diff --git a/bootstrap/__init__.py b/bootstrap/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a41ea90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bootstrap/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+import atexit
+import logging
+import os
+import pathlib
+import shutil
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import tempfile
+
+from collections.abc import Collection, Mapping, Sequence
+from typing import NamedTuple, Optional, Tuple
+
+
+class Package(NamedTuple):
+    srcdir: pathlib.Path
+    module_path: pathlib.Path
+    module_sources: Collection[str]
+
+
+ROOT = pathlib.Path(__file__).parent.parent
+WORKING_DIR = ROOT / '.bootstrap'
+MODULES = WORKING_DIR / 'modules'
+TMPDIR = WORKING_DIR / 'tmp'
+EXTERNAL = ROOT / 'external'
+
+PACKAGES = {
+    # what we need
+    'build': Package(
+        EXTERNAL / 'build',
+        EXTERNAL / 'build' / 'src',
+        {'build'},
+    ),
+    'installer': Package(
+        EXTERNAL / 'installer',
+        EXTERNAL / 'installer' / 'src',
+        {'installer'},
+    ),
+    # dependencies
+    'setuptools': Package(
+        EXTERNAL / 'setuptools',
+        EXTERNAL / 'setuptools',
+        {'setuptools', 'pkg_resources', '_distutils_hack'},
+    ),
+    'flit_core': Package(
+        EXTERNAL / 'flit' / 'flit_core',
+        EXTERNAL / 'flit' / 'flit_core',
+        {'flit_core'},
+    ),
+    'wheel': Package(
+        EXTERNAL / 'wheel',
+        EXTERNAL / 'wheel' / 'src',
+        {'wheel'},
+    ),
+    'tomli': Package(
+        EXTERNAL / 'tomli',
+        EXTERNAL / 'tomli',
+        {'tomli'},
+    ),
+    'pep517': Package(
+        EXTERNAL / 'pep517',
+        EXTERNAL / 'pep517',
+        {'pep517'},
+    ),
+}
+
+EXTRA_PATH = [str(package.module_path) for package in PACKAGES.values()]
+PACKAGE_PATH_ENV = {
+    'PYTHONPATH': os.path.pathsep.join(EXTRA_PATH),
+}
+
+
+# copy sources to module dir and inject it into sys.path
+MODULES.mkdir(parents=True)
+for package in PACKAGES.values():
+    for path in package.module_sources:
+        shutil.copytree(
+            package.module_path / path,
+            MODULES / path,
+        )
+atexit.register(shutil.rmtree, MODULES)
+sys.path.insert(0, str(MODULES))
+
+
+# import what we need from the inject modules
+import build  # noqa: E402
+import build.env  # noqa: E402
+import pep517  # noqa: E402
+
+
+_logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+def log(msg):
+    _logger.info(msg)
+
+
+# not needed after https://github.com/pypa/build/pull/361
+def create_isolated_env_venv_no_pip(path: str) -> Tuple[str, str]:
+    import venv
+
+    venv.EnvBuilder(symlinks=build.env._fs_supports_symlink()).create(path)
+    executable, script_dir, purelib = build.env._find_executable_and_scripts(path)
+
+    return executable, script_dir
+
+
+def custom_runner(
+    cmd: Sequence[str],
+    cwd: Optional[str] = None,
+    extra_environ: Optional[Mapping[str, str]] = None,
+) -> None:
+    extra_environ = dict(extra_environ) if extra_environ else {}
+    extra_environ.update(PACKAGE_PATH_ENV)
+    pep517.default_subprocess_runner(cmd, cwd, extra_environ)
+
+
+def install_package_egginfo(name: str) -> None:
+    package = PACKAGES[name]
+    subprocess.check_call(
+        [sys.executable, 'setup.py', 'egg_info'],
+        env=os.environ | PACKAGE_PATH_ENV,
+        cwd=package.srcdir,
+    )
+    shutil.copytree(
+        package.module_path / f'{name}.egg-info',
+        MODULES / f'{name}.egg-info',
+    )
+
+
+def build_package(name: str, outdir: pathlib.Path) -> pathlib.Path:
+    log(f'Building {name}...')
+    srcdir = PACKAGES[name].srcdir
+    builder = build.ProjectBuilder(str(srcdir), runner=custom_runner)
+    wheel = builder.build('wheel', str(outdir))
+    return pathlib.Path(wheel)
diff --git a/bootstrap/build.py b/bootstrap/build.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cadedf6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bootstrap/build.py
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+import argparse
+import json
+import logging
+import pathlib
+import shutil
+import sys
+
+from typing import Dict, Optional
+from collections.abc import Sequence
+
+import bootstrap
+
+
+def main_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+    parser.add_argument(
+        '--outdir',
+        '-o',
+        type=str,
+        default='dist',
+        help='output directory (defaults to `dist`)',
+    )
+    return parser
+
+
+def main(cli_args: Sequence[str], prog: Optional[str] = None):
+    parser = main_parser()
+    if prog:
+        parser.prog = prog
+    args, unknown = parser.parse_known_args(cli_args)
+
+    logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO)
+
+    outdir = pathlib.Path(args.outdir).absolute()
+    if outdir.exists():
+        if not outdir.is_dir():
+            raise NotADirectoryError(f"{str(outdir)} exists and it's not a directory")
+        shutil.rmtree(outdir)
+    outdir.mkdir(parents=True)
+
+    # first we install the setuptools egg-info, then wheel do that setuptools
+    # thinks they are installed
+    bootstrap.install_package_egginfo('setuptools')
+    bootstrap.install_package_egginfo('wheel')
+    # then we can build everything
+    artifacts = {
+        package: bootstrap.build_package(package, outdir)
+        for package in bootstrap.PACKAGES
+    }
+    # and finally, we generate the artifact metadata
+    outdir.joinpath('artifacts.json').write_text(json.dumps({
+        package: path.name for package, path in artifacts.items()
+    }))
+
+    print(f'Written wheels to `{str(args.outdir)}`:' + ''.join(sorted(
+        f'\n\t{artifact.name}' for artifact in artifacts.values()
+    )))
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    main(sys.argv[1:], 'python -m bootstra.build')
diff --git a/bootstrap/install.py b/bootstrap/install.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..63753d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bootstrap/install.py
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+import sys
+
+import bootstrap  # noqa: F401
+
+# bootstrap injects the extra sources
+import installer.__main__  # noqa: E402
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    installer.__main__.main(sys.argv[1:], 'python -m bootstrap.install')