diff --git a/.github/workflows/main.yml b/.github/workflows/main.yml
index b0e8623..219795e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/main.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/main.yml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ jobs:
           apt -y update
           apt -y upgrade
           apt -y install git python3-pip
-          python -m pip install scons meson ninja
+          python -m pip install meson ninja
 
       - name: checkout repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           echo "CLAS12ROOT=$GITHUB_WORKSPACE" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "HIPO=$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/hipo" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "CCDB_HOME=$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/ccdb" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "CCDB_HOME=$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/ccdb_install" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "RCDB_HOME=$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/rcdb" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "QADB=$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/clas12-qadb" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
@@ -50,9 +50,9 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: build ccdb
         run: |
-          cd $CCDB_HOME
-          source environment.bash
-          python $(which scons)
+          cmake -S ccdb -B ccdb_build --install-prefix $CCDB_HOME
+          cmake --build ccdb_build -j4
+          cmake --install ccdb_build
 
       - name: build clas12root
         run: |
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4b2911b..cd53783 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -27,11 +27,7 @@ clas12root provides an interface to the clas12-qadb c++ code to allow skimming o
 
 To simplify installation of the dependencies, ccdb, rcdb, qadb are now includes as submodules tagged to specific releases. Now when you clone with   --recurse-submodules all 3 plus lz4 will also be downloaded into your clas12root directory. If you already have your own versions of these you may ignore these and just set the required paths to your own installation.
 
-It is still required to build ccdb with scons after you have cloned it (before running installC12Root). You will need to make sure you have the necessary depndencies for ccdb on your system. If you do not and do not want to use ccdb in anycase you may just not set the CCDB_HOME enviroment variable.  [https://github.com/JeffersonLab/ccdb]
-
-      cd ccdb
-      source environment.csh
-      scons
+It is still required to build ccdb with CMake after you have cloned it (before running installC12Root); see below for example CMake commands. You will need to make sure you have the necessary depndencies for ccdb on your system. If you do not and do not want to use ccdb in anycase you may just not set the CCDB_HOME enviroment variable.  [https://github.com/JeffersonLab/ccdb]
 
 ccdb is prone to giving warnings when you try and compile ROOT scripts via macros. To get rid of these wanrings you may need to copy the Directory.h file from ccdb_patch.
 
@@ -111,14 +107,17 @@ setenv CXX  /myz/c++
 ```
 Or just set the paths to CC and CXX directly.
 
-Remember to build ccdb with scons if you are using it before installing clas12root. If you alredy have CCDB_HOME set to somewhere else on your system then you will not need to do this.
+Remember to build ccdb with CMake if you are using it before installing clas12root. If you alredy have CCDB_HOME set to somewhere else on your system then you will not need to do this. For example,
 
 ```bash
-cd ccdb
-source environment.csh
-scons
-cd..
+cmake -S ccdb -B ccdb_build --install-prefix $CCDB_HOME  # where CCDB_HOME is your preferred installation location for CCDB
+cmake --build ccdb_build
+cmake --install ccdb_build
+```
 
+Then build clas12root:
+
+```bash
 installC12Root
 ```
 
diff --git a/ccdb b/ccdb
index 08d5e3f..8d1745f 160000
--- a/ccdb
+++ b/ccdb
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 08d5e3f40511f2135741d351815c74d33737e806
+Subproject commit 8d1745f8ba497f2d461047c84e60f372bd329883
diff --git a/installDBs b/installDBs
index 8862601..83e76f3 100755
--- a/installDBs
+++ b/installDBs
@@ -14,6 +14,6 @@ setenv RCDB_HOME $PWD/rcdb
 cd ccdb
 source environment.csh
 
-scons
+scons ## FIXME: use CMake
 
-cd $CLAS12ROOT
\ No newline at end of file
+cd $CLAS12ROOT