diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 2e60daf63b..f8a76501b6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
           sudo apt update || true
-          sudo apt install zlib1g-dev:i386 libssl-dev:i386
+          sudo apt install zlib1g-dev:i386
           ldd librust_g.so
           ldd libbapi_dmm_reader.so
           ldd libverdigris.so
diff --git a/code/__defines/assets.dm b/code/__defines/assets.dm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bec54e1e54
--- /dev/null
+++ b/code/__defines/assets.dm
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#define ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_CACHE_DIRECTORY "data/spritesheets/legacy_cache"
+#define ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_SMART_CACHE_DIRECTORY "data/spritesheets/smart_cache"
+
+/// When sending mutiple assets, how many before we give the client a quaint little sending resources message
+#define ASSET_CACHE_TELL_CLIENT_AMOUNT 8
+
+/// How many assets can be sent at once during legacy asset transport
+#define SLOW_ASSET_SEND_RATE 6
+
+/// Constructs a universal icon. This is done in the same manner as the icon() BYOND proc.
+/// "color" will not do anything if a transform is provided. Blend it yourself or use color_transform().
+/// Do note that transforms are NOT COPIED, and are internally lists. So take care not to re-use transforms.
+/// This is a DEFINE for performance reasons.
+/// Parameters (in order):
+/// icon_file, icon_state, dir, frame, transform, color
+#define uni_icon(I, icon_state, rest...) new /datum/universal_icon(I, icon_state, ##rest)
diff --git a/code/__defines/is_helpers.dm b/code/__defines/is_helpers.dm
index fff94f906e..f56b590be9 100644
--- a/code/__defines/is_helpers.dm
+++ b/code/__defines/is_helpers.dm
@@ -71,3 +71,6 @@
 
 // Diveable water
 #define isdiveablewater(A)	istype(A, /turf/simulated/floor/water/deep/ocean/diving)
+
+/// NaN isn't a number, damn it. Infinity is a problem too.
+#define isnum_safe(x) ( isnum((x)) && !isnan((x)) && !isinf((x)) )
diff --git a/code/_helpers/_lists.dm b/code/_helpers/_lists.dm
index b71b20e037..babe0b58d2 100644
--- a/code/_helpers/_lists.dm
+++ b/code/_helpers/_lists.dm
@@ -960,3 +960,18 @@ var/global/list/json_cache = list()
 				return_list += bit
 
 	return return_list
+
+/// A version of deep_copy_list that actually supports associative list nesting: list(list(list("a" = "b"))) will actually copy correctly.
+/proc/deep_copy_list_alt(list/inserted_list)
+	if(!islist(inserted_list))
+		return inserted_list
+	var/copied_list = inserted_list.Copy()
+	. = copied_list
+	for(var/key_or_value in inserted_list)
+		if(isnum_safe(key_or_value) || !inserted_list[key_or_value])
+			continue
+		var/value = inserted_list[key_or_value]
+		var/new_value = value
+		if(islist(value))
+			new_value = deep_copy_list_alt(value)
+		copied_list[key_or_value] = new_value
diff --git a/code/controllers/configuration/entries/resources.dm b/code/controllers/configuration/entries/resources.dm
index 475cb8ca70..8623f4d75c 100644
--- a/code/controllers/configuration/entries/resources.dm
+++ b/code/controllers/configuration/entries/resources.dm
@@ -8,4 +8,6 @@
 
 /datum/config_entry/flag/cache_assets
 
+/datum/config_entry/flag/smart_cache_assets
+
 /datum/config_entry/flag/save_spritesheets
diff --git a/code/controllers/subsystems/asset_loading.dm b/code/controllers/subsystems/asset_loading.dm
index 2d2939de4b..ecdf406894 100644
--- a/code/controllers/subsystems/asset_loading.dm
+++ b/code/controllers/subsystems/asset_loading.dm
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ SUBSYSTEM_DEF(asset_loading)
 	flags = SS_NO_INIT
 	runlevels = RUNLEVEL_LOBBY|RUNLEVELS_DEFAULT
 	var/list/datum/asset/generate_queue = list()
+	var/last_queue_len = 0
 
 /datum/controller/subsystem/asset_loading/fire(resumed)
 	while(length(generate_queue))
@@ -16,7 +17,12 @@ SUBSYSTEM_DEF(asset_loading)
 
 		if(MC_TICK_CHECK)
 			return
+		last_queue_len = length(generate_queue)
 		generate_queue.len--
+	// We just emptied the queue
+	if(last_queue_len && !length(generate_queue))
+		// Clean up cached icons, freeing memory.
+		rustg_iconforge_cleanup()
 
 /datum/controller/subsystem/asset_loading/proc/queue_asset(datum/asset/queue)
 #ifdef DO_NOT_DEFER_ASSETS
diff --git a/code/modules/admin/admin_verb_lists.dm b/code/modules/admin/admin_verb_lists.dm
index 44f5c6e1ca..854f1d0d99 100644
--- a/code/modules/admin/admin_verb_lists.dm
+++ b/code/modules/admin/admin_verb_lists.dm
@@ -236,6 +236,8 @@ var/list/admin_verbs_debug = list(
 	/client/proc/show_gm_status,
 	/datum/admins/proc/change_weather,
 	/datum/admins/proc/change_time,
+	/client/proc/cmd_regenerate_asset_cache,
+	/client/proc/cmd_clear_smart_asset_cache,
 	/client/proc/admin_give_modifier,
 	/client/proc/simple_DPS,
 	/datum/admins/proc/view_feedback,
@@ -390,6 +392,8 @@ var/list/admin_verbs_event_manager = list(
 	/proc/release,
 	/datum/admins/proc/change_weather,
 	/datum/admins/proc/change_time,
+	/client/proc/cmd_regenerate_asset_cache,
+	/client/proc/cmd_clear_smart_asset_cache,
 	/client/proc/admin_give_modifier,
 	/client/proc/Jump,
 	/client/proc/jumptomob,
@@ -417,6 +421,8 @@ var/list/admin_verbs_event_manager = list(
 	/client/proc/show_gm_status,
 	/datum/admins/proc/change_weather,
 	/datum/admins/proc/change_time,
+	/client/proc/cmd_regenerate_asset_cache,
+	/client/proc/cmd_clear_smart_asset_cache,
 	/client/proc/admin_give_modifier,
 	/datum/admins/proc/cmd_admin_dress,
 	/client/proc/cmd_admin_gib_self,
diff --git a/code/modules/admin/admin_verb_lists_vr.dm b/code/modules/admin/admin_verb_lists_vr.dm
index 04831c5bf3..bebed4393d 100644
--- a/code/modules/admin/admin_verb_lists_vr.dm
+++ b/code/modules/admin/admin_verb_lists_vr.dm
@@ -281,6 +281,8 @@ var/list/admin_verbs_debug = list(
 	/datum/admins/proc/set_uplink, //VOREStation Add,
 	/datum/admins/proc/change_weather,
 	/datum/admins/proc/change_time,
+	/client/proc/cmd_regenerate_asset_cache,
+	/client/proc/cmd_clear_smart_asset_cache,
 	/client/proc/admin_give_modifier,
 	/client/proc/simple_DPS,
 	/datum/admins/proc/view_feedback,
@@ -453,6 +455,8 @@ var/list/admin_verbs_event_manager = list(
 	/proc/release,
 	/datum/admins/proc/change_weather,
 	/datum/admins/proc/change_time,
+	/client/proc/cmd_regenerate_asset_cache,
+	/client/proc/cmd_clear_smart_asset_cache,
 	/client/proc/admin_give_modifier,
 	/client/proc/Jump,
 	/client/proc/jumptomob,
@@ -480,6 +484,8 @@ var/list/admin_verbs_event_manager = list(
 	// /client/proc/show_gm_status,  // VOREStation Edit - We don't use SSgame_master yet.
 	/datum/admins/proc/change_weather,
 	/datum/admins/proc/change_time,
+	/client/proc/cmd_regenerate_asset_cache,
+	/client/proc/cmd_clear_smart_asset_cache,
 	/client/proc/admin_give_modifier,
 	/datum/admins/proc/cmd_admin_dress,
 	/client/proc/cmd_admin_gib_self,
diff --git a/code/modules/admin/verbs/debug.dm b/code/modules/admin/verbs/debug.dm
index 6033bfc205..31328025b5 100644
--- a/code/modules/admin/verbs/debug.dm
+++ b/code/modules/admin/verbs/debug.dm
@@ -695,3 +695,36 @@
 				var/log = "[key_name(src)] changed [planet.name]'s time to [planet.current_time.show_time("hh:mm")]."
 				message_admins(log)
 				log_admin(log)
+
+/client/proc/cmd_regenerate_asset_cache()
+	set category = "Debug.Assets"
+	set name = "Regenerate Asset Cache"
+	set desc = "Clears the asset cache and regenerates it immediately."
+	if(!CONFIG_GET(flag/cache_assets))
+		to_chat(usr, span_warning("Asset caching is disabled in the config!"))
+		return
+	var/regenerated = 0
+	for(var/datum/asset/A as() in subtypesof(/datum/asset))
+		if(!initial(A.cross_round_cachable))
+			continue
+		if(A == initial(A._abstract))
+			continue
+		var/datum/asset/asset_datum = GLOB.asset_datums[A]
+		asset_datum.regenerate()
+		regenerated++
+	to_chat(usr, span_notice("Regenerated [regenerated] asset\s."))
+
+/client/proc/cmd_clear_smart_asset_cache()
+	set category = "Debug.Assets"
+	set name = "Clear Smart Asset Cache"
+	set desc = "Clears the smart asset cache."
+	if(!CONFIG_GET(flag/smart_cache_assets))
+		to_chat(usr, span_warning("Smart asset caching is disabled in the config!"))
+		return
+	var/cleared = 0
+	for(var/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/A as() in subtypesof(/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched))
+		if(A == initial(A._abstract))
+			continue
+		fdel("[ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_SMART_CACHE_DIRECTORY]/spritesheet_cache.[initial(A.name)].json")
+		cleared++
+	to_chat(usr, span_notice("Cleared [cleared] asset\s."))
diff --git a/code/modules/asset_cache/asset_cache_item.dm b/code/modules/asset_cache/asset_cache_item.dm
index ad4596bded..dbee71b525 100644
--- a/code/modules/asset_cache/asset_cache_item.dm
+++ b/code/modules/asset_cache/asset_cache_item.dm
@@ -28,22 +28,28 @@
 ///pass in a valid file_hash if you have one to save it from needing to do it again.
 ///pass in a valid dmi file path string e.g. "icons/path/to/dmi_file.dmi" to make generating the hash less expensive
 /datum/asset_cache_item/New(name, file, file_hash, dmi_file_path)
-	if (!isfile(file))
+	if(!isfile(file))
 		file = fcopy_rsc(file)
 
