diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 07ea1bf..1c0dcd6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -9,10 +9,12 @@ A fast, lightweight, and expressive HTTP framework for Go, built on top of [http
 - **Fast** — ~132k RPS, sitting just below raw `net/http` and above Gin, Echo, and Chi
 - **Middleware** — global, group, and route-level middleware with correct onion ordering
 - **Groups** — nestable route groups with prefix and middleware inheritance
+- **Static files & SPA** — serve assets and single-page apps with optional middleware
 - **Graceful shutdown** — in-flight requests finish cleanly on `SIGTERM` / `SIGINT`
-- **Configurable** — server timeouts, error handlers, not-found handlers all configurable
+- **Configurable** — server timeouts, error/not-found/method-not-allowed handlers
 - **Rich context** — typed request/response helpers, value store, cookie and form support
 - **Built-in middleware** — logger, recovery, CORS, request ID, max body size
+- **WebSocket & SSE ready** — response writer implements `Hijacker`, `Flusher`, and `Pusher`
 
 ## Installation
 
@@ -37,8 +39,8 @@ func main() {
     k := kite.New()
 
     k.Use(
+        middleware.Logger(),     // first, so it observes the final status after Recovery
         middleware.Recovery(),
-        middleware.Logger(),
         middleware.RequestID(),
     )
 
@@ -66,7 +68,7 @@ k.PUT("/users/:id", updateUser)
 k.DELETE("/users/:id", deleteUser)
 ```
 
-All standard HTTP methods are supported: `GET`, `POST`, `PUT`, `DELETE`, `HEAD`, `OPTIONS`, `CONNECT`, `TRACE`, `PATCH`.
+Supported HTTP methods: `GET`, `POST`, `PUT`, `DELETE`, `HEAD`, `OPTIONS`, `CONNECT`, `TRACE`.
 
 ## Route Groups
 
@@ -94,6 +96,46 @@ admin := api.Group("/admin", adminOnlyMiddleware)
 admin.GET("/stats", getStats) // chain: global → auth → adminOnly → handler
 ```
 
+## Static Files & Single-Page Apps
+
+### Static Assets
+
+`Static` serves files from a directory on disk under a URL prefix:
+
+```go
+k.Static("/assets", "./public")
+// GET /assets/css/main.css → ./public/css/main.css
+```
+
+Middleware can be applied per-prefix:
+
+```go
+k.Static("/admin/assets", "./admin-dist", authMiddleware)
+```
+
+`StaticFS` is the same but takes an `http.FileSystem`, useful for embedded assets via `embed`:
+
+```go
+//go:embed dist
+var distFS embed.FS
+
+k.StaticFS("/assets", http.FS(distFS))
+```
+
+Both are also available on `Group` for prefixed/scoped serving.
+
+### Single-Page Applications
+
+For Vue, React, Svelte, and similar frameworks, `SPA` serves the directory and falls back to `index.html` for unknown paths — letting client-side routing work correctly:
+
+```go
+k.SPA("./dist")
+```
+
+`SPAFS` takes an `http.FileSystem` for embedded builds.
+
+> **Note:** `SPA` and `SPAFS` register the file server as the NotFound handler. If you've already called `SetNotFoundHandler` (or call it afterward), a warning is logged about the override.
+
 ## Middleware
 
 Middleware follows the standard onion model — each middleware wraps the next.
@@ -104,11 +146,11 @@ type Middleware func(h Handler) Handler
 
 ### Global Middleware
 
-Applied to every route:
+Applied to every request, including NotFound, MethodNotAllowed, and OPTIONS preflights:
 
 ```go
-k.Use(middleware.Recovery())
 k.Use(middleware.Logger())
+k.Use(middleware.Recovery())
 ```
 
