diff --git a/lib/functions/compilation/packages/firmware-deb.sh b/lib/functions/compilation/packages/firmware-deb.sh
index 27707ff446..a5b27e5e8b 100644
--- a/lib/functions/compilation/packages/firmware-deb.sh
+++ b/lib/functions/compilation/packages/firmware-deb.sh
@@ -1,34 +1,56 @@
-compile_firmware() {
-	display_alert "Merging and packaging linux firmware" "@host" "info"
+function compile_firmware_light_and_possibly_full() {
+	if [[ "${INSTALL_ARMBIAN_FIRMWARE:-yes}" == "yes" ]]; then # Build firmware by default.
+		# Build the "light" version of firmware packages, with no conditions.
+		FULL="" REPLACE="-full" LOG_SECTION="compile_firmware" do_with_logging compile_firmware
 
-	local firmwaretempdir plugin_dir
+		# Now, we'll build the "full" version of firmware packages, if:
+		# 1) We've CI==true, or stdout is not a terminal, or
+		# 2) We've been asked to install it for the board being built, BOARD_FIRMWARE_INSTALL="-full"
+		if [[ "${CI}" == "true" || ! -t 1 || "${BOARD_FIRMWARE_INSTALL}" == "-full" ]]; then
+			# Build the full version of firmware package
+			FULL="-full" REPLACE="" LOG_SECTION="compile_firmware_full" do_with_logging compile_firmware
+		else
+			display_alert "Skipping full firmware package build" "" "info"
+		fi
+	fi
+	return 0
+}
+
+function compile_firmware() {
+	display_alert "Merging and packaging linux firmware" "@host --> firmware${FULL}" "info"
+
+	local firmwaretempdir fw_dir
 
 	firmwaretempdir=$(mktemp -d) # subject to TMPDIR/WORKDIR, so is protected by single/common error trapmanager to clean-up.
 	chmod 700 "${firmwaretempdir}"
 
-	plugin_dir="armbian-firmware${FULL}"
-	mkdir -p "${firmwaretempdir}/${plugin_dir}/lib/firmware"
+	fw_dir="armbian-firmware${FULL}"
+	mkdir -p "${firmwaretempdir}/${fw_dir}/lib/firmware"
 
 	local ARMBIAN_FIRMWARE_GIT_SOURCE="${ARMBIAN_FIRMWARE_GIT_SOURCE:-"https://github.com/armbian/firmware"}"
 	local ARMBIAN_FIRMWARE_GIT_BRANCH="${ARMBIAN_FIRMWARE_GIT_BRANCH:-"master"}"
 
+	# Fetch Armbian firmware from git.
 	fetch_from_repo "${ARMBIAN_FIRMWARE_GIT_SOURCE}" "armbian-firmware-git" "branch:${ARMBIAN_FIRMWARE_GIT_BRANCH}"
 
 	if [[ -n $FULL ]]; then
+		# Fetch kernel firmware from git. This is huge...
 		fetch_from_repo "$MAINLINE_FIRMWARE_SOURCE" "linux-firmware-git" "branch:main"
-		
+
 		# @TODO: rpardini: what is this thing with hardlinks? why?
 		# cp : create hardlinks
-		run_host_command_logged cp -af --reflink=auto "${SRC}/cache/sources/linux-firmware-git/*" "${firmwaretempdir}/${plugin_dir}/lib/firmware/"
+		run_host_command_logged cp -af --reflink=auto "${SRC}/cache/sources/linux-firmware-git/*" "${firmwaretempdir}/${fw_dir}/lib/firmware/"
 		# cp : create hardlinks for ath11k WCN685x hw2.1 firmware since they are using the same firmware with hw2.0
-		run_host_command_logged cp -af --reflink=auto "${firmwaretempdir}/${plugin_dir}/lib/firmware/ath11k/WCN6855/hw2.0/" "${firmwaretempdir}/${plugin_dir}/lib/firmware/ath11k/WCN6855/hw2.1/"
-	fi
-	
-	# overlay Armbian's firmware on top of the mainline firmware
-	run_host_command_logged cp -af --reflink=auto "${SRC}/cache/sources/armbian-firmware-git/*" "${firmwaretempdir}/${plugin_dir}/lib/firmware/"
+		run_host_command_logged cp -af --reflink=auto "${firmwaretempdir}/${fw_dir}/lib/firmware/ath11k/WCN6855/hw2.0/" "${firmwaretempdir}/${fw_dir}/lib/firmware/ath11k/WCN6855/hw2.1/"
 
-	rm -rf "${firmwaretempdir}/${plugin_dir}"/lib/firmware/.git # @TODO: would have been better waste I/O putting in there
-	cd "${firmwaretempdir}/${plugin_dir}" || exit_with_error "can't change directory"
+		rm -rf "${firmwaretempdir}/${fw_dir}"/lib/firmware/.git # @TODO: would have been better not to waste I/O putting in there to begin with.
+	fi
+
+	# overlay Armbian's firmware on top of the mainline firmware
+	run_host_command_logged cp -af --reflink=auto "${SRC}/cache/sources/armbian-firmware-git/*" "${firmwaretempdir}/${fw_dir}/lib/firmware/"
+
+	rm -rf "${firmwaretempdir}/${fw_dir}"/lib/firmware/.git # @TODO: would have been better not to waste I/O putting in there to begin with.
+	cd "${firmwaretempdir}/${fw_dir}" || exit_with_error "can't change directory"
 
