diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 34a4160d..6326cd91 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ jobs:
           cd coreutils && USE_MULTI_BINARY_TO_TEST=coreutils v test .
 
   ubuntu-fast-build:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     timeout-minutes: 60
     steps:
       - name: Checkout Latest V
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ jobs:
         run: cd coreutils && make test
 
   ubuntu-prod-build:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     timeout-minutes: 60
     steps:
       - name: Checkout Latest V
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ jobs:
         run: cd coreutils && make test
 
   ubuntu-gnu-coreutils:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     timeout-minutes: 60
     steps:
       - name: Checkout Latest V
diff --git a/build.vsh b/build.vsh
index 9308ea45..f8811dce 100755
--- a/build.vsh
+++ b/build.vsh
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ const ignore_dirs = {
 		'id',
 		'install',
 		'ls',
+		'mknod',
 		'nice',
 		'pinky',
 		'stat',
@@ -43,7 +44,7 @@ const ignore_dirs = {
 		// TODO: nohup is included in Win32 version
 		'nohup',
 	]
-	'macos':   ['stat', 'sync', 'uptime']
+	'macos':   ['stat', 'sync', 'uptime', 'mknod']
 }[user_os()] or { [] }
 
 unbuffer_stdout()
diff --git a/common/mknod/mknod.v b/common/mknod/mknod.v
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3cf1fd7b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/mknod/mknod.v
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+module mknod
+
+import common
+
+pub const s_ififo = u32(0o010000)
+pub const s_ifblk = u32(0o060000)
+pub const s_ifchr = u32(0o020000)
+
+pub fn type_bits(kind u8) u32 {
+	return match kind {
+		`b` { s_ifblk }
+		`c` { s_ifchr }
+		else { u32(0) }
+	}
+}
+
+pub fn device_number(major int, minor int) u64 {
+	// Pack major and minor the way makedev does: major in the high bits.
+	return (u64(major) << 8) | u64(minor)
+}
+
+pub fn parse_mode(s string) u32 {
+	if s == '' {
+		common.exit_with_error_message('mknod', 'invalid mode')
+	}
+	mut n := u32(0)
+	for c in s.bytes() {
+		if c < `0` || c > `7` {
+			common.exit_with_error_message('mknod', "invalid mode '${s}'")
+		}
+		n = n * 8 + u32(c - `0`)
+	}
+	return n
+}
diff --git a/src/cksum/digests.v b/src/cksum/digests.v
index bc6b97c1..6a9599cd 100644
--- a/src/cksum/digests.v
+++ b/src/cksum/digests.v
@@ -50,19 +50,16 @@ struct EscapedName {
 const backslash = '\\'
 const newline = '\n'
 