 ### Route Middleware
@@ -133,6 +175,20 @@ k.GET("/admin", adminHandler, authMiddleware, rateLimitMiddleware)
 ← Global 1
 ```
 
+The first middleware registered is the outermost — it runs first on the way in, and last on the way out.
+
+### Recommended Order
+
+Register `Logger` **before** `Recovery`. The reverse order causes `Logger`'s deferred log line to read the status before `Recovery` writes the 500, which means panicked requests log as `200`.
+
+```go
+k.Use(
+    middleware.Logger(),     // outermost — sees the final status
+    middleware.Recovery(),   // catches panics from inner handlers
+    middleware.RequestID(),
+)
+```
+
 ### Writing Custom Middleware
 
 ```go
@@ -156,7 +212,7 @@ import "git.trcreatives.at/trcreatives/go-kite/middleware"
 
 ### Logger
 
-Logs method, path, status code and latency for every request.
+Logs method, path, status code and latency for every request. Logs from a `defer`, so panicked and errored requests are captured too (provided Logger is registered before Recovery).
 
 ```go
 // simple
@@ -179,7 +235,7 @@ k.Use(middleware.LoggerWithConfig(middleware.LoggerConfig{
 Catches panics and returns a `500` instead of crashing the server.
 
 ```go
-// simple — always register this first
+// simple
 k.Use(middleware.Recovery())
 
 // custom — integrate with Sentry, Datadog, etc.
@@ -207,7 +263,7 @@ k.Use(middleware.RequestIDWithConfig(middleware.RequestIDConfig{
 }))
 
 // retrieve in handler
-id := ctx.GetValue("X-Request-ID")
+id := ctx.GetValue("X-Request-ID").(string)
 ```
 
 ### CORS
@@ -215,11 +271,11 @@ id := ctx.GetValue("X-Request-ID")
 Sets Cross-Origin Resource Sharing headers and handles preflight requests.
 
 ```go
-// allow all origins
+// allow all origins (no credentials)
 k.Use(middleware.CORS())
 
-// restrict origins
-k.Use(middleware.CORS("https://myapp.com"))
+// restrict to specific origins
+k.Use(middleware.CORS("https://myapp.com", "https://staging.myapp.com"))
 
