diff --git a/CHANGELOG.adoc b/CHANGELOG.adoc
index a5a4284607bdc9c39b3f94f085d1c49168a9879a..611d9eff4fb066b2c2a387671b6996521e543fac 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.adoc
+++ b/CHANGELOG.adoc
@@ -9,12 +9,15 @@ For a detailed view of what's changed, refer to the {url-repo}/commits[commit hi
 === Changed
 
 * exclude `env` property when exporting playbook to json or yaml (#32)
+* replace forward slashes in command with backslashes when running on Windows (#33)
+* only prepend `./` (*nix) or `.\` (Windows) to bare command (command without any directory segments)
 
 === Fixed
 
 * account for null value on env key or env entry
 * account for `on_failure` key name (snake_case) on run entry when using Antora 3.2.0
 * preserve command with absolute path when run.local option is true (#34)
+* resolve correct path ext (using where) when running command on Windows without shell (#33)
 
 == 1.0.0-beta.1 (2024-08-08)
 
diff --git a/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/configuration-keys.adoc b/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/configuration-keys.adoc
index ae3c5e6b36ff9bddf1523574c75defaffe431dfa..4801cc2a7b56d9eb08cc22c61f7a54d9f06f3915 100644
--- a/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/configuration-keys.adoc
+++ b/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/configuration-keys.adoc
@@ -212,6 +212,10 @@ If the `shell` key is set to `true` (default: `false`), then the command will be
 In this case, all arguments that contain reserved shell characters need to be quoted (e.g, `"console.log(1)"`).
 The command may also contain references to environment variables (including those defined on the command) (e.g., `$NODE`).
 
+When the `shell` key is not `true` and the command has no file extension (e.g., `gradlew`), on Windows, Collector will search for a file that ends in _.exe_, _.bat_, or _.cmd_ (in that order).
+If it finds a match, it will invoke that file instead.
+This is the default behavior in Windows when running in a shell.
+
 The value of the `command` key may include context variable expressions.
 The `env` context variable includes all environment variables added by the `env` key.
 
diff --git a/packages/collector-extension/lib/util/run-command.js b/packages/collector-extension/lib/util/run-command.js
index 74baf42603aeb8188f9239d943475611d0f74f45..ae604af024bb70ba6d68aa6f5e93413b54ddc809 100644
--- a/packages/collector-extension/lib/util/run-command.js
+++ b/packages/collector-extension/lib/util/run-command.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ const fs = require('node:fs')
 const { promises: fsp } = fs
 const ospath = require('node:path')
 const parseCommand = require('./parse-command')
-const { spawn } = require('node:child_process')
+const { spawn, execFile } = require('node:child_process')
 
 const invariably = { true: () => true, false: () => false }
 
@@ -12,25 +12,49 @@ const IS_WIN = process.platform === 'win32'
 const ENV_NAME_RX = /\$(\w+)/g
 
 async function runCommand (cmd = '', opts = {}) {
-  let cmdv = parseCommand(String(cmd), { preserveQuotes: opts.shell })
+  const shell = opts.shell
+  let cmdv = parseCommand(String(cmd), { preserveQuotes: shell })
   if (!cmdv.length) throw new TypeError('Command not specified')
-  const cmd0 = cmdv[0]
+  let cmd0 = cmdv[0]
   const { quiet, local, ...spawnOpts } = opts
   if (IS_WIN) {
-    if (local) {
-      if (!(cmd0.endsWith('.bat') || cmd0.endsWith('.cmd'))) {
-        const absCmd0 = ospath.isAbsolute(cmd0) ? ospath.normalize(cmd0) : ospath.join(opts.cwd || '', cmd0)
-        if (await fsp.access(absCmd0 + '.bat').then(invariably.true, invariably.false)) {
-          cmdv[0] = absCmd0 + '.bat'
-        } else if (await fsp.access(absCmd0 + '.cmd').then(invariably.true, invariably.false)) {
-          cmdv[0] = absCmd0 + '.cmd'
+    if (~cmd0.indexOf('/')) cmdv[0] = cmd0 = cmd0.replace(/[/]/g, ospath.sep)
+    if (shell) {
+      cmdv = cmdv.map((it) => (~it.indexOf('$') ? it.replace(ENV_NAME_RX, '%$1%') : it))
+    } else {
+      const bare = !~cmd0.indexOf(ospath.sep)
+      if (ospath.extname(cmd)) {
+        if (bare && local) cmdv[0] = '.' + ospath.sep + cmd0
+      } else {
+        if (bare && !local) {
+          cmdv[0] = await new Promise((resolve) => {
+            execFile('where', [cmd0 + '.???'], { cwd: opts.cwd, windowsHide: true }, (_, results) => {
+              if (!(results = results.trimEnd())) return resolve(cmd0)
+              const exts = results.split('\r\n', 2).reduce((accum, it) => {
+                const ext = ospath.extname(it)
+                if (ext) accum[ext.slice(1)] = ext
+                return accum
+              }, {})
+              resolve(cmd0 + (exts.exe || exts.bat || exts.cmd || ''))
+            })
+          })
+        } else {
+          let absCmd0 = cmd0
+          if (!ospath.isAbsolute(absCmd0)) {
+            absCmd0 = ospath.join(opts.cwd || '', cmd0)
+            if (bare) cmdv[0] = cmd0 = '.' + ospath.sep + cmd0
+          }
+          for (const resolvedExt of ['.exe', '.bat', '.cmd']) {
+            if (!(await fsp.access(absCmd0 + resolvedExt).then(invariably.true, invariably.false))) continue
+            cmdv[0] = cmd0 + resolvedExt
+            break
+          }
         }
       }
     }
-    if (opts.shell) cmdv = cmdv.map((it) => (~it.indexOf('$') ? it.replace(ENV_NAME_RX, '%$1%') : it))
     Object.assign(spawnOpts, { windowsHide: true, windowsVerbatimArguments: false })
   } else if (local && !~cmd0.indexOf('/')) {
-    cmdv[0] = `./${cmd0}`
+    cmdv[0] = './' + cmd0
   }
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     const stderr = []
diff --git a/packages/collector-extension/test/collector-extension-test.js b/packages/collector-extension/test/collector-extension-test.js
index 8656b39b3c48872d8e9c8d27cbf40fcd17220ac8..c6a8cf95556cd2a98ca7d0c1eb3e2e9ea9bb7837 100644
--- a/packages/collector-extension/test/collector-extension-test.js
+++ b/packages/collector-extension/test/collector-extension-test.js
@@ -655,7 +655,7 @@ describe('collector extension', () => {
       })
     })
 
