diff --git a/internal_deps.bzl b/internal_deps.bzl
index 7750ea8..704baad 100644
--- a/internal_deps.bzl
+++ b/internal_deps.bzl
@@ -12,11 +12,29 @@ def rules_jq_internal_deps():
     maybe(
         http_archive,
         name = "rules_pkg",
+        patch_args = ["-p1"],
+        patches = [
+            # https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_pkg/pull/169
+            "//:lib/bazel/fix-python-version-PY2-per-rules_pkg-PR169.patch",
+        ],
         urls = [
-            "https://mirror.bazel.build/github.com/bazelbuild/rules_pkg/releases/download/0.2.4/rules_pkg-0.2.4.tar.gz",
-            "https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_pkg/releases/download/0.2.4/rules_pkg-0.2.4.tar.gz",
+            "https://mirror.bazel.build/github.com/bazelbuild/rules_pkg/releases/download/0.2.5/rules_pkg-0.2.5.tar.gz",
+            "https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_pkg/releases/download/0.2.5/rules_pkg-0.2.5.tar.gz",
         ],
-        sha256 = "4ba8f4ab0ff85f2484287ab06c0d871dcb31cc54d439457d28fd4ae14b18450a",
+        sha256 = "352c090cc3d3f9a6b4e676cf42a6047c16824959b438895a76c2989c6d7c246a",
+    )
+
+    # NOTE: in making minimal changes, the typical load of py_repositories() from
+    # python:repositories.bzl was not necessary in WORKSPACE
+    #
+    # load("@rules_python//python:repositories.bzl", "py_repositories")
+    # py_repositories()
+    maybe(
+        http_archive,
+        name = "rules_python",
+        url = "https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_python/releases/download/0.0.2/rules_python-0.0.2.tar.gz",
+        strip_prefix = "rules_python-0.0.2",
+        sha256 = "b5668cde8bb6e3515057ef465a35ad712214962f0b3a314e551204266c7be90c",
     )
 
     maybe(
diff --git a/lib/bazel/fix-python-version-PY2-per-rules_pkg-PR169.patch b/lib/bazel/fix-python-version-PY2-per-rules_pkg-PR169.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..61b29fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/bazel/fix-python-version-PY2-per-rules_pkg-PR169.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+diff -ur rules_pkg/BUILD rules_pkg/BUILD
+--- rules_pkg/BUILD	2023-11-02 11:32:55
++++ rules_pkg/BUILD	2023-11-02 11:33:28
+@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@
+ py_binary(
+     name = "build_tar",
+     srcs = ["build_tar.py"],
+-    python_version = "PY2",
+-    srcs_version = "PY2AND3",
++    python_version = "PY3",
++    srcs_version = "PY3",
+     visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
+     deps = [
+         ":archive",