also I didn't modified Unix/cloc but tbh I don't really know how this repo works 😅

Impressive. Thanks for making the effort to figure this out. I have one minor request: please move the line with
my $exec_path = abs_path($0); inside the if test for $ON_WINDOWS.

done 👍

git clone https://github.com/AlDanial/cloc.git
cd cloc

cpan -i Digest::MD5
cpan -i Regexp::Common
cpan -i Algorithm::Diff
cpan -i PAR::Packer
cpan -if Win32::LongPath

cpanm --notest Win32::LongPath

pp -M Win32::LongPath -M Encode::Unicode -M Digest::MD5 -c -x -o cloc.exe cloc

Thanks. My plan for today is to create a sandbox cloc git repo and follow your instructions more carefully to create some releases and hopefully be able to create the identical Winget-friendly executable on my own.

one thing that might work is setting up the dockur/windows image, which gives an usable windows instance. it can run on actions but they have a finite run time. codespaces works too but there's a limit per account and then it's paid
maybe there could be an action that launches it and sets up everything (post install script is available) so it clones and builds cloc from the latest version and it should work + give an usable windows session

however from what I saw when I tested this the VT scans are less forgiving (I did this method for the 2.06 build since I messed up my local strawberry perl)

I'll check that soon

I tried making a release with my new sandbox_cloc_release repo (after getting a VT token and adding it to my GH secrets) but am still seeing incomprehensible fails in the release step: https://github.com/AlDanial/sandbox_cloc_release/actions/runs/15959081362/job/45009169815 Baffling.

I was able to make a workflow to just create the Windows exe in my sandbox area, https://github.com/AlDanial/sandbox_cloc_release/actions/runs/15962700753/workflow. Curiously it has a different VirusTotal signature than yours:
https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/bbe48de9102d0f2520d292d65897001c1d068340eb7cd74dd1ee30c1a9091c4a?nocache=1

I will upload this one to cloc's release area.

yes, i got very surprised by this VT detection...
also you are able to get a smaller exe which is welcome ☺️