diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c6137d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+
+
+# Build kernel release archives for use in building RancherOS
+
+**Fill me in**
+
+## packaging your own kernel builds
+
+Assuming you have some kernel source you have built in `/usr/src/linux-4.8`, you can
+package up the result by running 
+
+```
+./scripts/package-kernel --srcdir /usr/src/linux-4.8
+```
+
+You may need to adjust the expected module list files.
+
+## Notes
+
+```
++: ${KERNEL_URL:="https://cdn.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/linux-4.8.1.tar.xz"}
++: ${KERNEL_SHA1:="af418cf983819e99fb4bd0c200a10d9568a2ac52"}
+```	
diff --git a/build.sh b/build.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index a4fdb79..0000000
--- a/build.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,8 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-cd $(dirname $0)
-
-dapper ./scripts/ci
-
-ls -lh dist/kernel
diff --git a/scripts/build-common b/scripts/build-common
index 3bb2082..449f0eb 100644
--- a/scripts/build-common
+++ b/scripts/build-common
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ create_firmware_tar() {
                 echo Found $i
                 echo $i >> files
             else
-                echo Not found $i
+                echo WARNING: Firmware listed in $list Not found $i
             fi
         fi
     done
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ split_tar() {
     mkdir -p tar/{build,main,extra}
     echo Extracting $archive
     tar xf $archive -C tar/build
-    depmod -b tar/build $(basename tar/build/lib/modules/*)
+    /sbin/depmod -b tar/build $(basename tar/build/lib/modules/*)
 
     cd tar/build/lib/modules/*/kernel/..
 
@@ -102,8 +102,12 @@ split_tar() {
     move_files $module_extra_list extra
 
     if [ $(find kernel -type f | wc -l) -gt 0 ]; then
-        echo Invalid files
+        echo Invalid files in $(pwd)
         find kernel -type f
+	echo
+        echo ERROR: Extra files in $(pwd)
+        echo ERROR: You may need to either remove some modules from your kernel .config, or
+        echo ERROR: add these files to $module_list or $module_extra_list
         exit 1
     fi
 
diff --git a/scripts/build-kernel b/scripts/build-kernel
index 2039125..355e29e 100755
--- a/scripts/build-kernel
+++ b/scripts/build-kernel
@@ -19,19 +19,3 @@ cd ${BUILD}/${DIR}
 
 make oldconfig
 make -j$(nproc) tar-pkg
-
-create_firmware_tar $FIRMWARE
-
-mkdir -p ${DIST}/kernel
-
-FILE=$(echo linux*.tar)
-
-(
-    split_tar $FILE $MODULE_LIST $MODULE_EXTRA_LIST
-)
-
-tar --concatenate --file=base.tar firmware.tar
-tar --concatenate --file=extra.tar firmware-extra.tar
-cat base.tar | gzip -c > ${DIST}/kernel/${FILE}.gz
-cat extra.tar | gzip -c > ${DIST}/kernel/extra.tar.gz
-list_build_files | tar -czf ${DIST}/kernel/build.tar.gz -T /dev/stdin
diff --git a/scripts/ci b/scripts/ci
index a4ff0b8..4be07e0 100755
--- a/scripts/ci
+++ b/scripts/ci
@@ -6,3 +6,4 @@ cd $(dirname $0)/..
 ./scripts/download
 ./scripts/extract
 ./scripts/build-kernel
+./scripts/package-kernel
diff --git a/scripts/package-kernel b/scripts/package-kernel
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..827c42a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/package-kernel
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+cd $(dirname $0)/..
+
+source scripts/build-common
+source scripts/version
+
+SOURCEDIR=${BUILD}/${VERSION}
+while [ "$#" -gt 0 ]; do
+    case $1 in
+        --srcdir)
+            shift 1
+            SOURCEDIR="$1"
+            ;;
+        *)
+            break
+            ;;
+    esac
+    shift 1
+done
+
+
+
+export CCACHE_DIR="${HOME}/.kernel-ccache"
+export CC="ccache gcc"
+export PATH="/usr/lib/ccache:$PATH"
+KERNEL=$(basename ${KERNEL_URL})
+FIRMWARE=$(readlink -f scripts/firmware)
+MODULE_LIST=$(readlink -f modules.list)
+MODULE_EXTRA_LIST=$(readlink -f modules-extra.list)
+
+cd ${SOURCEDIR}
+
+create_firmware_tar $FIRMWARE
+
+mkdir -p ${DIST}/kernel
+
+FILE=$(echo linux*.tar)
+
+(
+    split_tar $FILE $MODULE_LIST $MODULE_EXTRA_LIST
+)
+
+tar --concatenate --file=base.tar firmware.tar
+tar --concatenate --file=extra.tar firmware-extra.tar
+cat base.tar | gzip -c > ${DIST}/kernel/${FILE}.gz
+cat extra.tar | gzip -c > ${DIST}/kernel/extra.tar.gz
+list_build_files | tar -czf ${DIST}/kernel/build.tar.gz -T /dev/stdin