 	# set up control file
 	mkdir -p DEBIAN
diff --git a/lib/functions/compilation/packages/utils-dpkgdeb.sh b/lib/functions/compilation/packages/utils-dpkgdeb.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d77ba29386
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/functions/compilation/packages/utils-dpkgdeb.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# for deb building.
+function fakeroot_dpkg_deb_build() {
+	display_alert "Building .deb package" "$*" "debug"
+
+	declare -a orig_args=("$@")
+	# find the first non-option argument
+	declare first_arg
+	for first_arg in "${orig_args[@]}"; do
+		if [[ "${first_arg}" != -* ]]; then
+			break
+		fi
+	done
+
+	if [[ ! -d "${first_arg}" ]]; then
+		exit_with_error "fakeroot_dpkg_deb_build: can't find source package directory: ${first_arg}"
+	fi
+
+	# Show the total human size of the source package directory.
+	display_alert "Source package size" "${first_arg}: $(du -sh "${first_arg}" | cut -f1)" "debug"
+
+	run_host_command_logged_raw fakeroot dpkg-deb -b "-Z${DEB_COMPRESS}" "${orig_args[@]}"
+}
diff --git a/lib/functions/logging/runners.sh b/lib/functions/logging/runners.sh
index d2906f096a..8e5dbe78dd 100644
--- a/lib/functions/logging/runners.sh
+++ b/lib/functions/logging/runners.sh
@@ -122,12 +122,6 @@ function chroot_custom() {
 	raw_command="$*" raw_extra="chroot_custom" TMPDIR="" run_host_command_logged_raw chroot "${target}" /bin/bash -e -o pipefail -c "$*"
 }
 
-# for deb building.
-function fakeroot_dpkg_deb_build() {
-	display_alert "Building .deb package" "$(basename "${3:-${2:-${1}}}" || true)" "debug"
-	run_host_command_logged_raw fakeroot dpkg-deb -b "-Z${DEB_COMPRESS}" "$@"
-}
-
 # for long-running, host-side expanded bash invocations.
 # the user gets a pv-based spinner based on the number of lines that flows to stdout (log messages).
 # the raw version is already redirect stderr to stdout, and we'll be running under do_with_logging,
diff --git a/lib/functions/main/default-build.sh b/lib/functions/main/default-build.sh
index e477629b41..868e21c043 100644
--- a/lib/functions/main/default-build.sh
+++ b/lib/functions/main/default-build.sh
@@ -146,14 +146,7 @@ function main_default_build_single() {
 	if ! ls "${DEB_STORAGE}/armbian-firmware_${REVISION}_all.deb" 1> /dev/null 2>&1 || ! ls "${DEB_STORAGE}/armbian-firmware-full_${REVISION}_all.deb" 1> /dev/null 2>&1; then
 
 		if [[ "${REPOSITORY_INSTALL}" != *armbian-firmware* ]]; then
-			if [[ "${INSTALL_ARMBIAN_FIRMWARE:-yes}" == "yes" ]]; then # Build firmware by default.
-				# Build the light version of firmware package
-				FULL="" REPLACE="-full" LOG_SECTION="compile_firmware" do_with_logging compile_firmware
-
-				# Build the full version of firmware package
-				FULL="-full" REPLACE="" LOG_SECTION="compile_firmware_full" do_with_logging compile_firmware
-
-			fi
+			compile_firmware_light_and_possibly_full # this has its own logging sections
 		fi
 	fi
 
diff --git a/lib/library-functions.sh b/lib/library-functions.sh
index 8d6ff1a0ab..51a7772fab 100644
--- a/lib/library-functions.sh
+++ b/lib/library-functions.sh
@@ -244,6 +244,15 @@ set -o errexit  ## set -e : exit the script if any statement returns a non-true
 # shellcheck source=lib/functions/compilation/packages/plymouth-deb.sh
 source "${SRC}"/lib/functions/compilation/packages/plymouth-deb.sh
 
+# no errors tolerated. invoked before each sourced file to make sure.
+#set -o pipefail  # trace ERR through pipes - will be enabled "soon"
+#set -o nounset   ## set -u : exit the script if you try to use an uninitialised variable - one day will be enabled
+set -o errtrace # trace ERR through - enabled
+set -o errexit  ## set -e : exit the script if any statement returns a non-true return value - enabled
+### lib/functions/compilation/packages/utils-dpkgdeb.sh
+# shellcheck source=lib/functions/compilation/packages/utils-dpkgdeb.sh
+source "${SRC}"/lib/functions/compilation/packages/utils-dpkgdeb.sh
+
 # no errors tolerated. invoked before each sourced file to make sure.
 #set -o pipefail  # trace ERR through pipes - will be enabled "soon"
 #set -o nounset   ## set -u : exit the script if you try to use an uninitialised variable - one day will be enabled