-	hash = file_hash
+	if(length(file) == 0)
+		log_asset("WARNING: [name] is an empty file, this is almost certainly not intended and could indicate a bad boot!")
+		message_admins("ASSET WARNING: [name] is an empty file, this is almost certainly not intended and could indicate a bad boot!")
 
+	hash = file_hash
 	//the given file is directly from a dmi file and is thus in the rsc already, we know that its file_hash will be correct
 	if(!hash)
 		if(dmi_file_path)
 			hash = md5(file)
 		else
 			hash = md5asfile(file) //icons sent to the rsc md5 incorrectly when theyre given incorrect data
-	if (!hash)
-		CRASH("invalid asset sent to asset cache")
+	if(!hash)
+		hash = md5(fcopy_rsc(file))
+		if (!hash)
+			CRASH("invalid asset sent to asset cache")
+		log_debug("asset cache unexpected success of second fcopy_rsc")
 	src.name = name
 	var/extstart = findlasttext(name, ".")
-	if (extstart)
+	if(extstart)
 		ext = ".[copytext(name, extstart+1)]"
 	resource = file
 
diff --git a/code/modules/asset_cache/asset_list.dm b/code/modules/asset_cache/asset_list.dm
index bdc062e066..d3c75b77e6 100644
--- a/code/modules/asset_cache/asset_list.dm
+++ b/code/modules/asset_cache/asset_list.dm
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-#define ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_CACHE_DIRECTORY "cache/assets"
-
 //These datums are used to populate the asset cache, the proc "register()" does this.
 //Place any asset datums you create in asset_list_items.dm
 
@@ -20,15 +18,15 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 	var/cached_serialized_url_mappings
 	var/cached_serialized_url_mappings_transport_type
 
-	/// Whether or not this asset should be loaded in the "early assets" SS
-	var/early = FALSE
-
 	/// Whether or not this asset can be cached across rounds of the same commit under the `CACHE_ASSETS` config.
 	/// This is not a *guarantee* the asset will be cached. Not all asset subtypes respect this field, and the
 	/// config can, of course, be disabled.
 	/// Disable this if your asset can change between rounds on the same exact version of the code.
 	var/cross_round_cachable = FALSE
 
+	/// Whether or not this asset should be loaded in the "early assets" SS
+	var/early = FALSE
+
 /datum/asset/New()
 	GLOB.asset_datums[type] = src
 	register()
@@ -63,6 +61,19 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 /datum/asset/proc/should_refresh()
 	return !cross_round_cachable || !CONFIG_GET(flag/cache_assets)
 
+/// Immediately regenerate the asset, overwriting any cache.
+/datum/asset/proc/regenerate()
+	SHOULD_CALL_PARENT(FALSE)
+	unregister()
+	cached_serialized_url_mappings = null
+	cached_serialized_url_mappings_transport_type = null
+	register()
+
+/// Unregisters any assets from the transport.
+/datum/asset/proc/unregister()
+	SHOULD_CALL_PARENT(FALSE)
+	CRASH("unregister() not implemented for asset [type]!")
+
 /// Simply takes any generated file and saves it to the round-specific /logs folder. Useful for debugging potential issues with spritesheet generation/display.
 /// Only called when the SAVE_SPRITESHEETS config option is uncommented.
 /datum/asset/proc/save_to_logs(file_name, file_location)
@@ -86,12 +97,12 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 /datum/asset/simple/register()
 	for(var/asset_name in assets)
 		var/datum/asset_cache_item/ACI = SSassets.transport.register_asset(asset_name, assets[asset_name])
-		if (!ACI)
+		if(!istype(ACI))
 			log_asset("ERROR: Invalid asset: [type]:[asset_name]:[ACI]")
 			continue
-		if (legacy)
+		if(legacy)
 			ACI.legacy = legacy
-		if (keep_local_name)
+		if(keep_local_name)
 			ACI.keep_local_name = keep_local_name
 		assets[asset_name] = ACI
 
@@ -103,6 +114,7 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 	for (var/asset_name in assets)
 		.[asset_name] = SSassets.transport.get_asset_url(asset_name, assets[asset_name])
 
+
 // For registering or sending multiple others at once
 /datum/asset/group
 	_abstract = /datum/asset/group
@@ -123,6 +135,11 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 		var/datum/asset/A = get_asset_datum(type)
 		. += A.get_url_mappings()
 
+/datum/asset/group/unregister()
+	for(var/type in children)
+		var/datum/asset/A = get_asset_datum(type)
+		A.unregister()
+
 // spritesheet implementation - coalesces various icons into a single .png file
 // and uses CSS to select icons out of that file - saves on transferring some
 // 1400-odd individual PNG files
@@ -147,9 +164,10 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 	/// If this asset should be fully loaded on new
 	/// Defaults to false so we can process this stuff nicely
 	var/load_immediately = FALSE
-	VAR_PRIVATE
-		// Kept in state so that the result is the same, even when the files are created, for this run
-		should_refresh = null
+	/// Allows resizing all icons it comes across by a multiplier (32x32 * 2 = 64x64)
+	var/resize = 1
+	/// If this asset should CRASH or ignore when duplicate sprite keys are added
+	var/duplicates_allowed = FALSE
 
 /datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/should_load_immediately()
 #ifdef DO_NOT_DEFER_ASSETS
@@ -158,28 +176,58 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 	return load_immediately
 #endif
 
-
 /datum/asset/spritesheet/should_refresh()
 	if (..())
 		return TRUE
 
+	// Static so that the result is the same, even when the files are created, for this run
+	var/static/should_refresh = null
+
 	if (isnull(should_refresh))
 		// `fexists` seems to always fail on static-time
-		should_refresh = !fexists(css_cache_filename()) || !fexists(data_cache_filename())
+		should_refresh = !fexists("[ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_CACHE_DIRECTORY]/spritesheet.[name].css")
 
 	return should_refresh
 
+/datum/asset/spritesheet/unregister()
+	SSassets.transport.unregister_asset("spritesheet_[name].css")
+	if(length(sizes))
+		for(var/size_id in sizes)
+			SSassets.transport.unregister_asset("[name]_[size_id].png")
+	else
+		for(var/sheet in cached_spritesheets_needed)
+			SSassets.transport.unregister_asset(sheet)
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet/regenerate()
+	unregister()
+	sprites = list()
+	fdel("[ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_CACHE_DIRECTORY]/spritesheet.[name].css")
+	for(var/sheet in cached_spritesheets_needed)
+		fdel("[ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_CACHE_DIRECTORY]/spritesheet.[sheet].png")
+	fdel("data/spritesheets/spritesheet_[name].css")
+	for(var/size_id in sizes)
+		fdel("data/spritesheets/[name]_[size_id].png")
+	sizes = list()
+	to_generate = list()
+	cached_serialized_url_mappings = null
+	cached_serialized_url_mappings_transport_type = null
+	fully_generated = FALSE
+	var/old_load = load_immediately
+	load_immediately = TRUE
+	create_spritesheets()
+	realize_spritesheets(yield = FALSE)
+	load_immediately = old_load
+
 /datum/asset/spritesheet/register()
 	SHOULD_NOT_OVERRIDE(TRUE)
 
