diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/core/Configuration.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/core/Configuration.java
index 1d4acc845..e5f940598 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/core/Configuration.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/core/Configuration.java
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ public final class Configuration {
      * Automatically populated by Gradle/Maven during build.
      * DO NOT EDIT MANUALLY - this value is replaced at build time.
      */
-    public static final String gitCommitId = "82c10284e";
+    public static final String gitCommitId = "ff1da2bbb";
 
     /**
      * Git commit date of the build (ISO format: YYYY-MM-DD).
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ public final class Configuration {
      * Parsed by App::perlbrew and other tools via: perl -V | grep "Compiled at"
      * DO NOT EDIT MANUALLY - this value is replaced at build time.
      */
-    public static final String buildTimestamp = "Apr 29 2026 13:31:56";
+    public static final String buildTimestamp = "Apr 29 2026 13:59:18";
 
     // Prevent instantiation
     private Configuration() {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/runtime/perlmodule/XSLoader.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/runtime/perlmodule/XSLoader.java
index a0347de45..12dba7108 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/runtime/perlmodule/XSLoader.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/runtime/perlmodule/XSLoader.java
@@ -223,6 +223,16 @@ public static RuntimeList load(RuntimeArray args, int ctx) {
             if (inc != null && inc.exists(ppKey).getBoolean()) {
                 return scalarTrue.getList();
             }
+            // Last-ditch fallback: if PerlOnJava bundles a pure-Perl shim
+            // for this module under jar:PERL5LIB (src/main/perl/lib/...),
+            // eval it now. The shim is responsible for installing the subs
+            // the XS bootstrap would normally have provided. This is how
+            // we support XS-only CPAN modules whose dist .pm sits earlier
+            // in @INC and calls XSLoader::load before defining anything
+            // (e.g. Class::C3::XS).
+            if (loadJarShimOverrides(moduleName)) {
+                return scalarTrue.getList();
+            }
             // Error message matches pattern /object version|loadable object/ that many
             // CPAN modules (DateTime, JSON::XS, etc.) expect for pure Perl fallback
             return WarnDie.die(
@@ -322,12 +332,13 @@ public static RuntimeList bootstrap_inherit(RuntimeArray args, int ctx) {
      * which installs any subroutine definitions into the already-loaded package namespace.
      *
      * @param moduleName The fully qualified Perl module name (e.g., "Template::Stash::XS")
+     * @return true if a jar shim was found and successfully eval'd, false otherwise.
      */
-    private static void loadJarShimOverrides(String moduleName) {
+    private static boolean loadJarShimOverrides(String moduleName) {
         // Guard against recursion: the shim code may call XSLoader::load() again
         // for the same module (e.g. Clone.pm's eval { XSLoader::load('Clone') })
         if (!shimLoadingInProgress.add(moduleName)) {
-            return; // Already loading this module's shim — break the cycle
+            return false; // Already loading this module's shim — break the cycle
         }
         try {
             // Convert module name to file path: Template::Stash::XS -> Template/Stash/XS.pm
@@ -337,7 +348,7 @@ private static void loadJarShimOverrides(String moduleName) {
             // Check if a jar: version exists
             InputStream is = Jar.openInputStream(jarPath);
             if (is == null) {
-                return; // No jar: shim for this module
+                return false; // No jar: shim for this module
             }
             
             // Read the content
@@ -350,8 +361,10 @@ private static void loadJarShimOverrides(String moduleName) {
             
