diff --git a/contrib/install-arm-on-amd-deps b/contrib/install-arm-on-amd-deps
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..2a43f7f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/install-arm-on-amd-deps
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+#!/bin/bash -eu
+
+DEBUG=${DEBUG:-}
+[[ -z "$DEBUG" ]] || set -x
+
+QUIET=
+pkgs=(binfmt-support qemu-system-arm qemu-user-static)
+bins=(/usr/sbin/update-binfmts /usr/bin/qemu-system-arm /usr/bin/qemu-arm-static)
+pkgs_to_install=()
+
+usage() {
+    cat <<EOF
+$(basename "$0") [-h|--help] [-q|--quiet]
+
+Checks packages required to build arm64 on amd64 are installed
+and if not, installs them.
+
+args::
+
+    -h|--help   show this help and exit
+    -q|--quiet  no output
+
+env vars::
+
+    DEBUG       verbose debugging output - overrides -q|--quiet
+
+EOF
+    exit
+}
+
+while [[ $# -ne 0 ]]; do
+    case $1 in
+        -h|--help)
+            usage;;
+        -q|--quiet)
+            QUIET=q;;
+        *)
+            echo "Unknown option: $1" >&2
+            exit 1;;
+    esac
+    shift
+done
+
+for i in "${!pkgs[@]}"; do
+    if ! which "${bins[$i]}" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        pkgs_to_install+=("${pkgs[$i]}")
+    fi
+done
+
+set +u # unset u - otherwise the test will give an "unbound variable" error
+# shellcheck disable=SC2128
+# even if there are no elements in a array; ${foo[@]} still isn't "empty"
+if [[ -n "$pkgs_to_install" ]]; then
+    if [[ -n "$QUIET" ]]; then
+        echo "Installing: ${pkgs_to_install[*]}"
+        apt-get update
+        apt-get install -y "${pkgs_to_install[@]}"
+        echo ""
+    else
+        apt-get update >/dev/null 2>&1
+        apt-get install -y "${pkgs_to_install[@]}" >/dev/null 2>&1
+    fi
+fi
+
+update-binfmts --display | grep -i"$QUIET" aarch
diff --git a/debian/control b/debian/control
index 25646bf..e258586 100644
--- a/debian/control
+++ b/debian/control
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ Build-Depends:
 Standards-Version: 4.0.0
 
 Package: fab
-Architecture: any
+Architecture: all
 Depends:
  cpp,
  ${misc:Depends},
@@ -25,4 +25,7 @@ Recommends:
 Suggests:
  dd,
  wodim,
+ binfmt-support,
+ qemu-system-arm,
+ qemu-user-static
 Description: TurnKey GNU/Linux product fabrication framework
diff --git a/debian/install b/debian/install
index 94dbb94..d7d6198 100644
--- a/debian/install
+++ b/debian/install
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 share/*     usr/share/fab
 contrib/fab-* usr/bin
+contrib/install-arm-on-amd-deps   usr/bin
diff --git a/fab b/fab
index 2958a9b..4159609 100755
--- a/fab
+++ b/fab
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import sys
 import os
 from os.path import isdir, join, basename, relpath
 
-from debian import debfile
+from debian import debfile, deb822
 
 from fablib.installer import (PoolInstaller,
                               LiveInstaller, Installer)
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ class AssociatedAppendAction(argparse.Action):
             setattr(namespace, self.dest, [(option_string, values)])
 
 
-def generate_index(dctrls: Dict[Dependency, debfile.Deb822]) -> str:
+def generate_index(dctrls: Dict[Dependency, deb822.Deb822]) -> str:
     fields = (
         "Package",
         "Essential",
diff --git a/share/product.mk b/share/product.mk
index 190cb28..c44abd5 100755
--- a/share/product.mk
+++ b/share/product.mk
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
 # Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or (at your
 # option) any later version.
 