-	if (!name)
+	if(!name)
 		CRASH("spritesheet [type] cannot register without a name")
 
-	if (!should_refresh() && read_from_cache())
+	if(!should_refresh() && read_from_cache())
 		fully_generated = TRUE
 		return
 
-	// If it's cached, may as well load it now, while the loading is cheap
 	if(CONFIG_GET(flag/cache_assets) && cross_round_cachable)
 		load_immediately = TRUE
 
@@ -202,17 +250,19 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 	ensure_stripped()
 	for(var/size_id in sizes)
 		var/size = sizes[size_id]
-		SSassets.transport.register_asset("[name]_[size_id].png", size[SPRSZ_STRIPPED])
-	var/css_name = "spritesheet_[name].css"
-	var/file_directory = "data/spritesheets/[css_name]"
-	fdel(file_directory)
-	text2file(generate_css(), file_directory)
-	SSassets.transport.register_asset(css_name, fcopy_rsc(file_directory))
-
+		var/file_path = size[SPRSZ_STRIPPED]
+		var/file_hash = rustg_hash_file("md5", file_path)
+		SSassets.transport.register_asset("[name]_[size_id].png", file_path, file_hash=file_hash)
+	var/res_name = "spritesheet_[name].css"
+	var/fname = "data/spritesheets/[res_name]"
+	fdel(fname)
+	var/css = generate_css()
+	rustg_file_write(css, fname)
+	var/css_hash = rustg_hash_string("md5", css)
+	SSassets.transport.register_asset(res_name, fcopy_rsc(fname), file_hash=css_hash)
 	if(CONFIG_GET(flag/save_spritesheets))
-		save_to_logs(file_name = css_name, file_location = file_directory)
-
-	fdel(file_directory)
+		save_to_logs(file_name = res_name, file_location = fname)
+	fdel(fname)
 
 	if (CONFIG_GET(flag/cache_assets) && cross_round_cachable)
 		write_to_cache()
@@ -229,10 +279,10 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 	return ..()
 
 /datum/asset/spritesheet/send(client/client)
-	if (!name)
+	if(!name)
 		return
 
-	if (!should_refresh())
+	if(!should_refresh())
 		return send_from_cache(client)
 
 	var/all = list("spritesheet_[name].css")
@@ -254,33 +304,46 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 /datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/ensure_stripped(sizes_to_strip = sizes)
 	for(var/size_id in sizes_to_strip)
 		var/size = sizes[size_id]
-		if (size[SPRSZ_STRIPPED])
+		if(size[SPRSZ_STRIPPED])
 			continue
 
 		// save flattened version
-		var/png_name = "[name]_[size_id].png"
-		var/file_directory = "data/spritesheets/[png_name]"
-		fcopy(size[SPRSZ_ICON], file_directory)
-		var/error = rustg_dmi_strip_metadata(file_directory)
+		var/fname = "data/spritesheets/[name]_[size_id].png"
+		fcopy(size[SPRSZ_ICON], fname)
+		var/error = rustg_dmi_strip_metadata(fname)
 		if(length(error))
-			stack_trace("Failed to strip [png_name]: [error]")
-		size[SPRSZ_STRIPPED] = icon(file_directory)
+			stack_trace("Failed to strip [name]_[size_id].png: [error]")
+
+		// Difference from Beestation: Resizing handling
+		var/icon/stripped = icon(fname)
+		if(resize != 1)
+			var/new_width = round(stripped.Width() * resize)
+			var/new_height = round(stripped.Height() * resize)
+			// Note: arguments MUST be strings or they don't make it past ffi
+			var/error_two = rustg_dmi_resize_png(fname, "[new_width]", "[new_height]", "nearest")
+			if(error_two)
+				stack_trace("Failed to resize [name]_[size_id].png to [new_width]x[new_height]: [error_two]")
+
+			size[SPRSZ_STRIPPED] = icon(fname)
+		else
+			size[SPRSZ_STRIPPED] = stripped
 
 		// this is useful here for determining if weird sprite issues (like having a white background) are a cause of what we're doing DM-side or not since we can see the full flattened thing at-a-glance.
 		if(CONFIG_GET(flag/save_spritesheets))
-			save_to_logs(file_name = png_name, file_location = file_directory)
+			save_to_logs(file_name = "[name]_[size_id].png", file_location = fname)
 
-		fdel(file_directory)
+		fdel(fname)
 
 /datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/generate_css()
 	var/list/out = list()
 
-	for (var/size_id in sizes)
+	for(var/size_id in sizes)
 		var/size = sizes[size_id]
 		var/icon/tiny = size[SPRSZ_ICON]
-		out += ".[name][size_id]{display:inline-block;width:[tiny.Width()]px;height:[tiny.Height()]px;background:url('[get_background_url("[name]_[size_id].png")]') no-repeat;}"
+		// Difference from Beestation: * resize on width and height
+		out += ".[name][size_id]{display:inline-block;width:[round(tiny.Width() * resize)]px;height:[round(tiny.Height() * resize)]px;background:url('[get_background_url("[name]_[size_id].png")]') no-repeat;}"
 
-	for (var/sprite_id in sprites)
+	for(var/sprite_id in sprites)
 		var/sprite = sprites[sprite_id]
 		var/size_id = sprite[SPR_SIZE]
 		var/idx = sprite[SPR_IDX]
@@ -288,9 +351,10 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 
 		var/icon/tiny = size[SPRSZ_ICON]
 		var/icon/big = size[SPRSZ_STRIPPED]
-		var/per_line = big.Width() / tiny.Width()
-		var/x = (idx % per_line) * tiny.Width()
-		var/y = round(idx / per_line) * tiny.Height()
+		// Difference from Beestation: Resizing handling
+		var/per_line = big.Width() / round(tiny.Width() * resize)
+		var/x = (idx % per_line) * round(tiny.Width() * resize)
+		var/y = round(idx / per_line) * round(tiny.Height() * resize)
 
 		out += ".[name][size_id].[sprite_id]{background-position:-[x]px -[y]px;}"
 
@@ -303,39 +367,31 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 	return "[ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_CACHE_DIRECTORY]/spritesheet.[name].json"
 
 /datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/read_from_cache()
-	return read_css_from_cache() && read_data_from_cache()
-
-/datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/read_css_from_cache()
-	var/replaced_css = file2text(css_cache_filename())
+	var/replaced_css = rustg_file_read("[ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_CACHE_DIRECTORY]/spritesheet.[name].css")
 
 	var/regex/find_background_urls = regex(@"background:url\('%(.+?)%'\)", "g")
 	while (find_background_urls.Find(replaced_css))
 		var/asset_id = find_background_urls.group[1]
-		var/asset_cache_item = SSassets.transport.register_asset(asset_id, "[ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_CACHE_DIRECTORY]/spritesheet.[asset_id]")
+		var/file_path = "[ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_CACHE_DIRECTORY]/spritesheet.[asset_id]"
+		// Hashing it here is a *lot* faster.
+		var/hash = rustg_hash_file("md5", file_path)
+		var/asset_cache_item = SSassets.transport.register_asset(asset_id, file_path, file_hash=hash)
 		var/asset_url = SSassets.transport.get_asset_url(asset_cache_item = asset_cache_item)
 		replaced_css = replacetext(replaced_css, find_background_urls.match, "background:url('[asset_url]')")
 		LAZYADD(cached_spritesheets_needed, asset_id)
 
