diff --git a/.github/workflows/debian.yml b/.github/workflows/debian.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0e0b53c6a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/debian.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+  push: # DONOTMERGE
+
+env:
+  CMAKE_VERSION: 3.27.4
+
+jobs:
+  build-deb:
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        include:
+        - container: debian:bookworm
+          label: bookworm-aarch64
+          runs-on: buildjet-4vcpu-ubuntu-2204-arm
+        - container: debian:bookworm
+          label: bookworm-x86_64
+          runs-on: buildjet-4vcpu-ubuntu-2204
+    container: ${{ matrix.container }}
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.runs-on }}
+    steps:
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+    - name: depends
+      run: |
+        apt-get update
+        apt-get install -qqy \
+                build-essential \
+                libabsl-dev \
+                libboost-all-dev \
+                libgrpc++-dev \
+                libprotobuf-dev \
+                pkg-config \
+                ninja-build \
+                protobuf-compiler-grpc \
+                git \
+                wget
+    - name: download cmake
+      run: |
+        ARCH=$(uname -m)
+        wget --quiet https://github.com/Kitware/CMake/releases/download/v${CMAKE_VERSION}/cmake-${CMAKE_VERSION}-linux-$ARCH.sh
+        chmod +x cmake-${CMAKE_VERSION}-linux-$ARCH.sh
+        ./cmake-${CMAKE_VERSION}-linux-$ARCH.sh --skip-license --prefix=/usr
+    - name: remove examples
+      # todo(RSDK-4735): no longer needed once 'all' is cleaned up
+      run: sed -i '/add_subdirectory.examples/d' src/viam/CMakeLists.txt
+    - name: cmake
+      run: cmake -S . -B ./build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr
+    - name: build
+      working-directory: build
+      run: |
+        cmake --build . --target libviamsdk.so
+        cpack
+    - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
+      with:
+        name: debian-${{ matrix.label }}
+        path: build/viam-cpp-sdk-*.deb
diff --git a/src/viam/api/config/viam-cpp-sdk-libviamapi.pc.in b/src/viam/api/config/viam-cpp-sdk-libviamapi.pc.in
index 6033e512e..098de26fb 100644
--- a/src/viam/api/config/viam-cpp-sdk-libviamapi.pc.in
+++ b/src/viam/api/config/viam-cpp-sdk-libviamapi.pc.in
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ Name: @PROJECT_NAME@-libapi
 Description: @PROJECT_DESCRIPTION@
 URL: @PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL@
 Version: @PROJECT_VERSION@
-Requires: gRPC++ >= @VIAMCPPSDK_GRPCXX_VERSION@ protobuf >= @VIAMCPPSDK_PROTOBUF_VERSION@
 Libs: -L${libdir} -L@Boost_LIBRARY_DIRS@ -lviamapi
 Cflags: -I${base_includedir} -I${deep_includedir}
 
diff --git a/src/viam/sdk/CMakeLists.txt b/src/viam/sdk/CMakeLists.txt
index 8da617bba..6f0e1ac25 100644
--- a/src/viam/sdk/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/viam/sdk/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -249,3 +249,10 @@ install(FILES
 
 
 add_subdirectory(tests)
+
+set(CPACK_GENERATOR "DEB")
+set(CPACK_ARCHIVE_COMPONENT_INSTALL ON)
+set(CPACK_COMPONENTS_ALL viam-cpp-sdk_dev)
+set(CPACK_PACKAGE_CONTACT "packaging@viam.com")
+set(CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DEPENDS "libprotobuf-dev, libgrpc++-dev, libboost-log-dev")
+include(CPack)
diff --git a/src/viam/sdk/config/viam-cpp-sdk-libviamsdk.pc.in b/src/viam/sdk/config/viam-cpp-sdk-libviamsdk.pc.in
index 98061c1bd..01a3f7122 100644
--- a/src/viam/sdk/config/viam-cpp-sdk-libviamsdk.pc.in
+++ b/src/viam/sdk/config/viam-cpp-sdk-libviamsdk.pc.in
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
 prefix=@CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX@
 libdir=${prefix}/@CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR@
-includedir=${prefix}/@CMAKE_INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR@
+includedir=${prefix}/@CMAKE_INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR@/viam/sdk
 
 Name: @PROJECT_NAME@-libviamsdk
 Description: @PROJECT_DESCRIPTION@
 URL: @PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL@
 Version: @PROJECT_VERSION@
-Requires: gRPC++ >= @VIAMCPPSDK_GRPCXX_VERSION@ protobuf >= @VIAMCPPSDK_PROTOBUF_VERSION@ @PROJECT_NAME@-libviamapi >= @PROJECT_VERSION@
 Libs: -L${libdir} -L@Boost_LIBRARY_DIRS@ -lviamsdk -lviam_rust_utils
 Libs.private: -lboost_log-mt
 Cflags: -I${includedir} -I@Boost_INCLUDE_DIR@