diff --git a/lib/functions/configuration/main-config.sh b/lib/functions/configuration/main-config.sh
index fa8aeb305..75d9ba204 100644
--- a/lib/functions/configuration/main-config.sh
+++ b/lib/functions/configuration/main-config.sh
@@ -341,9 +341,12 @@ desktop/${RELEASE}/environments/${DESKTOP_ENVIRONMENT}/appgroups
 	DEBOOTSTRAP_COMPONENTS="${DEBOOTSTRAP_COMPONENTS// /,}"
 	PACKAGE_LIST="$(one_line aggregate_all_cli "packages" " ")"
 	PACKAGE_LIST_ADDITIONAL="$(one_line aggregate_all_cli "packages.additional" " ")"
+	PACKAGE_LIST_EXTERNAL="$(one_line aggregate_all_cli "packages.external" " ")"
 
 	if [[ $BUILD_DESKTOP == "yes" ]]; then
 		PACKAGE_LIST_DESKTOP+="$(one_line aggregate_all_desktop "packages" " ")"
+		# @TODO: desktop vs packages.external?
+		PACKAGE_LIST_DESKTOP+=" ${PACKAGE_LIST_EXTERNAL}" # external packages are only included in desktop builds
 	fi
 
 	DEBIAN_MIRROR='deb.debian.org/debian'
diff --git a/lib/functions/rootfs/apt-sources.sh b/lib/functions/rootfs/apt-sources.sh
index 90c2980ac..540cef45b 100644
--- a/lib/functions/rootfs/apt-sources.sh
+++ b/lib/functions/rootfs/apt-sources.sh
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ add_apt_sources() {
 	# @TODO: rpardini: The logic here is meant to be evolved over time. Originally, all of this only ran when BUILD_DESKTOP=yes.
 	#                  Igor had bumped it to run on all builds, but that adds external sources to cli and minimal.
 	# @TODO: attention: this only handles the apt-sources; the packages (names) themselves are aggregated somewhere else
-	get_all_potential_paths "${DEBOOTSTRAP_SEARCH_RELATIVE_DIRS}" "${sub_dirs_to_check}" "sources/apt"
-	get_all_potential_paths "${CLI_SEARCH_RELATIVE_DIRS}" "${sub_dirs_to_check}" "sources/apt"
+	[[ "${BUILD_DESKTOP}" == "yes" ]] && get_all_potential_paths "${DEBOOTSTRAP_SEARCH_RELATIVE_DIRS}" "${sub_dirs_to_check}" "sources/apt"
+	[[ "${BUILD_DESKTOP}" == "yes" ]] && get_all_potential_paths "${CLI_SEARCH_RELATIVE_DIRS}" "${sub_dirs_to_check}" "sources/apt"
 	[[ "${BUILD_DESKTOP}" == "yes" ]] && get_all_potential_paths "${DESKTOP_ENVIRONMENTS_SEARCH_RELATIVE_DIRS}" "." "sources/apt"
 	[[ "${BUILD_DESKTOP}" == "yes" ]] && get_all_potential_paths "${DESKTOP_APPGROUPS_SEARCH_RELATIVE_DIRS}" "${DESKTOP_APPGROUPS_SELECTED}" "sources/apt"