 // full control
 k.Use(middleware.CORSWithConfig(middleware.CORSConfig{
@@ -232,7 +288,9 @@ k.Use(middleware.CORSWithConfig(middleware.CORSConfig{
 }))
 ```
 
-> **Note:** `AllowCredentials: true` cannot be combined with `AllowedOrigins: ["*"]` — browsers will reject it.
+For multi-origin allowlists, the middleware checks the request's `Origin` against the list and echoes back only the matching one — `Access-Control-Allow-Origin` always contains a single origin, never a comma-separated list. A `Vary: Origin` header is added so caches behave correctly.
+
+> **Note:** When `AllowCredentials: true` is combined with `AllowedOrigins: ["*"]`, the middleware echoes the request's `Origin` instead of sending `*`, since browsers reject that combination.
 
 ### MaxBodySize
 
@@ -292,16 +350,17 @@ Every handler receives a `*kite.Context` with the following methods:
 
 ### Response
 
-| Method                                    | Description         |
-| ----------------------------------------- | ------------------- |
-| `WriteBytes(status int, v []byte) error`  | Raw bytes response  |
-| `WriteString(status int, v string) error` | Plain text response |
-| `WriteJSON(status int, v any) error`      | JSON response       |
-| `WriteXML(status int, v any) error`       | XML response        |
-| `WriteNoContent() error`                  | 204 No Content      |
-| `Redirect(status int, url string) error`  | Redirect            |
-| `SetHeader(key, value string)`            | Set response header |
-| `SetCookie(cookie *http.Cookie)`          | Set response cookie |
+| Method                                    | Description                              |
+| ----------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
+| `WriteBytes(status int, v []byte) error`  | Raw bytes response                       |
+| `WriteString(status int, v string) error` | Plain text response (UTF-8)              |
+| `WriteJSON(status int, v any) error`      | JSON response (UTF-8)                    |
+| `WriteXML(status int, v any) error`       | XML response (UTF-8)                     |
+| `WriteNoContent() error`                  | 204 No Content                           |
+| `Redirect(status int, url string) error`  | Redirect                                 |
+| `SetHeader(key, value string)`            | Set response header (replaces existing)  |
+| `AddHeader(key, value string)`            | Append response header (for multi-value) |
+| `SetCookie(cookie *http.Cookie)`          | Set response cookie                      |
 
 ## Error Handling
 
diff --git a/context.go b/context.go
index c022df8..7bdcc6b 100644
--- a/context.go
+++ b/context.go
@@ -16,10 +16,9 @@ import (
 type contextKey string
 
 type Context struct {
-	ctx context.Context
-	w   *responseWriter
-	r   *http.Request
-	p   httprouter.Params
+	w *responseWriter
+	r *http.Request
+	p httprouter.Params
 }
 
 func (c *Context) GetRequest() *http.Request {
@@ -35,7 +34,7 @@ func (c *Context) GetStatusCode() int {
 }
 
 func (c *Context) GetContext() context.Context {
-	return c.ctx
+	return c.r.Context()
 }
 
 func (c *Context) GetPathParam(key string) string {
@@ -47,11 +46,15 @@ func (c *Context) GetQueryParam(key string) string {
 }
 
 func (c *Context) SetValue(key string, v any) {
-	c.ctx = context.WithValue(c.ctx, contextKey(key), v)
+	c.r = c.r.WithContext(context.WithValue(c.r.Context(), contextKey(key), v))
 }
 
 func (c *Context) GetValue(key string) any {
-	return c.ctx.Value(contextKey(key))
+	return c.r.Context().Value(contextKey(key))
+}
+
+func (c *Context) AddHeader(key, v string) {
+	c.w.Header().Add(key, v)
 }
 
 func (c *Context) SetHeader(key, v string) {
