diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/kotlin/ExecutableJar.kt b/buildSrc/src/main/kotlin/ExecutableJar.kt
index bb455de2..a558539f 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/kotlin/ExecutableJar.kt
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/kotlin/ExecutableJar.kt
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright © 2024 Apple Inc. and the Pkl project authors. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright © 2024-2025 Apple Inc. and the Pkl project authors. All rights reserved.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -22,12 +22,11 @@ import org.gradle.api.tasks.OutputFile
 import org.gradle.api.tasks.TaskAction
 
 /**
- * Builds a self-contained Pkl CLI Jar that is directly executable on *nix and executable with `java
- * -jar` on Windows.
+ * Builds a self-contained Pkl CLI Jar that is directly executable on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
  *
  * For direct execution, the `java` command must be on the PATH.
  *
- * https://skife.org/java/unix/2011/06/20/really_executable_jars.html
+ * Technique borrowed from [Mill](https://mill-build.org/blog/5-executable-jars.html).
  */
 abstract class ExecutableJar : DefaultTask() {
   @get:InputFile abstract val inJar: RegularFileProperty
@@ -41,12 +40,27 @@ abstract class ExecutableJar : DefaultTask() {
     val inFile = inJar.get().asFile
     val outFile = outJar.get().asFile
     val escapedJvmArgs = jvmArgs.get().joinToString(separator = " ") { "\"$it\"" }
-    val startScript =
+    val unixStartScript =
       """
-      #!/bin/sh
-      exec java $escapedJvmArgs -jar $0 "$@"
-    """
-        .trimIndent() + "\n\n\n"
+      @ 2>/dev/null # 2>nul & echo off & goto BOF
+      :
+      exec java $escapedJvmArgs -jar "$0" "$@"
+      exit
+      """
+        .trimIndent()
+    val windowsStartScript =
+      """
+      :BOF
+      setlocal
+      @echo off
+      java $escapedJvmArgs -jar "%~dpnx0" %*
+      endlocal
+      exit /B %errorlevel%
+      """
+        .trimIndent()
+        // need crlf endings for Windows portion of script
+        .replace("\n", "\r\n")
+    val startScript = unixStartScript + "\r\n" + windowsStartScript + "\r\n".repeat(3)
     outFile.outputStream().use { outStream ->
       startScript.byteInputStream().use { it.copyTo(outStream) }
       inFile.inputStream().use { it.copyTo(outStream) }
diff --git a/docs/modules/pkl-cli/pages/index.adoc b/docs/modules/pkl-cli/pages/index.adoc
index ee34680d..ffdd6999 100644
--- a/docs/modules/pkl-cli/pages/index.adoc
+++ b/docs/modules/pkl-cli/pages/index.adoc
@@ -53,8 +53,7 @@ whereas, the Alpine Linux executable is statically linked against _musl libc_ an
 ====
 
 The Java executable works on multiple platforms and has a smaller binary size than the native executables.
-However, it requires a Java 17 (or higher) runtime on the system path, has a noticeable startup delay,
-and runs complex Pkl code slower than the native executables.
+However, it requires a Java 17 (or higher) runtime on the system path, and has a noticeable startup delay.
 
 All flavors are built from the same codebase and undergo the same automated testing.
 Except where noted otherwise, the rest of this page discusses the native executables.
@@ -201,6 +200,14 @@ NOTE: We currently do not support the aarch64 architecture for Windows.
 [[java-executable]]
 === Java Executable
 
+The Java executable is a jar that can be executed directly on macOS, Linux, and Windows.
+
+It requires `java` to be installed, and available on `$PATH`.
+
+[tabs]
+====
+macOS/Linux::
++
 [source,shell]
 [subs="+attributes"]
 ----
@@ -209,6 +216,16 @@ chmod +x jpkl
 ./jpkl --version
 ----
 
+Windows::
++
+[source,PowerShell]
+[subs="+attributes"]
+----
+Invoke-WebRequest '{uri-pkl-java-download}' -OutFile jpkl.bat
+.\jpkl --version
+----
+====
+
 This should print something similar to:
 
 [source,shell]
@@ -217,8 +234,7 @@ This should print something similar to:
 Pkl {pkl-version} (macOS 14.2, Java 17.0.10)
 ----
 
-NOTE: The Java executable does not work as an executable file on Windows.
-However, it will work as a jar, for example, with `java -jar jpkl`.
+NOTE: The Java executable is named `jpkl`.
 
 [[usage]]
 == Usage
@@ -721,8 +737,6 @@ Type :help or :examples for more information.
 pkl>
 ----
 
-NOTE: The Java executable is named `jpkl`.
-
 === Loading Modules
 
 To load <<config.pkl,`config.pkl`>> into the REPL, run:
diff --git a/pkl-cli/pkl-cli.gradle.kts b/pkl-cli/pkl-cli.gradle.kts
index 27967f1a..d597821c 100644
--- a/pkl-cli/pkl-cli.gradle.kts
+++ b/pkl-cli/pkl-cli.gradle.kts
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ publishing {
         description.set(
           """
           Pkl CLI executable for Java.
-          Can be executed directly on *nix (if the `java` command is found on the PATH) and with `java -jar` otherwise.
+          Can be executed directly, or with `java -jar <path/to/jpkl>`.
           Requires Java 17 or higher.
         """
             .trimIndent()