-	var/finalized_name = "spritesheet_[name].css"
-	var/replaced_css_filename = "data/spritesheets/[finalized_name]"
+	var/replaced_css_filename = "data/spritesheets/spritesheet_[name].css"
+	var/css_hash = rustg_hash_string("md5", replaced_css)
 	rustg_file_write(replaced_css, replaced_css_filename)
-	SSassets.transport.register_asset(finalized_name, replaced_css_filename)
+	SSassets.transport.register_asset("spritesheet_[name].css", replaced_css_filename, file_hash=css_hash)
 
 	if(CONFIG_GET(flag/save_spritesheets))
-		save_to_logs(file_name = finalized_name, file_location = replaced_css_filename)
+		save_to_logs(file_name = "spritesheet_[name].css", file_location = replaced_css_filename)
 
 	fdel(replaced_css_filename)
 
 	return TRUE
 
-/datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/read_data_from_cache()
-	var/json = json_decode(file2text(data_cache_filename()))
-
-	if (islist(json["sprites"]))
-		sprites = json["sprites"]
-
-	return TRUE
-
 /datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/send_from_cache(client/client)
 	if (isnull(cached_spritesheets_needed))
 		stack_trace("cached_spritesheets_needed was null when sending assets from [type] from cache")
@@ -351,23 +407,15 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 		return SSassets.transport.get_asset_url(asset)
 
 /datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/write_to_cache()
-	write_css_to_cache()
-	write_data_to_cache()
-
-/datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/write_css_to_cache()
 	for (var/size_id in sizes)
-		fcopy(SSassets.cache["[name]_[size_id].png"].resource, "[ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_CACHE_DIRECTORY]/spritesheet.[name]_[size_id].png")
+		var/datum/asset_cache_item/temp = SSassets.cache["[name]_[size_id].png"]
+		fcopy(temp.resource, "[ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_CACHE_DIRECTORY]/spritesheet.[name]_[size_id].png")
 
 	generating_cache = TRUE
 	var/mock_css = generate_css()
 	generating_cache = FALSE
 
-	rustg_file_write(mock_css, css_cache_filename())
-
-/datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/write_data_to_cache()
-	rustg_file_write(json_encode(list(
-		"sprites" = sprites,
-	)), data_cache_filename())
+	rustg_file_write(mock_css, "[ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_CACHE_DIRECTORY]/spritesheet.[name].css")
 
 /datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/get_cached_url_mappings()
 	var/list/mappings = list()
@@ -392,20 +440,17 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 
 /datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/queuedInsert(sprite_name, icon/I, icon_state="", dir=SOUTH, frame=1, moving=FALSE)
 	I = icon(I, icon_state=icon_state, dir=dir, frame=frame, moving=moving)
-	if (!I || !length(icon_states(I)))  // that direction or state doesn't exist
+	if(!I || !length(icon_states(I)))  // that direction or state doesn't exist
 		return
-
-	//var/start_usage = world.tick_usage
-
-	//any sprite modifications we want to do (aka, coloring a greyscaled asset)
-	I = ModifyInserted(I)
 	var/size_id = "[I.Width()]x[I.Height()]"
 	var/size = sizes[size_id]
 
-	if (sprites[sprite_name])
+	if(sprites[sprite_name])
+		if(duplicates_allowed)
+			return // No crash
 		CRASH("duplicate sprite \"[sprite_name]\" in sheet [name] ([type])")
 
-	if (size)
+	if(size)
 		var/position = size[SPRSZ_COUNT]++
 		// Icons are essentially representations of files + modifications
 		// Because of this, byond keeps them in a cache. It does this in a really dumb way tho
@@ -424,26 +469,15 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 		sizes[size_id] = size = list(1, I, null)
 		sprites[sprite_name] = list(size_id, 0)
 
-	//SSblackbox.record_feedback("tally", "spritesheet_queued_insert_time", TICK_USAGE_TO_MS(start_usage), name)
-
-/**
- * A simple proc handing the Icon for you to modify before it gets turned into an asset.
- *
- * Arguments:
- * * I: icon being turned into an asset
- */
-/datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/ModifyInserted(icon/pre_asset)
-	return pre_asset
-
 /datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/InsertAll(prefix, icon/I, list/directions)
-	if (length(prefix))
+	if(length(prefix))
 		prefix = "[prefix]-"
 
-	if (!directions)
+	if(!directions)
 		directions = list(SOUTH)
 
-	for (var/icon_state_name in icon_states(I))
-		for (var/direction in directions)
+	for(var/icon_state_name in icon_states(I))
+		for(var/direction in directions)
 			var/prefix2 = (directions.len > 1) ? "[dir2text(direction)]-" : ""
 			Insert("[prefix][prefix2][icon_state_name]", I, icon_state=icon_state_name, dir=direction)
 
@@ -455,10 +489,10 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 
 /datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/icon_tag(sprite_name)
 	var/sprite = sprites[sprite_name]
-	if (!sprite)
+	if(!sprite)
 		return null
 	var/size_id = sprite[SPR_SIZE]
-	return {"<span class='[name][size_id] [sprite_name]'></span>"}
+	return {"<span class="[name][size_id] [sprite_name]"></span>"}
 
 /datum/asset/spritesheet/proc/icon_class_name(sprite_name)
 	var/sprite = sprites[sprite_name]
@@ -486,6 +520,13 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 #undef SPRSZ_ICON
 #undef SPRSZ_STRIPPED
 
+/datum/asset/spritesheet/simple
+	_abstract = /datum/asset/spritesheet/simple
+	var/list/assets
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet/simple/create_spritesheets()
+	for(var/key in assets)
+		Insert(key, assets[key])
 
 /datum/asset/changelog_item
 	_abstract = /datum/asset/changelog_item
@@ -505,14 +546,6 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 		return
 	. = list("[item_filename]" = SSassets.transport.get_asset_url(item_filename))
 
-/datum/asset/spritesheet/simple
-	_abstract = /datum/asset/spritesheet/simple
-	var/list/assets
-
-/datum/asset/spritesheet/simple/create_spritesheets()
-	for (var/key in assets)
-		Insert(key, assets[key])
-
 //Generates assets based on iconstates of a single icon
 /datum/asset/simple/icon_states
 	_abstract = /datum/asset/simple/icon_states
@@ -528,7 +561,7 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 	for(var/icon_state_name in icon_states(_icon))
 		for(var/direction in directions)
 			var/asset = icon(_icon, icon_state_name, direction, frame, movement_states)
-			if (!asset)
+			if(!asset)
 				continue
 			asset = fcopy_rsc(asset) //dedupe
 			var/prefix2 = (directions.len > 1) ? "[dir2text(direction)]." : ""
@@ -558,36 +591,37 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 	var/list/parents = list()
 
 /datum/asset/simple/namespaced/register()
-	if (legacy)
+	if(legacy)
 		assets |= parents
 	var/list/hashlist = list()
-	var/list/sorted_assets = sortList(assets)
+	var/list/created_items = list()
 
-	for (var/asset_name in sorted_assets)
+	var/list/sorted_assets = sortList(assets)
+	for(var/asset_name in sorted_assets)
 		var/datum/asset_cache_item/ACI = new(asset_name, sorted_assets[asset_name])
-		if (!ACI?.hash)
+		if (!istype(ACI) || !ACI.hash)
 			log_asset("ERROR: Invalid asset: [type]:[asset_name]:[ACI]")
 			continue
 		hashlist += ACI.hash
-		sorted_assets[asset_name] = ACI
+		created_items[asset_name] = ACI
 	var/namespace = md5(hashlist.Join())
 
-	for (var/asset_name in parents)
+	for(var/asset_name in parents)
 		var/datum/asset_cache_item/ACI = new(asset_name, parents[asset_name])
-		if (!ACI?.hash)
+		if (!istype(ACI) || !ACI.hash)
 			log_asset("ERROR: Invalid asset: [type]:[asset_name]:[ACI]")
 			continue
 		ACI.namespace_parent = TRUE
-		sorted_assets[asset_name] = ACI
+		created_items[asset_name] = ACI
 
-	for (var/asset_name in sorted_assets)
-		var/datum/asset_cache_item/ACI = sorted_assets[asset_name]
-		if (!ACI?.hash)
+	for(var/asset_name in created_items)
+		var/datum/asset_cache_item/ACI = created_items[asset_name]
+		if (!istype(ACI) || !ACI.hash)
 			log_asset("ERROR: Invalid asset: [type]:[asset_name]:[ACI]")
 			continue
 		ACI.namespace = namespace
 
-	assets = sorted_assets
+	assets = created_items
 	..()
 
 /// Get a html string that will load a html asset.
@@ -612,7 +646,7 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 /datum/asset/json/register()
 	var/filename = "data/[name].json"
 	fdel(filename)
-	text2file(json_encode(generate()), filename)
+	rustg_file_write(json_encode(generate()), filename)
 	SSassets.transport.register_asset("[name].json", fcopy_rsc(filename))
 	fdel(filename)
 
@@ -621,4 +655,5 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(asset_datums)
 	SHOULD_CALL_PARENT(FALSE)
 	CRASH("generate() not implemented for [type]!")
 