@@ -126,20 +129,20 @@ func (c *Context) WriteBytes(statusCode int, v []byte) error {
 }
 
 func (c *Context) WriteString(statusCode int, v string) error {
-	c.w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "text/plain")
+	c.w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "text/plain; charset=utf-8")
 	c.w.WriteHeader(statusCode)
 	_, err := c.w.Write([]byte(v))
 	return err
 }
 
 func (c *Context) WriteJSON(statusCode int, v any) error {
-	c.w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	c.w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json; charset=utf-8")
 	c.w.WriteHeader(statusCode)
 	return json.NewEncoder(c.w).Encode(v)
 }
 
 func (c *Context) WriteXML(statusCode int, v any) error {
-	c.w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/xml")
+	c.w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/xml; charset=utf-8")
 	c.w.WriteHeader(statusCode)
 	return xml.NewEncoder(c.w).Encode(v)
 }
diff --git a/group.go b/group.go
index f8885f3..0db50f4 100644
--- a/group.go
+++ b/group.go
@@ -8,19 +8,25 @@ type Group struct {
 	mws    []Middleware
 }
 
-func (g *Group) Static(prefix, root string) {
-	g.StaticFS(prefix, http.Dir(root))
+func (g *Group) Static(prefix, root string, mws ...Middleware) {
+	g.StaticFS(prefix, http.Dir(root), mws...)
 }
 
-func (g *Group) StaticFS(prefix string, fs http.FileSystem) {
+func (g *Group) StaticFS(prefix string, fs http.FileSystem, mws ...Middleware) {
 	if prefix == "" || prefix[len(prefix)-1] != '/' {
 		prefix += "/"
 	}
 	fullPrefix := g.prefix + prefix
 
 	handler := http.StripPrefix(fullPrefix, http.FileServer(fs))
-	g.k.r.Handler(http.MethodGet, fullPrefix+"*filepath", handler)
-	g.k.r.Handler(http.MethodHead, fullPrefix+"*filepath", handler)
+
+	h := func(ctx *Context) error {
+		handler.ServeHTTP(ctx.w, ctx.r)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	g.k.handle(http.MethodGet, fullPrefix+"*filepath", h, mws...)
+	g.k.handle(http.MethodHead, fullPrefix+"*filepath", h, mws...)
 }
 
 func (g *Group) Group(prefix string, mws ...Middleware) *Group {
@@ -68,5 +74,9 @@ func (g *Group) TRACE(path string, h Handler, mws ...Middleware) {
 }
 
 func (g *Group) handle(method, path string, h Handler, mws ...Middleware) {
-	g.k.handle(method, g.prefix+path, h, append(g.mws, mws...)...)
+	combined := make([]Middleware, 0, len(g.mws)+len(mws))
+	combined = append(combined, g.mws...)
+	combined = append(combined, mws...)
+
+	g.k.handle(method, g.prefix+path, h, combined...)
 }
diff --git a/kite.go b/kite.go
index 92cab87..5438b5f 100644
--- a/kite.go
+++ b/kite.go
@@ -17,12 +17,16 @@ type Kite struct {
 	errorHandler ErrorHandler
 	mws          []Middleware
 
+	customNotFound bool
+
 	serverReadTimeout     time.Duration
 	serverWriteTimeout    time.Duration
 	serverIdleTimeout     time.Duration
 	serverShutdownTimeout time.Duration
 }
 
+type kiteContextKey struct{}
+
 func New() *Kite {
 	k := &Kite{
 		r: httprouter.New(),
@@ -34,7 +38,7 @@ func New() *Kite {
 	}
 
 	k.SetErrorHandler(defaultErrorHandler)
-	k.SetNotFoundHandler(defaultNotFoundHandler)
+	k.setNotFoundHandler(defaultNotFoundHandler)
 	k.SetMethodNotAllowedHandler(defaultMethodNotAllowedHandler)
 
 	return k
@@ -44,17 +48,33 @@ func (k *Kite) SetErrorHandler(errorHandler ErrorHandler) {
 	k.errorHandler = errorHandler
 }
 
-func (k *Kite) SetNotFoundHandler(notFoundHandler NotFoundHandler) {
+func (k *Kite) setNotFoundHandler(notFoundHandler NotFoundHandler) {
 	k.r.NotFound = http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
-		ctx := &Context{ctx: r.Context(), w: newResponseWriter(w), r: r}
-		notFoundHandler(ctx)
+		ctx := r.Context().Value(kiteContextKey{}).(*Context)
+		if err := notFoundHandler(ctx); err != nil {
