diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f7eb440..dc9c99b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ sh ~/nvim-config/bootstrap.sh
 ```bash
 sudo mkdir -p /etc/portage/package.use
 printf '%s\n' 'net-libs/nodejs npm' | sudo tee /etc/portage/package.use/nvim-config-nodejs
-sudo emerge --ask dev-vcs/git app-editors/neovim net-libs/nodejs sys-apps/ripgrep sys-apps/fd
+sudo emerge --ask dev-vcs/git app-editors/neovim net-libs/nodejs sys-apps/ripgrep
 ```
 
 Then run:
@@ -68,6 +68,8 @@ Then run:
 sh ~/nvim-config/bootstrap.sh
 ```
 
+If `sys-apps/fd` is unavailable or its distfile is broken, the bootstrap script will try `cargo install fd-find` and place `fd` in `/usr/local/bin`.
+
 ## Notes
 
 - First run downloads plugins through `lazy.nvim`.
@@ -75,3 +77,4 @@ sh ~/nvim-config/bootstrap.sh
 - Out of the box it covers C, C++, Rust, Bash, Lua, JSON, YAML, Markdown, JavaScript, TypeScript, and GLSL.
 - Shader extensions like `.vert`, `.frag`, `.comp`, `.geom`, `.rgen`, `.rchit`, `.rmiss`, `.rint`, and `.rcall` are treated as GLSL.
 - `nodejs`/`npm` are required so Mason can install the JS/TS/YAML/JSON tooling.
+- On Gentoo, `fd` is installed by Portage if possible; otherwise the bootstrap script falls back to `cargo install fd-find`.
diff --git a/bootstrap.sh b/bootstrap.sh
index 0ce6413..bd47aae 100755
--- a/bootstrap.sh
+++ b/bootstrap.sh
@@ -4,6 +4,30 @@ set -eu
 
 repo_dir=$(CDPATH= cd -- "$(dirname -- "$0")" && pwd)
 
+install_fd() {
+	if command -v fd >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+		return
+	fi
+
+	if command -v emerge >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+		if sudo emerge --ask sys-apps/fd; then
+			return
+		fi
+		echo 'Gentoo fd package failed; trying cargo fallback.' >&2
+	fi
+
+	if command -v cargo >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+		tmpdir=$(mktemp -d)
+		cargo install --locked --root "$tmpdir" fd-find
+		sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/bin
+		sudo install -m 755 "$tmpdir/bin/fd" /usr/local/bin/fd
+		rm -rf "$tmpdir"
+		return
+	fi
+
+	echo 'fd not installed; install sys-apps/fd or cargo manually.' >&2
+}
+
 install_deps() {
 	if command -v apt-get >/dev/null 2>&1; then
 		sudo apt-get update
@@ -19,7 +43,8 @@ install_deps() {
 	if command -v emerge >/dev/null 2>&1; then
 		sudo mkdir -p /etc/portage/package.use
 		printf '%s\n' 'net-libs/nodejs npm' | sudo tee /etc/portage/package.use/nvim-config-nodejs >/dev/null
-		sudo emerge --ask dev-vcs/git app-editors/neovim net-libs/nodejs sys-apps/ripgrep sys-apps/fd
+		sudo emerge --ask dev-vcs/git app-editors/neovim net-libs/nodejs sys-apps/ripgrep
+		install_fd
 		return
 	fi