+HOST_ARCH := $(shell dpkg --print-architecture)
+
 ifndef FAB_PATH
 $(error FAB_PATH not defined - needed for default paths)
 endif
@@ -16,27 +18,38 @@ ifndef RELEASE
 $(error RELEASE not defined)
 endif
 
+ifdef FAB_ARCH
+ifneq ($(FAB_ARCH),$(HOST_ARCH))
+$(info building $(FAB_ARCH) on $(HOST_ARCH))
+ifeq ($(HOST_ARCH),arm64)
+$(error amd64 product can not be built on arm64)
+endif
+endif
+else
+FAB_ARCH := $(HOST_ARCH)
+endif
+
 DISTRO ?= $(shell dirname $(RELEASE))
 CODENAME ?= $(shell basename $(RELEASE))
 
 UBUNTU = $(shell [ $(DISTRO) = 'ubuntu' ] && echo 'y')
 DEBIAN = $(shell [ $(DISTRO) = 'debian' ] && echo 'y')
 
-FAB_ARCH ?= $(shell dpkg --print-architecture)
-
-I386 = $(shell [ $(FAB_ARCH) = 'i386' ] && echo 'y')
 AMD64 = $(shell [ $(FAB_ARCH) = 'amd64' ] && echo 'y')
 ARM64 = $(shell [ $(FAB_ARCH) = 'arm64' ] && echo 'y')
 
 ifndef FAB_ARCH_FAMILY
 ifeq ($(I386),y)
 FAB_ARCH_FAMILY=x86
+FAB_INSTALL_OPTS := '--arch i386'
 endif
 ifeq ($(AMD64),y)
 FAB_ARCH_FAMILY=x86
+FAB_INSTALL_OPTS := '--arch amd64'
 endif
 ifeq ($(ARM64),y)
 FAB_ARCH_FAMILY=arm
+FAB_INSTALL_OPTS := '--arch arm64'
 # NONFREE is used to get raspi-firmware and firmware-brcm80211
 # NONFREE=1
 endif
@@ -52,7 +65,7 @@ export FAB_POOL_PATH
 endif
 
 ifdef FAB_POOL_PATH
-FAB_INSTALL_OPTS = '--no-deps'
+FAB_INSTALL_OPTS += '--no-deps'
 endif
 
 ifndef FAB_HTTP_PROXY
@@ -65,7 +78,7 @@ endif
 
 COMMON_PATCHES := turnkey.d $(COMMON_PATCHES)
 
-CONF_VARS_BUILTIN ?= FAB_ARCH FAB_HTTP_PROXY I386 AMD64 ARM64 RELEASE DISTRO CODENAME DEBIAN UBUNTU KERNEL DEBUG CHROOT_ONLY
+CONF_VARS_BUILTIN ?= FAB_ARCH HOST_ARCH FAB_HTTP_PROXY AMD64 ARM64 RELEASE DISTRO CODENAME DEBIAN UBUNTU KERNEL DEBUG CHROOT_ONLY
 
 define filter-undefined-vars
 	$(foreach var,$1,$(if $($(var)), $(var)))
@@ -80,9 +93,12 @@ export FAB_INSTALL_ENV = $(FAB_CHROOT_ENV)
 
 # FAB_PATH dependent infrastructural components
 FAB_SHARE_PATH ?= /usr/share/fab
-BOOTSTRAP ?= $(FAB_PATH)/bootstraps/$(CODENAME)
-ifneq ("$(wildcard $(FAB_PATH)/altstraps/$(CODENAME).core)", "")
-	BOOTSTRAP := $(FAB_PATH)/altstraps/$(CODENAME).core
+BOOTSTRAP ?= $(FAB_PATH)/bootstraps/$(CODENAME)-$(FAB_ARCH)
+ifneq ("$(wildcard $(FAB_PATH)/altstraps/$(CODENAME)-$(FAB_ARCH).core)", "")
+BOOTSTRAP := $(FAB_PATH)/altstraps/$(CODENAME)-$(FAB_ARCH).core
+endif
+ifeq (,"$(wildcard $(BOOTSTRAP)"))
+$(error bootstrap $(BOOTSTRAP) not found - download or build it first)
 endif
 
 CDROOTS_PATH ?= $(FAB_PATH)/cdroots
@@ -123,7 +139,7 @@ PLAN ?= plan/main
 ROOT_OVERLAY ?= overlay
 CDROOT_OVERLAY ?= cdroot.overlay
 REMOVELIST ?= removelist
-# undefine REMOVELIST if the file doesn't exist
+# unset REMOVELIST if the file doesn't exist
 ifeq ($(wildcard $(REMOVELIST)),)
 REMOVELIST =
 endif