+			if err := k.errorHandler(ctx, err); err != nil {
+				log.Printf("[Kite] Error handler failed: %v\n", err)
+			}
+		}
 	})
 }
 
+func (k *Kite) SetNotFoundHandler(notFoundHandler NotFoundHandler) {
+	if k.customNotFound {
+		log.Println("[Kite] SetNotFoundHandler is overriding a previously configured NotFound handler")
+	}
+	k.setNotFoundHandler(notFoundHandler)
+	k.customNotFound = true
+}
+
 func (k *Kite) SetMethodNotAllowedHandler(methodNotAllowedHandler MethodNotAllowedHandler) {
 	k.r.MethodNotAllowed = http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
-		ctx := &Context{ctx: r.Context(), w: newResponseWriter(w), r: r}
-		methodNotAllowedHandler(ctx)
+		ctx := r.Context().Value(kiteContextKey{}).(*Context)
+		if err := methodNotAllowedHandler(ctx); err != nil {
+			if err := k.errorHandler(ctx, err); err != nil {
+				log.Printf("[Kite] Error handler failed: %v\n", err)
+			}
+		}
 	})
 }
 
@@ -77,7 +97,7 @@ func (k *Kite) SetServerShutdownTimeout(d time.Duration) {
 func (k *Kite) Start(listenAddr string) error {
 	srv := &http.Server{
 		Addr:    listenAddr,
-		Handler: k.r,
+		Handler: k.buildHandler(),
 
 		ReadTimeout:  k.serverReadTimeout,
 		WriteTimeout: k.serverWriteTimeout,
@@ -105,7 +125,7 @@ func (k *Kite) Start(listenAddr string) error {
 func (k *Kite) StartTLS(listenAddr, certFile, keyFile string) error {
 	srv := &http.Server{
 		Addr:    listenAddr,
-		Handler: k.r,
+		Handler: k.buildHandler(),
 
 		ReadTimeout:  k.serverReadTimeout,
 		WriteTimeout: k.serverWriteTimeout,
@@ -135,6 +155,11 @@ func (k *Kite) SPA(root string) {
 }
 
 func (k *Kite) SPAFS(fs http.FileSystem) {
+	if k.customNotFound {
+		log.Println("[Kite] SPAFS is overriding a previously configured NotFound handler")
+	}
+	k.customNotFound = true
+
 	fileServer := http.FileServer(fs)
 
 	k.r.NotFound = http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
@@ -150,18 +175,24 @@ func (k *Kite) SPAFS(fs http.FileSystem) {
 	})
 }
 
-func (k *Kite) Static(prefix, root string) {
-	k.StaticFS(prefix, http.Dir(root))
+func (k *Kite) Static(prefix, root string, mws ...Middleware) {
+	k.StaticFS(prefix, http.Dir(root), mws...)
 }
 
-func (k *Kite) StaticFS(prefix string, fs http.FileSystem) {
+func (k *Kite) StaticFS(prefix string, fs http.FileSystem, mws ...Middleware) {
 	if prefix == "" || prefix[len(prefix)-1] != '/' {
 		prefix += "/"
 	}
 
 	handler := http.StripPrefix(prefix, http.FileServer(fs))
-	k.r.Handler(http.MethodGet, prefix+"*filepath", handler)
-	k.r.Handler(http.MethodHead, prefix+"*filepath", handler)
+
+	h := func(ctx *Context) error {
+		handler.ServeHTTP(ctx.w, ctx.r)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	k.handle(http.MethodGet, prefix+"*filepath", h, mws...)
+	k.handle(http.MethodHead, prefix+"*filepath", h, mws...)
 }
 
 func (k *Kite) Group(prefix string, mws ...Middleware) *Group {
@@ -208,25 +239,41 @@ func (k *Kite) TRACE(path string, h Handler, mws ...Middleware) {
 	k.handle(http.MethodTrace, path, h, mws...)
 }
 
+func (k *Kite) buildHandler() http.Handler {
+	inner := func(ctx *Context) error {
+		ctx.r = ctx.r.WithContext(context.WithValue(ctx.r.Context(), kiteContextKey{}, ctx))
+		k.r.ServeHTTP(ctx.w, ctx.r)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	wrapped := inner
+	for i := len(k.mws) - 1; i >= 0; i-- {
+		wrapped = k.mws[i](wrapped)
+	}
+
+	return http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		ctx := &Context{
+			w: newResponseWriter(w),
+			r: r,
+		}
+		if err := wrapped(ctx); err != nil {
+			if err := k.errorHandler(ctx, err); err != nil {
+				log.Printf("[Kite] Error handler failed: %v\n", err)
+			}
+		}
+	})
+}
+
 func (k *Kite) handle(method, path string, h Handler, mws ...Middleware) {
