(yaze_test_support PUBLIC
 
 # Add gRPC dependencies if test harness is enabled
 if(YAZE_WITH_GRPC)
-  target_include_directories(yaze_test_support PRIVATE
-    ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/json/include)
   target_compile_definitions(yaze_test_support PRIVATE YAZE_WITH_JSON)
   
   # Link to consolidated gRPC support library
@@ -80,4 +78,4 @@ message(STATUS "✓ yaze_test_support library configured")
 # Note: yaze_editor needs yaze_test_support for TestManager, but we can't link it here
 # because this happens BEFORE yaze and yaze_emu are configured.
 # Instead, each executable (yaze, yaze_emu) must explicitly link yaze_test_support
-# in their respective .cmake files (app.cmake, emu.cmake).
\ No newline at end of file
+# in their respective .cmake files (app.cmake, emu.cmake).
diff --git a/src/cli/agent.cmake b/src/cli/agent.cmake
index fb443aa2..7feec7f1 100644
--- a/src/cli/agent.cmake
+++ b/src/cli/agent.cmake
@@ -87,7 +87,6 @@ if(EMSCRIPTEN)
 
   # Add JSON support for API communication
   if(YAZE_ENABLE_JSON)
-    target_include_directories(yaze_agent PUBLIC ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/json/include)
     target_link_libraries(yaze_agent PUBLIC nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json)
     target_compile_definitions(yaze_agent PUBLIC YAZE_WITH_JSON)
   endif()
@@ -288,6 +287,10 @@ endif()
 
 target_link_libraries(yaze_agent PUBLIC ${_yaze_agent_link_targets})
 
+if(NOT EMSCRIPTEN AND YAZE_HTTPLIB_TARGETS)
+  target_link_libraries(yaze_agent PUBLIC ${YAZE_HTTPLIB_TARGETS})
+endif()
+
 # Ensure yaml-cpp include paths propagate even when using system packages
 if(YAZE_ENABLE_AI_RUNTIME)
   set(_yaml_targets_to_check ${YAZE_YAML_TARGETS} yaml-cpp yaml-cpp::yaml-cpp)
@@ -306,24 +309,21 @@ target_include_directories(yaze_agent
   PUBLIC
     ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src
     ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/incl
-    ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/httplib
     ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/lib
     ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/cli/handlers
     ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/gens
 )
 
-if(YAZE_ENABLE_AI_RUNTIME AND YAZE_ENABLE_JSON)
-  target_include_directories(yaze_agent PUBLIC ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/json/include)
-endif()
-
 if(SDL2_INCLUDE_DIR)
   target_include_directories(yaze_agent PUBLIC ${SDL2_INCLUDE_DIR})
 endif()
 
-if(YAZE_ENABLE_AI_RUNTIME AND YAZE_ENABLE_JSON)
+if(YAZE_ENABLE_JSON)
   target_link_libraries(yaze_agent PUBLIC nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json)
   target_compile_definitions(yaze_agent PUBLIC YAZE_WITH_JSON)
+endif()
 
+if(YAZE_ENABLE_AI_RUNTIME AND YAZE_ENABLE_JSON)
   # Only link OpenSSL if gRPC is NOT enabled (to avoid duplicate symbol errors)
   # When gRPC is enabled, it brings its own OpenSSL which we'll use instead
   if(NOT YAZE_ENABLE_REMOTE_AUTOMATION)
diff --git a/src/cli/service/api/README.md b/src/cli/service/api/README.md
index 75ad5416..981dbac3 100644
--- a/src/cli/service/api/README.md
+++ b/src/cli/service/api/README.md
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
 ### Architecture
 
 The HTTP API is built using:
-- **cpp-httplib** - Header-only HTTP server library (`ext/httplib/`)
+- **cpp-httplib** - Header-only HTTP server library (fetched via CPM)
 - **nlohmann/json** - JSON serialization/deserialization
 - **ModelRegistry** - Unified model management across providers
 
diff --git a/src/core/CMakeLists.txt b/src/core/CMakeLists.txt
index 3b2c308b..8ac844a5 100644
--- a/src/core/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/core/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -48,9 +48,6 @@ target_link_libraries(yaze_core_lib PUBLIC
 # JSON support for project serialization
 if(TARGET nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json)
   target_link_libraries(yaze_core_lib PUBLIC nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json)
-  target_include_directories(yaze_core_lib PUBLIC
-    ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/json/include
-  )
 endif()
 
 # Add Asar support (links asar-static and adds YAZE_ENABLE_ASAR definition)
diff --git a/src/zelda3/zelda3_library.cmake b/src/zelda3/zelda3_library.cmake
index b65d16b0..f45e21dc 100644
--- a/src/zelda3/zelda3_library.cmake
+++ b/src/zelda3/zelda3_library.cmake
@@ -76,7 +76,6 @@ target_include_directories(yaze_zelda3 PUBLIC
   ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src
   ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/lib
   ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/incl
-  ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/json/include
   ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}
 )
 
diff --git a/test/CMakeLists.txt b/test/CMakeLists.txt
index 890025e3..04cfb14d 100644
--- a/test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ if(YAZE_BUILD_TESTS)
     endif()
 
     target_include_directories(${suite_name} PUBLIC
+      ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}
       ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src
       ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/incl
       ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/test
@@ -26,7 +27,6 @@ if(YAZE_BUILD_TESTS)
       ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/imgui/backends
       ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/imgui_test_engine
       ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/SDL/include
-      ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/ext/json/include
       ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/ext/SDL/include
       ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}
     )
@@ -42,6 +42,13 @@ if(YAZE_BUILD_TESTS)
       ${YAZE_SDL2_TARGETS}
     )
 
+    if(YAZE_ENABLE_JSON AND TARGET nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json)
+      target_link_libraries(${suite_name} PRIVATE nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json)
+    endif()
+    if(TARGET httplib::httplib)
+      target_link_libraries(${suite_name} PRIVATE httplib::httplib)
+    endif()
+
     # Link ImGui Test Engine for GUI tests (always available when tests are built)
     if(is_gui_test AND TARGET ImGuiTestEngine)
       target_link_libraries(${suite_name} PRIVATE ImGuiTestEngine)
@@ -92,6 +99,7 @@ if(YAZE_BUILD_TESTS)
     # Unit Tests
     unit/core/asar_wrapper_test.cc
     unit/core/hex_test.cc
+    unit/deps/dependency_smoke_test.cc
     unit/cli/resource_catalog_test.cc
     unit/rom/rom_test.cc
     unit/gfx/snes_tile_test.cc
diff --git a/test/unit/deps/dependency_smoke_test.cc b/test/unit/deps/dependency_smoke_test.cc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5cfd9328
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/deps/dependency_smoke_test.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+#include "httplib.h"
+#include "nlohmann/json.hpp"
+#include "testing.h"
+
+namespace yaze {
+namespace test {
+
+TEST(DependencySmokeTest, JsonAndHttpLibAvailable) {
+  nlohmann::json payload = nlohmann::json::parse(R"({"ok":true})");
+  EXPECT_TRUE(payload["ok"].get<bool>());
+
+  httplib::Client client("example.com");
+  httplib::Headers headers{{"X-Test", "1"}};
+  client.set_default_headers(headers);
+  auto header_it = headers.find("X-Test");
+  ASSERT_NE(header_it, headers.end());
+  EXPECT_EQ(header_it->second, "1");
+}
+
+}  // namespace test
+}  // namespace yaze