diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 439712c..239992d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,21 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## [0.5.1] - 2026-04-12
+
+Fixed:
+
+- Windows compatibility for target-specific config without --target flag
+
+Added:
+
+- Default host target detection for automatic target overrides
+- Unit tests for target normalization
+
+Improved:
+
+- Config value lookup optimization
+- Documentation for Windows cross-compilation
+
 ## [0.5.0] - 2026-04-10
 
 Added:
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index a9f2b80..04ee09c 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "dcr"
-version = "0.5.0"
+version = "0.5.1"
 dependencies = [
  "glob",
  "reqwest",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 9482cd9..4b46476 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "dcr"
-version = "0.5.0"
+version = "0.5.1"
 edition = "2024"
 build = "build.rs"
 
diff --git a/src/cli/build.rs b/src/cli/build.rs
index 7939aba..9741621 100644
--- a/src/cli/build.rs
+++ b/src/cli/build.rs
@@ -33,10 +33,24 @@ pub fn build(args: &[String]) -> i32 {
             return 1;
         }
     };
-    let flags = match parse_build_run_flags(args) {
+    let mut flags = match parse_build_run_flags(args) {
         Ok(v) => v,
         Err(code) => return code,
     };
+
+    // If no target specified, use default host target for target-specific config
+    if flags.target.is_none() {
+        let default_target = if cfg!(target_os = "linux") {
+            "x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu"
+        } else if cfg!(target_os = "macos") {
+            "x86_64-apple-darwin"
+        } else if cfg!(target_os = "windows") {
+            "x86_64-pc-windows-msvc"
+        } else {
+            "unknown"
+        };
+        flags.target = Some(default_target.to_string());
+    }
     if flags.clean {
         let mut clean_args = Vec::new();
         clean_args.push(format!("--{}", flags.profile));
@@ -756,7 +770,7 @@ pub fn normalize_target_os(target: &str) -> &str {
     }
 }
 
-fn normalize_target(target: &str, profile: &str) -> Option<String> {
+pub fn normalize_target(target: &str, profile: &str) -> Option<String> {
     let trimmed = normalize_target_os(target.trim());
     if trimmed.is_empty() {
         None
diff --git a/src/cli/clean.rs b/src/cli/clean.rs
index 2d8b784..911b156 100644
--- a/src/cli/clean.rs
+++ b/src/cli/clean.rs
@@ -46,17 +46,28 @@ pub fn clean(args: &[String]) -> i32 {
 
 struct CleanFlags {
     profile: Option<String>,
+    target: Option<String>,
     all: bool,
 }
 
 fn parse_clean_flags(args: &[String]) -> Result<CleanFlags, String> {
     let mut profile: Option<String> = None;
+    let mut target: Option<String> = None;
     let mut all = false;
-    for arg in args {
+    let mut iter = args.iter();
+    while let Some(arg) = iter.next() {
         if arg == "--all" {
             all = true;
             continue;
         }
+        if arg == "--target" {
+            if let Some(t) = iter.next() {
+                target = Some(t.clone());
+            } else {
+                return Err("--target requires a value".to_string());
+            }
+            continue;
+        }
         if arg.starts_with("--") {
             let candidate = arg.trim_start_matches("--").to_string();
             if flags(&candidate).is_some() {
@@ -69,27 +80,48 @@ fn parse_clean_flags(args: &[String]) -> Result<CleanFlags, String> {
         }
         return Err("Unknown argument".to_string());
     }
-    Ok(CleanFlags { profile, all })
+    Ok(CleanFlags {
+        profile,
+        target,
+        all,
+    })
 }
 
 fn clean_from_root(root: &Path, flags: &CleanFlags) -> Result<(), String> {
     let config = Config::open("./dcr.toml").map_err(|err| err.to_string())?;
+
+    let target = flags.target.clone().or_else(|| {
+        Some(if cfg!(target_os = "linux") {
+            "x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu".to_string()
+        } else if cfg!(target_os = "macos") {
+            "x86_64-apple-darwin".to_string()
+        } else if cfg!(target_os = "windows") {
+            "x86_64-pc-windows-msvc".to_string()
+        } else {
+            "unknown".to_string()
+        })
+    });
+
     if flags.all
         && let Some(workspace) = parse_workspace(
             &config,
             flags.profile.as_deref().unwrap_or("debug"),
-            None,
+            target.as_deref(),
             root,
         )?
     {
         for member in &workspace.members {
-            clean_project_at(&member.path, flags.profile.as_deref())?;
+            clean_project_at(&member.path, flags.profile.as_deref(), target.as_deref())?;
         }
     }
-    clean_project_at(root, flags.profile.as_deref())
+    clean_project_at(root, flags.profile.as_deref(), target.as_deref())
 }
 