 	k.r.Handle(method, path, func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, p httprouter.Params) {
-		ctx := &Context{
-			ctx: r.Context(),
-			w:   newResponseWriter(w),
-			r:   r,
-			p:   p,
-		}
+		ctx := r.Context().Value(kiteContextKey{}).(*Context)
+		ctx.p = p
 
 		wrappedHandler := h
-
 		for i := len(mws) - 1; i >= 0; i-- {
 			wrappedHandler = mws[i](wrappedHandler)
 		}
 
-		for i := len(k.mws) - 1; i >= 0; i-- {
-			wrappedHandler = k.mws[i](wrappedHandler)
-		}
-
 		if err := wrappedHandler(ctx); err != nil {
 			if err := k.errorHandler(ctx, err); err != nil {
 				log.Printf("[Kite] Error handler failed: %v\n", err)
diff --git a/middleware/cors.go b/middleware/cors.go
index 45b2c85..a959d23 100644
--- a/middleware/cors.go
+++ b/middleware/cors.go
@@ -34,14 +34,37 @@ func CORSWithConfig(cfg CORSConfig) kite.Middleware {
 		cfg.AllowedHeaders = []string{"Content-Type", "Authorization"}
 	}
 
-	origins := strings.Join(cfg.AllowedOrigins, ", ")
+	allowAll := len(cfg.AllowedOrigins) == 1 && cfg.AllowedOrigins[0] == "*"
 	methods := strings.Join(cfg.AllowedMethods, ", ")
 	headers := strings.Join(cfg.AllowedHeaders, ", ")
 	exposed := strings.Join(cfg.ExposedHeaders, ", ")
 
+	originSet := make(map[string]struct{}, len(cfg.AllowedOrigins))
+	for _, o := range cfg.AllowedOrigins {
+		originSet[o] = struct{}{}
+	}
+
 	return func(h kite.Handler) kite.Handler {
 		return func(ctx *kite.Context) error {
-			ctx.SetHeader("Access-Control-Allow-Origin", origins)
+			origin := ctx.GetHeader("Origin")
+
+			allowOrigin := ""
+			switch {
+			case allowAll && !cfg.AllowCredentials:
+				allowOrigin = "*"
+			case allowAll && cfg.AllowCredentials:
+				allowOrigin = origin
+			default:
+				if _, ok := originSet[origin]; ok {
+					allowOrigin = origin
+				}
+			}
+
+			if allowOrigin != "" {
+				ctx.SetHeader("Access-Control-Allow-Origin", allowOrigin)
+				ctx.AddHeader("Vary", "Origin")
+			}
+
 			ctx.SetHeader("Access-Control-Allow-Methods", methods)
 			ctx.SetHeader("Access-Control-Allow-Headers", headers)
 
diff --git a/middleware/logger.go b/middleware/logger.go
index 2aee1d1..2fd0ff8 100644
--- a/middleware/logger.go
+++ b/middleware/logger.go
@@ -42,10 +42,10 @@ func LoggerWithConfig(cfg LoggerConfig) kite.Middleware {
 			}
 
 			start := time.Now()
-			err := h(ctx)
-			logger.Println(cfg.Format(ctx.GetMethod(), ctx.GetPath(), ctx.GetStatusCode(), time.Since(start)))
-
-			return err
+			defer func() {
+				logger.Println(cfg.Format(ctx.GetMethod(), ctx.GetPath(), ctx.GetStatusCode(), time.Since(start)))
+			}()
+			return h(ctx)
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/response_writer.go b/response_writer.go
index 21121a8..6a074e2 100644
--- a/response_writer.go
+++ b/response_writer.go
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 package kite
 
-import "net/http"
+import (
+	"bufio"
+	"fmt"
+	"net"
+	"net/http"
+)
 
 type responseWriter struct {
 	http.ResponseWriter
@@ -31,3 +36,24 @@ func (rw *responseWriter) Write(b []byte) (int, error) {
 	}
 	return rw.ResponseWriter.Write(b)
 }
+
+func (rw *responseWriter) Hijack() (net.Conn, *bufio.ReadWriter, error) {
+	h, ok := rw.ResponseWriter.(http.Hijacker)
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("underlying ResponseWriter does not implement http.Hijacker")
+	}
+	return h.Hijack()
+}
+
+func (rw *responseWriter) Flush() {
+	if f, ok := rw.ResponseWriter.(http.Flusher); ok {
+		f.Flush()
+	}
+}
+
+func (rw *responseWriter) Push(target string, opts *http.PushOptions) error {
+	if p, ok := rw.ResponseWriter.(http.Pusher); ok {
+		return p.Push(target, opts)
+	}
+	return http.ErrNotSupported
+}