diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 5eed4b78..9a33a407 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -57,7 +57,12 @@ jobs:
           echo "CC_aarch64_unknown_linux_gnu=aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "CXX_aarch64_unknown_linux_gnu=aarch64-linux-gnu-g++" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
+      - name: Build static Linux binary
+        if: contains(matrix.target, 'linux')
+        run: ./scripts/build-static.sh --ci ${{ matrix.target }}
+
       - name: Build binary
+        if: "!contains(matrix.target, 'linux')"
         run: cargo build --release --target ${{ matrix.target }}
 
       - name: Create tarball
diff --git a/build.rs b/build.rs
index dcd7eb46..51d880a1 100644
--- a/build.rs
+++ b/build.rs
@@ -25,4 +25,18 @@ fn main() {
         "cargo:rustc-env=VERSION_WITH_GIT_HASH={} ({})",
         version, git_hash
     );
+
+    // Configure static linking for Linux gnu targets
+    // Note: We use gnu (glibc) instead of musl because V8 doesn't provide prebuilt musl binaries
+    // and building V8 from source for musl fails. Static glibc linking provides good portability
+    // while still allowing us to use V8 prebuilt binaries.
+    let target = env::var("TARGET").unwrap_or_default();
+    if target.contains("linux") && target.contains("gnu") {
+        // Enable static linking of the C runtime and standard library
+        // This links glibc statically, adding ~2-5MB to binary size but improving portability
+        println!("cargo:rustc-link-arg=-static-libgcc");
+
+        // Note: Full static linking (-static) would break NSS/DNS, so we use crt-static instead
+        // which is applied via RUSTFLAGS in the build process
+    }
 }
diff --git a/scripts/build-static.sh b/scripts/build-static.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..b51575fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/build-static.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Build and verify static glibc binaries for Linux
+# This uses the gnu target with crt-static for better portability while avoiding musl/V8 issues
+#
+# Usage: ./build-static.sh [--ci|--non-interactive] [TARGET]
+#   TARGET: Optional rust target (e.g., x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu)
+#           If not provided, detects from uname -m
+
+set -e
+
+# Parse arguments
+NON_INTERACTIVE=false
+TARGET=""
+
+for arg in "$@"; do
+    if [[ "$arg" == "--non-interactive" ]] || [[ "$arg" == "--ci" ]]; then
+        NON_INTERACTIVE=true
+    elif [[ "$arg" == *"unknown-linux-gnu"* ]]; then
+        TARGET="$arg"
+    fi
+done
+
+echo "=== httpjail static build verification ==="
+echo ""
+
+# Determine target if not provided
+if [ -z "$TARGET" ]; then
+    ARCH=$(uname -m)
+    case "$ARCH" in
+        x86_64)
+            TARGET="x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu"
+            ;;
+        aarch64|arm64)
+            TARGET="aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu"
+            ;;
+        *)
+            echo "Unsupported architecture: $ARCH"
+            exit 1
+            ;;
+    esac
+    echo "Auto-detected target from architecture: $ARCH -> $TARGET"
+else
+    echo "Using specified target: $TARGET"
+fi
+
+echo "Note: Using gnu target with crt-static for static glibc linking"
+echo ""
+
+# Check if rust target is installed
+echo "1. Checking Rust target..."
+if ! rustup target list --installed | grep -q "$TARGET"; then
+    echo "Target $TARGET not installed. Installing..."
+    rustup target add "$TARGET"
+else
+    echo "✓ Target $TARGET already installed"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Build with static linking
+echo "2. Building for $TARGET with static glibc..."
+RUSTFLAGS="-C target-feature=+crt-static" cargo build --release --target "$TARGET"
+echo ""
+
+# Verify binary (check both local and shared cargo target)
+BINARY="target/$TARGET/release/httpjail"
+if [ ! -f "$BINARY" ] && [ -n "${CARGO_HOME}" ]; then
+    # Check shared cargo target when CARGO_HOME is set
+    BINARY="${CARGO_HOME}/shared-target/$TARGET/release/httpjail"
+fi
+
+if [ ! -f "$BINARY" ]; then
+    echo "✗ Binary not found at $BINARY"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "3. Verifying linking..."
+echo ""
+
+# Check file type
+echo "File type:"
+file "$BINARY"
+echo ""
+
+# Check dynamic dependencies
+echo "Dynamic dependencies:"
+if ldd "$BINARY" 2>&1; then
+    echo ""
+    echo "Note: Binary uses dynamic linking for some system libraries (expected with glibc)"
+    echo "The C runtime is statically linked, improving portability to older systems"
+else
+    echo "✓ Binary is fully statically linked"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Check binary size
+SIZE=$(du -h "$BINARY" | cut -f1)
+echo "Binary size: $SIZE"
+echo ""
+
+# Test basic functionality
+echo "4. Testing binary..."
+if "$BINARY" --version; then
+    echo "✓ Binary runs successfully"
+else
+    echo "✗ Binary failed to run"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo ""
+
+echo "=== Build verification complete ==="
+echo ""
+echo "Binary location: $BINARY"
+echo "To test on an older system, copy this binary and run:"
+echo "  ./httpjail --version"
+echo ""
+echo "The binary uses static glibc linking for improved portability while"
+echo "still working with V8 prebuilt binaries (musl not supported by V8)."