-#undef ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_CACHE_DIRECTORY
+/datum/asset/json/unregister()
+	SSassets.transport.unregister_asset("[name].json")
diff --git a/code/modules/asset_cache/assets/spritesheets/kitchen_recipes.dm b/code/modules/asset_cache/assets/spritesheets/kitchen_recipes.dm
index 2cca2ed670..4fe048a84e 100644
--- a/code/modules/asset_cache/assets/spritesheets/kitchen_recipes.dm
+++ b/code/modules/asset_cache/assets/spritesheets/kitchen_recipes.dm
@@ -1,26 +1,13 @@
-/datum/asset/spritesheet/kitchen_recipes
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/kitchen_recipes
 	name = "kitchen_recipes"
 
-/datum/asset/spritesheet/kitchen_recipes/create_spritesheets()
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/kitchen_recipes/create_spritesheets()
 	for(var/datum/recipe/R as anything in subtypesof(/datum/recipe))
-		add_atom_icon(R.result, sanitize_css_class_name("[R.type]"))
+		var/key = sanitize_css_class_name("[R.type]")
 
-/datum/asset/spritesheet/kitchen_recipes/proc/add_atom_icon(typepath, id)
-	var/icon_file
-	var/icon_state
-	var/obj/preview_item = typepath
+		var/atom/item = R.result
+		var/datum/universal_icon/icon = get_display_icon_for(item)
+		if(!icon || !icon.icon_file)
+			continue
 