-    it('should run specified local executable command if command begins with ./', async () => {
+    it('should run specified local command if command begins with ./', async () => {
       const collectorConfig = {
         run: { command: './.gen-start-page' },
         scan: { dir: 'build' },
@@ -670,7 +670,7 @@ describe('collector extension', () => {
       })
     })
 
-    it('should run specified local executable command if local option is true', async () => {
+    it('should run specified local command if local option is true', async () => {
       const collectorConfig = {
         run: { command: '.gen-start-page', local: true },
         scan: { dir: 'build' },
@@ -685,9 +685,9 @@ describe('collector extension', () => {
       })
     })
 
-    it('should run specified local executable command in parent directory', async () => {
+    it('should run specified local command in parent directory', async () => {
       const collectorConfig = {
-        run: { command: '../.gen-docs-start-page', local: true, dir: '.' },
+        run: { command: '../.gen-docs-start-page', dir: '.' },
         scan: { dir: 'build/docs' },
       }
       await runScenario({
@@ -701,7 +701,7 @@ describe('collector extension', () => {
       })
     })
 
-    it('should run specified local executable command with absolute path if local option is true', async () => {
+    it('should run specified command with absolute path even if local option is true', async () => {
       const collectorConfig = {
         run: { command: '$' + '{{origin.collectorWorktree}}/.gen-start-page', local: true },
         scan: { dir: 'build' },
@@ -1385,6 +1385,21 @@ describe('collector extension', () => {
       })
     })
 
+    it('should allow local command with spaces to be run in default shell', async () => {
+      const collectorConfig = {
+        run: { command: '".gen start page"', local: true, shell: true },
+        scan: { dir: 'build' },
+      }
+      await runScenario({
+        repoName: 'test-at-root',
+        collectorConfig,
+        after: (contentAggregate) => {
+          expect(contentAggregate[0].files).to.have.lengthOf(1)
+          expect(contentAggregate[0].files[0].path).to.equal('modules/ROOT/pages/index.adoc')
+        },
+      })
+    })
+
     it('should set NODE environment variable even if value of env key has no entries', async () => {
       const node = process.env.NODE
       try {
@@ -1856,6 +1871,17 @@ describe('collector extension', () => {
       )
     })
 
+    it('should throw error if local command is not found', async () => {
+      const collectorConfig = { run: { command: 'no-such-command', local: true } }
+      const expectedMessage =
+        `(@antora/collector-extension): Command not found: .${ospath.sep}no-such-command in ` +
+        `http://localhost:${gitServerPort}/test-at-root/.git (branch: main)`
+      expect(await trapAsyncError(() => runScenario({ repoName: 'test-at-root', collectorConfig }))).to.throw(
+        Error,
+        expectedMessage
+      )
+    })
+
     it('should throw error if command is not found for origin with start path', async () => {
       const collectorConfig = { run: { command: 'no-such-command' } }
       const expectedMessage =
diff --git a/packages/collector-extension/test/fixtures/test-at-root/.gen start page b/packages/collector-extension/test/fixtures/test-at-root/.gen start page
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..20b14c7d9ad5b8cf18f88d823268bbafe3e19dac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/collector-extension/test/fixtures/test-at-root/.gen start page	
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+"$NODE" .gen-start-page.js
diff --git a/packages/collector-extension/test/fixtures/test-at-root/.gen start page.cmd b/packages/collector-extension/test/fixtures/test-at-root/.gen start page.cmd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..d6a99add3c176d9b0e2ede3358ff192eaa39e210
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/collector-extension/test/fixtures/test-at-root/.gen start page.cmd	
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+@echo off
+
+"%NODE%" .gen-start-page.js
diff --git a/packages/collector-extension/test/fixtures/test-batch-script/docs/antora.yml b/packages/collector-extension/test/fixtures/test-batch-script/docs/antora.yml
index e98bbb72c336dba89403bf7f13ebea968f7a59f4..32d2defc0779676bb818835b410b433f1cc3f103 100644
--- a/packages/collector-extension/test/fixtures/test-batch-script/docs/antora.yml
+++ b/packages/collector-extension/test/fixtures/test-batch-script/docs/antora.yml
@@ -3,6 +3,5 @@ version: '${project.version}'
 ext:
   collector:
     run:
-      command: mvnw process-resources
-      local: true
+      command: ./mvnw process-resources
     scan: target/docs