diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index 2c40a27..3ab8f92 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -37,7 +37,19 @@ fail()  { printf '[\033[1;31m-\033[0m] %s\n' "$*" >&2; exit 1; }
 # Detect architecture
 arch=$(uname -m)
 case "$arch" in
-    x86_64|amd64)        target=x86_64 ;;
+    # x86_64 default: the musl-static binary works on every libc
+    # (glibc 2.x of any version, musl, uclibc) — costs ~800 KB extra
+    # vs the dynamic build but eliminates the GLIBC_2.NN portability
+    # ceiling that bit users on Debian-stable / older RHEL hosts.
+    # Set SKELETONKEY_DYNAMIC=1 to fetch the smaller dynamic build
+    # (needs glibc >= 2.38, i.e. Ubuntu 24.04 / Debian 13 / RHEL 10).
+    x86_64|amd64)
+        if [ "${SKELETONKEY_DYNAMIC:-0}" = "1" ]; then
+            target=x86_64
+        else
+            target=x86_64-static
+        fi
+        ;;
     aarch64|arm64)       target=arm64  ;;
     *) fail "Unsupported architecture: $arch (only x86_64 and arm64 currently)" ;;
 esac