diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 28f01780..3c2034d3 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ RUN easy-add --var os=${TARGETOS} --var arch=${TARGETARCH}${TARGETVARIANT} \
   --var version=0.1.1 --var app=maven-metadata-release --file {{.app}} \
   --from https://github.com/itzg/{{.app}}/releases/download/{{.version}}/{{.app}}_{{.version}}_{{.os}}_{{.arch}}.tar.gz
 
-ARG MC_HELPER_VERSION=1.29.2
+ARG MC_HELPER_VERSION=1.30.1
 ARG MC_HELPER_BASE_URL=https://github.com/itzg/mc-image-helper/releases/download/${MC_HELPER_VERSION}
 # used for cache busting local copy of mc-image-helper
 ARG MC_HELPER_REV=1
diff --git a/scripts/start-deployFolia b/scripts/start-deployFolia
index 9675958b..0ee5bcc8 100644
--- a/scripts/start-deployFolia
+++ b/scripts/start-deployFolia
@@ -8,4 +8,4 @@ if [[ $FOLIABUILD ]]; then
   export PAPERBUILD="$FOLIABUILD"
 fi
 
-PAPER_PROJECT="folia" PAPER_NAME="FoliaMC" exec ${SCRIPTS:-/}start-deployPaper "$@"
+PAPER_PROJECT="folia" PAPER_NAME="FoliaMC" exec "${SCRIPTS:-/}start-deployPaper" "$@"
diff --git a/scripts/start-deployPaper b/scripts/start-deployPaper
index b4fa1fe3..e359bee3 100755
--- a/scripts/start-deployPaper
+++ b/scripts/start-deployPaper
@@ -5,79 +5,48 @@
 set -o pipefail
 handleDebugMode
 
+: "${PAPER_PROJECT:=paper}"
+: "${PAPERBUILD:=}"
+: "${PAPER_DOWNLOAD_URL:=}"
 : "${PAPER_CUSTOM_JAR:=}"
 
-ourScript="$0"
-ourArgs=("$@")
-
-# Check if we're running Folia.
-if [[ -z $PAPER_PROJECT ]]; then
-  PAPER_PROJECT="paper"
-  PAPER_NAME="PaperMC"
-fi
-
-function handleMissingVersion() {
-  expectedVersion=${VANILLA_VERSION}
-  versions=$(curl -fsSL "https://papermc.io/api/v2/projects/${PAPER_PROJECT}" -H  "accept: application/json")
-  if [[ $VERSION = LATEST ]]; then
-    tries=0
-    while ((tries++ < 5)); do
-      VANILLA_VERSION=$(echo "$versions" | jq -r ".versions[$((- tries))]")
-      if [[ $(curl -fsSL "https://papermc.io/api/v2/projects/${PAPER_PROJECT}/versions/${VANILLA_VERSION}" -H  "accept: application/json" \
-               | jq '.builds[-1]') != null ]]; then
-        log "WARN: using ${VANILLA_VERSION} since that's the latest provided by ${PAPER_NAME}"
-        # re-execute the current script with the newly computed version
-        exec "$ourScript" "${ourArgs[@]}"
-     fi
-   done
-  fi
-  log "ERROR: ${expectedVersion} is not published by ${PAPER_NAME}"
-  log "       Set VERSION to one of the following: "
-  log "       $(echo "$versions" | jq -r '.versions | join(", ")')"
-  exit 1
-}
-
+resultsFile=/data/.paper.env
 if [[ $PAPER_CUSTOM_JAR ]]; then
   export SERVER="$PAPER_CUSTOM_JAR"
 elif [[ $PAPER_DOWNLOAD_URL ]]; then
-  SERVER=$(getFilenameFromUrl "${PAPER_DOWNLOAD_URL}")
-  export SERVER
-
-  log "Downloading custom ${PAPER_NAME} jar from $PAPER_DOWNLOAD_URL"
-  if ! mc-image-helper mcopy \
-    --scope=papermc \
-    --to=/data \
-    "${PAPER_DOWNLOAD_URL}"; then
-    echo "ERROR: failed to download ${PAPER_NAME} from $PAPER_DOWNLOAD_URL"
-    exit 1
+  if ! mc-image-helper install-paper \
+    --output-directory=/data \
+    --results-file="$resultsFile" \
+    --url="$PAPER_DOWNLOAD_URL}"; then
+      log "ERROR: failed to download from custom PaperMC URL"
+      exit 1
   fi
+  # grab SERVER and export it
+  set -a
+  # shellcheck disable=SC1090
+  source "${resultsFile}"
+  set +a
 
 else
-  # Paper API v2 docs : https://papermc.io/api/docs/swagger-ui/index.html?configUrl=/api/openapi/swagger-config
-
-  if ! build=${PAPERBUILD:=$(get --json-path=".builds[-1]" "https://papermc.io/api/v2/projects/${PAPER_PROJECT}/versions/${VANILLA_VERSION}")}; then
-    log "ERROR: failed to lookup build number for ${PAPER_NAME} version=${VANILLA_VERSION}"
-    exit 1
+  args=(
+    --output-directory=/data
+    --results-file="$resultsFile"
+    --project="$PAPER_PROJECT"
+    --version="$VERSION"
+  )
+  if [[ $PAPERBUILD ]]; then
+    args+=(--build="$PAPERBUILD")
   fi
-
-  if [[ $build = null ]]; then
-    handleMissingVersion
+  if ! mc-image-helper install-paper "${args[@]}"; then
+      log "ERROR: failed to download $PAPER_PROJECT"
+      exit 1
   fi
+  # grab SERVER and export it
+  set -a
+  # shellcheck disable=SC1090
+  source "${resultsFile}"
+  set +a
 
-  if ! SERVER=$(get --json-path=.downloads.application.name "https://papermc.io/api/v2/projects/${PAPER_PROJECT}/versions/${VANILLA_VERSION}/builds/${build}"); then
-    echo "ERROR: failed to lookup ${PAPER_NAME} download file from version=${VANILLA_VERSION} build=${build}"
-    exit 1
-  fi
-  export SERVER
-
-  log "Downloading ${PAPER_NAME} $VANILLA_VERSION (build $build) ..."
-  if ! mc-image-helper mcopy \
-    --scope=papermc \
-    --to=/data \
-    "https://papermc.io/api/v2/projects/${PAPER_PROJECT}/versions/${VANILLA_VERSION}/builds/${build}/downloads/${SERVER}"; then
-    echo "ERROR: failed to download ${PAPER_NAME} from version=${VANILLA_VERSION} build=${build} download=${SERVER}"
-    exit 1
-  fi
 fi
 
 # Normalize on Spigot for downstream operations