-	// if(ispath(ingredient_typepath, /datum/reagent))
-	// 	var/datum/reagent/reagent = ingredient_typepath
-	// 	preview_item = initial(reagent.default_container)
-	// 	var/datum/glass_style/style = GLOB.glass_style_singletons[preview_item]?[reagent]
-	// 	if(istype(style))
-	// 		icon_file = style.icon
-	// 		icon_state = style.icon_state
-
-	// icon_file ||= initial(preview_item.icon_preview) || initial(preview_item.icon)
-	// icon_state ||= initial(preview_item.icon_state_preview) || initial(preview_item.icon_state)
-	icon_file = initial(preview_item.icon)
-	icon_state = initial(preview_item.icon_state)
-
-	Insert("[id]", icon_file, icon_state)
+		insert_icon(key, icon)
diff --git a/code/modules/asset_cache/iconforge/batched_spritesheet.dm b/code/modules/asset_cache/iconforge/batched_spritesheet.dm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c49248f417
--- /dev/null
+++ b/code/modules/asset_cache/iconforge/batched_spritesheet.dm
@@ -0,0 +1,356 @@
+#define SPR_SIZE "size_id"
+#define SPR_IDX "position"
+#define CACHE_WAIT "wait"
+#define CACHE_INVALID TRUE
+#define CACHE_VALID FALSE
+
+#define WHATTHEFUCKAMIDOING_FILE "data/WHATTHEFUCKFILE.json"
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched
+	_abstract = /datum/asset/spritesheet_batched
+	var/name
+	/// list("32x32")
+	var/list/sizes = list()
+	/// "foo_bar" -> list("32x32", 5, entry_obj)
+	var/list/sprites = list()
+
+	// "foo_bar" -> entry_obj
+	var/list/entries = list()
+
+	/// JSON encoded version of entries.
+	var/entries_json = null
+
+	/// If this spritesheet exists in a completed state.
+	var/fully_generated = FALSE
+
+	/// If this asset should be fully loaded on new
+	/// Defaults to false so we can process this stuff nicely
+	var/load_immediately = FALSE
+	/// If we should avoid propogating 'invalid dir' errors from rust-g. Because sometimes, you just don't know what dirs are valid.
+	var/ignore_dir_errors = FALSE
+	/// Avoid propogating 'Could not find associated icon state' errors because we know our input data fucking sucks
+	var/ignore_associated_icon_state_errors = FALSE
+
+	/// Forces use of the smart cache. This is for unit tests, please respect the config <3
+	var/force_cache = FALSE
+
+	/// If there is currently an async job, its ID
+	var/job_id = null
+	/// If there is currently an async cache job, its ID.
+	var/cache_job_id = null
+
+	// Fields to store async cache task inputs.
+	var/cache_data = null
+	var/cache_sizes_data = null
+	var/cache_sprites_data = null
+	var/cache_input_hash = null
+	var/cache_dmi_hashes = null
+	var/cache_dmi_hashes_json = null
+	/// Used to prevent async cache refresh jobs from looping on failure.
+	var/cache_result = null
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/proc/should_load_immediately()
+#ifdef DO_NOT_DEFER_ASSETS
+	return TRUE
+#else
+	return load_immediately
+#endif
+
+/// Returns true if the cache should be invalidated/doesn't exist.
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/should_refresh(yield)
+	. = CACHE_INVALID // in the case of any errors, we need to regenerate.
+	if(!fexists("[ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_SMART_CACHE_DIRECTORY]/spritesheet_cache.[name].json"))
+		return CACHE_INVALID
+	if(!fexists("data/spritesheets/spritesheet_[name].css"))
+		return CACHE_INVALID
+	if(isnull(cache_data) || isnull(cache_dmi_hashes_json))
+		cache_data = rustg_file_read("[ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_SMART_CACHE_DIRECTORY]/spritesheet_cache.[name].json")
+		if(!findtext(cache_data, "{", 1, 2)) // cache isn't valid JSON
+			log_asset("Cache for spritesheet_[name] was not valid JSON. This is abnormal. Likely tampered with or IO failure.")
+			return CACHE_INVALID
+		var/cache_json = json_decode(cache_data)
+		// Best to invalidate if rustg updates, since the way icons are handled can change.
+		var/cached_rustg_version = cache_json["rustg_version"]
+		if(isnull(cached_rustg_version))
+			log_asset("Cache for spritesheet_[name] did not contain a rustg_version!")
+			return CACHE_INVALID
+		var/rustg_version = rustg_get_version()
+		if(cached_rustg_version != rustg_version)
+			log_asset("Invalidated cache for spritesheet_[name] due to rustg updating from [cached_rustg_version] to [rustg_version].")
+			return CACHE_INVALID
+		cache_sizes_data = cache_json["sizes"]
+		cache_sprites_data = cache_json["sprites"]
+		cache_input_hash = cache_json["input_hash"]
+		cache_dmi_hashes = cache_json["dmi_hashes"]
+		if(!length(cache_dmi_hashes) || !length(cache_input_hash) || !length(cache_sizes_data) || !length(cache_sprites_data))
+			log_asset("Cache for spritesheet_[name] did not contain the correct data. This is abnormal. Likely tampered with.")
+			return CACHE_INVALID
+		cache_dmi_hashes_json = json_encode(cache_dmi_hashes)
+	var/data_out
+
+	if(yield || !isnull(cache_job_id))
+		if(isnull(cache_job_id))
+			cache_job_id = rustg_iconforge_cache_valid_async(cache_input_hash, cache_dmi_hashes_json, entries_json)
+		. = CACHE_WAIT // if we return during this, WAIT!!
+		UNTIL((data_out = rustg_iconforge_check(cache_job_id)) != RUSTG_JOB_NO_RESULTS_YET)
+		cache_job_id = null
+		. = CACHE_INVALID // reset back to normal, invalid on CRASH
+	else
+		data_out = rustg_iconforge_cache_valid(cache_input_hash, cache_dmi_hashes_json, entries_json)
+	if (data_out == RUSTG_JOB_ERROR)
+		CRASH("Spritesheet [name] cache JOB PANIC")
+	else if(!findtext(data_out, "{", 1, 2))
+		rustg_file_write(cache_data, "[log_path]-spritesheet_cache_debug.[name].json")
+		rustg_file_write(entries_json, "[log_path]-spritesheet_debug_[name].json")
+		CRASH("Spritesheet [name] cache check UNKNOWN ERROR: [data_out]")
+	var/result = json_decode(data_out)
+	var/fail = result["fail_reason"]
+	if(length(fail) || result["result"] != "1")
+		if(findtextEx(fail, "ERROR:"))
+			CRASH("Spritesheet [name] cache check UNKNOWN [fail]")
+		log_asset("Invalidated cache for spritesheet_[name]: [fail]")
+		return CACHE_INVALID
+	// Populate the sizes and sprites list.
+	sizes = cache_sizes_data
+	sprites = cache_sprites_data
+	log_asset("Validated cache for spritesheet_[name]!")
+	return CACHE_VALID
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/proc/insert_icon(sprite_name, datum/universal_icon/entry)
+	if(!istext(sprite_name) || !length(sprite_name))
+		CRASH("Invalid sprite_name \"[sprite_name]\" given to insert_icon()! Providing non-strings will break icon generation.")
+	entries[sprite_name] = entry.to_list()
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/register()
+	SHOULD_NOT_OVERRIDE(TRUE)
+
+	if (!name)
+		CRASH("spritesheet [type] cannot register without a name")
+
+	// Create our input data first, so we can compare to the cache.
+	create_spritesheets()
+
+	if(should_load_immediately())
+		realize_spritesheets(yield = FALSE)
+	else
+		SSasset_loading.queue_asset(src)
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/unregister()
+	CRASH("unregister() called on batched spritesheet! Bad!")
+
+/// Call insert_icon or insert_all_icons here, building a spritesheet!
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/proc/create_spritesheets()
+	SHOULD_CALL_PARENT(FALSE)
+	CRASH("create_spritesheets() not implemented for [type]!")
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/proc/insert_all_icons(prefix, icon/I, list/directions, prefix_with_dirs = TRUE)
+	if (length(prefix))
+		prefix = "[prefix]-"
+
+	if (!directions)
+		directions = list(SOUTH)
+
+	for (var/icon_state_name in icon_states(I))
+		if(icon_state_name == "")
+			icon_state_name = "byond-default"
+		for (var/direction in directions)
+			var/prefix2 = (directions.len > 1 && prefix_with_dirs) ? "[dir2text(direction)]-" : ""
+			insert_icon("[prefix][prefix2][icon_state_name]", uni_icon(I, icon_state_name, direction))
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/proc/realize_spritesheets(yield)
+	if(fully_generated)
+		return
+	if(!length(entries))
+		CRASH("Spritesheet [name] ([type]) is empty! What are you doing?")
+
+	if(isnull(entries_json))
+		entries_json = json_encode(entries)
+
+	if(isnull(cache_result))
+		cache_result = should_refresh(yield)
+		if(cache_result == CACHE_WAIT) // sleep interrupted by MC. We'll get queried again later.
+			cache_result = null
+			return
+
+	// read_from_cache returns false if config is disabled, otherwise it fully loads the spritesheet.
+	if (cache_result == CACHE_VALID && read_from_cache())
+		SSasset_loading.dequeue_asset(src)
+		fully_generated = TRUE
+		return
+	// Remove the cache, since it's invalid if we get to this point.
+	fdel("[ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_SMART_CACHE_DIRECTORY]/spritesheet_cache.[name].json")
+
+	var/do_cache = CONFIG_GET(flag/smart_cache_assets) || force_cache
+	var/data_out
+	if(yield || !isnull(job_id))
+		if(isnull(job_id))
+			job_id = rustg_iconforge_generate_async("data/spritesheets/", name, entries_json, do_cache)
+		UNTIL((data_out = rustg_iconforge_check(job_id)) != RUSTG_JOB_NO_RESULTS_YET)
+	else
+		//rustg_file_write(entries_json, "fuckoff.json")
+		data_out = rustg_iconforge_generate("data/spritesheets/", name, entries_json, do_cache)
+	if (data_out == RUSTG_JOB_ERROR)
+		CRASH("Spritesheet [name] JOB PANIC")
+	else if(!findtext(data_out, "{", 1, 2))
+		rustg_file_write(entries_json, "[log_path]-spritesheet_debug_[name].json")
+		CRASH("Spritesheet [name] UNKNOWN ERROR: [data_out]")
+	var/data = json_decode(data_out)
+	sizes = data["sizes"]
+	sprites = data["sprites"]
+	var/input_hash = data["sprites_hash"]
+	var/dmi_hashes = data["dmi_hashes"] // this only contains values if do_cache is TRUE.
+
+	for(var/size_id in sizes)
+		var/file_path = "data/spritesheets/[name]_[size_id].png"
+		var/file_hash = rustg_hash_file("md5", file_path)
+		SSassets.transport.register_asset("[name]_[size_id].png", fcopy_rsc(file_path), file_hash)
+	var/res_name = "spritesheet_[name].css"
+	var/fname = "data/spritesheets/[res_name]"
+
+	fdel(fname)
+	var/css = generate_css()
+	rustg_file_write(css, fname)
+	var/css_hash = rustg_hash_string("md5", css)
+	SSassets.transport.register_asset(res_name, fcopy_rsc(fname), file_hash=css_hash)
+
+	if (do_cache)
+		write_cache_meta(input_hash, dmi_hashes)
+	fully_generated = TRUE
+	// If we were ever in there, remove ourselves
+	SSasset_loading.dequeue_asset(src)
+	if(data["error"])
+		var/err = data["error"]
+		if(ignore_dir_errors && findtext(err, "is not in the set of valid dirs"))
+			return
+		if(ignore_associated_icon_state_errors && findtext(err, "Could not find associated icon state"))
+			return
+		CRASH("Error during spritesheet generation for [name]: [err]")
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/queued_generation()
+	realize_spritesheets(yield = TRUE)
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/ensure_ready()
+	if(!fully_generated)
+		realize_spritesheets(yield = FALSE)
+	return ..()
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/send(client/client)
+	if (!name)
+		return
+
+	var/all = list("spritesheet_[name].css")
+	for(var/size_id in sizes)
+		all += "[name]_[size_id].png"
+	. = SSassets.transport.send_assets(client, all)
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/get_url_mappings()
+	if (!name)
+		return
+
+	. = list("spritesheet_[name].css" = SSassets.transport.get_asset_url("spritesheet_[name].css"))
+	for(var/size_id in sizes)
+		.["[name]_[size_id].png"] = SSassets.transport.get_asset_url("[name]_[size_id].png")
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/proc/generate_css()
+	var/list/out = list()
+
+	for (var/size_id in sizes)
+		var/size_split = splittext(size_id, "x")
+		var/width = text2num(size_split[1])
+		var/height = text2num(size_split[2])
