diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..84e9a7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.14)
+project("ROS2 Master")
+
+# usually I put this in a separate file include("/opt/ros/_common/Colcon.cmake")
+function(colcon_add_subdirectories)
+    cmake_parse_arguments(PARSE_ARGV 0 "ARG" "" "BUILD_BASE;BASE_PATHS" "")
+
+    message("search criteria: ${ARGV}")
+
+    execute_process(COMMAND colcon list
+            --paths-only
+            --base-paths ${ARG_BASE_PATHS}
+            --topological-order
+            ${ARG_UNPARSED_ARGUMENTS}
+            OUTPUT_VARIABLE paths)
+    string(STRIP "${paths}" paths)
+    string(REPLACE "\n" ";" paths "${paths}")
+
+    MESSAGE("colcon shows paths ${paths}")
+
+    foreach(path IN LISTS paths)
+        message("...examining ${path}")
+        # if(EXISTS "${path}/CMakeLists.txt")
+        execute_process(COMMAND colcon info --paths "${path}" OUTPUT_VARIABLE package_info)
+        if(NOT "${package_info}" MATCHES "type:[ \t]+(cmake|ros.ament_cmake|ros.cmake)")
+            message("skipping non-cmake project")
+        elseif(NOT "${package_info}" MATCHES "name:[ \t]+([^ \r\n\t]*)")
+            message(WARNING "could not identify package at ${path}")
+        else()
+            set(name "${CMAKE_MATCH_1}")
+            message("...adding package ${name} from path ${path}")
+            MESSAGE("package info: ${package_info}")
+
+            get_filename_component(BUILD_PATH "${name}" ABSOLUTE BASE_DIR "${ARG_BUILD_BASE}")
+
+            add_subdirectory("${path}" "${BUILD_PATH}")
+        endif()
+    endforeach()
+endfunction()
+
+colcon_add_subdirectories(
+        BUILD_BASE "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/build"
+        BASE_PATHS "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src/"
+        --packages-select modelec_utils
+)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test.zsh b/test.zsh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2f3dd65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test.zsh
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+ros_env="AMENT_PREFIX_PATH CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH COLCON_PREFIX_PATH PKG_CONFIG_PATH PYTHONPATH LD_LIBRARY_PATH PATH ROS_DISTRO ROS_PYTHON_VERSION ROS_LOCALHOST_ONLY ROS_VERSION"
+
+for e in ${=ros_env}; do
+    # In Zsh, ${(P)e} performs the indirect expansion
+    echo "$e=${(P)e}"
+done
\ No newline at end of file