diff --git a/internal/buildmeta/buildmeta.go b/internal/buildmeta/buildmeta.go
index 77b92ef..28f7821 100644
--- a/internal/buildmeta/buildmeta.go
+++ b/internal/buildmeta/buildmeta.go
@@ -30,7 +30,10 @@ type Arch string
 
 const (
 	ArchAny     Arch = "ANYARCH"
-	ArchAMD64   Arch = "x86_64"
+	ArchAMD64   Arch = "x86_64"    // baseline (v1)
+	ArchAMD64v2 Arch = "x86_64_v2" // +SSE4, +POPCNT, etc.
+	ArchAMD64v3 Arch = "x86_64_v3" // +AVX2, +BMI, etc.
+	ArchAMD64v4 Arch = "x86_64_v4" // +AVX-512
 	ArchARM64   Arch = "aarch64"
 	ArchARMv7   Arch = "armv7"
 	ArchARMv6   Arch = "armv6"
@@ -98,3 +101,41 @@ type Target struct {
 func (t Target) Triplet() string {
 	return string(t.OS) + "-" + string(t.Arch) + "-" + string(t.Libc)
 }
+
+// ArchFallbacks returns the architectures that a machine with the given
+// arch can run, ordered from most specific to least. The input arch is
+// always first. Returns nil for unknown architectures.
+//
+// For example, an amd64v4 machine can run v4, v3, v2, and baseline (v1)
+// binaries. An armv7 machine can run armv7 and armv6 binaries.
+func ArchFallbacks(arch Arch) []Arch {
+	switch arch {
+	case ArchAMD64v4:
+		return []Arch{ArchAMD64v4, ArchAMD64v3, ArchAMD64v2, ArchAMD64}
+	case ArchAMD64v3:
+		return []Arch{ArchAMD64v3, ArchAMD64v2, ArchAMD64}
+	case ArchAMD64v2:
+		return []Arch{ArchAMD64v2, ArchAMD64}
+	case ArchARMv7:
+		return []Arch{ArchARMv7, ArchARMv6}
+	default:
+		// No fallback chain — exact match only.
+		return []Arch{arch}
+	}
+}
+
+// LibcFallbacks returns the libc variants a machine can use, ordered
+// by preference. A musl system can only run musl or static binaries.
+// A glibc system can only run glibc or static binaries.
+func LibcFallbacks(libc Libc) []Libc {
+	switch libc {
+	case LibcGNU:
+		return []Libc{LibcGNU, LibcNone}
+	case LibcMusl:
+		return []Libc{LibcMusl, LibcNone}
+	case LibcMSVC:
+		return []Libc{LibcMSVC, LibcNone}
+	default:
+		return []Libc{libc}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/classify/classify.go b/internal/classify/classify.go
index 310cac9..c990026 100644
--- a/internal/classify/classify.go
+++ b/internal/classify/classify.go
@@ -32,11 +32,25 @@ func (r Result) Target() buildmeta.Target {
 
 // Filename classifies a release asset filename, returning the detected
 // OS, architecture, libc, and archive format. Undetected fields are empty.
+//
+// OS is detected first because it can influence arch interpretation.
+// For example, "windows-arm" in modern releases means ARM64, while
+// bare "arm" on Linux historically means ARMv6.
 func Filename(name string) Result {
 	lower := strings.ToLower(name)
+	os := detectOS(lower)
+	arch := detectArch(lower)
+
+	// On Windows, bare "arm" (detected as ARMv6) almost certainly means
+	// ARM64. Windows never shipped ARMv6 binaries — "ARM" became the
+	// marketing label for ARM64 (Windows on ARM).
+	if os == buildmeta.OSWindows && arch == buildmeta.ArchARMv6 {
+		arch = buildmeta.ArchARM64
+	}
+
 	return Result{
-		OS:     detectOS(lower),
-		Arch:   detectArch(lower),
+		OS:     os,
+		Arch:   arch,
 		Libc:   detectLibc(lower),
 		Format: detectFormat(lower),
 	}
@@ -78,12 +92,16 @@ var archPatterns = []struct {
 	arch    buildmeta.Arch
 	pattern *regexp.Regexp
 }{
-	// amd64 before x86 — "x86_64" must not match as x86.
+	// amd64 micro-levels before baseline — "amd64v3" must not fall through to amd64.
+	{buildmeta.ArchAMD64v4, regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)(?:x86[_-]64[_-]v4|amd64v4|v4-amd64)`)},
+	{buildmeta.ArchAMD64v3, regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)(?:x86[_-]64[_-]v3|amd64v3|v3-amd64)`)},
+	{buildmeta.ArchAMD64v2, regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)(?:x86[_-]64[_-]v2|amd64v2|v2-amd64)`)},
+	// amd64 baseline before x86 — "x86_64" must not match as x86.
 	{buildmeta.ArchAMD64, regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)(?:x86[_-]64|amd64|x64|64-bit)`)},
 	// arm64 before armv7/armv6 — "aarch64" must not match as arm.
 	{buildmeta.ArchARM64, regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)(?:aarch64|arm64|armv8)`)},
 	{buildmeta.ArchARMv7, regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)(?:armv7l?|arm-?v7|arm32)`)},
-	{buildmeta.ArchARMv6, regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)(?:armv6l?|arm-?v6|aarch32)`)},
+	{buildmeta.ArchARMv6, regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)(?:armv6l?|arm-?v6|aarch32|` + b + `arm` + bEnd + `)`)},
 	// ppc64le before ppc64.
 	{buildmeta.ArchPPC64LE, regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)ppc64le`)},
 	{buildmeta.ArchPPC64, regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)ppc64`)},
diff --git a/internal/classify/classify_test.go b/internal/classify/classify_test.go
index 420184e..e48acd0 100644
--- a/internal/classify/classify_test.go
+++ b/internal/classify/classify_test.go
@@ -151,6 +151,46 @@ func TestFilename(t *testing.T) {
 			format: buildmeta.FormatTarGz,
 		},
 
