diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-wheel-linux.yml b/.github/workflows/build-wheel-linux.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..12761e78a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-wheel-linux.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+# (C) Copyright 2024- ECMWF.
+#
+# This software is licensed under the terms of the Apache Licence Version 2.0
+# which can be obtained at http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.
+# In applying this licence, ECMWF does not waive the privileges and immunities
+# granted to it by virtue of its status as an intergovernmental organisation
+# nor does it submit to any jurisdiction.
+
+
+name: Build Python Wheel for Linux
+
+on:
+  # Trigger the workflow manually
+  workflow_dispatch: ~
+
+  # Allow to be called from another workflow
+  workflow_call: ~
+
+  # TODO automation trigger
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    name: Build manylinux_2_28
+    runs-on: [self-hosted, Linux, platform-builder-Rocky-8.6]
+    # TODO which manylinux do we want to build for? 2014? 2_28? 2_34? Matrix?
+    container:
+      image: eccr.ecmwf.int/wheelmaker/2_28:latest
+      credentials:
+        username: ${{ secrets.ECMWF_DOCKER_REGISTRY_USERNAME }}
+        password: ${{ secrets.ECMWF_DOCKER_REGISTRY_ACCESS_TOKEN }}
+    steps:
+        # TODO convert this to be matrix-friendly. Note it's a bit tricky since
+        # we'd ideally not reexecute the compile step multiple times, but it
+        # (non-essentially) depends on a matrix-based step
+        # NOTE we dont use action checkout because it doesnt cleanup after itself correctly
+      - run: git clone --depth=1 --branch="${GITHUB_REF#refs/heads/}" https://github.com/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY /proj
+      - run: cd /proj && /buildscripts/prepare_deps.sh ./python_wrapper/buildconfig 3.11
+      - run: cd /proj && python_wrapper/pre-compile.sh
+      - run: cd /proj && /buildscripts/compile.sh ./python_wrapper/buildconfig
+      - run: cd /proj && PYTHONPATH=/buildscripts /buildscripts/wheel-linux.sh ./python_wrapper/buildconfig 3.11
+      - run: cd /proj && python_wrapper/post-build.sh
+      - run: cd /proj && /buildscripts/test-wheel.sh ./python_wrapper/buildconfig 3.11
+      - run: cd /proj && /buildscripts/upload-pypi.sh ./python_wrapper/buildconfig
+        env:
+          TWINE_USERNAME: __token__
+          TWINE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.PYPI_API_TOKEN }}
+        # NOTE temporary thing until all the mess gets cleared
+      - run: rm -rf ./* ./.git ./.github
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 8791994fc8..91ac37b0f2 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -75,3 +75,5 @@ data/bufr/*test
 build/
 *.back
 trash
+
+*swp
diff --git a/python_wrapper/buildconfig b/python_wrapper/buildconfig
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2c105b759c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python_wrapper/buildconfig
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+# (C) Copyright 2024- ECMWF.
+#
+# This software is licensed under the terms of the Apache Licence Version 2.0
+# which can be obtained at http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.
+# In applying this licence, ECMWF does not waive the privileges and immunities
+# granted to it by virtue of its status as an intergovernmental organisation
+# nor does it submit to any jurisdiction.