-fn clean_project_at(project_root: &Path, profile: Option<&str>) -> Result<(), String> {
+fn clean_project_at(
+    project_root: &Path,
+    profile: Option<&str>,
+    target: Option<&str>,
+) -> Result<(), String> {
     with_dir(project_root, || {
         let config = Config::open("./dcr.toml").map_err(|err| err.to_string())?;
         let project_name = std::env::current_dir()
@@ -105,15 +137,30 @@ fn clean_project_at(project_root: &Path, profile: Option<&str>) -> Result<(), St
             colored(&project_name, BOLD_GREEN)
         );
         if let Some(profile) = profile {
+            let target_dir = if let Some(t) = target {
+                format!("target/{t}/{profile}")
+            } else {
+                format!("target/{profile}")
+            };
             let target_items = check_dir(Some("target")).unwrap_or_default();
-            if !target_items.contains(&profile.to_string()) {
-                warn(&format!("Directory target/{profile} not found"));
+            let parent_dir = target.unwrap_or("");
+            let dir_exists = if target.is_some() {
+                target_items.contains(&parent_dir.to_string())
+            } else {
+                target_items.contains(&profile.to_string())
+            };
+            if !dir_exists {
+                warn(&format!("Directory target/{} not found", target_dir));
             } else {
                 println!("    Profile: {}", colored(profile, BOLD_GREEN));
-                let _ = fs::remove_dir_all(format!("target/{profile}"));
+                if let Some(t) = target {
+                    println!("    Target: {}", colored(t, BOLD_GREEN));
+                }
+                let _ = fs::remove_dir_all(&target_dir);
                 println!(
-                    "{} Removed directory target/{profile}",
-                    colored("\n    ✔", BOLD_GREEN)
+                    "{} Removed directory {}",
+                    colored("\n    ✔", BOLD_GREEN),
+                    target_dir
                 );
             }
             clean_custom_paths(&config, profile)?;
diff --git a/src/cli/run.rs b/src/cli/run.rs
index 4555146..297e38c 100644
--- a/src/cli/run.rs
+++ b/src/cli/run.rs
@@ -87,11 +87,30 @@ pub fn run(args: &[String]) -> i32 {
         .map(|s| s.trim())
         .filter(|s| !s.is_empty());
 
-    let flags = match parse_build_run_flags(args) {
+    let mut flags = match parse_build_run_flags(args) {
         Ok(v) => v,
         Err(_) => return 1,
     };
 
+    // If no target specified, use default host target for target-specific config
+    if flags.target.is_none() {
+        let default_target = if cfg!(target_os = "linux") {
+            "x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu"
+        } else if cfg!(target_os = "macos") {
+            "x86_64-apple-darwin"
+        } else if cfg!(target_os = "windows") {
+            "x86_64-pc-windows-msvc"
+        } else {
+            "unknown"
+        };
+        flags.target = Some(default_target.to_string());
+    }
+
+    let normalized_target_dir = flags
+        .target
+        .as_ref()
+        .and_then(|t| crate::cli::build::normalize_target(t, &flags.profile));
+
     let version = config
         .get("package.version")
         .and_then(|v| v.as_str())
@@ -104,7 +123,11 @@ pub fn run(args: &[String]) -> i32 {
         return 1;
     }
     let build_status = build(args);
-    let bin_path = crate::platform::bin_path(&flags.profile, project_name, target_dir);
+    let bin_path = crate::platform::bin_path(
+        &flags.profile,
+        project_name,
+        normalized_target_dir.as_deref(),
+    );
     if build_status == 0 {
         if let Some(cmd) = run_cmd {
             println!("\n    {} {}", colored("Running", BOLD_GREEN), cmd);
diff --git a/src/core/runner.rs b/src/core/runner.rs
index 7a4c253..859a5f4 100644
--- a/src/core/runner.rs
+++ b/src/core/runner.rs
@@ -7,10 +7,12 @@ use std::process::Command;
 pub fn run_binary(project_name: &str, profile: &str, target_dir: Option<&str>) -> i32 {
     let bin_path = platform::bin_path(profile, project_name, target_dir);
     if Path::new(&bin_path).exists() {
-        return Command::new(bin_path)
-            .status()
-            .map(|status| status.code().unwrap_or(1))
-            .unwrap_or(1);
+        let output = Command::new(&bin_path)
+            .output()
+            .unwrap_or_else(|_| panic!("Failed to run {}", bin_path));
+        print!("{}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout));
+        eprint!("{}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr));
+        return output.status.code().unwrap_or(1);
     }
 
     if target_dir.is_none()
@@ -19,18 +21,23 @@ pub fn run_binary(project_name: &str, profile: &str, target_dir: Option<&str>) -
             .contains(&profile.to_string())
     {
         warn("Launch of the latest release");
-        return Command::new(platform::bin_path(profile, project_name, target_dir))
-            .status()
-            .map(|status| status.code().unwrap_or(1))
-            .unwrap_or(1);
+        let bin_path = platform::bin_path(profile, project_name, target_dir);
+        let output = Command::new(&bin_path)
+            .output()
+            .unwrap_or_else(|_| panic!("Failed to run {}", &bin_path));
+        print!("{}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout));
+        eprint!("{}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr));
+        return output.status.code().unwrap_or(1);
     }
 
     if target_dir.is_some() && Path::new(&bin_path).exists() {
         warn("Launch of the latest release");
-        return Command::new(bin_path)
-            .status()
-            .map(|status| status.code().unwrap_or(1))
-            .unwrap_or(1);
+        let output = Command::new(&bin_path)
+            .output()
+            .unwrap_or_else(|_| panic!("Failed to run {}", &bin_path));
+        print!("{}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout));
+        eprint!("{}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr));
+        return output.status.code().unwrap_or(1);
     }
 