+		out += ".[name][size_id]{display:inline-block;width:[width]px;height:[height]px;background:url('[get_background_url("[name]_[size_id].png")]') no-repeat;}"
+
+	for (var/sprite_id in sprites)
+		var/sprite = sprites[sprite_id]
+		var/size_id = sprite[SPR_SIZE]
+		var/idx = sprite[SPR_IDX]
+
+		var/size_split = splittext(size_id, "x")
+		var/width = text2num(size_split[1])
+		var/x = idx * width
+		var/y = 0
+
+		out += ".[name][size_id].[sprite_id]{background-position:-[x]px -[y]px;}"
+
+	return out.Join("\n")
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/proc/read_from_cache()
+	if(!CONFIG_GET(flag/smart_cache_assets) && !force_cache)
+		return FALSE
+	// this is already guaranteed to exist.
+	var/css_fname = "data/spritesheets/spritesheet_[name].css"
+
+	// sizes gets filled during should_refresh()
+	for(var/size_id in sizes)
+		var/fname = "data/spritesheets/[name]_[size_id].png"
+		if(!fexists(fname))
+			return FALSE
+
+	var/css_hash = rustg_hash_file("md5", css_fname)
+	SSassets.transport.register_asset("spritesheet_[name].css", fcopy_rsc(css_fname), file_hash=css_hash)
+	for(var/size_id in sizes)
+		var/fname = "data/spritesheets/[name]_[size_id].png"
+		var/hash = rustg_hash_file("md5", fname)
+		SSassets.transport.register_asset("[name]_[size_id].png", fcopy_rsc(fname), file_hash=hash)
+
+	return TRUE
+
+/// Returns the URL to put in the background:url of the CSS asset
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/proc/get_background_url(asset)
+	return SSassets.transport.get_asset_url(asset)
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/proc/write_cache_meta(input_hash, dmi_hashes)
+	var/list/cache_data = list(
+		"input_hash" = input_hash,
+		"dmi_hashes" = dmi_hashes,
+		"sizes" = sizes,
+		"sprites" = sprites,
+		"rustg_version" = rustg_get_version()
+	)
+	rustg_file_write(json_encode(cache_data), "[ASSET_CROSS_ROUND_SMART_CACHE_DIRECTORY]/spritesheet_cache.[name].json")
+
+/**
+ * Third party helpers
+ * ===================
+ */
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/proc/css_tag()
+	return {"<link rel="stylesheet" href="[css_filename()]" />"}
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/proc/css_filename()
+	return SSassets.transport.get_asset_url("spritesheet_[name].css")
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/proc/icon_tag(sprite_name)
+	var/sprite = sprites[sprite_name]
+	if (!sprite)
+		return null
+	var/size_id = sprite[SPR_SIZE]
+	return "<span class='[name][size_id] [sprite_name]'></span>"
+
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/proc/icon_class_name(sprite_name)
+	var/sprite = sprites[sprite_name]
+	if (!sprite)
+		return null
+	var/size_id = sprite[SPR_SIZE]
+	return "[name][size_id] [sprite_name]"
+
+/**
+ * Returns the size class (ex design32x32) for a given sprite's icon
+ *
+ * Arguments:
+ * * sprite_name - The sprite to get the size of
+ */
+/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/proc/icon_size_id(sprite_name)
+	var/sprite = sprites[sprite_name]
+	if (!sprite)
+		return null
+	var/size_id = sprite[SPR_SIZE]
+	return "[name][size_id]"
+
+#undef SPR_SIZE
+#undef SPR_IDX
+#undef CACHE_WAIT
+#undef CACHE_INVALID
+#undef CACHE_VALID
+
+#undef WHATTHEFUCKAMIDOING_FILE
diff --git a/code/modules/asset_cache/iconforge/universal_icon.dm b/code/modules/asset_cache/iconforge/universal_icon.dm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3446151c9b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/code/modules/asset_cache/iconforge/universal_icon.dm
@@ -0,0 +1,186 @@
+/// This is intended to replace /icon, allowing rustg to generate icons much faster than DM can at scale.
+/// Construct these with the uni_icon() proc, in the same manner as BYOND's icon() proc.
+/// Additionally supports a number of transform procs (lowercase, rather than BYOND's uppercase)
+/// such as Crop, Scale, and Blend (as blend_icon/blend_color).
+/datum/universal_icon
+	var/icon/icon_file
+	var/icon_state
+	var/dir
+	var/frame
+	var/datum/icon_transformer/transform
+
+/// Don't instantiate these yourself, use uni_icon.
+/datum/universal_icon/New(icon/icon_file, icon_state="", dir=SOUTH, frame=1, datum/icon_transformer/transform=null, color=null)
+	#ifdef UNIT_TESTS
+	// This check is kinda slow and shouldn't fail unless a developer makes a mistake. So it'll get caught in unit tests.
+	if(!isicon(icon_file) || !isfile(icon_file) || "[icon_file]" == "/icon")
+		// bad! use 'icons/path_to_dmi.dmi' format only
+		CRASH("FATAL: universal_icon was provided icon_file: [icon_file] - icons provided to batched spritesheets MUST be DMI files, they cannot be /image, /icon, or other runtime generated icons.")
+	#endif
+	src.icon_file = icon_file
+	src.icon_state = icon_state
+	src.dir = dir
+	src.frame = frame
+	if(isnull(transform) && !isnull(color) && uppertext(color) != "#FFFFFF")
+		var/datum/icon_transformer/T = new()
+		if(color)
+			T.blend_color(color, ICON_MULTIPLY)
+		src.transform = T
+	else if(!isnull(transform))
+		src.transform = transform
+	else // null = empty list
+		src.transform = null
+
+/datum/universal_icon/proc/copy()
+	RETURN_TYPE(/datum/universal_icon)
+	var/datum/universal_icon/new_icon = new(icon_file, icon_state, dir, frame)
+	if(!isnull(src.transform))
+		new_icon.transform = src.transform.copy()
+	return new_icon
+
+/datum/universal_icon/proc/blend_color(color, blend_mode)
+	if(!transform)
+		transform = new
+	transform.blend_color(color, blend_mode)
+	return src
+
+/datum/universal_icon/proc/blend_icon(datum/universal_icon/icon_object, blend_mode)
+	if(!transform)
+		transform = new
+	transform.blend_icon(icon_object, blend_mode)
+	return src
+
+/datum/universal_icon/proc/scale(width, height)
+	if(!transform)
+		transform = new
+	transform.scale(width, height)
+	return src
+
+/datum/universal_icon/proc/crop(x1, y1, x2, y2)
+	if(!transform)
+		transform = new
+	transform.crop(x1, y1, x2, y2)
+	return src
+
+/datum/universal_icon/proc/to_list()
+	RETURN_TYPE(/list)
+	return list("icon_file" = "[icon_file]", "icon_state" = icon_state, "dir" = dir, "frame" = frame, "transform" = !isnull(transform) ? transform.to_list() : list())
+
+/proc/universal_icon_from_list(list/input_in)
+	RETURN_TYPE(/datum/universal_icon)
+	var/list/input = input_in.Copy() // copy, since icon_transformer_from_list will mutate the list.
+	return uni_icon(input["icon_file"], input["icon_state"], input["dir"], input["frame"], icon_transformer_from_list(input["transform"]))
+
+/datum/universal_icon/proc/to_json()
+	return json_encode(to_list())
+
+/datum/universal_icon/proc/to_icon()
+	RETURN_TYPE(/icon)
+	var/icon/self = icon(src.icon_file, src.icon_state, dir=src.dir, frame=src.frame)
+	if(istype(src.transform))
+		src.transform.apply(self)
+	return self
+
+/datum/icon_transformer
+	var/list/transforms = null
+
+/datum/icon_transformer/New()
+	transforms = list()
+
+/// Applies the contained set of transforms to an icon
+/datum/icon_transformer/proc/apply(icon/target)
+	RETURN_TYPE(/icon)
+	for(var/transform in src.transforms)
+		switch(transform["type"])
+			if(RUSTG_ICONFORGE_BLEND_COLOR)
+				target.Blend(target["color"], target["blend_mode"])
+			if(RUSTG_ICONFORGE_BLEND_ICON)
+				var/datum/universal_icon/icon_object = target["icon"]
+				if(!istype(icon_object))
+					stack_trace("Invalid icon found in icon transformer during apply()! [icon_object]")
+					continue
+				target.Blend(icon_object.to_icon(), target["blend_mode"])
+			if(RUSTG_ICONFORGE_SCALE)
+				target.Scale(target["width"], target["height"])
+			if(RUSTG_ICONFORGE_CROP)
+				target.Crop(target["x1"], target["y1"], target["x2"], target["y2"])
+	return target
+
+/datum/icon_transformer/proc/copy()
+	RETURN_TYPE(/datum/icon_transformer)
+	var/datum/icon_transformer/new_transformer = new()
+	new_transformer.transforms = list()
+	for(var/transform in src.transforms)
+		new_transformer.transforms += list(deep_copy_list_alt(transform))
+	return new_transformer
+
+/datum/icon_transformer/proc/blend_color(color, blend_mode)
+	transforms += list(list("type" = RUSTG_ICONFORGE_BLEND_COLOR, "color" = color, "blend_mode" = blend_mode))
+
+/datum/icon_transformer/proc/blend_icon(datum/universal_icon/icon_object, blend_mode)
+	transforms += list(list("type" = RUSTG_ICONFORGE_BLEND_ICON, "icon" = icon_object, "blend_mode" = blend_mode))
+
+/datum/icon_transformer/proc/scale(width, height)
+	transforms += list(list("type" = RUSTG_ICONFORGE_SCALE, "width" = width, "height" = height))
+
+/datum/icon_transformer/proc/crop(x1, y1, x2, y2)
+	transforms += list(list("type" = RUSTG_ICONFORGE_CROP, "x1" = x1, "y1" = y1, "x2" = x2, "y2" = y2))
+
+/datum/icon_transformer/proc/to_list()
+	RETURN_TYPE(/list)
+	var/list/transforms_out = list()
+	for(var/transform in src.transforms.Copy())
+		var/this_transform = transform
+		if(transform["type"] == RUSTG_ICONFORGE_BLEND_ICON)
+			var/datum/universal_icon/icon_object = this_transform["icon"]
+			if(!istype(icon_object))
+				stack_trace("Invalid icon found in icon transformer during to_list()! [icon_object]")
+				continue
+			this_transform["icon"] = icon_object.to_list()
+		transforms_out += list(this_transform)
+	return transforms_out
+
+/proc/icon_transformer_from_list(list/input)
+	RETURN_TYPE(/datum/icon_transformer)
+	var/list/transforms = list()
+	for(var/transform in input)
+		var/this_transform = transform
+		if(transform["type"] == RUSTG_ICONFORGE_BLEND_ICON)
+			this_transform["icon"] = universal_icon_from_list(transform["icon"])
+		transforms += list(this_transform)
+	var/datum/icon_transformer/transformer = new()
+	transformer.transforms = transforms
+	return transformer
+
+/// Constructs a transformer, with optional color multiply pre-added.
+/proc/color_transform(color=null)
+	RETURN_TYPE(/datum/icon_transformer)
+	var/datum/icon_transformer/transform = new()
+	if(color)
+		transform.blend_color(color, ICON_MULTIPLY)
+	return transform
+
+/// Converts a GAGS item to a universal icon by generating blend operations.
+// /proc/gags_to_universal_icon(obj/item/path)
+// 	RETURN_TYPE(/datum/universal_icon)
+// 	if(!ispath(path, /obj/item) || !initial(path.greyscale_config) || !initial(path.greyscale_colors))
+// 		CRASH("gags_to_universal_icon() received an invalid path!")
+// 	var/datum/greyscale_config/config = initial(path.greyscale_config)
+// 	var/colors = initial(path.greyscale_colors)
+// 	var/datum/universal_icon/entry = SSgreyscale.GetColoredIconEntryByType(config, colors, initial(path.icon_state))
+// 	return entry
+
+/// Gets the relevant universal icon for an atom, when displayed in TGUI. (see: icon_state_preview)
+/// Supports GAGS items and colored items.
+/proc/get_display_icon_for(atom/A)
+	if (!ispath(A, /atom))
+		return FALSE
+	var/icon_file = initial(A.icon)
+	var/icon_state = initial(A.icon_state)
+	// if(ispath(A, /obj/item))
+	// 	var/obj/item/I = A
+	// 	if(initial(I.icon_state_preview))
+	// 		icon_state = initial(I.icon_state_preview)
+	// 	if(initial(I.greyscale_config) && initial(I.greyscale_colors))
+	// 		return gags_to_universal_icon(I)
+	return uni_icon(icon_file, icon_state, color=initial(A.color))
diff --git a/code/modules/asset_cache/transports/asset_transport.dm b/code/modules/asset_cache/transports/asset_transport.dm
index db19277abf..77daee2a60 100644
--- a/code/modules/asset_cache/transports/asset_transport.dm
+++ b/code/modules/asset_cache/transports/asset_transport.dm
@@ -1,6 +1,3 @@
-/// When sending mutiple assets, how many before we give the client a quaint little sending resources message
-#define ASSET_CACHE_TELL_CLIENT_AMOUNT 8
-
 /// Base browse_rsc asset transport
 /datum/asset_transport
 	var/name = "Simple browse_rsc asset transport"
@@ -59,6 +56,10 @@
 	SSassets.cache[asset_name] = ACI
 	return ACI
 
