diff --git a/py3.12-pip.yaml b/py3.12-pip.yaml
index 18dab2595bd..6ae01c589fe 100644
--- a/py3.12-pip.yaml
+++ b/py3.12-pip.yaml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 package:
   name: py3.12-pip
   version: "24.0"
-  epoch: 0
+  epoch: 1
   description: The PyPA recommended tool for installing Python packages.
   copyright:
     - license: MIT
@@ -30,10 +30,10 @@ pipeline:
       tag: ${{package.version}}
 
   - name: Python Build
-    runs: python setup.py build
+    runs: python3 setup.py build
 
   - name: Python Install
-    runs: python setup.py install --prefix=/usr --root="${{targets.destdir}}"
+    runs: python3 setup.py install --prefix=/usr --root="${{targets.destdir}}"
 
   - uses: strip
 
diff --git a/py3.12-setuptools.yaml b/py3.12-setuptools.yaml
index 31e54d554fe..f2e2c4494f8 100644
--- a/py3.12-setuptools.yaml
+++ b/py3.12-setuptools.yaml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 package:
   name: py3.12-setuptools
   version: 69.1.1
-  epoch: 0
+  epoch: 1
   description: Easily download, build, install, upgrade, and uninstall Python packages
   copyright:
     - license: "MIT"
@@ -27,10 +27,10 @@ pipeline:
       uri: https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/source/s/setuptools/setuptools-${{package.version}}.tar.gz
 
   - name: Python Build
-    runs: python setup.py build
+    runs: python3 setup.py build
 
   - name: Python Install
-    runs: python setup.py install --prefix=/usr --root="${{targets.destdir}}" --skip-build
+    runs: python3 setup.py install --prefix=/usr --root="${{targets.destdir}}" --skip-build
 
 update:
   enabled: true
diff --git a/python-3.12.yaml b/python-3.12.yaml
index a18106a7f7a..61e1846814a 100644
--- a/python-3.12.yaml
+++ b/python-3.12.yaml
@@ -1,10 +1,16 @@
 package:
   name: python-3.12
   version: 3.12.2
-  epoch: 6
+  epoch: 7
   description: "the Python programming language"
   copyright:
     - license: PSF-2.0
+  dependencies:
+    provides:
+      - python3=${{package.full-version}}
+      - python-3=${{package.full-version}}
+    runtime:
+      - ${{package.name}}-base=${{package.full-version}}
 
 environment:
   contents:
@@ -87,7 +93,7 @@ pipeline:
       find ${{targets.destdir}}/usr/lib -type d -name 'idle_test' -exec rm -rf '{}' +
 
       cd ${{targets.destdir}}/usr/bin
-      rm -f python3 pydoc3 idle3* 2to3*
+      rm -f idle3* 2to3*
       rm ${{targets.destdir}}/usr/lib/libpython3.so
 
       # Drop site-packages README.txt to avoid SCA dep on python3~3.M
@@ -111,20 +117,29 @@ test:
         ${{vars.python}} CVE-2023-27043-unittest.py
 
 subpackages:
-  - name: "${{package.name}}-default"
+  - name: "${{package.name}}-base"
     description: "${{package.name}} as /usr/bin/python3"
-    dependencies:
-      provides:
-        - python3=${{package.full-version}}
-        - python-3=${{package.full-version}}
-      runtime:
-        - ${{package.name}}
     pipeline:
       - runs: |
-          mkdir -p ${{targets.subpkgdir}}/usr/bin
-          ln -sf ${{vars.python}} "${{targets.subpkgdir}}"/usr/bin/python3
-          ln -sf pydoc${{vars.pyversion}} "${{targets.subpkgdir}}"/usr/bin/pydoc3
-          ln -sf python3 "${{targets.subpkgdir}}"/usr/bin/python
+          mkdir -p ${{targets.subpkgdir}}/usr/bin ${{targets.subpkgdir}}/usr/lib
+          mv ${{targets.destdir}}/usr/bin/${{vars.python}} \
+              ${{targets.destdir}}/usr/bin/pydoc${{vars.pyversion}} \
+              ${{targets.subpkgdir}}/usr/bin
+          mv -v ${{targets.destdir}}/usr/lib/${{vars.python}} \
+             ${{targets.subpkgdir}}/usr/lib
+          mv -v ${{targets.destdir}}/usr/lib/libpython${{vars.pyversion}}.so.* \
+             ${{targets.subpkgdir}}/usr/lib
+
+          # pyconfig.h is needed at runtime... ugh.
+          d=usr/include/${{vars.python}}
+          mkdir -p "${{targets.subpkgdir}}"/$d
+          mv "${{targets.destdir}}"/$d/pyconfig.h "${{targets.subpkgdir}}"/$d/
+          # this does not belong here. picked up by -base-dev below.
+          # config-3.12-x86_64-linux-gnu
+          d="usr/lib/${{vars.python}}"
+          mkdir -p "${{targets.destdir}}/$d"
+          mv -v "${{targets.subpkgdir}}/$d"/config-${{vars.pyversion}}* \
+              "${{targets.destdir}}/$d"
 
   - name: "${{package.name}}-doc"
     description: "python3 documentation"
@@ -133,22 +148,38 @@ subpackages:
 
   - name: "${{package.name}}-dev"
     description: "python3 development headers"
+    dependencies:
+      provides:
+        - python3-dev=${{package.full-version}}
+        - python-3-dev=${{package.full-version}}
+      runtime:
+        - ${{package.name}}-base-dev=${{package.full-version}}
     pipeline:
-      - uses: split/dev
       - runs: |
-          # pyconfig.h is needed at runtime... ugh.
-          mkdir -p "${{targets.destdir}}"/usr/include/${{vars.python}}
-          mv "${{targets.subpkgdir}}"/usr/include/${{vars.python}}/pyconfig.h "${{targets.destdir}}"/usr/include/${{vars.python}}
+          mkdir -p ${{targets.subpkgdir}}/usr/bin
+          mv -v ${{targets.destdir}}/usr/bin/python3-config ${{targets.subpkgdir}}/usr/bin
 
-  - name: "${{package.name}}-dev-default"
-    description: "python3 by default with development headers"
+          d="usr/lib/pkgconfig"
+          mkdir -p "${{targets.subpkgdir}}/$d"
+          mv -v \
+             "${{targets.destdir}}"/$d/python3-embed.pc \
+             "${{targets.destdir}}"/$d/python3.pc \
+             "${{targets.subpkgdir}}/$d/"
+
+  - name: "${{package.name}}-base-dev"
+    description: "python3 development headers"
     dependencies:
       runtime:
-        - ${{package.name}}-dev
-        - ${{package.name}}-default
-      provides:
-        - python3-dev=${{package.full-version}}
-        - python-3-dev=${{package.full-version}}
+        - ${{package.name}}-base=${{package.full-version}}
+    pipeline:
+      - uses: split/dev
+      - runs: |
+          # expect a dir like config-3.12-x86_64-linux-gnu
+          d="usr/lib/${{vars.python}}"
+          mkdir -p "${{targets.subpkgdir}}/$d"
+          mv -v "${{targets.destdir}}"/$d/config-${{vars.pyversion}}* \
+             "${{targets.subpkgdir}}"/$d/config-${{vars.pyversion}}*
+          rm -rf "${{targets.destdir}}"/$d/config-${{vars.pyversion}}*
 
 update:
   enabled: true