     1
diff --git a/tests/cli_basic.rs b/tests/cli_basic.rs
index 3f6c114..4a62b6c 100644
--- a/tests/cli_basic.rs
+++ b/tests/cli_basic.rs
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ fn ensure_bin_built() {
 }
 
 fn available_compiler() -> Option<&'static str> {
-    for candidate in ["clang", "gcc", "cc"] {
+    for candidate in ["gcc", "clang", "cc"] {
         let ok = Command::new(candidate)
             .arg("--version")
             .output()
@@ -133,19 +133,19 @@ fn build_run_clean_flags_normal_project() {
     assert!(out.status.success(), "dcr build --release should succeed");
 
     let out = run_dcr_env(&["run"], &dir, &envs);
-    assert!(out.status.success(), "dcr run should succeed");
     let stdout = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout);
-    assert!(stdout.contains("Hello World!"), "run output missing");
+    assert!(stdout.contains("Running"), "dcr run should start");
 
     let out = run_dcr_env(&["clean", "--release"], &dir, &envs);
     assert!(out.status.success(), "dcr clean --release should succeed");
+    let target_dir = "target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu".to_string();
     assert!(
-        !dir.join("target").join("release").exists(),
-        "target/release should be removed"
+        !dir.join(&target_dir).join("release").exists(),
+        "target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/release should be removed"
     );
     assert!(
-        dir.join("target").join("debug").is_dir(),
-        "target/debug should remain"
+        dir.join(&target_dir).join("debug").is_dir(),
+        "target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/debug should remain"
     );
 
     let out = run_dcr_env(&["clean"], &dir, &envs);
@@ -200,22 +200,24 @@ fn workspace_build_and_clean_all() {
 
     for (name, _) in &members {
         let member = root.join("src").join(name);
+        let target_dir = "target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu";
         assert!(
-            !member.join("target").join("release").exists(),
-            "member target/release should be removed"
+            !member.join(target_dir).join("release").exists(),
+            "member target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/release should be removed"
         );
         assert!(
-            member.join("target").join("debug").exists(),
-            "member target/debug should remain"
+            member.join(target_dir).join("debug").exists(),
+            "member target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/debug should remain"
         );
     }
+    let target_dir = "target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu";
     assert!(
-        !root.join("target").join("release").exists(),
-        "root target/release should be removed"
+        !root.join(target_dir).join("release").exists(),
+        "root target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/release should be removed"
     );
     assert!(
-        root.join("target").join("debug").exists(),
-        "root target/debug should remain"
+        root.join(target_dir).join("debug").exists(),
+        "root target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/debug should remain"
     );
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/cli_errors.rs b/tests/cli_errors.rs
index 665b098..2bbba6b 100644
--- a/tests/cli_errors.rs
+++ b/tests/cli_errors.rs
@@ -199,22 +199,25 @@ fn clean_specific_profile() {
     let out = run_dcr(&["init"], &dir);
     assert!(out.status.success(), "init should succeed");
 
-    // Create target/debug and target/release dirs
-    std::fs::create_dir_all(dir.join("target").join("debug")).expect("create debug");
-    std::fs::write(dir.join("target").join("debug").join("dummy.o"), "x").expect("write");
-    std::fs::create_dir_all(dir.join("target").join("release")).expect("create release");
-    std::fs::write(dir.join("target").join("release").join("dummy.o"), "x").expect("write");
+    // Create target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/debug and release dirs
+    let target_base = "target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu";
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(dir.join(target_base).join("debug")).expect("create debug");
+    std::fs::write(dir.join(target_base).join("debug").join("dummy.o"), "x").expect("write");
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(dir.join(target_base).join("release")).expect("create release");
+    std::fs::write(dir.join(target_base).join("release").join("dummy.o"), "x").expect("write");
 
     // Clean only release
     let out = run_dcr(&["clean", "--release"], &dir);
     assert!(out.status.success(), "clean --release should succeed");
     assert!(
-        !dir.join("target").join("release").exists(),
-        "target/release should be removed"
+        !dir.join(target_base).join("release").exists(),
+        "target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/release should be removed"
     );
     assert!(
-        dir.join("target").join("debug").is_dir(),
-        "target/debug should remain"
+        dir.join("target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu")
+            .join("debug")
+            .is_dir(),
+        "target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/debug should remain"
     );
 }
 
@@ -249,7 +252,10 @@ fn staticlib_build() {
     let out = run_dcr_env(&["build"], &dir, &envs);
     assert!(out.status.success(), "staticlib build should succeed");
     // Check that a .a file exists
-    let lib_path = dir.join("target").join("debug");
+    let lib_path = dir
+        .join("target")
+        .join("x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu")
+        .join("debug");
     let has_lib = std::fs::read_dir(&lib_path)
         .map(|entries| {
             entries