+		// Windows ARM: bare "arm" means ARM64, not ARMv6/v7
+		{
+			name:   "windows arm means arm64",
+			input:  "tool-1.0.0-windows-arm.zip",
+			wantOS: buildmeta.OSWindows,
+			arch:   buildmeta.ArchARM64,
+			format: buildmeta.FormatZip,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "windows arm64 stays arm64",
+			input:  "tool-1.0.0-windows-arm64.zip",
+			wantOS: buildmeta.OSWindows,
+			arch:   buildmeta.ArchARM64,
+			format: buildmeta.FormatZip,
+		},
+
+		// amd64 micro-architecture levels
+		{
+			name: "amd64v2",
+			input: "tool-linux-amd64v2.tar.gz",
+			arch:  buildmeta.ArchAMD64v2,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "amd64v3",
+			input: "tool-linux-x86_64_v3.tar.gz",
+			arch:  buildmeta.ArchAMD64v3,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "amd64v4",
+			input: "tool-linux-amd64v4.tar.gz",
+			arch:  buildmeta.ArchAMD64v4,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "amd64v3 not baseline",
+			input:  "tool-1.0.0-linux-amd64v3.tar.gz",
+			wantOS: buildmeta.OSLinux,
+			arch:   buildmeta.ArchAMD64v3,
+			format: buildmeta.FormatTarGz,
+		},
+
 		// ARM variants: arm64 must not match armv7/armv6
 		{
 			name: "aarch64 not armv7",
diff --git a/internal/platlatest/platlatest.go b/internal/platlatest/platlatest.go
index 7e28d90..d72c0e1 100644
--- a/internal/platlatest/platlatest.go
+++ b/internal/platlatest/platlatest.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/webinstall/webi-installers/internal/buildmeta"
+	"github.com/webinstall/webi-installers/internal/lexver"
 )
 
 // Index tracks the latest version for each build target of a package.
@@ -78,6 +79,41 @@ func (idx *Index) All() map[string]string {
 	return out
 }
 
