diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7373cc1..162b7ff 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -127,9 +127,11 @@ pgzx is currently under heavy development by the [Xata](https://xata.io) team. I
     * [ ] Double list
     * [ ] Hash tables
 * Development environment
-  * [ ] Download and vendor Postgres source code
-  * [ ] Compile extensions against the Postgres source code
+  * [x] Download and vendor Postgres source code
+  * [x] Compile example extensions against the Postgres source code
+  * [x] Build target to run Postgres regression tests
   * [ ] Run Zig unit tests in the Postgres environment
+  * [ ] Provide a standard way to test extensions from separate repos
 * Packaging
   * [x] Add support for Zig packaging
 
@@ -201,7 +203,7 @@ $ psql  -U postgres -c 'select version()'
 
 This project has a few example extensions. We will install and test the `char_count_zig` extension next:
 
-```
+```sh
 $ cd examples/char_count_zig
 $ zig build -freference-trace -p $PG_HOME
 $ psql  -U postgres -c 'CREATE EXTENSION char_count_zig;'
diff --git a/examples/char_count_zig/README.md b/examples/char_count_zig/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c3089f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/char_count_zig/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+# char_count_zig - Minimal PostgreSQL extension using Zig
+
+This is a sample PostgreSQL extension written in Zig. It provides a function `char_count_zig` that counts the number of occurrences of a character in a string. The code is a port using pgzx of the sample `char_count` C extension from [this tutorial](https://www.highgo.ca/2019/10/01/a-guide-to-create-user-defined-extension-modules-to-postgres/).
+
+## Functionality
+
+The function `char_count_zig` takes two arguments: a string and a character. It returns the number of occurrences of the character in the string:
+
+```sql
+SELECT char_count_zig('Hello, World', 'o');
+ char_count_zig
+----------------
+              2
+(1 row)
+```
+
+## Running
+
+To test the extension, follow first the development shell instructions in the [pgzx README][pgzx_Development]. The following commands assume you are in the nix shell (run `nix develop`).
+
+Run in the folder of the extension:
+
+```sh
+cd examples/char_count_zig
+zig build -freference-trace -p $PG_HOME
+```
+
+This will build the extension and install the extension in the Postgres instance.
+
+Then, connect to the Postgres instance:
+
+```sh
+psql -U postgres
+```
+
+At the Postgres prompt, create the extension:
+
+```sql
+CREATE EXTENSION char_count_zig;
+```
+
+## Code walkthrough
+
+### Control files
+
+The overall structure of the extension looks very similar to a C extension:
+
+```
+├── extension
+│   ├── char_count_zig--0.1.sql
+│   └── char_count_zig.control
+```
+
+The `extension` folder contains the control files, which are used by Postgres to manage the extension. The `char_count_zig.control` file contains metadata about the extension, such as its name and version. The `char_count_zig--0.1.sql` file contains the SQL commands to create and drop the extension.
+
+### Zig code
+
+The `main.zig` file starts with the following `comptime` block:
+
+```zig
+comptime {
+    pgzx.PG_MODULE_MAGIC();
+
+    pgzx.PG_FUNCTION_V1("char_count_zig", char_count_zig);
+}
+```
+
+The [pgzx.PG_MODULE_MAGIC][docs_PG_MODULE_MAGIC] function returns an exported `PG_MAGIC` struct that PostgreSQL uses to recognize the library as a Postgres extension. 
+
+The [pgzx.PG_FUNCTION_V1][docs_PG_FUNCTION_V1] macro defines the `char_count_zig` function as a Postgres function. This function does the heavy lifting of deserializing the input arguments and transforming them in Zig slices. 
+
+This means the implementation of the `char_count_zig` function is quite simple:
+
+```zig
+fn char_count_zig(input_text: []const u8, target_char: []const u8) !u32 {
+    if (target_char.len > 1) {
+        return pgzx.elog.Error(@src(), "Target char is more than one byte", .{});
+    }
+
+    pgzx.elog.Info(@src(), "input_text: {s}\n", .{input_text});
+    pgzx.elog.Info(@src(), "target_char: {s}\n", .{target_char});
+    pgzx.elog.Info(@src(), "Target char len: {}\n", .{target_char.len});
+
+    var count: u32 = 0;
+    for (input_text) |char| {
+        if (char == target_char[0]) {
+            count += 1;
+        }
+    }
+    return count;
+}
+```
+
+In the above, note the use of [pgzx.elog.Error][docs_Error] and [pgzx.elog.Info][docs_Info] to report errors and info back to the user. The rest of the function is idiomatic Zig code.
+
+### Testing
+
+The extensions contains regression tests using the `pg_regress` tool, see the `sql` and `expected` folders. To run the regression tests, use the following command:
+
+```sh
+zig build pg_regress
+```
+
+[pgzx_Development]: https://github.com/xataio/pgzx/tree/main?tab=readme-ov-file#develpment-shell-and-local-installation
+[docs_PG_MODULE_MAGIC]: https://xataio.github.io/pgzx/#A;pgzx:fmgr.PG_MAGIC
+[docs_PG_FUNCTION_V1]: https://xataio.github.io/pgzx/#A;pgzx:PG_FUNCTION_V1
+[docs_Error]: https://xataio.github.io/pgzx/#A;pgzx:elog.Error
+[docs_Info]: https://xataio.github.io/pgzx/#A;pgzx:elog.Info
+
diff --git a/examples/char_count_zig/src/main.zig b/examples/char_count_zig/src/main.zig
index 2a8756c..57cbb11 100644
--- a/examples/char_count_zig/src/main.zig
+++ b/examples/char_count_zig/src/main.zig
@@ -24,13 +24,3 @@ fn char_count_zig(input_text: []const u8, target_char: []const u8) !u32 {
     }
     return count;
 }
-
-// TODO:
-// how can we compile these into the lib and run them from within postgres?
-test "char_count_zig happy path" {
-    const input_text = "Hello World";
-    const target_char = "l";
-    const expected_count: u32 = 3;
-    const actual_count = try char_count_zig(input_text, target_char);
-    try std.testing.expectEqual(expected_count, actual_count);
-}
diff --git a/examples/pgaudit_zig/README.md b/examples/pgaudit_zig/README.md
index 65d0384..7994dcf 100644
--- a/examples/pgaudit_zig/README.md
+++ b/examples/pgaudit_zig/README.md
@@ -35,6 +35,45 @@ It logs, as json:
 