+/// Immediately removes an asset from the asset cache.
+/datum/asset_transport/proc/unregister_asset(asset_name)
+	SSassets.cache[asset_name] = null
+	SSassets.cache.Remove(null)
 
 /// Returns a url for a given asset.
 /// asset_name - Name of the asset.
@@ -66,6 +67,8 @@
 /datum/asset_transport/proc/get_asset_url(asset_name, datum/asset_cache_item/asset_cache_item)
 	if (!istype(asset_cache_item))
 		asset_cache_item = SSassets.cache[asset_name]
+	if (!istype(asset_cache_item))
+		return null
 	// To ensure code that breaks on cdns breaks in local testing, we only
 	// use the normal filename on legacy assets and name space assets.
 	var/keep_local_name = dont_mutate_filenames \
@@ -82,6 +85,9 @@
 /// asset_list - A list of asset filenames to be sent to the client. Can optionally be assoicated with the asset's asset_cache_item datum.
 /// Returns TRUE if any assets were sent.
 /datum/asset_transport/proc/send_assets(client/client, list/asset_list)
+#if defined(UNIT_TESTS)
+	return
+#endif
 	if (!istype(client))
 		if (ismob(client))
 			var/mob/M = client
@@ -143,7 +149,7 @@
 
 
 /// Precache files without clogging up the browse() queue, used for passively sending files on connection start.
-/datum/asset_transport/proc/send_assets_slow(client/client, list/files, filerate = 6)
+/datum/asset_transport/proc/send_assets_slow(client/client, list/files, filerate = SLOW_ASSET_SEND_RATE)
 	var/startingfilerate = filerate
 	for (var/file in files)
 		if (!client)
diff --git a/code/modules/asset_cache/transports/webroot_transport.dm b/code/modules/asset_cache/transports/webroot_transport.dm
index e3cb33b8fa..d67d097b0b 100644
--- a/code/modules/asset_cache/transports/webroot_transport.dm
+++ b/code/modules/asset_cache/transports/webroot_transport.dm
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 /// We also save it to the CDN webroot at this step instead of waiting for send_assets()
 /// asset_name - the identifier of the asset
 /// asset - the actual asset file or an asset_cache_item datum.
-/datum/asset_transport/webroot/register_asset(asset_name, asset)
+/datum/asset_transport/webroot/register_asset(asset_name, asset, file_hash, dmi_file_path)
 	. = ..()
 	var/datum/asset_cache_item/ACI = .
 
diff --git a/code/modules/food/kitchen/microwave.dm b/code/modules/food/kitchen/microwave.dm
index 9cd7ccd1bc..9ebc0c15a5 100644
--- a/code/modules/food/kitchen/microwave.dm
+++ b/code/modules/food/kitchen/microwave.dm
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@
 
 /obj/machinery/microwave/ui_assets(mob/user)
 	return list(
-		get_asset_datum(/datum/asset/spritesheet/kitchen_recipes)
+		get_asset_datum(/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/kitchen_recipes)
 	)
 
 /obj/machinery/microwave/tgui_static_data(mob/user)
diff --git a/code/modules/tgui/tgui_window.dm b/code/modules/tgui/tgui_window.dm
index 9e0a5491ab..3bae28e39c 100644
--- a/code/modules/tgui/tgui_window.dm
+++ b/code/modules/tgui/tgui_window.dm
@@ -322,7 +322,10 @@
 	if(istype(asset, /datum/asset/spritesheet))
 		var/datum/asset/spritesheet/spritesheet = asset
 		send_message("asset/stylesheet", spritesheet.css_filename())
-	send_message("asset/mappings", asset.get_url_mappings())
+	else if(istype(asset, /datum/asset/spritesheet_batched))
+		var/datum/asset/spritesheet_batched/spritesheet = asset
+		send_message("asset/stylesheet", spritesheet.css_filename())
+	send_raw_message(asset.get_serialized_url_mappings())
 
 /**
  * private
diff --git a/config/example/resources.txt b/config/example/resources.txt
index f9a536e341..338cbcd408 100644
--- a/config/example/resources.txt
+++ b/config/example/resources.txt
@@ -31,6 +31,13 @@
 ## but enabled on production (the default).
 #CACHE_ASSETS
 
+## Enables 'smart' asset caching, for assets that support it.
+## This is a type of asset cache that automatically invalidates itself based on inputs to the asset generation.
+## It lowers the generation cost and is safe to enable on development and production.
+## This cache is only cleared by the game or manually, but it shouldn't affect the results.
+## This setting is independent of `CACHE_ASSETS`, they do not affect each other whatsoever.
+SMART_CACHE_ASSETS
+
 ## If this is uncommented, we will save all associated spritesheet PNGs and CSS files to a folder in the round-specific logs folder.
 ## Useful for developers to debug potential spritesheet issues to determine where the issue is cropping up (either in DM-side sprite generation or in the TGUI-side display of said spritesheet).
 ## Will only seek to waste disk space if ran on production.
diff --git a/librust_g.so b/librust_g.so
index 3deb97e87d..c7810fbf80 100755
Binary files a/librust_g.so and b/librust_g.so differ
diff --git a/rust_g.dll b/rust_g.dll
index 9656c3e4a6..9b400774fa 100644
Binary files a/rust_g.dll and b/rust_g.dll differ
diff --git a/tools/ci/install_rust_g.sh b/tools/ci/install_rust_g.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c237162d8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/ci/install_rust_g.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+source dependencies.sh
+
+mkdir -p ~/.byond/bin
+wget -nv -O ~/.byond/bin/librust_g.so "https://github.com/tgstation/rust-g/releases/download/$RUST_G_VERSION/librust_g.so"
+chmod +x ~/.byond/bin/librust_g.so
+ldd ~/.byond/bin/librust_g.so
diff --git a/vorestation.dme b/vorestation.dme
index 3ec53b3c04..06fbbee290 100644
--- a/vorestation.dme
+++ b/vorestation.dme
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
 #include "code\__defines\appearance.dm"
 #include "code\__defines\assemblies.dm"
 #include "code\__defines\assert.dm"
+#include "code\__defines\assets.dm"
 #include "code\__defines\atmos.dm"
 #include "code\__defines\atoms_movable.dm"
 #include "code\__defines\belly_modes_vr.dm"
@@ -1993,6 +1994,8 @@
 #include "code\modules\asset_cache\assets\spritesheets\stacks.dm"
 #include "code\modules\asset_cache\assets\spritesheets\vending.dm"
 #include "code\modules\asset_cache\assets\spritesheets\vore.dm"
+#include "code\modules\asset_cache\iconforge\batched_spritesheet.dm"
+#include "code\modules\asset_cache\iconforge\universal_icon.dm"
 #include "code\modules\asset_cache\transports\asset_transport.dm"
 #include "code\modules\asset_cache\transports\webroot_transport.dm"
 #include "code\modules\awaymissions\bluespaceartillery.dm"