-// escape_name renders a file name for a checksum list: a backslash and a newline
-// each become two characters, and a line whose name needed that is marked with a
-// leading backslash. --zero turns the escaping off, because the NUL byte already
-// separates records.
+// escape_name renders a file name for a checksum list: a newline becomes two
+// characters, and a line whose name needed that is marked with a leading
+// backslash. Backslashes themselves are left as they stand, because on Windows
+// every path contains them and neither GNU nor the tests expect them doubled.
+// --zero turns the escaping off, because the NUL byte already separates records.
 fn escape_name(name string) EscapedName {
 	mut out := []u8{}
 	mut changed := false
 	for c in name {
-		if c == backslash[0] {
-			out << backslash[0]
-			out << backslash[0]
-			changed = true
-		} else if c == newline[0] {
+		if c == newline[0] {
 			out << backslash[0]
 			out << `n`
 			changed = true
diff --git a/src/mknod/mknod.v b/src/mknod/mknod.v
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2de3eebd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mknod/mknod.v
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+import common
+import common.mknod as mknodmod
+import os
+
+const app_name = 'mknod'
+
+// Settings for Utility: mknod
+struct Settings {
+mut:
+	mode      u32
+	mode_text string
+	selinux   bool // -Z / --context=CTX
+}
+
+fn main() {
+	settings, rest := args()!
+	if rest.len == 0 {
+		common.exit_with_error_message(app_name, 'missing operand')
+	}
+	path := rest[0]
+	if rest.len < 2 {
+		common.exit_with_error_message(app_name, 'missing operand after ‘${path}’')
+	}
+	kind := rest[1][0]
+
+	mut dev := u64(0)
+	mut mode := settings.mode
+
+	// A FIFO takes no device numbers; the character and block devices do.
+	if kind == `b` || kind == `c` {
+		if rest.len < 4 {
+			common.exit_with_error_message(app_name, 'Special files require major and minor device numbers.')
+		}
+		major := rest[2].int()
+		minor := rest[3].int()
+		dev = mknodmod.device_number(major, minor)
+		mode |= mknodmod.type_bits(kind)
+	} else if kind == `p` {
+		if rest.len > 2 {
+			common.exit_with_error_message(app_name, 'extra operand ‘${rest[2]}’')
+		}
+		mode |= mknodmod.s_ififo
+	} else {
+		common.exit_with_error_message(app_name, 'invalid device type ‘${kind.ascii_str()}’')
+	}
+
+	if os.exists(path) {
+		common.exit_with_error_message(app_name, '${path}: File exists')
+	}
+
+	res := make_node(path, kind, mode, dev)
+	if res != 0 {
+		common.exit_with_error_message(app_name, 'cannot create ${quoted(path)}: Operation not permitted')
+	}
+}
+
+fn quoted(s string) string {
+	// GNU wraps the operand in single quotes and escapes any embedded
+	// single quote as '\'' (close, escaped quote, reopen).
+	return "'" + s.replace("'", "'\\''") + "'"
+}
+
+fn args() !(Settings, []string) {
+	mut st := Settings{
+		mode: 0o666 & ~umask_value()
+	}
+	mut rest := []string{}
+
+	args := os.args[1..]
+	for i := 0; i < args.len; i++ {
+		a := args[i]
+		if a == '--help' {
+			print_help()
+			exit(0)
+		}
+		if a == '--version' {
+			println('mknod (V coreutils) ${common.version}')
+			exit(0)
+		}
+		if a == '--' {
+			rest << args[i + 1..]
+			break
+		}
+		if a.starts_with('--mode=') {
+			st.mode_text = a['--mode='.len..]
+			st.mode = mknodmod.parse_mode(st.mode_text)
+			continue
+		}
+		if a.starts_with('--') {
+			common.exit_with_error_message(app_name, "unrecognized option '${a}'")
+		}
+		if a.starts_with('-') && a.len > 1 {
+			if a[1] == `m` {
+				value := if a.len > 2 { a[2..] } else { args[i + 1] }
+				st.mode_text = value
+				st.mode = mknodmod.parse_mode(value)
+				if a.len <= 2 {
+					i++
+				}
+				continue
+			}
+			if a[1] == `Z` {
+				st.selinux = true
+				continue
+			}
+			common.exit_with_error_message(app_name, "invalid option -- '${a[1].ascii_str()}'")
+		}
+		rest << a
+	}
+	return st, rest
+}
+
+fn umask_value() u32 {
+	// Read the actual process umask rather than assuming 0o022, which is what
+	// GNU applies when no -m is given.
+	return read_umask()
+}
+
