diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index dc334d825..cff26300f 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -10,3 +10,6 @@
 [submodule "external/cxxopts"]
 	path = external/cxxopts
 	url = https://github.com/jarro2783/cxxopts.git
+[submodule "external/ghc-filesystem"]
+	path = external/ghc-filesystem
+	url = https://github.com/gulrak/filesystem.git
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 1891ddc08..9d8287325 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -27,8 +27,6 @@ option(WITH_COVERAGE "generate coverage data" OFF)
 option(USE_SHELLHOOKS "enable shell hooks on compile time (dangerous)" OFF)
 option(WARNINGS_AS_ERRORS "treat all warnings as errors. turn off for development, on for release" OFF)
 option(TRACY_ROOT "include tracy profiler source" OFF)
-option(VENDOR_LIBSODIUM "use vendored libsodium" OFF)
-option(VENDOR_FILESYSTEM "use vendored fs::filesystem" ON)
 option(WITH_TESTS "build unit tests" ON)
 option(WITH_SYSTEMD "enable systemd integration for sd_notify" OFF)
 
@@ -255,15 +253,10 @@ if(SUBMODULE_CHECK)
     check_submodule(external/nlohmann)
     check_submodule(external/googletest)
     check_submodule(external/cxxopts)
+    check_submodule(external/ghc-filesystem)
   endif()
 endif()
 
-if(VENDOR_FILESYSTEM)
-  include_directories("${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/vendor/ghc-filesystem/include")
-  add_definitions(-DLOKINET_USE_GHC_FILESYSTEM)
-  message(STATUS "Using vendored ghc::filesystem")
-endif()
-
 if(WITH_TESTS)
   add_subdirectory(external/googletest EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
 endif()
@@ -272,6 +265,7 @@ add_subdirectory(external/abseil-cpp EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
 set(JSON_BuildTests OFF CACHE INTERNAL "")
 add_subdirectory(external/nlohmann EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
 add_subdirectory(external/cxxopts)
+add_subdirectory(external/ghc-filesystem)
 
 if(ANDROID)
   list(APPEND LIBS log)
diff --git a/external/ghc-filesystem b/external/ghc-filesystem
new file mode 160000
index 000000000..c428aba39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/external/ghc-filesystem
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit c428aba39d5829c4bac420edd2319f8c993f203a
diff --git a/llarp/CMakeLists.txt b/llarp/CMakeLists.txt
index 5ad23e7a0..60ce388e9 100644
--- a/llarp/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/llarp/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ target_link_libraries(${UTIL_LIB} PUBLIC ${CRYPTOGRAPHY_LIB} ${LOG_LIB} ${CURL_L
 target_link_libraries(${UTIL_LIB} PUBLIC
     absl::synchronization absl::flat_hash_map absl::container
     nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json
+    ghc_filesystem
     )
 
 # cut back on fluff
diff --git a/llarp/util/fs.hpp b/llarp/util/fs.hpp
index 69559bc7d..002270ca3 100644
--- a/llarp/util/fs.hpp
+++ b/llarp/util/fs.hpp
@@ -9,16 +9,8 @@
 #define PATH_SEP "/"
 #endif
 
-#if defined(LOKINET_USE_GHC_FILESYSTEM)
 #include <ghc/filesystem.hpp>
 namespace fs = ghc::filesystem;
-#elif __cplusplus >= 201703L && !defined(_MSC_VER)
-#include <filesystem>
-namespace fs = std::filesystem;
-#else
-#include <experimental/filesystem>
-namespace fs = std::experimental::filesystem;
-#endif
 
 #ifndef _MSC_VER
 #include <dirent.h>