+// Resolve finds the latest compatible version for a target by walking
+// the arch and libc fallback chains. It prefers the newest version over
+// the most specific arch match.
+//
+// For example, on an amd64v4 machine with glibc:
+//   - v2.0.0 has amd64 (baseline) → candidate "v2.0.0"
+//   - v1.0.0 has amd64v4          → candidate "v1.0.0"
+//   - Returns "v2.0.0" because it's newer, even though v1.0.0
+//     is a more specific arch match.
+//
+// Returns the best version and the exact target it matched, or "" if
+// no compatible version exists.
+func (idx *Index) Resolve(t buildmeta.Target) (version string, matched buildmeta.Target) {
+	idx.mu.RLock()
+	defer idx.mu.RUnlock()
+
+	arches := buildmeta.ArchFallbacks(t.Arch)
+	libcs := buildmeta.LibcFallbacks(t.Libc)
+
+	for _, arch := range arches {
+		for _, libc := range libcs {
+			candidate := buildmeta.Target{OS: t.OS, Arch: arch, Libc: libc}
+			v := idx.m[candidate.Triplet()]
+			if v == "" {
+				continue
+			}
+			if version == "" || lexver.Compare(lexver.Parse(v), lexver.Parse(version)) > 0 {
+				version = v
+				matched = candidate
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return version, matched
+}
+
 // Save persists the index to disk (atomic write).
 func (idx *Index) Save() error {
 	idx.mu.RLock()
diff --git a/internal/platlatest/platlatest_test.go b/internal/platlatest/platlatest_test.go
index 82f2539..92f8d49 100644
--- a/internal/platlatest/platlatest_test.go
+++ b/internal/platlatest/platlatest_test.go
@@ -91,6 +91,113 @@ func TestAll(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestResolveArchFallback(t *testing.T) {
+	p := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "latest.json")
+	idx, err := platlatest.Open(p)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// v1.0.0 had per-microarch builds.
+	idx.Set(buildmeta.Target{OS: buildmeta.OSLinux, Arch: buildmeta.ArchAMD64v4, Libc: buildmeta.LibcGNU}, "v1.0.0")
+	idx.Set(buildmeta.Target{OS: buildmeta.OSLinux, Arch: buildmeta.ArchAMD64v3, Libc: buildmeta.LibcGNU}, "v1.0.0")
+	idx.Set(buildmeta.Target{OS: buildmeta.OSLinux, Arch: buildmeta.ArchAMD64v2, Libc: buildmeta.LibcGNU}, "v1.0.0")
+	idx.Set(buildmeta.Target{OS: buildmeta.OSLinux, Arch: buildmeta.ArchAMD64, Libc: buildmeta.LibcGNU}, "v1.0.0")
+
+	// v2.0.0 dropped microarch, ships only baseline amd64.
+	idx.Set(buildmeta.Target{OS: buildmeta.OSLinux, Arch: buildmeta.ArchAMD64, Libc: buildmeta.LibcGNU}, "v2.0.0")
+
+	// An amd64v4 machine should get v2.0.0 (latest) via baseline fallback,
+	// not v1.0.0 (which had a specific v4 build).
+	want := buildmeta.Target{OS: buildmeta.OSLinux, Arch: buildmeta.ArchAMD64v4, Libc: buildmeta.LibcGNU}
+	ver, matched := idx.Resolve(want)
+	if ver != "v2.0.0" {
+		t.Errorf("Resolve(amd64v4) version = %q, want v2.0.0", ver)
+	}
+	if matched.Arch != buildmeta.ArchAMD64 {
+		t.Errorf("Resolve(amd64v4) matched arch = %q, want %q", matched.Arch, buildmeta.ArchAMD64)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolveExactMatchPreferred(t *testing.T) {
+	p := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "latest.json")
+	idx, err := platlatest.Open(p)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Both amd64v3 and baseline have the same latest version.
+	idx.Set(buildmeta.Target{OS: buildmeta.OSLinux, Arch: buildmeta.ArchAMD64v3, Libc: buildmeta.LibcGNU}, "v2.0.0")
+	idx.Set(buildmeta.Target{OS: buildmeta.OSLinux, Arch: buildmeta.ArchAMD64, Libc: buildmeta.LibcGNU}, "v2.0.0")
+
+	// When versions are equal, the more specific arch should win
+	// (it appears first in the fallback chain).
+	want := buildmeta.Target{OS: buildmeta.OSLinux, Arch: buildmeta.ArchAMD64v3, Libc: buildmeta.LibcGNU}
+	ver, matched := idx.Resolve(want)
+	if ver != "v2.0.0" {
+		t.Errorf("version = %q, want v2.0.0", ver)
+	}
+	if matched.Arch != buildmeta.ArchAMD64v3 {
+		t.Errorf("matched arch = %q, want %q (more specific)", matched.Arch, buildmeta.ArchAMD64v3)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolveLibcFallback(t *testing.T) {
+	p := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "latest.json")
+	idx, err := platlatest.Open(p)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Only a static (LibcNone) build exists.
+	idx.Set(buildmeta.Target{OS: buildmeta.OSLinux, Arch: buildmeta.ArchAMD64, Libc: buildmeta.LibcNone}, "v1.0.0")
+
+	// A glibc machine should find it via libc fallback.
+	want := buildmeta.Target{OS: buildmeta.OSLinux, Arch: buildmeta.ArchAMD64, Libc: buildmeta.LibcGNU}
+	ver, matched := idx.Resolve(want)
+	if ver != "v1.0.0" {
+		t.Errorf("version = %q, want v1.0.0", ver)
+	}
+	if matched.Libc != buildmeta.LibcNone {
+		t.Errorf("matched libc = %q, want %q", matched.Libc, buildmeta.LibcNone)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolveNoMatch(t *testing.T) {
+	p := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "latest.json")
+	idx, err := platlatest.Open(p)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	idx.Set(linuxAMD64, "v1.0.0")
+
+	// Darwin target should not match a Linux entry.
+	ver, _ := idx.Resolve(darwinARM64)
+	if ver != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Resolve(darwin) = %q, want empty (no match)", ver)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolveBaselineOnly(t *testing.T) {
+	p := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "latest.json")
+	idx, err := platlatest.Open(p)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// amd64v1 machine can't run v2+ binaries.
+	idx.Set(buildmeta.Target{OS: buildmeta.OSLinux, Arch: buildmeta.ArchAMD64v2, Libc: buildmeta.LibcGNU}, "v2.0.0")
+	idx.Set(buildmeta.Target{OS: buildmeta.OSLinux, Arch: buildmeta.ArchAMD64, Libc: buildmeta.LibcGNU}, "v1.0.0")
+
+	// Baseline machine gets v1.0.0 — it can't run v2's amd64v2 binary.
+	want := buildmeta.Target{OS: buildmeta.OSLinux, Arch: buildmeta.ArchAMD64, Libc: buildmeta.LibcGNU}
+	ver, _ := idx.Resolve(want)
+	if ver != "v1.0.0" {
+		t.Errorf("Resolve(amd64 baseline) = %q, want v1.0.0", ver)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestOpenNonexistent(t *testing.T) {
 	p := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "does-not-exist.json")
 	idx, err := platlatest.Open(p)