 Note that tables (relations in internal Postgres terminology) accessed are logged in an array.
 
+## Running
+
+To test the extenstion, follow first the development shell instructions from the [pgzx README][pgzx_Development]. The following commands assume you are in the nix shell (run `nix develop`).
+
+Run in the folder of the extension:
+
+```sh
+cd examples/pgaudit_zig
+zig build -freference-trace -p $PG_HOME
+```
+
+This will build the extension and install the extension in the Postgres instance.
+
+Then, connect to the Postgres instance:
+
+```sh
+psql -U postgres
+```
+
+At the Postgres prompt, load the library and create the extension:
+
+```sql
+LOAD 'pg_audit_zig.dylib';
+CREATE EXTENSION pgaudit_zig;
+```
+
+Now, create a table and run a query:
+
+```sql
+CREATE TABLE foo(id text);
+SELECT * FROM foo;
+```
+
+You should see a set of logs, including:
+
+```
+NOTICE:  Internal [debug] default pgaudit_zig: logAuditEvent: {"operation": "CMD_SELECT", "relations": [{"relOid": 16403, "relname": "foo", "namespaceOid": 2200, "relnamespaceName": "public"}], "commandText": "SELECT * FROM foo;"}
+```
+
 ## Code walkthrough
 
 Here are the key code elements and how they make use of the pgzx helpers. When reviewing the code, it is helpful to have a look at the C code in the pgaudit extension, as well as at the Postgres source code.
@@ -223,4 +262,6 @@ The `executorCheckPermsHook` function receives the list of tables (`rangeTable`)
     while (it.next()) |rte| {
         ...
     }
-```
\ No newline at end of file
+```
+
+[pgzx_Development]: https://github.com/xataio/pgzx/tree/main?tab=readme-ov-file#develpment-shell-and-local-installation