diff --git a/generate-packaging-dir b/generate-packaging-dir
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..52db61f34e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/generate-packaging-dir
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+set -e
+
+ID="$1"
+VERSION_ID="$2"
+
+DST="debian-$ID-$VERSION_ID"
+rm -rf $DST
+mkdir -p "$DST"
+
+git ls-tree "$ID"/"$VERSION_ID" debian/ | while read line ; do
+    file=$(basename $(echo $line | cut -d " " -f4))
+    hash=$(echo $line | cut -d " " -f3)
+    type=$(echo $line | cut -d " " -f2)
+    # FIXME: deal with subdirs
+    if [ "$type" = "blob" ]; then
+        git cat-file -p $hash > "$DST/$file"
+    fi
+done
diff --git a/spread.yaml b/spread.yaml
index 76926e3c17e..0c78b10a3a2 100644
--- a/spread.yaml
+++ b/spread.yaml
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@ environment:
     TRUST_TEST_KEYS: "true"
     MANAGED_DEVICE: "false"
     CORE_CHANNEL: "$(HOST: echo ${SPREAD_CORE_CHANNEL:-edge})"
+    # slight abuse
+    GENERATE_14_04: "$(HOST: ./generate-packaging-dir ubuntu 14.04)"
+    GENERATE_16_04: "$(HOST: ./generate-packaging-dir ubuntu 16.04)"
 
 backends:
     linode:
@@ -180,6 +183,23 @@ prepare: |
     # utilities
     apt-get install -y curl devscripts expect gdebi-core jq rng-tools git
 
+
+    # apply the right packaging delta, only 14.04 is special for now
+    . /etc/os-release
+    if [ "$ID" = "ubuntu" ]; then
+        case "$VERSION_ID" in
+        14.04)
+            mv debian-$ID-$VERSION_ID debian
+            ;;
+        *)
+            mv debian-ubuntu-16.04 debian
+            ;;
+        esac
+    else
+        echo "unknown distro ID $ID, please update the spread tests"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+
     # in 16.04: apt build-dep -y ./
     apt-get install -y $(gdebi --quiet --apt-line ./debian/control)