diff --git a/CONF.sh b/CONF.sh
index 4913aef6..244a512b 100644
--- a/CONF.sh
+++ b/CONF.sh
@@ -157,8 +157,25 @@ export FORCE_FIRMWARE=1
 # export LOCAL=1
 
 # If your local packages are not under $MIRROR, but somewhere else, 
-# you can uncomment this line and edit to to point to a directory
-# containing dists/$CODENAME/local/binary-$ARCH
+# you can uncomment this line and edit it to point to a directory
+# containing:
+#  - dists/$CODENAME/local/binary-$ARCH/*.deb
+#  - dists/$CODENAME/local/debian-installer/binary-$ARCH/*.udeb
+#
+# Some metadata must exist for those packages to be considered:
+#  - dists/$CODENAME/local/binary-$ARCH/Packages.(gz|xz)
+#  - dists/$CODENAME/local/debian-installer/binary-$ARCH/Packages.(gz|xz)
+#
+# and apt will likely want a top-level Release file as well, and
+# possibly uncompressed Packages files as well in each directory:
+#  - dists/$CODENAME/Release
+#  - dists/$CODENAME/local/binary-$ARCH/Packages
+#  - dists/$CODENAME/local/debian-installer/binary-$ARCH/Packages
+#
+# At least that's what was observed while updating easy-build.sh (which
+# has an UPDATE_LOCAL=1 setting, controlling whether to run Packages-gen)
+# for year 2023, good luck! -- kibi
+#
 # export LOCALDEBS=/home/joey/debian/va/debian
 
 # Where to find the security patches.  This directory should be the
diff --git a/tools/Packages-gen b/tools/Packages-gen
index 7fc9f120..dcd7387a 100755
--- a/tools/Packages-gen
+++ b/tools/Packages-gen
@@ -33,7 +33,10 @@ else
 fi
 [ -d $repo ] || mkdir -p $repo
 echo Creating Packages file for $repo...
-apt-ftparchive packages $repo > $repo/Packages
+# Important: generate both uncompressed Packages (see below) and compressed
+# Packages.gz (so that the usual Packages.gz/Packages.xz search finds it)!
+apt-ftparchive packages $repo | pigz -9nm > $repo/Packages.gz
+zcat $repo/Packages.gz > $repo/Packages
 
 # Fun fact, at least when building bookworm images on bullseye:
 #  - a missing Release file is fine, but maybe downloads follow;
diff --git a/tools/make_disc_trees.pl b/tools/make_disc_trees.pl
index 3c090c8a..f666c7a6 100755
--- a/tools/make_disc_trees.pl
+++ b/tools/make_disc_trees.pl
@@ -860,6 +860,17 @@ sub finish_disc {
 	my $hook;
 	my $error = 0;
 
+	# Fix possible inconsistency (LOCAL enabled, no packages getting included in the
+	# local component, breaking debootstrap which is passed --components=main,local):
+	if (! -d "$cddir/dists/$codename/local") {
+		my $base_components = "$cddir/.disk/base_components";
+		my @components = read_file($base_components);
+		if (grep { $_ eq "local\n" } @components) {
+			print "  Removing local from base_components (no such component under $codename)\n";
+			write_file($base_components, grep { $_ ne "local\n" } @components);
+		}
+	}
+
 	if (defined($ENV{'DISC_FINISH_HOOK'})) {
 		$hook = $ENV{'DISC_FINISH_HOOK'};
 		print "  Calling disc_finish hook: $hook\n";
@@ -985,9 +996,13 @@ sub Packages_dir {
 	$pdir = "$dir/dists/$codename-backports/$component";
     }	
     if ($section and $section eq "debian-installer") {
-        $pdir = "$dir/dists/$codename/$component/debian-installer";
 	# Don't attempt to put d-i components into backports, as d-i
 	# won't look for them there.
+	#
+	# Also, merge local udebs into main, as d-i uses a single
+	# Packages file anyway:
+	my $dstcomponent = $component ne 'local' ? $component : 'main';
+	$pdir = "$dir/dists/$codename/$dstcomponent/debian-installer";
     }
     return $pdir;
 }
diff --git a/tools/start_new_disc b/tools/start_new_disc
index 2da3d2c0..e047dcdc 100755
--- a/tools/start_new_disc
+++ b/tools/start_new_disc
@@ -134,12 +134,6 @@ if [ "$BACKPORTS"x != ""x ] ; then
     fi
 fi
 
-# Commodity link for tools which want local in dists/local/local ...
-if [ -n "$LOCAL" ]
-then
-    ln -sf $CODENAME $CDDIR/dists/local
-fi
-
 if [ ! -d $CDDIR/.disk ] ; then
     mkdir $CDDIR/.disk
 fi
@@ -182,6 +176,7 @@ if [ $DISKNUM = 1 ] ; then
     echo "  Adding .disk/base_components"
     echo "main" > $CDDIR/.disk/base_components
     if [ -n "$LOCAL" ] ; then
+        # This might be reverted by finish_disc in the end:
         echo "local" >> $CDDIR/.disk/base_components
     fi