+
+# to be source'd by wheelmaker's compile.sh *and* wheel-linux.sh
+# NOTE replace the whole thing with pyproject.toml? Less powerful, and quaint to use for sourcing ecbuild invocation
+# TODO we duplicate information -- pyproject.toml's `name` and `packages` are derivable from $NAME and must stay consistent
+
+NAME="eccodes"
+
+CMAKE_PARAMS1="-DENABLE_PNG=1 -DENABLE_JPG=1 -DENABLE_AEC=1 -DENABLE_JPG_LIBJASPER=0 -DENABLE_JPG_LIBOPENJPEG=1 -DOPENJPEG_DIR=/tmp/openjpeg/target"
+CMAKE_PARAMS2="-DENABLE_NETCDF=0 -DENABLE_FORTRAN=0"
+CMAKE_PARAMS3="-DENABLE_EXAMPLES=0 -DENABLE_PYTHON=0 -DENABLE_BUILD_TOOLS=0 -DENABLE_INSTALL_ECCODES_DEFINITIONS=0 -DENABLE_INSTALL_ECCODES_SAMPLES=0"
+CMAKE_PARAMS4="-DENABLE_ECCODES_THREADS=1 -DENABLE_MEMFS=1"
+CMAKE_PARAMS="$CMAKE_PARAMS1 $CMAKE_PARAMS2 $CMAKE_PARAMS3 $CMAKE_PARAMS4"
+
+PYPROJECT_DIR="python_wrapper"
+# TODO add eckit once the dependency is in place
+DEPENDENCIES='[]'
diff --git a/python_wrapper/post-build.sh b/python_wrapper/post-build.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..a984e19cc3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python_wrapper/post-build.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+:
+# NOTE auditwheel is problematic since it changes libnames -- all is well from
+# the pov # of this very package's libs, but subsequent packages compiled with
+# this as a dependency end up not working
+# auditwheel repair -w /tmp/eccodes/auditwheel /tmp/eccodes/build/wheel/*whl
diff --git a/python_wrapper/pre-compile.sh b/python_wrapper/pre-compile.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..3cb5b0c32a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python_wrapper/pre-compile.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# the procedure for adding a new ext dependency to be bundled in here:
+# - add git checkout, compile, etc
+# - ensure the version ends up in python_wrapper/src/versions.txt
+# - ensure the licence ends up in python_wrapper/src/copying/, and fname is referenced in copying/list.json
+# - ensure the .so ends up in target/lib64/ with the expected libname
+# - validate that the resulting wheel contains all the above
+# additionally, make sure this script is aligned with /buildscripts/compile.sh and /buildscripts/wheel-linux.sh,
+# in particular when it comes to install targets and package data, etc
+
+mkdir -p python_wrapper/src/copying
+mkdir -p /tmp/eccodes/target/eccodes/lib64/
+
+## yum-available prereqs
+for p in libaec-devel libpng-devel gobject-introspection-devel
+do
+    yum install -y $p
+    # TODO improve
+    yum install $p 2>&1 > tmp
+    cat tmp
+    v=$(grep 'already installed' < tmp | awk '{print $2;}' | sed 's/\\d://')
+    echo "yum $p $v" >> python_wrapper/src/versions.txt
+done
+rm tmp
+
+
+## buildable prereqs
+GIT_OPENJPEG=https://github.com/uclouvain/openjpeg
+OPENJPEG_VERSION=v2.5.2
+
+git clone --branch $OPENJPEG_VERSION --depth=1 $GIT_OPENJPEG /src/openjpeg
+
+mkdir -p /tmp/openjpeg/build 
+cd /tmp/openjpeg/build
+cmake /src/openjpeg/ -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/tmp/openjpeg/target
+cmake --build . --target install
+
+cd -
+cd /src/openjpeg && echo "$(git remote -v | head -1 | awk '{print $2;}') $(git rev-parse HEAD)" > /tmp/openjpeg/version.txt
+cd -
+cat /tmp/openjpeg/version.txt >> python_wrapper/src/versions.txt
+
+## licenses
+wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MathisRosenhauer/libaec/master/LICENSE.txt -O python_wrapper/src/copying/libaec.txt
+wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/uclouvain/openjpeg/master/LICENSE -O python_wrapper/src/copying/libopenjpeg.txt
+wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/glennrp/libpng/libpng16/LICENSE -O python_wrapper/src/copying/libpng.txt
+cp LICENSE python_wrapper/src/copying/libeccodes.txt
+echo '{"libeccodes": {"path": "copying/libeccodes.txt", "home": "https://github.com/ecmwf/eccodes"}, "libaec": {"path": "copying/libaec.txt", "home": "https://github.com/MathisRosenhauer/libaec"}, "home": "https://github.com/uclouvain/openjpeg"}, "libpng": {"path": "copying/libpng.txt", "home": "https://github.com/glennrp/libpng"}}' > python_wrapper/src/copying/list.json
+
+echo "$(git remote -v | head -1 | awk '{print $2;}') $(git rev-parse HEAD)" >> python_wrapper/src/versions.txt
+
+cp /tmp/openjpeg/target/lib64/libopenjp2.so.7 /tmp/eccodes/target/eccodes/lib64/libopenjp2.so.7
+cp /lib64/libaec.so.0 /tmp/eccodes/target/eccodes/lib64/libaec.so.0
+cp /lib64/libpng16.so.16 /tmp/eccodes/target/eccodes/lib64/libpng16.so.16
+
diff --git a/python_wrapper/setup.cfg b/python_wrapper/setup.cfg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..87a7fe1a0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python_wrapper/setup.cfg
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+[metadata]
+description = "eccodeslib"
+long_description = file: README.md
+long_description_content_type = text/markdown
+author = file: AUTHORS
diff --git a/python_wrapper/setup.py b/python_wrapper/setup.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c64ad6d789
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python_wrapper/setup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+from setup_utils import plain_setup
+plain_setup()