diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 51ee399..8e4417f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ See [base.txt](./base.txt).
 
 On top of the stock scoutfs build requirements, patch 3 adds:
 
-* `golang >= 1.21` on the build host (RHEL/EL9: `golang`, EL8: `go-toolset`).
-  Debian 12 / Ubuntu 22.04+: `golang-go`.
+* `golang >= 1.26` on the build host (fetched from go.dev by the CI; no distro currently packages 1.26).
+  
 
 The Go build is offline (`GOPROXY=off`) — no network access required at
 build time.  `CGO_ENABLED=0` so the produced binary is a pure-Go static
@@ -66,7 +66,8 @@ git format-patch v1.30..notify -o patches/
 
 ## Tag history
 
-    v1.29-notify-3   (current — Go daemon, struct alignment fix)
+    v1.29-notify-4   (current — Go 1.26 toolchain)
+v1.29-notify-3   (retired — Go 1.21 toolchain)
     v1.29-notify-2   (retired — C daemon; had latent ring-size compile bug)
     v1.29-notify-1   (retired — shipped mount options)
 
diff --git a/patches/0001-notify-core-file-access-notification-infrastructure.patch b/patches/0001-notify-core-file-access-notification-infrastructure.patch
index d5464d0..e507f2d 100644
--- a/patches/0001-notify-core-file-access-notification-infrastructure.patch
+++ b/patches/0001-notify-core-file-access-notification-infrastructure.patch
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-From c73736df8b8206e66a72a432781034c56765a64a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From e226ce3bead4181110f7ba491207ebed584eed67 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
 From: William Gill <claude@williamgill.net>
-Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:21:34 -0500
+Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:38:51 -0500
 Subject: [PATCH 1/3] notify: core file-access notification infrastructure
 
 Adds a per-mount observer-only notification ring and an ioctl to
diff --git a/patches/0002-notify-file-open-read-hook-sites.patch b/patches/0002-notify-file-open-read-hook-sites.patch
index ed2c4a7..bcda757 100644
--- a/patches/0002-notify-file-open-read-hook-sites.patch
+++ b/patches/0002-notify-file-open-read-hook-sites.patch
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-From 34a879b1f6e77915df8930c173eef9f17887da2f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From 28ebd2776c91db2df24b3b2cc3ed994fc3183b77 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
 From: William Gill <claude@williamgill.net>
-Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:21:50 -0500
+Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:40:04 -0500
 Subject: [PATCH 2/3] notify: file open/read hook sites
 MIME-Version: 1.0
 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
diff --git a/patches/0003-notify-scoutfs-notifyd-userspace-relay-daemon-Go.patch b/patches/0003-notify-scoutfs-notifyd-userspace-relay-daemon-Go-1.2.patch
similarity index 96%
rename from patches/0003-notify-scoutfs-notifyd-userspace-relay-daemon-Go.patch
rename to patches/0003-notify-scoutfs-notifyd-userspace-relay-daemon-Go-1.2.patch
index d6f0e9b..f0bdfa4 100644
--- a/patches/0003-notify-scoutfs-notifyd-userspace-relay-daemon-Go.patch
+++ b/patches/0003-notify-scoutfs-notifyd-userspace-relay-daemon-Go-1.2.patch
@@ -1,16 +1,19 @@
-From 4286c88487c986db0d468be540aca3ad67d32c25 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From 3fa637080d92a6f466738d321fac2f5c44a187db Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
 From: William Gill <claude@williamgill.net>
-Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:31:15 -0500
-Subject: [PATCH 3/3] notify: scoutfs-notifyd userspace relay daemon (Go)
+Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:40:34 -0500
+Subject: [PATCH 3/3] notify: scoutfs-notifyd userspace relay daemon (Go 1.26)
 
 Adds the userspace side of the file access notification feature.
 The kmod provides a ring and a drain ioctl; this daemon binds the
 well-known per-mount socket, drains the ring, and broadcasts each
 record to connected clients.
 
-Written in Go using the standard library only.  The go.mod has no
-external module requirements, so builds work offline and the
+Written in Go 1.26 using the standard library only.  The go.mod has
+no external module requirements, so builds work offline and the
 packaging path sets GOPROXY=off to make that guarantee explicit.
+Distro Go packages lag the upstream release schedule, so the
+scoutfs-build CI fetches the official go.dev tarball and caches it
+in /var/cache/scoutfs on the runner host.
 
 Socket:
 
@@ -54,7 +57,7 @@ Packaging:
     "go build" with CGO_ENABLED=0, GOPROXY=off, -trimpath, and
     -ldflags="-s -w" for a small, reproducible static binary.
   - utils/scoutfs-utils.spec.in: adds BuildRequires on golang
-    (>= 1.21); installs /usr/sbin/scoutfs-notifyd and
+    (>= 1.26); installs /usr/sbin/scoutfs-notifyd and
     /usr/lib/systemd/system/scoutfs-notifyd@.service.
   - utils/man/scoutfs-notifyd.8 documents the tool, protocol and
     drop policy.
@@ -71,8 +74,8 @@ recv() events.
  utils/notifyd/go.mod                   |   3 +
  utils/notifyd/main.go                  | 434 +++++++++++++++++++++++++
  utils/notifyd/scoutfs-notifyd@.service |  40 +++
- utils/scoutfs-utils.spec.in            |   6 +
- 6 files changed, 628 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
+ utils/scoutfs-utils.spec.in            |   8 +
+ 6 files changed, 630 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
  create mode 100644 utils/man/scoutfs-notifyd.8
  create mode 100644 utils/notifyd/go.mod
  create mode 100644 utils/notifyd/main.go
@@ -262,13 +265,13 @@ index 0000000..a0dcd46
 +.BR systemd.unit (5)
 diff --git a/utils/notifyd/go.mod b/utils/notifyd/go.mod
 new file mode 100644
-index 0000000..2d5fd0e
+index 0000000..d99f395
 --- /dev/null
 +++ b/utils/notifyd/go.mod
 @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
 +module scoutfs.org/notifyd
 +
-+go 1.21
++go 1.26
 diff --git a/utils/notifyd/main.go b/utils/notifyd/main.go
 new file mode 100644
 index 0000000..9478bae
@@ -756,19 +759,21 @@ index 0000000..2e87f17
 +[Install]
 +WantedBy=multi-user.target
 diff --git a/utils/scoutfs-utils.spec.in b/utils/scoutfs-utils.spec.in
-index fb24b81..2c8a5d8 100644
+index fb24b81..ef6165e 100644
 --- a/utils/scoutfs-utils.spec.in
 +++ b/utils/scoutfs-utils.spec.in
-@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ BuildRequires:  gzip
+@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@ BuildRequires:  gzip
  BuildRequires:  libuuid-devel
  BuildRequires:  openssl-devel
  BuildRequires:  libblkid-devel
 +# scoutfs-notifyd is a Go program (pure stdlib, no external modules).
-+BuildRequires:  golang >= 1.21
++# Distro Go packages lag upstream; the CI fetches an official tarball
++# when a new-enough compiler isn't already on PATH.
++BuildRequires:  golang >= 1.26
  
  #Requires:	kmod-scoutfs = %{version}
  
-@@ -52,19 +54,23 @@ cp man/*.5.gz $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_mandir}/man5/.
+@@ -52,19 +56,23 @@ cp man/*.5.gz $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_mandir}/man5/.
  cp man/*.7.gz $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_mandir}/man7/.
  cp man/*.8.gz $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_mandir}/man8/.
  install -m 755 -D src/scoutfs $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_sbindir}/scoutfs