             // Eval the code to install any method overrides into the package
             EvalStringHandler.evalString(code, new RuntimeBase[0], jarPath, 1);
+            return true;
         } catch (Exception e) {
             // Silently ignore - the module works via inheritance anyway
+            return false;
         } finally {
             shimLoadingInProgress.remove(moduleName);
         }
diff --git a/src/main/perl/lib/Class/C3/XS.pm b/src/main/perl/lib/Class/C3/XS.pm
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4d22bda4b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/perl/lib/Class/C3/XS.pm
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+package Class::C3::XS;
+
+# PerlOnJava: pure-Perl shim for the XS-only Class::C3::XS module.
+#
+# Class::C3::XS provides XS speedups for Class::C3. PerlOnJava can't
+# load XS, but core mro (always available on perl >= 5.9.5) provides
+# equivalent functionality, so we implement the four functions that
+# Class::C3::XS exposes as pure-Perl wrappers over core mro and the
+# symbol table. The dist's own lib/Class/C3/XS.pm sits earlier in
+# @INC, calls XSLoader::load("Class::C3::XS") in its body, and then
+# defines next::can / next::method / maybe::next::method on top of
+# Class::C3::XS::_nextcan. PerlOnJava's XSLoader intercepts the load
+# call, evals this file to install the four subs, and returns success
+# so the dist's pm finishes wiring up next::*.
+
+use strict;
+use warnings;
+use mro;
+
+our $VERSION = '0.15';
+
+# Class::C3::XS::calculateMRO($class) -- returns the C3 linearisation
+# as a list. Trivially backed by core mro.
+sub calculateMRO {
+    my ($class) = @_;
+    return @{ mro::get_linear_isa($class, 'c3') };
+}
+
+# Class::C3::XS::_plsubgen() -- returns a method-cache generation
+# counter. Real Perl exposes PL_sub_generation, which is bumped any
+# time a sub is (re-)defined. Class::C3 only consults this value to
+# detect when its cached method-dispatch tables need invalidation, so
+# returning a strictly increasing integer is sufficient.
+{
+    my $gen = 0;
+    sub _plsubgen { ++$gen }
+}
+
+# Class::C3::XS::_calculate_method_dispatch_table($class, $merge_cache)
+# -- Class::C3 only calls this on a perl that lacks core c3 mro. With
+# core mro available (PerlOnJava reports 5.40+), c3 dispatch is handled
+# by the interpreter itself, so this can be a no-op. This matches the
+# early-return in Class::C3 0.34's pure-Perl
+# _calculate_method_dispatch_table when $C3_IN_CORE is true.
+sub _calculate_method_dispatch_table {
+    return;
+}
+
+# Class::C3::XS::_nextcan($self_or_class, $wantsub)
+#
+# Locate the next method in C3 MRO order, starting from the method
+# that is currently executing (identified via caller()). Returns a
+# code ref, or undef when nothing is found and $wantsub is false.
+# When $wantsub is true and nothing is found, croaks with the same
+# wording the XS implementation uses, which several CPAN test suites
+# match against.
+sub _nextcan {
+    my ($self, $wantsub) = @_;
+    my $class = ref($self) || $self;
+
+    # Walk up the call stack past the next:: / maybe::next:: dispatch
+    # subs (and any user shim that goto'd into them) to the real
+    # method we are "next-ing" out of.
+    my $level = 1;
+    my $caller_sub;
+    while (1) {
+        my @c = caller($level);
+        last unless @c;
+        my $sub = $c[3];
+        if (defined $sub
+            && $sub ne '(eval)'
+            && $sub !~ /^(?:next|maybe::next)::/)
+        {
+            $caller_sub = $sub;
+            last;
+        }
+        $level++;
+    }
+
+    unless (defined $caller_sub) {
+        return undef unless $wantsub;
+        require Carp;
+        Carp::croak("Can't determine calling sub for next::method on $class");
+    }
+
+    my ($caller_pkg, $method) = $caller_sub =~ /^(.+)::([^:]+)$/;
+    unless (defined $method) {
+        return undef unless $wantsub;
+        require Carp;
+        Carp::croak("Can't extract method name from $caller_sub");
+    }
+
+    no strict 'refs';
+    my $found = 0;
+    for my $pkg (@{ mro::get_linear_isa($class) }) {
+        if (!$found) {
+            $found = 1 if $pkg eq $caller_pkg;
+            next;
+        }
+        if (defined &{"${pkg}::${method}"}) {
+            return \&{"${pkg}::${method}"};
+        }
+    }
+
+    return undef unless $wantsub;
+    require Carp;
+    Carp::croak("No next::method '$method' found for $class");
+}
+
+# Mirror the next::* / maybe::next::* dispatch subs the dist's
+# lib/Class/C3/XS.pm installs after XSLoader::load returns. PerlOnJava's
+# MakeMaker shim skips installing the dist's .pm (it's superseded by the
+# bundled jar shim), so we have to define these ourselves. Real Perl's
+# next::method / next::can are also re-defined here in regular Perl;
+# replacing them is the whole point of loading Class::C3::XS, and tests
+# such as t/36_next_goto.t rely on `goto &next::can` resolving to a real
+# coderef, which the core implementation does not provide.
+package # hide me from PAUSE
+    next;
+
+sub can { Class::C3::XS::_nextcan($_[0], 0) }
+
+sub method {
+    my $method = Class::C3::XS::_nextcan($_[0], 1);
+    goto &$method;
+}
+
+package # hide me from PAUSE
+    maybe::next;
+
+sub method {
+    my $method = Class::C3::XS::_nextcan($_[0], 0);
+    goto &$method if defined $method;
+    return;
+}
+
+package Class::C3::XS;
+
+1;