diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 86c063c..cedb7b8 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -15,3 +15,6 @@ runtime.*.liblouis/runtimes/
 
 # Rider / ReSharper per-user settings
 *.DotSettings.user
+
+# Worktrees created by spawned Claude Code sessions
+.claude/worktrees/
diff --git a/PACKAGING.md b/PACKAGING.md
index a1ae783..1bfe967 100644
--- a/PACKAGING.md
+++ b/PACKAGING.md
@@ -119,6 +119,27 @@ mean x86:
 
 Both were still present in liblouis 3.38.0, so expect them to survive an upstream bump.
 
+### Only the library is built
+
+The build runs `make -C gnulib` then `make -C liblouis`, not a top level `make`. The tree also
+contains `tools/`, `tables/`, `man/`, `doc/`, `tests/`, `python/` and `windows/`, none of which
+reach a package.
+
+The reason is not only speed. A failure under `tools/` does not stop a top level `make`: the
+`win-arm64` build once emitted eight link errors there and still exited 0, which hid a real problem
+in several thousand lines of log. Building only what is shipped means any failure is about the
+thing being shipped. It also removes libtool's `could not determine the host path` warnings, which
+come from the wrapper scripts it generates around uninstalled executables and were pure noise: 48
+of them in a full build, none now.
+
+gnulib has to be named explicitly and built first. liblouis links `gnulib/libgnu.la`, and make does
+not build a sibling directory on demand — `make -C liblouis` alone stops with `No rule to make
+target '../gnulib/libgnu.la'`.
+
+Skipping `tables/` is safe because the two tables generated there with m4, `nl-chardefs.uti` and
+`nl-NL-g0.utb`, are also shipped pre-generated in the release tarball, so `LibLouis.NET.Tables`
+still stages a complete set.
+
 ### Self-contained Windows binaries
 
 The Windows targets are built with `-static-libgcc`. Without it, 32-bit mingw links against
diff --git a/build/build_runtime_macos_packages.sh b/build/build_runtime_macos_packages.sh
index c2f81dd..960275f 100755
--- a/build/build_runtime_macos_packages.sh
+++ b/build/build_runtime_macos_packages.sh
@@ -28,7 +28,12 @@ build_runtime_nuget_macos() {
         export CPPFLAGS="-arch $arch"
 
         ./configure --enable-ucs4 --enable-year2038 --host="$host"
-        make -j"$(cpu_count)"
+
+        # Only the library is packaged; see build_runtime_packages.sh. gnulib has to be built
+        # first and by name, because liblouis links against gnulib/libgnu.la and make will not
+        # build a sibling directory on demand.
+        make -j"$(cpu_count)" -C gnulib
+        make -j"$(cpu_count)" -C liblouis
 
         target_dir="$REPO_ROOT/runtime.$rid.liblouis/runtimes/$rid/native"
         mkdir -p "$target_dir"
diff --git a/build/build_runtime_packages.sh b/build/build_runtime_packages.sh
index 5d616b9..3b1c688 100755
--- a/build/build_runtime_packages.sh
+++ b/build/build_runtime_packages.sh
@@ -75,10 +75,23 @@ build_runtime_nuget() {
             *) jobs=$(cpu_count) ;;
         esac
 
+        # Only the library is packaged, so only the library is built. The tree also contains
+        # tools/, tables/, man/, doc/, tests/, python/ and windows/, none of which reach a package.
+        #
+        # This is not just speed. A failure in tools/ does not stop the top level make - the
+        # win-arm64 build once emitted eight link errors there and still exited 0, which buried a
+        # real problem in the log. Building only what is shipped means any failure is about the
+        # thing being shipped. It also removes libtool's "could not determine the host path"
+        # warnings, which come from wrapper scripts generated around uninstalled executables.
+        #
+        # gnulib first and explicitly: liblouis links against gnulib/libgnu.la, and make will not
+        # build a sibling directory on demand - it stops with "No rule to make target".
         if [ -n "$extra_cflags" ]; then
-            make -j"$jobs" CFLAGS="$extra_cflags"
+            make -j"$jobs" -C gnulib CFLAGS="$extra_cflags"
+            make -j"$jobs" -C liblouis CFLAGS="$extra_cflags"
         else
-            make -j"$jobs"
+            make -j"$jobs" -C gnulib
+            make -j"$jobs" -C liblouis
         fi
 
         target_dir="$REPO_ROOT/runtime.$rid.liblouis/runtimes/$rid/native"