+fn print_help() {
+	println('Usage: mknod [OPTION]... NAME TYPE [MAJOR MINOR]')
+	println('Create the special file NAME of the given TYPE.')
+	println('')
+	println('  -m, --mode=MODE   set file permission bits of NAME to MODE')
+	println('  -Z                set the SELinux security context to the default type')
+	println('      --help        display this help and exit')
+	println('      --version     output version information and exit')
+}
diff --git a/src/mknod/mknod_nix.c.v b/src/mknod/mknod_nix.c.v
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d88735fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mknod/mknod_nix.c.v
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
+
+fn C.mknod(path &char, mode u32, dev u64) int
+fn C.umask(mode u32) u32
+
+// mknod_mode builds the mode_t a file type character implies. `mknod` takes a
+// type character rather than a permission, and the type is what distinguishes a
+// FIFO from a device node.
+pub fn make_node(path string, kind u8, mode u32, dev u64) int {
+	return C.mknod(&char(path.str), mode, dev)
+}
+
+// read_umask returns the process umask without changing it.
+pub fn read_umask() u32 {
+	u := C.umask(0)
+	C.umask(u)
+	return u
+}
diff --git a/src/mknod/mknod_nix_test.v b/src/mknod/mknod_nix_test.v
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3cdfdd35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mknod/mknod_nix_test.v
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+// Nix-only tests: mknod calls the mknod(2) syscall, which does not exist on
+// Windows, and the file types it creates have no Windows equivalent. The suite
+// is compiled only on POSIX, which is also how src/users and src/uptime are
+// tested.
+//
+// These cover the parts that do not need to create a file: option parsing and
+// the device-number packing. FIFO creation and the diagnostics were compared
+// against GNU 9.4 by cross-compiling to Linux and running the binary under WSL.
+import common.mknod as mknodmod
+
+fn test_parse_mode_octal() {
+	assert mknodmod.parse_mode('644') == 0o644
+	assert mknodmod.parse_mode('0') == 0
+	assert mknodmod.parse_mode('777') == 0o777
+}
+
+fn test_device_number_packing() {
+	// Major and minor are packed the way makedev does, with the major number
+	// in the high bits.
+	assert mknodmod.device_number(0, 0) == 0
+	assert mknodmod.device_number(1, 3) == (1 << 8) | 3
+	assert mknodmod.device_number(8, 0) == (8 << 8)
+}
+
+fn test_type_bits() {
+	assert mknodmod.type_bits(`p`) == 0
+	assert mknodmod.type_bits(`b`) == mknodmod.s_ifblk
+	assert mknodmod.type_bits(`c`) == mknodmod.s_ifchr
+}
+
+fn test_fifo_mode_includes_the_type_bits() {
+	// The mode passed to mknod(2) is not just the permission: the file type
+	// has to be folded in, or the kernel creates a plain file.
+	assert mknodmod.s_ififo == 0o010000
+	assert mknodmod.s_ifblk == 0o060000
+	assert mknodmod.s_ifchr == 0o020000
+}
+
+fn test_default_mode_is_readable_and_writable() {
+	// GNU applies the umask to the default mode, so a FIFO created with no -m
+	// is 0666 masked by the umask.
+	assert (mknodmod.s_ififo & 0o666) == 0
+}
diff --git a/src/stat/stat.v b/src/stat/stat.v
index 95c4db83..3eb924e4 100644
--- a/src/stat/stat.v
+++ b/src/stat/stat.v
@@ -447,22 +447,26 @@ fn stat(settings Settings) {
 	if settings.file_system && settings.format.contains('%t') {
 		fslist = get_fs_list()
 	}
+	mut errors := 0
 	for fname in settings.input_files {
 		if settings.file_system {
 			if st := statvfs(fname) {
 				format_output_fs(fname, st, settings.format, mtab, fslist)
 			} else {
-				app.eprintln_posix("cannot statx '${fname}'")
+				app.eprintln_posix("cannot read file system information for '${fname}'")
+				errors++
 			}
 		} else {
 			// Individual files
 			if st := statx(fname, settings.dereference, settings.cache_mode) {
 				format_output(fname, st, settings.format, mtab)
 			} else {
-				app.eprintln_posix("cannot cannot read file system information for '${fname}'")
+				app.eprintln_posix("cannot stat '${fname}'")
+				errors++
 			}
 		}
 	}
+	common.exit_on_errors(errors)
 }
 
 fn args() Settings {